The Sacred Stones Combat and rescue
Use the GBA weapon triangles, terrain and rescue commands to preserve units.
Edition covered
Original GBA rules, first released in Japan in 2004 and localized in 2005. Some pictures show the original game inside a later emulation interface. No modern Casual Mode is assumed.
Plan around permanent losses
There is no Casual Mode in the original GBA release. Check all reachable enemies before leaving Eirika, a healer or a trainee in the open.
| Your weapon | Favored target | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Sword | Axe | Improve reliability against axe users |
| Axe | Lance | Pressure soldiers and lance cavalry |
| Lance | Sword | Counter sword-focused enemies |
| Bow | Flying unit | Check effectiveness and the inability to counter most adjacent attacks |
Use both weapon triangles
Swords beat axes, axes beat lances and lances beat swords. Magic has its own cycle: anima beats light, light beats dark and dark beats anima.
| Command | Purpose | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Rescue | Pick up an eligible ally | Aid must cover the ally's Constitution |
| Take | Receive a carried ally | Carrier position must permit the transfer |
| Drop | Place the passenger nearby | A legal adjacent tile must be free |
| Give | Pass the carried ally to another unit | Keep the final carrier outside lethal range |
Rescue is transport with a penalty
A unit with enough Aid can carry an ally. The passenger is protected, but carrying lowers the rescuer's skill and speed, so do not treat rescue as a free combat boost.
Use terrain for the defender
Forests and forts can make a safe lure possible. Compare terrain, weapon weight, HP and likely follow-up attacks before asking one unit to hold several enemies.
References
| Reference | Website |
|---|---|
| Nintendo instruction manual | www.nintendo.com |
| Detailed mechanics and reference | serenesforest.net |