Should You Skip Part 2 In Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave?

Published Sep 17, 2026, 12:26 PM EDT Ryan Thompson-Bamsey has been an Editor at TheGamer since 2021. He has specialized in RPGs, grand strategy games, and visual novels, reviewing major releases in franchises from Square Enix, Larian Studios, and Paradox Interactive. Ryan has served multiple times on the jury for the Indie Cup awards, and has mentored many emerging writers in the games industry. He has covered some of the biggest releases of recent years, including leading the site's coverage of Baldur's Gate 3, Dragon's Dogma 2, and plenty of other massive RPGs. Part 2 of Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave presents players with another unusual choice. Cai, Dietrich, Theodora, and Leda each have a route continuing from their respective Part 1 armies, yet the four versions contain the same chapters and battles, making repeated playthroughs potentially feel unnecessary. You can skip Part 2 after completing only one Part 1 and still continue the story. Doing so saves time, but it also sacrifices experience, valuable items, and opportunities to prepare your units for the combined army of Part 3. Whether skipping is worthwhile ultimately depends on whether you value efficient progression or stronger characters. Can You Skip Part 2? Yes, Part 2 is entirely skippable. You can advance without playing it even if you have completed only one version of Part 1. Each of the four main characters—Cai, Dietrich, Theodora, and Leda—has an individual Part 2 route. Whichever route you select continues with the army that character recruited during their version of Part 1. This allows you to retain the units you developed along that particular path. Despite appearing to be four distinct routes, the Part 2 stories are effectively identical. Each version contains the same chapters and battles, with only minor adjustments made to the cutscenes immediately before and after them. These changes allow your chosen protagonist to appear in the relevant scenes, but they do not meaningfully alter Part 2’s events. As a result, you will not miss a substantial alternate storyline by skipping some versions of Part 2. You will, however, miss valuable opportunities to develop the corresponding armies before they come together in Part 3. What Happens If You Skip Part 2? Skipping Part 2 does not leave the affected army completely unprepared. The game automatically raises the levels of its units so they are capable of participating in Part 3. During my playthrough, units belonging to an army that skipped Part 2 were raised to Level 42. This gave them a serviceable starting point for the next stage of the game without requiring me to repeat the same set of battles. Level 42 was the result observed during this playthrough. The precise outcome may depend on factors elsewhere in your save, but skipped units will receive some preparation for Part 3. The disadvantage is that this automatic levelling cannot compete with the results of playing Part 2 yourself. By completing the battles, using units carefully, and taking advantage of experience bonuses obtained through the achievement system, I was able to raise many characters to between Levels 48 and 50. That difference of six to eight levels provides a major advantage during the later stages of the game. More importantly, playing the chapters yourself gives you control over which characters receive the experience. You can concentrate on your strongest units, help weaker characters catch up, or prepare specific units and combinations for Part 3. Skipping also means losing the chance to collect the items distributed throughout Part 2. The first four battles alone provide a substantial selection of useful rewards, including multiple class-change licences and items connected to character-specific mechanics. These include resources for systems such as Dietrich’s Combat Art upgrades and Leda’s drink shop. Skipping an army’s version of Part 2 leaves those development opportunities unused, which can limit how much value you receive from that army once everyone joins together. Automatic levels therefore compensate for only one part of what you miss. They do not replace the equipment, class progression, mechanical upgrades, or deliberate character development available from completing the battles. Should You Play All Four Part 2s? You should complete all four versions of Part 2 if you want to play optimally. Although the chapters are repeated, every playthrough provides another army with experience and resources that will remain valuable in Part 3. Part 3 brings together the armies developed across the four previous paths. Any group that skipped Part 2 will still be usable, but its units are likely to be noticeably weaker than those you trained personally. Completing all four versions gives you the best opportunity to create a consistently powerful combined army rather than relying on one or two well-developed groups. Playing every version is especially worthwhile if you: Want the strongest possible combined army in Part 3. Enjoy optimising levels and character builds. Want greater control over which units receive experience. Need additional class-change licences. Want to develop character-specific mechanics fully. Do not mind repeating the same battles with different armies. The main argument against completing all four is repetition. Since the maps, objectives, and major events are identical, subsequent runs offer few surprises. The small cutscene changes involving each protagonist are not enough to make these versions feel like four genuinely different stories. You will save a significant amount of time while losing very little unique story material, and the automatic level increase ensures the skipped armies are not rendered unusable. Skipping is most suitable if you: Want to reach Part 3 as quickly as possible. Find repeated battles tedious. Care more about the story than character optimisation. Are comfortable using slightly weaker units. Only intend to rely heavily on the armies whose Part 2 paths you completed. The best compromise is to play Part 2 with the army you intend to use most frequently, then decide whether the rewards justify repeating it. If you enjoyed the battles or want to maximise every army, complete all four. If the repetition begins to outweigh the benefits, you can safely skip the remaining versions and continue. Ultimately, skipping Part 2 is convenient, but playing it is more rewarding. Players focused on efficiency and late-game strength should complete every version. Those who value their time or want to avoid fighting the same battles four times can skip without losing an important alternate storyline.