Affinities

***Fire Emblem Leader Affinities*** is a mod developed in collaboration by Kobazco, LordOfAdmirals and Mathetes. In a similar vein to Civ IV Traits, it grants supported civilizations with further abilities, effectively acting as a second UA. However, this similarity makes it incompatible with its predecessor; the two cannot run in the same game (or at least should not; it is possible in the current version, but not recommended for balance reasons).

Sothis's last demand(s) for this article was/were:
**Civs after June 1, 2020**.

## Key

* Initial Bonus: the bonus received just from being this Affinity, or from befriending this Affinity
* Boosted Bonus: the bonus received once its bearer declares friendship
* Strategy: the devs’ recommended use of this affinity
* Canon: Civs from Binding Blade, Blazing Blade, Sacred Stones, Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn already have Affinities and were easy to program here
* Fanon: Civs outside those mentioned above had to be guessed on by comparing their personality with what is common among the canon civs

## Affinities

### Anima

Knowledgeable about the world, these truth-seekers pursue further understanding of something. Calm, impartial and responsible, they make for respectable leaders and negotiators that may deviate from the norm to fulfill a task. Their strength is also their weakness, however, as they may neglect more long-term solutions. Typically in nobility.

*Initial Bonus:* All units gain 25% bonus experience. Cities provide an additional +2  Science.

*Boosted Bonus:* All units gain 50% bonus experience.  Great Scientists are generated +25% faster.

*Strategy:*  Anima is focused on the experience of your units, as well as moving along the technology tree more quickly. The +2  Science to all of your cities will undoubtedly help in the early game for grabbing key technologies, while the bonus experience will help overall for keeping your units strong throughout any wars you may have to fight in. If you manage to sign a declaration of friendship, you’ll also gain Great Scientists slightly faster, allowing you to hopefully tech bomb more often in the later stages of the game.

### Dark

A thinker’s civ, similar to Anima. With cold logic as their weapon of choice, these tacticians will resort to means few other Affinities are willing to if it will protect their interests. They are not bloodthirsty, however (disregarding our fanon choices at least…), and will not meaninglessly destroy. These brooding types may have someone or something weighing on their mind which affects their self-esteem and/or attention. Surprisingly wide range.

*Initial Bonus:* All units deal 10% more damage to wounded enemy units.  Occupied cities provide 50% less  Unhappiness than usual.

*Boosted Bonus:* All units deal 25% more damage to wounded enemy units. All cities with a garrison provide +1  Happiness.

*Strategy:* Dark Affinity users should be more focused on pressing their advantage in offensive wars. All of their units deal bonus damage to wounded enemies, allowing for a devastating assault. In addition to this, any cities they capture won’t provide as much  Unhappiness as usual, allowing for quick and safe conquest of their enemies.

### Earth

Down-to-earth, these no-nonsense types aim to resolve matters simply and fairly. Honest and predictable, humble yet strong-willed, they attract attention through deeds rather than speeches, which can make them more popular than they intended to be. Typically a mercenary or soldier. It replaces Anima for the Tellius games, but there is little resemblance in personalities.

*Initial Bonus:* All units gain a 10% combat modifier when defending. Cities generate Great People 10% more quickly.

*Boosted Bonus:* All units gain a 20% combat modifier when defending. Improvements are constructed 25% faster.

*Strategy:* Earth Affinity leaders are more suited towards playing a defensive, infrastructure-based game. Due to their bonus when defending, they can likely afford to slack a little on units when fighting a defensive war. They are well rewarded for their patience, as they produce Great People more quickly and will quickly build up improvements in all of their cities if they acquire a Declaration of Friendship with another leader.

### Fire

Energetic and excitable, these thrill-seekers aim to perfect something about themselves. While physically strong or boasting some other passion, they’re impulsive, pursue competition and rarely change the course they’ve set for themselves, which could make them too scatterbrained to lead as effectively as other Affinities. Typically a mercenary or other strength-seeking motivation. Wide range.

*Initial Bonus:* All melee units deal 10% more damage outside of friendly territory. +15%  Production when producing Military units.

*Boosted Bonus:* Great Generals are earned 50% faster than usual. Strategic Resources such as Iron yield 25% more than usual. Example: A source of 4 of a strategic resource will instead yield 5.

*Strategy:* Fire Affinities are much more suited towards overall rather than be specialized like their Dark counterparts. They are more effective outside of their own territory, making them somewhat of a counterpart to Earth leaders. However, they have a bevy of bonuses towards overall military  Production, such as enhancing their Strategic Resources and Great Generals. If a Fire leader declares war on you, be afraid of the sweeping armies to come.

### Heaven

Strong but fair sense of justice that won't sacrifice morals, these characters are a welcome ally and partner and a worthy adversary, though their drive may make relaxation a foreign concept. They have high standards for themselves and others and enjoy guiding others to their full potential. They see their goals through to the end, even if they skim over a fact or two in the process. Though Tellius exclusive, the pool has a surprisingly wide range.

*Initial Bonus:* Ranged units gain +1 vision range. All cities gain +1 local  Happiness.

*Boosted Bonus:* Ranged units gain a +10% combat modifier.  Golden Ages are earned 25% more quickly than usual.

*Strategy:* Heaven leaders should be more focused on the  Happiness of their citizens, as  Golden Ages are to be their goal. Getting a friend as a Heaven leader shouldn’t be much of an issue, as you likely won’t be playing very aggressive in the first place. If, however, you find yourself in a war of sorts, your ranged units will gain a slight bonus to help you defend against enemy invasions.

### Ice

With logic and a clear goal as their mantra, these types can be counted on to pursue the finer details of their task. They see the world for what can and can’t be done and organize themselves accordingly. Strong but pushy, they are not opposed to the company but may find it hard to express the desire for it, appearing aloof or unfeeling to those not in the know.

*Initial Bonus:* All units deal 10% more damage inside of friendly territory. +15%  Production when producing buildings.

*Boosted Bonus:* All units deal 25% more damage inside of friendly territory. +25%  Production when constructing wonders.

*Strategy:* Ice leaders are very effective at turtling, much like Earth leaders. However, Ice leaders get an overall bonus when inside of friendly lands, but sacrifice the overarching defensive bonus aforementioned Earth leaders gain. Ice leaders get quite a bit out of building up their cities though, as they get a very nice  Production bonus when construction Buildings, and later on, Wonders within their cities.

### Light

They are pioneers of hope, ever seeking the best in all, though they are also prone to viewing the world in black and white. Ever in pursuit of “the right way”, these leaders can respond to conflict in ways that seem naive to others, hoping that everyone can walk away happy. When all other options are exhausted, they will take up the blade like any other. They may be attached to a particular someone. Wide range.

*Initial Bonus:* All units deal 10% more damage inside friendly territory. All cities provide +1  Faith.

*Boosted Bonus:* All units deal 25% more damage inside friendly territory. All Religious Buildings yield an additional +2  Happiness.

*Strategy:* *due to a major update, this section is outdated*

Light Affinity leaders are the only ones to gain some sort of benefit to Religion. Not only do they spread their Religions faster, but they also gain additional  Happiness from Religious buildings such as Pagodas. Apart from these religious benefits, Light units will be more effective when fighting alongside each other.

### Thunder

Strong in skill and sense of justice, but boastful, these types get the job done, even if the point they wish to make drives others away. This daredevil attitude combined with a heightened resourcefulness makes them a leader that cannot be ignored, and is rivaled in charisma by Anima. Wide range.

*Initial Bonus:* Great Generals are earned 25% faster than usual. All Cities yield an additional +2  Culture.

*Boosted Bonus:* Gain  Gold from kills equal to 100% of the defeated unit's combat strength. City Connections yield an additional +25%  Gold.

*Strategy:* Leaders of the Thunder Affinity will find themselves playing a more balanced type of warfare. They have a consistent benefit to the  Production of their Great Generals, and also eventually come to gain  Gold based on a defeated enemy’s strength. In addition to this, they start off with an early bonus to  Culture as well as an eventual benefit to City Connections.

### Water

If the adaptability and shyness of Ice were melted by the compassion of Light, this is the end result. Empathetic to an almost gullible degree, they will put aside their reservations if it will comfort or console the other party. Incredibly loyal, but also bound to their own code, they are reasonable people until either a loved one or said code are threatened. Strong survivalist tendencies. Wide range.

*Initial Bonus:* Units heal +10 more HP in friendly territory. Retain 15% of a city's  Food upon the growth of a city.

*Boosted Bonus:* Units heal +20 more HP in friendly territory. Internal trade routes provide 25% more  Food and  Production.

*Strategy:* Water Affinity leaders are a somewhat different take on defensive play, as the unit benefits consist of healing more HP than usual. Besides that, however, Water leaders should focus on the growth of their cities and look towards a more tall style of play to go alongside the adopting of Tradition.

### Wind

Social and easy to get along with, these types may have a goal but will set time aside for their friends. With a strong sense of individuality, they seek freedom more than any other Affinity, and with it the ability to live their own lifestyle and form their own bonds. They are the least likely to judge others, as they believe all are judged under the same entity (god, fate, luck, karma, etc). Wide range.

*Initial Bonus:* All Scouts gain +1 additional visibility range. Trade routes yield an additional +25%  Gold.

*Boosted Bonus:* All Scouts and Civilian units (Settlers and Workers) gain +1 additional  Movement.

*Strategy:* Wind leaders have quite different bonuses when compared to everyone else. They have no real combat benefits to speak of, but instead trade that for bonuses such as early scouting and trade route bonuses. In addition to this, their Civilian units such as Settlers and Workers will eventually gain an additional point of  Movement, helping a lot with their mobility and prevent them from being captured as often when not escorted by a friendly unit.

### Non-Fire Emblem

Though the mod was primarily made for Fire Emblem civilizations, there is no rule preventing unrelated civilizations from benefitting. A proof of concept mod was recently released granting Affinities to Yu-Gi-Oh civilizations, and external support for others can be achieved by copying and editing that mod.

### Not Supported

Leaders listed here do not have support for Fire Emblem Leader Affinities yet.

## Credits

* XD Master: concept, organization
* Mathetes tou Megalou Alexandrou: lua
* Lord of Admirals: icon atlases, organization
* Kobazco: XML
* TheMH06 and all of the above: assignment of release-day fanon Affinities

## Trivia

* As of Sothis's release, Light slightly edges out Dark for most populous, followed by a Fire/Wind tie.
* In XD's original draft, Heaven would have had a line of sight boost bigger than Wind, Ice and Water were one entry, favoring the Ice side, Thunder would have had some defense bonus for units, and Dark would have offered conversion resistance. These and more were dropped or rearranged when the boosted bonus was conceived mid-project. Post-project, an exclusive Silence affinity was proposed but rejected. It would have comprised characters, mainly villains, so one-dimensional that destruction *is* their personality.