getting started

Exalted is a hack of Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. You play it in an emulator, with the patch applied to your own copy of the game. Here’s what you need and how to set it up.

• Your own copy of Radiant Dawn: a disc image of the original North American (NTSC-U) release, version 1.1.
• Dolphin, the GameCube and Wii emulator: its latest release from dolphin-emu.org. Get it there, not from bundles posted elsewhere.
• The Exalted patch, an .xdelta file posted in the Exalted Discord server.
• Delta Patcher, to apply the patch to your disc image.

1. Keep a backup of your clean disc image: every new version patches a clean copy.
2. In Delta Patcher, pick the clean image as the original file and the .xdelta file as the patch, then apply it.
3. If Delta Patcher won’t apply it, turn on “Checksum Validation” in its settings and try again.
4. In Dolphin, turn off “Use Panic Handlers” (Options → Configuration → Interface), then open the patched image.

• Before you update, keep a save from your last cleared map: the [Clear] save the game offers after a chapter. A save made in the middle of a map or at the base can break after patching if that map changed.
• Saves don’t always carry over between versions: those from 0.915d didn’t.
• An optional clear-data save file adds extra options, such as turning animations off and showing bonus EXP.
• See what changed in v0.918b before you update.

Found a bug in the hack? Check the list of known bugs, then report it with the bug report form.

What is Exalted?

A hack that overhauls Radiant Dawn’s gameplay, designed as eight editions, one per affinity, each with its own properties and map design. Units, weapons and skills that match an edition’s affinity are Exalted: they get extra bonuses.

Which version does this site cover?

The newest, v0.918b, in its Dark edition. Its 42 chapters run through all four parts: Part I 11 · Part II 5 · Part III 15 · Part IV 11.

Is it a harder Radiant Dawn?

It’s balanced on its own terms rather than as a difficulty patch of the original. It’s generally harder, with a steadier difficulty curve.

Which difficulty should I play?

Normal for a first run. Hard gets much more punishing later on. Maddening is still in the works.

Why don’t weapons break?

Weapons have no durability: it streamlines play and makes room for new weapon mechanics.

Why don’t skills trigger by chance?

Activated skills are specials: they charge up and fire on a cooldown instead.

Can I transfer a Path of Radiance save?

Yes, transfers work, but the game isn’t balanced around them.