Radiant Merc arrives in Fire Emblem Shadows – dates, rewards, video

Table of Content

Nintendo kicked off the year in Fire Emblem Shadows with a new seasonal cycle and limited-time content. The Radiant Merc Season Pass anchors the update, spotlighting Ike’s Soul as the featured treasure. Alongside the season, New Year-themed weapons are rotating in for a short window, with some extra bonuses tied to log-ins and treasure chests. The studio also reiterated the game’s hybrid premise – real-time strategy blended with social deduction – now evolving through fresh seasonal rewards.

Radiant Merc season – timing and headline reward

Period: 12/26/2025 10:00 p.m. (PT) to 1/26/2026 9:59 p.m. (PT). During Radiant Merc, players can gather 12 Souls to recruit Ike: Radiant Merc. The event is positioned as the main arc for early 2026 and ties directly into the ongoing story with “more disciples” entering the fray.

New Year gear – limited-time weapons and drops

New Year-themed equipment is available until January 26, including ★4 and ★6 items obtainable via season challenges and Season Pass rewards. Nintendo notes players can earn up to nine special weapons across the season’s track and challenges.

• Kadomatsu Sword ★4 – usable by all sword-wielding disciples.
• Mochi Stone ★6 – weapon-specific skill Shining Eye: deals 30% more weapon damage while HP ≥ 50%; usable by all stone users.

Additional time-limited tweaks are also live: Lyn’s Souls have an increased chance to appear in treasure chests until January 13 (chest contents remain random), and players can receive more gold via daily log-in bonuses during the celebration window.

At-a-glance schedule and highlights

Key dates and content at a glance – use this to plan your season grind without missing limited windows.

Read also our article: MY HERO ULTRA RUMBLE balance patch lands – full Jan 7 changes

What Fire Emblem Shadows is doing differently

Fire Emblem Shadows combines real-time strategy with social deduction – you either defend the light and unmask the traitor, or work covertly to mislead the team. This dual-focus loop underpins the seasonal structure, where new disciples, gear, and goals shift the meta from month to month.

Official links and video

Official site: https://shadows.nintendo.com/

Announcement video: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/bF5JuqwbOYk?autoplay=0&modestbranding=1&loop=0&controls=1&mute=0&cc_load_policy=0&hl=en&cc_lang_pref=en&rel=0

Final takeaway – what this means for players

Ike’s Soul anchors the season’s chase, while New Year weapons add short-term goals to the upgrade path. If you follow Shadows’ seasonal loop, the tight dates – especially the January 13 window for Lyn’s Souls – are the key beats to plan around.