The Base appears in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. It is gameplay period that precedes the battle preparations menu in the other games. Like in battle preparations, players can check and equip their units, as well as purchase equipment. Extra features include activating Support conversations, viewing Base Conversations that give strategic hints or let you recruit certain characters, distributing Bonus Experience and accessing the Forge. After leaving the base, the game moves to the pre-chapter scenario. Once the game has progressed to the battle preparations menu, players can choose to return to the base in case they need to make some last-minute changes.
The full list of options given at the base in Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn is as follows:
- Items - Allows the shifting or use of held items
- Shop - Has the sub-options Armory, Shop, Sell Items, and Forge. Typically these are covered by Muston, Aimee, Jorge, and Daniel, respectively, but if the plot has them elsewhere the positions may be filled by generic knights.
- Manage - Has the sub-options Award Exp (BEXP) and Skills
- Support - Allows the creation/strengthening of Support Relationships
- Info - For viewing Base Conversations
- Library - For viewing story-pertinent relationships between characters, and other information about individual allies, enemies, nations, or terms.
- Save - For creating or overwriting save files
- End - Continues the plot and eventually begins the chapter with the battle preparations menu