Overview
Fire Emblem: Three Houses is the first mainline entry in the long running strategy RPG franchise to be developed for the Nintendo Switch, marking the series return to console hardware since 2007's Radiant Dawn as well as being the sixteenth core installment in the franchise overall. Once again, Intelligent Systems created this entry in the Fire Emblem series however the title was also co-developed by Koei Tecmo, who had previously produced Fire Emblem Warriors, with Intelligent Systems being in charge of design while Koei Tecmo dealt with the general game development. Fire Emblem: Three Houses was released simultaneously worldwide on July 26, 2019, a first for the franchise.
The title follows a Protagonist (named Byleth by default) who was formerly a mercenary but, due to various circumstances, has recently become a Professor at the Officer's Academy in the Gareg Mach Monastery. The school is within a neutral religious capital located in the middle of the continent's three ruling nations, whose future leaders and nobles all receive training in both academics and combat at the academy.
Gameplay
After the initial tutorial level, Byleth will have to choose which one of the titular Three Houses they wish to teach:
Byleth will then be assigned the role of Professor over their selected house. However, they can build up support with most students from other Houses and Recruit them to join their own class. Some unaffiliated units from the Church of Seiros can also be recruited to join Byleth's class as students in this manner.
During the month, Byleth will have to balance teaching their class, building up support with students and staff around the Monastery, completing sidequests, and fighting battles across the continent to build experience points for themselves and their units. At the end of a typical in-game week, players can choose between one of four actions:
- Explore the Monastery, allowing the player to talk to students and staff, build up support, and possibly recruit them or ask for their assistance with battles throughout the month.
- Host a Seminar, allowing one of the staff at the Monastery to teach a selection of Byleth's class about their main specialties and build experience with those skills.
- Battle, which allows Byleth to launch a raid on an enemy target with their class (and mission assist, if applicable) and fight in classic Fire Emblem action. Some sidequests can only be completed in this mode.
- Rest, which allows Byleth's class to regain their motivation for future lessons, and allows Byleth to recharge a certain special weapon at no cost.
The day after any of these options have been selected and played out, Byleth will typically begin teaching their class.
School Day
The player can either use Auto-Instruct to let the AI decide which students to Instruct and in what fields, or perform the Instruction manually by selecting students with at least some Motivation and selecting a specific area to Instruct them in. The more Motivation a student has, the more times they can be Instructed that day. On occasion, if the Instruction comes up Perfect, they will regain a little Motivation to be used on one extra Instruction that day.
Byleth can also set the Goals for each student to learn. Though they typically shine in their chosen fields, each student can be trained in a completely different field with enough patience and luck. On occasion, some students will ask to focus in a particular field or two, which the player can approve or deny.
In addition, two students can be assigned to work together on a Group Task, building up support with each other as well as experience in one of three fields: Horse Riding, Heavy Armor, or Flying.
Once the Instruction has been completed and the Goals have been set, Byleth begins lecturing for the whole week, allowing their class to gain experience in their selected fields for that week.
Story Progression
Near the end of the month, a story event will occur that the player cannot skip, and they will be forced to battle with whatever units they currently have, with possible neutral or allied units supporting them depending on the stage.
After the events of Act 1 conclude, a timeskip occurs where the player must battle the other Houses using their own, plus the units they have recruited from earlier. However, it is possible to play Act 2 as a faction affiliated with Rhea and the Church of Seiros instead of any of the Three Houses.
Classes
Most units start off by default as a Noble or Commoner, depending on their background, a footsoldier who can use basic attacks and magic. As they pass Certification Exams they can graduate into more advanced classes while keeping their skillsets from before. For example, it is possible to have a swordsman pass the Monk exam and be able to use both magic and sword attacks, though they may have to build up their Faith or Reason skills before they can be viable magic-users in combat.
Unique Classes
| Name | Prerequisites | Mastery Bonus |
|---|
| Noble / Commoner | N/A | HP +5: Unit's Max HP increases by 5. |
| Dancer | Win the White Heron Cup | Special Dance: Dance grants +4 Dex/Spd/Luck to target ally on top of extra turn. |
| Enlightened One | Byleth Only, after Ch. 11 | Sacred Power: Adjacent allies deal 3 extra damage and take 3 less damage during combat. |
| Armored Lord | Edelgard Only, after Ch. 13 | Pomp & Circumstance: Unit's Luck/Charm +4 |
| High Lord | Dimitri Only, after Ch. 13 | Pomp & Circumstance: Unit's Luck/Charm +4 |
| Wyvern Master | Claude Only, after Ch. 13 | Pomp & Circumstance: Unit's Luck/Charm +4 |
| Death Knight | Jeritza Only, after Ch. 13 | Counterattack: Unit will counter the attacker regardless of distance. |
| Emperor | Edelgard Only, after Ch. 16 | Flickering Flower: Prevents foe from moving for 1 turn. |
| Great Lord | Dimitri Only, after Ch. 16 | Paraselene: After combat, user moves 1 space backwards. |
| Barbarossa | Claude Only, after Ch. 17 | Wind God: Combat Art with bonus Might and Range when used. |
Beginner Classes
All classes here require a Beginner Seal for a unit to take and then pass the Certification Exam for the desired class.
| Name | Prerequisites | Mastery Bonus |
|---|
| Myrmidon | Sword: D Rank | Spd +2: Unit's Speed increases by 2. Swap: Combat Art that lets unit swap position with adjacent ally. |
| Soldier | Lance: D Rank | Def +2: Unit's Defense increases by 2. Reposition: Combat Art that lets unit move adjacent ally to the space opposite from them (if empty). |
| Fighter | Axe/Bow/Brawl: D Rank | Str +2: Unit's Strength increases by 2. Shove: Combat Art that lets unit push adjacent ally to the space in front of them (if empty). |
| Monk | Reason/Faith: D Rank | Mag +2: Unit's Magic increases by 2. Draw Back: Combat Art that lets unit draw adjacent ally with them to the space behind them (if empty). |
Intermediate Classes
All classes here (except Dark Mage) require a Intermediate Seal for a unit to take and then pass the Certification Exam for the desired class.
| Name | Prerequisites | Mastery Bonus |
|---|
| Lord | Edelgard/Dimitri/Claude Only Sword: D+ Rank Authority: C Rank | Res +2: Unit's Resistance increases by 2 Subdue: Combat Art that leaves enemy unit with 1 HP if it hits. |
| Mercenary | Sword: C Rank | Vantage: When foe initiates combat, unit still attacks first if their HP <= 50% |
| Thief | Sword: C Rank | Steal: Unit can swipe a non-weapon item from an enemy with lower Speed. |
| Armored Knight | Axe: C Rank Heavy Armor: D Rank | Armored Blow: Unit gains Def +6 in combat when initiating an attack. |
| Cavalier | Lance: C Rank Riding: D Rank | Desperation: If unit's HP < 50%, unit can make their follow-up attack (if possible) before enemy counterattack. |
| Brigand | Axe: C Rank | Death Blow: Unit gains Str +6 in combat when initiating an attack. |
| Archer | Bow: C Rank | Hit +20: Increases Hit by 20 |
| Brawler | Male Only Brawl: C Rank | Unarmed Combat: Unit can fight without a weapon equipped. |
| Mage | Reason: C Rank | Fiendish Blow: Unit gains Mag +6 in combat when initiating an attack. |
| Priest | Faith: C Rank | Miracle: Chance to survive lethal damage with 1HP, if HP > 1 at time of attack. Miracle chance % = unit's Luck stat. |
| Dark Mage | Male Only Dark Seal Reason: C Rank | Poison Strike: If unit initiates combat and lands a hit, targeted foe loses up to 20% of max HP after combat. |
| Pegasus Knight | Female Only Lance: C Rank Flying: D Rank | Darting Blow: Unit gains AS +6 in combat when initiating an attack. Triangle Attack: Combat Art that can only be used when 3 allied fliers, including this unit, are adjacent to an enemy. |
Advanced Classes
All classes here (except Dark Bishop) require a Intermediate Seal for a unit to take and then pass the Certification Exam for the desired class.
| Name | Prerequisites | Mastery Bonus |
|---|
| Swordmaster | Sword: A Rank | Astra: Combat Art that deals 5 consecutive hits at 30% strength each |
| Hero | Male Only Sword: B Rank Axe: C Rank | Defiant Strength: At start of turn, if Unit's HP ≤ 25%, Grants Strength +8 |
| Assassin | Sword: B Rank Bow: C Rank | Lethality: (Dex/4)% chance to instantly kill a (non-boss) foe when dealing damage. Assassinate: Combat Art with a chance to instantly kill a (non-boss) foe. |
| Paladin | Lance: B Rank Riding: B Rank | Aegis: (Dex)% chance to reduce incoming bow or magic damage by 50% |
| Warrior | Axe: A Rank | Wrath: If foe initiates combat while Unit’s HP is ≤ 50%, grants Crit +50. |
| Fortress Knight | Axe: B Rank Heavy Armor: B Rank | Pavise: (Dex)% chance to reduce incoming sword/lance/axe/unarmed damage by 50% |
| Wyvern Rider | Axe: B Rank Flying: C Rank | Seal Defense: If Unit is damaged in combat but survives, foe suffers Def -6 for one turn after combat. |
Sniper | Bow: A Rank | Hunter's Volley: Combat Art that fires 2 consecutive shots with bonus to Hit and Crit stats. |
| Grappler | Male Only Brawl: A Rank | Tomebreaker: Grants Hit/Avo +20 when fighting against magic users. Fierce Iron Fist: Combat Art that launches 3 consecutive strikes with slight Crit stat bonus. |
| Warlock | Reason: A Rank | Bowbreaker: Grants Hit/Avo +20 when fighting against bow users. |
| Dark Bishop | Male Only Dark Seal Reason: A Rank | Lifetaker: Unit recovers HP equal to 50% of damage dealt after defeating a foe. |
| Bishop | Faith: A Rank | Renewal: Unit recovers up to 20% of max HP at the start of each turn. |
Master Classes
Available after reaching Level 30 and a minimum of Professor Rank C. All classes here require a Master Seal for a unit to take and then pass the Certification Exam for the desired class.
Skills
- Sword: Useful for wielding various swords, either for specializing as a Swordmaster, or branching out into agile classes like Assassin and Thief.
- Lance: Used by several mounted classes like Cavalier, Paladin, or Pegasus/Wyvern Knights.
- Axe: Powerful weapons used primarily by slow but powerful units like the Brigand or Armored Knight.
- Bow: Allows for long-range physical attacks, either for specialized Archers and Snipers or by other units for some added versatility.
- Brawl: As the name suggests, the dirty, close-range fighting style used by Brawlers and other empty-handed masters of combat. Not the most powerful, but they make up for it with multiple strikes.
- Reason: The branch of magic that specializes in dealing damage against enemy units, especially heavier infantry with a low Res stat.
- Faith: The branch of magic that specializes in healing and buffing allied units, sometimes from halfway across the map.
- Authority: Measure of a unit's ability to command a Battalion.
- Riding: For units who specialize in riding horses, from Cavaliers to Dark Knights.
- Flying: For units that wish to take to the skies, unaffected by ground-based traps and walls that stop other units. Incredibly agile and can take down magic users quickly, but they can be easily shot down by Bow weapons.
Trivia
- Three Houses' director, Toshiyuki Kusakihara, has stated that the game's skill development system was inspired by one of Koei's past titles, a PlayStation RPG called Zill O’ll. Even the names of the different army divisions were actually borrowed, with permission, from Zill O’ll.
Sources
- Fanmitsu Interview with Toshiyuki Kusakihara and Genki Yokota (Nintendo Everything).
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