Does Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes Have Romance? Explaining the Merc Whistle

Fire Emblem Three Houses allowed the player character, Byleth, to marry certain characters in your army if their relationship was maxed out. You’d receive a ring from your father, and can only give it out at the very end of the game. Almost every character in the game could allow this, with each of them having a unique art CG and confession. They weren’t all of equal quality, but it was a satisfying bow to end your story on if you found yourself enraptured with any of the main cast members of your house.

The Merc Whistle is Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes’ version of that. Around Part II, specifically the beginning of Chapter 10, Shez will have the ability to give a special item to one of any characters he has a maxed out Support level with. When you give a character this, you’ll get a unique line of dialogue from them and in turn they’ll give Shez their Special Accessory. 

This bonus item, if equipped, allows the unit who equips it to use that unit’s unique skill. That’s right, this opens customization for the entire cast quite a bit, and it will carry over between playthroughs. Unlike in Three Houses, you can give characters the Merc Whistle at any point once you receive it as long as they meet the qualifications. However, because some characters have A Support levels that don’t unlock until very late, and some characters don’t join you until near the end, it’s recommended to hold off on giving this out until the last chapter. After all, you only get one per playthrough.

There are differences between the two, gameplay bonus withstanding. The first one is that you are not restricted by character gender when choosing who to receive your Merc Whistle. If they can be supported and recruitable in the route you’re playing in, they can get your Merc Whistle. This also means that secret characters unlocked in NG+ cannot receive it, as they don’t have supports.

The next difference, one many of you are likely most curious about, is that the Merc Whistle is not an inherently romantic gesture. Depending on the support, it could lean more romantic than others, but for those looking for a touching moment between Shez and their favorite character shouldn’t expect that. After credits, you’ll see a generic background of what appears to be Shez’ desk, with a letter on it. The character you’ve developed such a close bond with will then deliver a speech to you about your time spent and the future, which is voiced. There is no unique CG, just their character portrait.

While sure to not please all, at least the additions to gameplay are a big step up.