Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes Dancer Unlock | How to get the Special Dancer Class

There are many similarities between Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes and the main-series entry title upon which it is based - and one is the appearance and availability of the Dancer, a special and rather unique character class in both games.

There was a special method for unlocking the Dancer Class back in Three Houses, and the same is true over in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, as much is borrowed between the two games. The Dancer class isn't initially available in either title, and thus requires a specific method to unlock. This guide for Three Hopes will show you:

• How to unlock the Dancer class in Three Hopes
• Dancer Class Abilities and Specialty
• Recommended characters to assume the Dancer class

How to unlock the Dancer class in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes

The Dancer class is available as a reward from one of the special surveying spots in Three Hopes, and it is available in all three storylines and story routes, no matter which one you picked. The spot that contains the class reward is also noted to require all side missions to be cleared on each respective stage. Here's where you can unlock the Dancer class in each of the three routes.

• Scarlet Blaze: Chapter 12 - A Disquieting Report in the Southwestern Hrym Territory.
• Azure Gleam: Chapter 12 - Intel on the Imperial Army in the Martyn Territory. The stage also has a Challenge where you can only deploy a single unit.
• Golden Wildfire: Chapter 13 - An Unsettling Report in the Northeastern Hrym Territory. The stage also has a Challenge where you cannot use Awakening or Warrior Specials.

Like any other surveying spots, the window for unlocking the Dancer class is only open for the duration of the chapter. If you clear the chapter's main stage before accessing the unlock node, you will miss your chance of getting the class in that playthrough.

Once you have unlocked the Dancer class in a playthrough, it will be immediately available in all subsequent playthroughs - provided you utilize the New Game+ feature. This also means that the class is not entirely missable throughout the game - you can pick it up in New Game+ - but if you missed it in the previous playthrough then it will take quite some time until you have another shot at the class, since it is only available in a late-game chapter.

Once available, the Dancer will appear as a Master class in the Myrmidon (sword) tree. While the original Three Houses only let one character become a Dancer in a playthrough, Three Hopes will let you promote multiple units that have mastered the Assassin or Swordmaster class by simply using a Master Seal.

Although the in-game tutorial video for the Dancer class features female Shez, any male character can also gain access to this class once unlocked. Dancers use a sword as their weapon of choice, so they will have a natural weakness against lance-wielding enemies. But their weapon triangle deviates a bit from the usual, where they are strong against magic tomes instead of axes.

You will want to have several female characters use this class because several challenge stages will have gender-based roster limitations. Due to the lack of access to the Brawler line, female characters only have Dancer and the gauntlets from the basic Fighter class as their answers to tome users. The former is much more preferable, as it also gives a better growth rate when the character levels up.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes Dancer ability learnsets

Just like other classes, characters will be able to learn new combat arts and abilities by increasing their mastery level for the Dancer class. The general learnset is as follows:

• 1-star: Sword Dance (Sword combat art)
• 2-star: Special Dance (Ability that increases the potency of the Dancer's class action)
• 3-star: Charm Catalyst (Ability that increases the Warrior Gauge fill rate based on the character's Charm stat)

All characters learn the same things for the first two stars. While most characters learn Charm Catalyst by mastering the Dancer class, there are several of them who will get a different Rally ability instead. The latter will give a 10-point stat boost to another unit that has the ability owner as their adjutant. Unless noted otherwise, the boosted stat is directly based on the ability name.

• Rally Strength: Raphael
• Rally Magic: Ingrid
• Rally Dexterity: Ferdinand
• Rally Speed: Ignatz
• Rally Luck: Flayn
• Rally Defense: Seteth
• Rally Resistance: Monica
• Rally Charm: Dorothea and Manuela
• Rally Deluxe (Str, Spd, and Res): Annette

Best Dancer characters in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes

While any character can become a Dancer in this game, these are our recommendations for characters that are best placed in this class. Our top two picks are Marianne and Dorothea. Both of them are also recruitable in all three storylines in Three Hopes.

Generally speaking, you should pick a character both with a good aptitude for the Dancer ability but also one you like and will use - and probably one you've plied with Gift items in order to raise their support level. In such an action-focused spin-off, these are the areas where you have traditional RPG choices in this Warriors title - so make your own choice. With that said, here's our picks for the best Dancers:

• Marianne von Edmund
  Arguably the best Dancer candidate in this game. The Hero's Relic weapon tied to her crest, Blutgang (obtained from S-Ranking the Golden Wildfire alternate route's Chapter 16 stage), is designed exactly for this purpose. As a magic-oriented character, the sword will calculate damage based on her Mag stat. Her high Resistance stat will also make her well-suited to deal with magic attackers.
   
• Dorothea Arnault
  She was the canonical Dancer candidate in the original Three Houses, and Three Hopes also provides several in-universe elements to support that. Clearing Dorothea and Manuela's Paralogue "A Grand Day for the Opera Company" with S Rank will reward the Opera Co. Volunteers battalion, which shares the same trait as a Dancer: a sword unit with an advantage against tomes. She can also learn a unique Rally Charm ability by mastering this class.
   
• Manuela Casagranda
  Her character background and ability set are similar to Dorothea's. But unlike the former, she is only available in the Scarlet Blaze storyline, which causes her to have less versatility than Dorothea.
   
• Annette Fantine Dominic
  Her Rally Deluxe ability is in a league of its own, as it lets her buff three different stats as opposed to just one. However, she is only available in the Azure Gleam route.