Fire Emblem: Three Houses reveals even more characters and gameplay features including Batallion and Calendar systems
Continuing off from last month, Nintendo, Intelligent Systems, and Koei Tecmo have published a ton of new information for Fire Emblem: Three Houses through Famitsu in Japan. These details introduce even more characters as well as new gameplay systems for the much-anticipated game.
You can read our translation of the information and see new screenshots below. Fire Emblem: Three Houses will release for Nintendo Switch on July 26 simultaneously worldwide.
World Background Setting
Seiros
The Seiros religion, which roots in the continent of Fodlan, was founded by the saint Seiros. He was the one who defeated the "liberator king" Nemesis in the Heroic War a long time ago, and he was also said to have assisted in constructing the Adrestian Empire.
As time passed on, the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus declared its independence from Adrestia, and the Leicester Alliance also separated from them. This created long wars where they fought for hegemony. Currently, they maintain a balanced state, but it is said that the Seiros religion made a huge contribution to this.
Emblems
Many of the nobles who appear here are descendants of the Ten Great Fodlans from the Heroic War, and wield the inherited Emblems in their family lineages. These emblems are inherited by blood relationships, but it doesn't mean a descendant will be definitely able to carry the emblem, as only a limited number of people can unleash the ability.
Emblems are mostly split into Greater Emblems that can emit strong powers and Lesser Emblems that only host small power. It is commonly said that the more heroic blood one has, the easier it is for them to carry a Greater Emblem. But there are also cases where a born child can suddenly wield a Greater Emblem, so the theory still has not been clarified.
Gameplay-wise, these Emblems can be wielded by certain characters and are also an important feature that will determine family inheritance; for example, the Adrestian Empire decides its succession through the carrier of the Seiros Emblem. These Emblems may also appear as talents such as excelled physical and magical abilities.
[Note: These are called Crests in the English version]
Skills
Skills in this game are split into three categories:
- Personal Skills
Unique skills that have been set to a unit from the beginning. These skills have unique effects and cannot be replaced. - Class Skills
Unique skills that have been set to each class. These are only applicable to the said class and will be removed if the unit changes class. - Ability Skills
Skills that can be learned through Skill Levels. Unlike Class Skills, these skills can be set on any classes after they have been acquired. Up to 5 skills can be equipped at once, and it is recommended to equip skills that best fit the unit's role and class.
The main characters will have the following skills and emblems:
- Protagonist
Personal Skill: Master's Guidance - EXP obtained by yourself and adjacent allies multiplied by 1.2x
Emblem: ???'s Emblem - An unknown emblem shrouded in mystery - Edelgard von Hresvelgr
Personal Skill: Emperor's Lineage - EXP obtained multiplied by 1.2x
Emblem: Seiros' Lesser Emblem - A lesser emblem said to be inhibited by Saint Seiros - Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddad
Personal Skill: King's Lineage - EXP obtained multiplied by 1.2x
Emblem: Blaiddad's Lesser Emblem - A lesser emblem handed down by Blaiddad of the Ten Great Fodlans - Claude von Riegan
Personal Skill: Leader's Lineage - EXP obtained multiplied by 1.2x
Emblem: Regan's Lesser Emblem - A lesser emblem handed down by Regan of the Ten Great Fodlans
Characters
Reah- voiced by Kikuko Inoue
The Archbishop of the Church of Seiros, the supreme leader of the Church who invited the protagonist to the military academy. Although she has the heart of an affectionate mother and a gentle personality, she also has a strict side where she takes unrelenting measures against people who oppose the Church.
Manuela Casagranda - voiced by Sachiko Kojima
One of the protagonist's colleagues who works as both teacher and doctor in the academy. She has a career of mastering the top of an opera troupe in the past.
Hannemann von Esser - voiced by Kenji Hamada
One of the protagonist's colleagues, a scholar who researches the power of Emblems other than being a teacher. He tends to get heated up when talking about Emblems.
Hubert von Vestra - Black Eagles character, voiced by Katsuyuki Konishi
He has been serving Edelgard from childhood, and he doesn't even hesitate to use cruel methods for Edelgard's sake.
Personal Skill: Planning Staff Officer - Stratagem Power +5
Dorothea Arnolt - Black Eagles character, voiced by Juri Nagatsuma
The only student born as a commoner in the Black Eagles which have many nobles. Before enlisting here, she used to be a songstress in an opera troupe.
Personal Skill: Songstress - Heals adjacent allies by 10% of their max HP at the beginning of the turn
Dedue Molinaro - Blue Lions character, voiced by Hidenori Takahashi
The attendant of Dimitri, the class leader of the Blue Lions. Despite having a scary face, he actually has a warm personality.
Personal Skill: Lord's Shield - Standing by without moving will raise defense by 4 for just 1 turn
Felix Hugo Fraldarius - Blue Lions character, voiced by Yuichi Hose
A cynic who calls his childhood friend Dimitri as a "hog". He trains a lot in order to polish his sword skills.
Personal Skill: Lone Wolf - Deals +5 damage when he doesn't have a Batallion
Emblem: Fraldarius' Emblem - An emblem handed down by Fraldarius of the Ten Great Fodlans
Lorenz Herman Gloucester - Golden Deer character, voiced by Hiroshi Watanabe
He comes from a noted noble family. Although he tried to approach multiple women in the monastery, the results are poor.
Personal Skill: Noted Noble Family - Deals +2 damage when he has a Batallion under him
Emblem: Gloucester's Lesser Emblem - A lesser emblem handed down by Gloucester of the Ten Great Fodlans
Hilda Valentin Goneril - Golden Deer character, voiced by Yuuki Kuwahara
The sole daughter of a ducal family, a high-class daughter who excels in acting spoiled. She likes stylish and gorgeous things.
Personal Skill: Pestering - When an adjacent male ally fights, he will deal +3 damage to the enemy
Emblem: Goneril's Lesser Emblem - A lesser emblem handed down by Goneril of the Ten Great Fodlans
Intermediate Classes
The following classes are available for promotion after a unit has reached at least level 10. These classes will require Intermediate Exam Passes in the Qualification Exam.
- Mercenary - Excels in Power and Speed. It's easier for them to improve Sword and Axe abilities.
- Cavalier - A well-balanced class that can perform hit-and-away strategies.
Cavalier Class Skills:
-Move Again - If they still have movement points left after performing an action, they can move again based on those points
- Brigand - Has high HP and power stat. In addition to Axe, they also excel in using Gauntlets.
- Gladiator - Only males can take this skill. They can take down enemies with quick Gauntlet attacks.
Gladiator Class Skills:
-Bare-Handed Fighting - Can perform melee attacks even when not equipping any weapons
- Mage - Able to use magic that can easily hit even enemies with high defense.
Mage Class Skills:
-Fire - Enables them to use Fire. If they are already able, this will allow them to use Fire twice.
- Dark Mage - Only males can take this skill. This is also the only class in the current group that requires an additional Dark Magic Exam Pass.
Dark Mage Class Skills:
-Dora Delta - Enables them to use Dora Delta. If they are already able, this will allow them to use it twice.
-Curse - Reduce adjacent enemy evasion by 20 during battle
Gameplay Systems
Batallion
The soldiers that accompany a character are knights that can be recruited from the Knights Guild. The player can select a Batallion from a variety of types that can be assigned to a character. Each Batallion type offer stat changes to a unit (be advised that there are not only buffs but also some nerfs) and a Stratagem to be used by the unit. The Batallion also has its own levels and EXP points to be gained.
But as a unit takes damage in battle, some of the soldiers in the Batallion will also get attacked and fall down. The Batallion's overall HP is noted by the Warpower point; if this reaches zero, the unit loses all of their soldiers along with the stat changes and Stratagems. To prevent this, the player should regularly replenish soldiers at the Knights Guild.
Stratagems
A new feature that can be used by units that have a Batallion under them. The effects will vary from attacking enemies to supporting allies. Offensive Stratagems, in particular, have a special effect to cause Unrest to the attacked unit, in which they can neither move or use Stratagems and having their knight stat changes nullified as well as all of their stats getting reduced by 10%.
[Note: These are called Gambits in the English version]
Although you are only allowed to use these Stratagems for a limited time in battles, they do not consume any items so you can use them as you like. Here are some examples of Stratagems available in the game:
- Simultaneous Lance Strike
Used by: Kingdom Lance Soldiers
Attacks the target along with enemies adjacent to its left and right sides. - Godspeed Provision
Used by: Seiros Monk Unit
Increases an allied unit movement by 5 for that turn. This can also apply to any other adjacent allies. - Inducement Ploy
Used by: Kingdom Foot Soldiers
Attacks adjacent enemy and force them to move to the other side of the acting unit - Fire Ploy
Used by: Seiros Cavalry Unit
After attacking, turns certain terrains within range into Flames - Group Magic: Fire
Used by: Seiros Magician Unit
Launches fire magic on the target and its adjacent spots
New Abilities and Weapons
- Command - Reflects the character's ability to lead knights. Raising this ability will let them employ stronger knight groups and also learn skills related to Stratagems.
Command Ability Skills
-Command Lv.1 - When using Stratagems, Power + 2 - Martial Arts - Features the brand-new weapon Gauntlets, which can launch 2 strikes by default. A speed advantage of 4 or more will increase it further to 4 strikes. However, this weapon cannot be equipped by mounted classes like Cavaliers and Pegasus Knights.
Martial Arts Ability Skills
-Martial Arts Lv.1 - When using Martial Arts, Accuracy +5, Evasion +7, Critical Evade +5
Academy Part
Outside of battles, you as the protagonist will be able to interact with your students in the Military Academy. Fire Emblem: Three Houses has a Calendar system that uses around 30 days for each of the 12 months in a year, just like in the real world. Various events are also scheduled on the days, from festivals to birthdays (For example, Edelgard's birthday is on June 22)
One month constitutes as one chapter, and the final day in the month is reserved for a major task battle that must be undertaken in order to progress the story. Below you can see the list of activities that can be taken before the final day. As you perform more activities, you can eventually increase your Coaching Level which will increase the number of times you can perform each action in a week.
- Weekdays - Personal Tutoring, Auto-Tutoring, Group Tasks, Set Goals
- Weekend/Sunday (Free activity day) - Strolling, Training, Sortie, Resting, Qualification Exam
Personal Tutoring
You can personally tutor students to improve their Skill Levels, which eventually will also allow them to equip stronger weapons. The Education Conduct bar at the top denotes how many students you can teach in a session, and the Motivation bar at the top right indicates how many times a student can receive lessons in the same session. Motivation can be increased by choosing the correct option that may show up after a lesson is over (Praising under good results, Scolding or Comforting under a bad result), or by giving the correct answer when a student approaches you with a question.
Each character has ability subjects they excel at, which are marked with blue upwards arrows. But it is also possible to turn normal (no marks) or even poor subjects (red downwards arrows) into excelling with the Talent Blooming feature. By continuing to give personal tutelages on such subjects, stars will start getting added on them. When three stars have been added, Talent Blooming will occur, which makes the student excel on subjects they previously didn't. They can also even learn new skills and techniques this way.
Set Goals
You can also set goals to each student so that they can improve stats on their own even without your personal tutelage. Other than a fixed goal, you can also set custom goals to your liking.
Some students may even occasionally approach you, asking to have goals that they have set by themselves. You can choose whether to accept or decline these proposals.
Group Tasks
You can assign two students to perform a Group Task together. This ranges from Weeding which improves Armored ability to Sky Patrol which improves Flying ability. Successful tasks will reward money and material, and also add Support points between the students.
Improving Support Levels between characters will not only raise the chances of getting better results in Group Tasks but also add more advantages in battles and even deepen their relationships as well.
