Fire Emblem: Three Houses has been out for awhile now and most players are nearing the end of their first playthrough of the game, or even starting a new playthrough to experience the lengthy branching paths of the game. Thankfully for those who have invested a great deal into their first save file, the game features a New Game Plus mode which will allow players to start over but gain additional benefits. After beating the main campaign in one playthrough, players will be offered a chance to convert their first playthrough into a New Game Plus file, and start again. Here is how to make the most of every New Game Plus playthrough.
What Carries Over in New Game Plus
Fire Emblem: Three Houses' New Game Plus mode allows players to carry over some of the things earned in the first playthrough, while resetting many other elements. While Byleth's level, classes, and skills will be reset, there are some things that do transfer over. Any perks earned through the Saint statues will be maintained, which means that if players invested enough, they will start out with plenty of Divine Pulse uses and skill experience bonuses. Shop levels will also remain unlocked, so players will not have to work hard to unlock those again. Lastly, battalions will also transfer over, though if players have high level battalions it may be awhile before they can be used.
See Different Sides of the Story
When starting New Game Plus, players will be put back at the beginning of the game, so players can choose a new gender for Byleth and a new house to lead (or the same house if players just really love a specific squad). Each playthrough in Fire Emblem: Three Houses is completely different, and only tells part of the bigger story happening in Fódlan. Since each house is tied to a specific region, different political plots emerge and each house only sees a small side of the bigger picture. In total there are four different routes players can choose, which can make choosing the right house in Fire Emblem: Three Houses difficult, but after playthrough one players should have a loose feel for each of the other houses to help the decision.
Use Renown to Gain Easy Class Access
One of the biggest features in New Game Plus is the ability to spend Renown for various perks. In the first playthrough, Renown is used to upgrade the Saint statues, but in New Game Plus players can spend this Renown to earn progress in skills. This can be used on Byleth as well as their chosen classmates, making it even easier to find the best class for Byleth. While it may not be the best use for Renown, it can help if players do not want to spend their free days using Faculty Training.
Battle More Often
Renown plays a huge part in New Game Plus, so taking part in more quests and battles is a must if players want to take full advantage of all that New Game Plus has to offer. Not only will participating in more battles help level characters up to gain access to the best classes in the game, it will also net the player Renown as well. Battling also lets players earn rewards and bonus crafting materials, so players should definitely make time for battling in their busy academic calendar.
Use the Amiibo Gazebo
The Amiibo Gazebo is a feature in Fire Emblem: Three Houses that allows players to scan Fire Emblem amiibos to unlock unique rewards. However, it has a new function in New Game Plus. If players use a Fire Emblem amiibo, they will get a chance to go to the Holy Tomb and get some free loot. Players will also see Sothis or the opposite gender Byleth when they visit. Make sure to scan those amiibos to get some easy loot!
Experiment With New Crests
Depending on which house the player first completed Fire Emblem: Three Houses with, Byleth will have a list of crests in the Convoy that can be equipped, much like accessories, to units in the game. These Crests will grant that unit the benefits of that crest in combat, making for some more unique and powerful units.
Plan and Recruit Ahead of Time
One key tip for New Game Plus is to plan recruitment ahead of time. Thanks to the Journal, Byleth can get closer with each character using Renown, which is an easy way to raise support ranks. If Byleth obtains a B rank Support with most characters, they will ask to join Byleth's house without Byleth needed the skill requirements. This is especially helpful if players want to avoid facing their favorite characters on the battlefield that they grew to love in their first playthrough.
Max Professor Rank Early
Arguably the best tip for New Game Plus is to max Byleth's professor rank as soon as possible. In the first playthrough, it took nearly all game to get Byleth close to A-rank, but in New Game Plus, Byleth can spend Renown to increase their support rank almost immediately to A. While this is a bit of a waste early on since not all free-time activities are unlocked, it will come in handy when trying to motivate students or form deeper bonds with the characters every player should recruit during their playthrough. With enough gifts and tea, players may not even need to spend Renown on support ranks!
Fire Emblem: Three Houses is one of those games that only gets better with every playthrough. Whether players are diving into their second playthrough or going back to test out the lunatic difficulty mode, following these tips is sure to make every players' second (or third) playthrough a lot smoother.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses is available now for Nintendo Switch.