Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes brings players back to the world of Fodlan for a new adventure that remixes the familiar stories of the students of Garreg Mach Monastery. Many fan-favorite characters are back for this new title, along with the various classes and weapons that made up the RPG side of Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

However, Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes eschews the familiar, tactical combat for Musou-style action that sees players mowing down entire armies with each swing of their weapon. As such, the weapons feel a little different when there's weight behind each swing. While every weapon has a role to play on the battlefield, some are definitely more fun to use when in the midst of battle.

6 Magic

a woman with long white hair shoots a large fireball at a group of soldiers in front of her, sending them flying. near the top left corner are the words "62 hits" and in the bottom right corner are the words "30900 total damage"

While magic might not technically count as a weapon, it is still the attack style of choice for several of Three Hopes' classes. Magic comes in two different varieties, but the end result is largely the same: orbs of energy bombard enemy forces, while certain combos will result in larger, more devastating spells.

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While magic does come in handy against certain enemy types like archers, it isn't the most useful weapon and at times can be downright dull to use. It doesn't help that magic users are typically susceptible to physical attacks, making it dangerous to even bring them close enough for their magic to be effective.

5 Bow

a green-haired young man wearing armor aims an arrow covered in multiple colors of paint at the sky. Behind him is a wooden fence and several enemy soldiers in red attire. near the top left corner are the words "292 hits" and in the bottom right corner are the words "0 total damage"

Archers are a necessity for any army seeking victory in battle, as they can protect their allies from a distance and weaken enemies for close-quarter fighters to finish off. In Three Hopes, archers are especially useful when facing flying units like Pegasus Knights, as their arrows deal extra damage.

That said, bows haven't seen the best implementation in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, and their combos can often leave them vulnerable to devastating, physical attacks. Even with a slightly extended range, combat in Three Hopes predominantly takes place in very close quarters, which is no place for an archer.

4 Gauntlets

a young, muscular man with blue hair and wearing a fur-lined, tan trench coat smiles while holding his arms that are inside large, bony, clawed gauntlets. a horse stands on the far left side with just it's head visible

Fighting with fists might seem like an odd choice when going up against people wielding swords, lances, axes, and literal magic, but plenty of fighters make that choice in Three Hopes. It's not a bad option either, as Grapplers have an advantage in combat against magic users.

Gauntlets are also one of the fastest weapons in the game, raining down blows on enemies before they have time to recover from the last hit. While this has the effect of looking very cool in action, it does belie the fact that each hit doesn't really deal a whole ton of damage. They're especially flimsy when fighting without a type advantage, which can turn simple encounters in Three Hopes into lengthy drags.

3 Lance

a purple-haired main jabs a lance at several, red-garbed soldiers. in the top right corner is a mini map of the surrounding area, in the bottom right is a diamond of special attack and ability icons, in the bottom left are the player characters health meters, and in the top right is a counter that reads "338 hits"

The lance is one of the most widely effective weapons in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, especially when considering its natural advantage against sword wielders. Lances also have a variety of powerful combos that can clear out entire strongholds with a single attack, taking down foot soldiers and officers simultaneously.

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Lances also offer a litany of elemental Combat Arts like Frozen Lance, Glowing Ember, and Stormblade. These are useful for clearing out large groups of enemies in regular combat, but they're particularly effective when dealing with monsters that have specific, elemental weaknesses.

2 Axe

a pink-haired young woman smashes an axe into the ground in front of her while standing next to a mounted figure with a green health meter and the name Jeritza over his head.. in the top right is a map of the area, in the bottom right is a diamond of ability icons, in the bottom left are the player characters' health meters, and in the top right is a counter that reads "4 hits."

The axe is arguably the most powerful weapon in the Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, as it can take down large swaths of enemies with each, mighty swing. In the right hands, an axe can dominate the battlefield and easily dispatch waves of officer-class opponents. Hilda, for example, is a particularly powerful axe wielder who comes readily equipped with the legendary weapon, Freikugel.

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With such powerful basic attacks and combos, it almost feels unfair that axes also have some of the strongest combat arts. One of the earliest ones players can unlock is Smash, a mainstay from Three Houses that has received a major enhancement in Three Hopes. Smash not only decimates a large area in front of the user, but it also boasts a high critical hit rate, making it a guaranteed battle-ender.

1 Sword

a pink-haired man stands in the middle of a battlefield while swinging his sword so quickly it leaves white lines in the air. in the top right is a mini map, in the bottom is a diamond of ability icons, in the bottom left are the player character health meters, and in the top right is a counter that reads "997 hits"

The sword reigns supreme as the greatest weapon in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, as it just offers the best all-around experience while also feeling unique to each of its classes. If players want to take a solid, steady approach to combat, the Swordsman class is a safe bet, but if they're looking for something a little speedier they might want to go with an Assassin.

Because each class wields the sword so differently, it ultimately feels like three or four different weapons rolled into one. The main character even has a unique, dual-sword class that turns them into a blade tornado on the battlefield. Between the variety of fighting styles and the power each one offers, the sword is easily the best weapon in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is available now for the Nintendo Switch.

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