Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is the second installment of the Fire Emblem Warriors spinoff games and combines the hack-and-slash combat with Fire Emblem's strategic gameplay. Returning fans of the series will recognize the class changes and weapon triangle as they assist the Three Houses leaders in this action-packed spinoff.

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Compared to its predecessor, Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is a spinoff of Fire Emblem: Three Houses and does not feature any Fire Emblem characters from separate games. However, like the original Fire Emblem Warriors, Three Hopes has several gameplay mechanics that are staples of the Fire Emblem franchise. There are also several features that were exclusive to Three Houses that now make a return for Three Hopes.

10 Casual or Classic Mode

fire emblem warriors three hopes difficulty settings

Like most games, Fire Emblem allows players to choose the difficulty of the game upon creating a new file. However, it's the Casual/Classic Mode that can make it or break it for most. Casual mode is for those who want a less-stressful playthrough. Units that are "killed" during a battle will be ready to fight come the next one. Classic mode is the opposite and makes every move count in battle. Units that die are killed off permanently for the rest of the game.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes incorporates Casual/Classic mode much as the first Fire Emblem Warriors did. Fortunately, Classic Mode's permadeath won't kick in until chapter 4. Given the hectic gameplay of Three Hopes, newcomers to musou-style games may find it better to play Casual mode on their first run. By contrast, those looking for a challenge are more likely to gravitate towards Classic.

9 Different Abilities

fire emblem warriors three hopes abilities menu

Units will each have their own Unique Abilities and characters that are of nobility (such as Dimitri) will have a Crest. These Abilities can improve damage output or they may have requirements to work, such as Leonie's Rivalry. There are also Class Abilities, which change depending on the Class that a unit has equipped. Finally, there are Combat Abilities, which players can obtain by reaching a Class milestone. For example, the Desperation Ability is unlocked in Three Hopes when certain units reach 1-star/rank of the Cavalier class.

However, like Three Houses, most characters learn different Abilities upon leveling. In Three Hopes' case, Claude will learn Battalion Desperation at 1-star Cavalier, while Shez will learn the regular Desperation for their 1-star Cavalier. There are also certain Classes that are gender-specific like the Pegasus/Falcon Knight/Dark Flier Class, meaning Abilities gained from those Classes can't be learned by any of the male units.

8 Tea Party/Expeditions

fire emblem warriors three hopes edelgard

Similar to Fire Emblem Fates' My Room feature, Fire Emblem Three Houses included a Tea Party minigame. Players could invite characters out for tea and have the chance to gain Support Points. A "Perfect Tea Time" is achieved by responding accordingly within the time limit.

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Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes doesn't have Tea Time, but it has Expeditions, which function in much the same way, just with one or two differences. Now, players can choose between "Talk" and "Ask a Question," giving them more options for a successful Expedition. Sometimes, a character will want to go on an Expedition with Shez. If Shez accepts, the potential Support Points gained from the Expedition are doubled, so players should take advantage of this when they can.

7 Adjutant/Pair-Up Feature

fire emblem warriors three hopes shez claude

Oddly enough, the pair-up feature that was a part of fan-favorites Fire Emblem Awakening and Fire Emblem Fates was not present in Three Houses. Instead, units would gain Support Points if they were fighting around other Units that shared a Support Chain. This was similar to Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. In the 2017 Fire Emblem Warriors, the pair-up feature was added to make it easier for players to level up Supports during battle. Units that were paired up could also unleash a dual attack once the Warrior Gauge was filled.

The pair-up feature, dubbed Adjutant, makes a return for Three Hopes. Like the previous game, some units have special dialogue depending on who they're fighting with. If a battle isn't too chaotic, then it helps to assign an adjutant to a Unit that needs some Supports unlocked. Players can assign/unassign an Adjutant by going into the battle map with (+) and selecting a Unit with A-button. Drag the arrow to another Unit and press ZR to open up the menu and select Assign/Unassign as Adjutant.

6 FE3H's Class Tiers

fire emblem warriors three hopes classes

Players could "promote" their Units by giving them a Master Seal in previous Fire Emblem games. For example, a standard Monk could become a Bishop in Blazing Blade. Some Classes had branching promotions, forcing players to choose whichever better suited that Unit. Fire Emblem: Three Houses expanded this by adding Standard/Immediate/Advanced Seals. Classes that were once Base Classes in previous Fire Emblem games (like Cavalier) are an Intermediate Class, with Paladin as an Advanced Class. To become a Bow Knight, Units needed to have their Bow and Riding Skills at a certain Rank in order to promote them with a Master Seal.

Three Hopes takes Three Houses' Class System. To make it a bit more challenging, players need to expand the Training Grounds facility if they want to unlock Advanced and Master Classes. This means that Units may be locked into Intermediate Classes until they're able to use Advanced Seals.

5 Paralogues

fire emblem warriors three hopes holst hilda balthus

Paralogues are optional stories that players can take to earn special rewards. These are a staple of the Fire Emblem series, so it wasn't a surprise to see them in Three Houses. The previous Fire Emblem Warriors didn't have paralogues, but Three Hopes does.

Like in the mainline games, completing a paralogue may not be necessary to proceed with the main story. However, if players want a chance to gain more experience and reap some good weapons or armor, they might want to put aside some time for the paralogues.

4 Recruiting Other Characters

fire emblem warriors three hopes linhardt

Fire Emblem gave players the option to recruit certain characters onto their side. Usually, this would be initiated by having a certain Unit approach an enemy and select Talk instead of Attack. After some dialogue, the recruited character would change sides and become playable. Three Houses has it where Byleth could recruit students to their class if their Skills/Stats appealed to the student they were trying to recruit. Some units could join during the War Phase, too.

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Three Hopes brings back recruitment, but players will need Strategy Points if they want to persuade someone to their side. Unlike Three Houses, not every playable character will be quick to abandon their house for the Protagonist. Recruiting a character from another House will change their flag to match their new House, and may unlock some paralogues too.

3 Weapon Skill Levels

fire emblem warriors three hopes training grounds

Weapons are labeled from E class to S class in Fire Emblem. If a Unit's Skill level for a weapon is too low, they won't be able to use that weapon in battle. Three Hopes and Three Houses also have the Heroes' Relics: special weapons that should only be used by someone bearing the same Crest as that particular Relic.

Anyone can use a Heroes' Relic, but those that don't have the right Crest will take damage during battle, so it's really not recommended. In order to promote Units, players need to have a high enough Rank/Proficiency with the required weapon for that Class.

2 Gift-Giving

fire emblem warriors three hopes gifts

Shez can give gifts to their allies just like Byleth could in Three Houses. Each character has their own Likes and Dislikes, and each Gift has its own description. Owl Feathers are universally liked by everyone in-game, but it's not the same for other gifts.

Some gifts will give two support points while others will give one or zero depending on whether the giftee was impressed or not. Thus, it's important for Shez to know their allies before handing over a gift.

1 Support System

fire emblem warriors three hopes support page

Supports are a huge appeal to fans of the Fire Emblem series, and they are thankfully included in Three Hopes. Ranking up Supports is the same as it was in Three Houses and just about any other Fire Emblem game, too. This time, players can even unlock Supports between characters that weren't in the original Three Houses.

What is different about Three Hopes' support is that some Units' have a C-rank, but no actual Support is shown, while others have a shared cutscene that counts as a C/B-Support instead. The House Leaders and their Retainers (Hubert, Dedue, and Hilda) won't be able to join another House (except Hilda for Azure Gleam), so it's best to unlock all their Supports in one playthrough.

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

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