Fire Emblem: Three Houses is the best-selling game in the entire franchise, so it’s little wonder Nintendo would want to return with another entry set in the land of Fódlan. Unlike the first Fire Emblem Warriors, the upcoming Three Hopes focuses exclusively on the characters and world of Three Houses and seemingly doesn’t loop in any other games in the franchise. Of course, the game also follows in the footsteps of Koei Tecmo’s Dynasty Warriors series. Here’s what you need to know about the release date, story, and gameplay of Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes.
When is the Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes release date?
Alongside its reveal during the February 2022 Nintendo Direct, it was announced that Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes will launch worldwide on June 24, 2022, for Nintendo Switch.
Is there Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes trailer?
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes currently has two trailers. The first debuted during the February 2022 Nintendo Direct. This two-minute trailer heavily focuses on Edelgard, Dmitri, and Claude, showing a bit of gameplay as well as story context.
The second trailer, titled “Mysterious Mercenary,” introduces a new protagonist named Shez. Like with Byleth, players can pick between a male and female version. Nintendo doesn’t directly reveal the identity of the “mysterious mercenary,” but it’s assumed that Shez is the mercenary in question.
“You clearly need every blade you can find, and my pockets have been feeling awfully light lately,” they say in the trailer. It then cuts to various battle sequences, including one where they fight alongside Claude. It’s worth noting that Shez is one fighting Byleth in the first trailer.
What is the Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes story?
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes will apparently tell an entirely different story set within the same universe, meaning the events of Three Houses won’t apply here. While the reveal trailer doesn’t reveal much about the story, it seems like the three lords (Edelgard, Dmitri, Claude) will be teaming up to face a larger threat. However, players should still expect to choose between three paths.
At one point in the trailer, we hear the voice of Sothis cut in and say “Revenge is not a thing you take for someone else. You seek revenge to slake your rage and heal your wounded heart.” This line is played over footage of Byleth fighting a mysterious new character, with the words seemingly applying to Byleth themselves. The box art for the game also features a second mysterious character standing opposite Sothis, which could imply that players are going up against another kind of “divine” character.
The trailer does still have the three lords at odds with each other, and interestingly there also seems to be a time skip, just like in Three Houses. Certain scenes show characters looking older with different costumes, but it’s not exactly clear how this plays into the overall story.
The second trailer adds even more context with a command to “challenge the Ashen Demon.” It almost makes it seem as if Byleth is the antagonist rather than a protagonist. However, considering the vague framing in both trailers, it might just be a tease for what the plot will eventually reveal. We’ll have to wait to see whether we can expect Byleth on our side or against it.
What are the three paths in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes?
We’re not done with picking favorites yet. Like its predecessor, Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes has three paths that revolve around one of the main lords:
- Scarlet Blaze - This path focuses on Edelgard and includes her and Hubert as playable characters.
- Azure Gleam - This path focuses on Dimitri and includes him and Dedue as playable characters.
- Golden Wildfire - This path focuses on Claude and includes him and Hilda as playable characters.
Each path will decide which house the protagonist aligns with the most. However, it’s unclear how drastically they will diverge from each other and if Byleth or Shez will be the ones participating in the battles alongside Edelgard, Dmitri, and Claude. If these paths are anything like in Three Houses, they might mean life or death for certain characters outside of the party.
What do we know about Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes gameplay?
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes will sport the same hack-and-slash gameplay as most Dynasty Warriors games. However, it still has some kind of turn-based combat and skills that can be unlocked through teamwork and battle prep. The first trailer shows plenty of massive battles, with the player cutting through dozens of on-screen enemies.
There also appear to be boss battles against the Demonic Beasts, similar to how boss battles worked in Hyrule Warriors. The original Fire Emblem Warriors put a larger emphasis on strategy, letting players issue commands to different units on the battlefield. That seems to be the same here, with the minimap highlighting different areas that could be bases or objectives.
A world map with different interactable icons also stands out. The reveal trailer stops at a moment where the player selects a house with a rewards tab listed under the card. This world map probably functions similarly to the one in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, which allows players to interact with different parts of the map and take on side quests.
Who are the Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes characters?
One of the biggest questions with any Warriors game is which characters will be playable. Obviously, Edelgard, Dimitri, Claude, and Byleth will all be in the fray, as well as future versions of the characters, who could play differently depending on what classpath players choose. The future version of Claude seems to be riding a dragon during combat, while the past version is seen on foot during the first trailer.
Hubert and Jeralt are the only Three Houses characters that pop up in the first trailer. Dedue and Hilda join them in the second. At the very least, it looks like the house leaders’ most loyal allies will join them in this alternate universe. Flayn also appears, but she might just be an NPC for story reasons rather than a playable unit. For comparison’s sake, the first Fire Emblem Warriors featured 25 playable characters in the base game, then added on nine other characters via DLC. Other Three Houses characters might join Byleth, Shez, and the others in the future.
However, Byleth might not even be the protagonist. Shez might take over as the lead. The mysterious mercenary seems to be the same age as the other students in Garragh Mach and shows up alongside them in the latest trailer. They also fight against Byleth, who is referred to as the “Ashen Demon.” You still choose between male and female Byleth, but who knows if it’s for the reason we think?
