Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is a hack and slash action RPG developed by Omega Force. Set in an alternative timeline of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, the appearance of new character Shez and his mysterious ally Arval quickly throws the plot off of its original course. Acting as a mercenary commander for one of the three factions, players cut their way across the battlefield in true Musou style.
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How Does the Merc’s Whistle Work?
The Merc’s Whistle is unlocked shortly after the end of chapter 10 and is a special gift item. It can only be given to a unit if Shez has support rank A with them.
It will trigger a short piece of special dialog when gifted to a unit, and Shez will receive a unique accessory in exchange that, when equipped, replaces a unit’s personal ability with that of the unit the whistle was given to.
This makes it possible to further diversify a unit’s build and moveset, allowing for an extra layer of customization. As such, choosing who to give the Merc’s Whistle to is a huge decision.
The Merc’s Whistle also grants a short extra scene at the end of the game which differs depending on whom the whistle was given to.
The Best Candidates for the Merc’s Whistle
Using the Merc’s Whistle can provide powerful benefits, so from a gameplay standpoint, it’s good to pick someone with a unique skill that the player especially likes or that is especially powerful/useful. Examples of these would be:
Edelgard, Dimitri, & Claude: These three each have skills that allow them to passively add a powerful elemental buff to all of their attacks, which are useful for any unit, but especially useful for Shez and other units with high attack speed in order to really rack up damage. Leonie and Felix: Leonie can gain incredible attack speed and power by looping her melee combo multiple times, while Felix can build up speed by dodging mid-combo. These skills are very useful on slower units to give them a bit of speed to go with all that raw power and can make fast units ludicrously fast while still boosting their attack power a bit. Raphael, Hilda, Jeralt, & Dedue: These units have the ability to charge up their attacks for extra power, and transferring this skill onto other units with highly damaging, but slow, weapons can be very effective. Byleth: Byleth’s ability to freeze any enemy in place and rack up bonus damage while they’re frozen in time is an excellent addition to any unit that specializes in offense.
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Ferdinand, Marianne, and Balthus: These three each gain powerful bonuses when their hit count exceeds a certain value, and these bonuses grow in potency as the hit count gets higher. This makes them excellent choices for the Merc’s Whistle, allowing this skill to be transferred onto units that attack quickly and build up large hit counts. Marianne’s skill drops ice orbs around her with increasing speed, Balthus gains additional damage and causes launched foes to generate some money, and Ferdinand gains increasing speed. Mercedes and Seteth: Mercedes heals a small amount when she attacks foes, while Seteth adds wind damage to all attacks except for light attacks. When ZR is pressed, Mercedes creates an AOE damage blast that heals allies, while Seteth generates wind blades to attack windtorn foes. Both of these skills pair well with any character for added survivability or offensive power. Ignatz & Ingrid: These two both inflict additional elemental damage in some form when launching foes. Ignatz splatters paint everywhere, inflicting color-coded elemental damage on anyone who steps on it, while Ingrid causes icy explosions. Since every class has a way to launch foes, this is a great way of getting some extra damage and area control.
There really isn’t a bad option for the Merc’s Whistle. Indeed, it may be best to simply pick a favorite character, unlocking their bonus scene at the end of the game and getting a new skill into the bargain.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is available for Nintendo Switch.
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