One such gameplay element is personal skills, which were confirmed to be returning in a recent Famitsu article. Personal skills, which were first introduced in the 1996 SNES title Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War, are unique abilities or passive buffs that a playable character can access regardless of their class. The personal skill system was expanded in later titles, with every single character and several NPC bosses in Fire Emblem Fates and Fire Emblem: Three Houses having one. Some of the best skills from Three Houses should return in Three Hopes.

RELATED: Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes Will Have Branching Paths At the Start

The Power of Personal Skills

Personal skills are a way to distinguish characters from one another - an important element in a series like Fire Emblem, where there are typically fewer classes than characters. They can make characters feel unique in combat; for example, one mounted knight may have a personal skill that helps them dodge blows more easily while another heals allies. Other elements added to distinguish characters include Paralogues, side quests that explore their stories more deeply; as well as unique class outfits and Support dialogue among pairs who frequently fight together.

In the first Fire Emblem Warriors game from 2017; which primarily featured characters from Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, Fire Emblem Awakening, and Fire Emblem Fates; personal skills were reworked to accommodate the removal of core gameplay elements, such as classes having different movement speeds. While each character had their own personal skill, other characters could purchase and equip that skill using rare materials called Essences, collected by fighting with and against various characters.

It is likely some personal skills from the first Warriors title will be returning in Three Hopes. Several iconic Fire Emblem skills should return, such as Astra - which increases the speed of the user’s attacks, or Luna - which reduces the opponent’s defense and resistance. Some skills would help Fire Emblem fans become more accustomed to Warriors-style combat. These include Trample, which increases damage dealt to foot soldiers; Armored Blow, which prevents enemies from interrupting players’ attacks; and Awakening, which allows players to do more damage once their Awakening Gauge has filled.

Three Hopes Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Change Up Skills

The Famitsu article that confirmed personal skills showed off the retainer characters: Hubert, Dedue, and Hilda. Hubert can create spikes of dark magic in battle, Hilda can imbue her axe attacks with lightning magic, and Dedue can break through enemy lines with a single powerful attack. This confirms that some personal skills will be changed from Three Houses - and that is a good thing. For example, Hubert’s former personal skill, Officer’s Duty, made him slightly more powerful when using the Three Houses-exclusive Gambit system, but it was generally considered weak because Hubert’s unique status as a Dark Magic user meant he was far more useful attacking than using Gambits. His new spikes are more indicative of both his personality and magic-based fighting style.

The three Lords - Edelgard of the Black Eagles House, Dimitri of the Blue Lions House, and Claude of the Golden Deer House - should also receive new personal skills in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. Their Three Houses skills simply allowed these characters to earn more experience, encouraging players to use them but doing little to make their fighting styles truly unique. Edelgard could have a personal skill based on her new axe, Labraunda, while Dimitri’s could be a nod to his superhuman strength. Claude’s new personal skill could either reference his trickster personality or his Almyran heritage.

However, a few popular personal skills from Three Houses should return in Three Hopes. Fans would like to see Sylvain’s Philanderer and Leonie’s Rivalry, which allow them to do more damage when fighting alongside female and male allies, respectively. Yuri of the Ashen Wolves also possesses a fan-favorite personal skill called Honorable Spirit, which allows him to do more damage when is not alongside an ally. Ashe’s Lockpick, which lets him open doors and chests on the map, is also a must-have if treasure chests are returning.

With two months to go until the release of Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, fans may learn more about personal skills and how they will be implemented in this game. Hopefully, a playable demo will be released that allows players to try out different characters’ skills for themselves.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes will release on June 24, 2022 for the Nintendo Switch.

MORE: Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes Could Have a ‘Final Story’ Like in Sonic Games