Three Hopes General Discussion Thread

[vanguard333]

2 hours ago, Sire said:

1. There is a "Training Grounds" option for "Mock Battles" that allows for the freedom of testing out movesets. It should unlock at the start of Chapter 4.
-- The potential "good news" is that Three Hopes has class-based movesets, so if you are playing as a Mercenary, any character in that class will have the same core moveset. It's just the details that change (personal skill, support skill, and tactical skill).
-- Movesets also tend to stay the same as one gets into more advanced classes, as most get expanded combos. There are exceptions to this, but that applies more for the retail game than the demo.
== For a quick rundown, here's how I see most movesets in Warriors games, with this info mostly applying for Three Hopes.
=== Strong Attack 1 - Launcher (knock enemies into the air)
=== Strong Attack 2 - Single Target (Best for fighting enemy officers)
=== Strong Attack 3 - Multi-Target (Best when clearing out regular mobs)
=== Regular Attacks Chains (When trying to deplete a Stun Gauge, or need the safety of being able to dodge/block as strong attacks may have a wind-up)

2. You technically don't have to give orders to your allies and keep constantly changing between your characters. While it is true one may not get S-Ranks for everything this way (mostly due to the timer), its possible to just main Shez and run around the map manually. Your allies can handle themselves well enough.
-- Shezs "ZR" personal skill allows him to "dash" short distances quickly, which can later be upgraded for longer distances.
-- In addition, Shez gets a unique skill that greatly helps with mobility during the main chapter 4 mission, so getting from point A to point B is easy for Shez. However, as this chapter is locked in the demo, one won't get to see it.
== Of course, you could also manage all your forces by giving them orders and making use of their Tactical Skill, which rewards players for giving that character relevant orders (attacking an enemy, guarding an ally, seizing a stronghold, defending a stronghold). There's also swapping between characters, so you can finish an objective on run character, tell them to go somewhere else, and swap to someone who needs to finish their objective. This way one doesn't have to walk everywhere and is constantly fighting something.

Thanks for the information.

1. Okay; good to know that there is a way to just practice each character/class moveset. And thanks for the quick description of each combo. EDIT: I'm now far enough that the mock battle option is available, and it has been decent practice.

2. Yeah; I figured I could just main Shez. I still want to play the game at least somewhat optimally though, as you get better rewards by getting higher ranks. That last tactic (swapping between characters so I don't have to run as much) is mainly what I've been trying to do.

 

Going back to my first impressions of the game: is it just me, or does anyone else think that this game's plot would be pretty much impossible for anyone who hasn't played Three Houses to understand?

Edited June 30, 2022 by vanguard333

[Fabulously Olivier]

FYI, a unit who has their unique outfit as cavalry has them in ALL cavalry (probably not flying though). Ferdinand keeping his outfit as a great knight is pretty cool. Leonie can actually play with those quivers. Sylvain can be a Dark Knight like he should have been. And Jeralt already looks the part of a great knight.

[ciphertul]

I also have an FYI, if you break the stat limit after having a stat cap it will apply any boost to it you would have gotten. 
I had Constance with her Hp capped for about 8 level and once I limit broke her her Hp jumped. 6300 was her cap and right after she has 7561 now.

[TheHBK]

As someone who enjoyed Three Houses quite a bit, and LOVED the first FE Muso, I'm super conflicted about this game.

It has a ton of improvements in the game mechanics, combat mechanics, a proper story (even if its quality isn't on par with Three Houses IMO), very good main missions and paralogue designs. Yet the super linear structure, a bit messy progression mechanics, shitty framerate, the way NG+ is so weirdly handled (no full character reuse, almost nothing to unlock left in the camp, quick access to top-tier weapons and classes), weird moveset management where the class based system needs some trial & error to check which is which (and with more "grounded" movesets which are arguably less fun, if more balanced), and just the super constrained structure make it hard for me to fully enjoy the game.

Also, after completing Edelqueen path and midway through Dimitri path, the story is kinda in a weird place both taking itself seriously while being self-aware of being a spin-off. It's weird. Of course the fact that the endings are so disappointing doesn't help, but arguably it's more about the journey than the end. But even there side missions are super freakin' repetitive. I feel they're all the same despite quite a bit of variations in the objectives (kill/conquer/defend/escort/etc). It's probably tied to the fact they all operate on relatively small maps (which is arguably consistent with how 3H handled side missions) but it's also that there's no variation overall, like the usual muso slaughter missions, or what the previous game called arena missions.

It's good. It's cool to see all these characters again. Some supports are cool. And the story isn't trash. But I dunno. The previous game felt like a Muso with added FE elements (and was a very good game for it). This one feels like a reinterpretation of Three Houses with Muso battles instead of SRPG ones. And while I'm having fun, I'm yearning for more.

I know part of this is highly subjective and due to my current mood, but there are also undeniable limited design choices like only one muso per character (which only applies while using the "right" class), no character intro/outro, some of the progression systems which feel needlessly complicated (why do combat arts level-up? and why only up to level 3 then? and what about those gazillion abilities?), the need to click on a ton of stuff to get region rewards after a side mission, how crappy the command interface is, and so forth.

I dunno what I expected. I didn't hope for much and in the end I'm still having fun, but this feels like a wasted opportunity. And I won't even go into spoiler territory about the insane wasted potential Arval is.

I think I'll do the three routes at least once and maybe try another again on harder difficulties (while on NG+, it goes MUCH faster), but I don't think I'll grind this like I did the first one, or even 3H (but I'm a sucker for SRPG, so there's that).

Edited June 30, 2022 by TheHBK

[Etrurian emperor]

I like Arval a whole bunch but I'm a bit disappointed with the resolution to his character. Long story short a different entity just exiles Arval from the plot and he doesn't return.

Spoiler

Arval's predecessor shows up and reveals Arval is a clone of his, and then fuses with/brainwashes Arval. Arval's own opinions on this development isn't explored. Its never indicated he's suffering or went along with it willingly, and aside from one line he and Shez don't get a final heart to heart despite being closer than Sothis and Byleth ever were. 

 

[Anomalocaris]

It's hilarious to me how much better the class tree would be if Master Tier had just been folded up into Advanced Tier.

• With the return of Hero, the three main sword movesets can now stand as peers instead of Mercenary moveset going extinct past Intermediate Tier.
• Mortal Savant and Trickster are gone, but the former could always be added in as an additional sword moveset different from Swordmaster, or Swordmaster could be moved up to Intermediate Tier.
• Soldier still winds up in Dismount Hell past Beginner Tier, sadly. No fixing that without wholly new classes.
• Pegasus Knight no longer needs to go through Paladin just to reach Falcon Knight.
• Speaking of Paladin, it can now stand alongside Holy Knight and Dark Knight as a peer instead of its moveset going extinct.
• Fortress Knight, Warrior, and Sniper are no longer forced to gain a mount and thus change how they play.
• Bishop and Warlock movesets no longer go extinct. Mages are no longer forced to become a Gremory or Dark Bishop.

[Fabulously Olivier]

3 hours ago, Anomalocaris said:

It's hilarious to me how much better the class tree would be if Master Tier had just been folded up into Advanced Tier.

• With the return of Hero, the three main sword movesets can now stand as peers instead of Mercenary moveset going extinct past Intermediate Tier.
• Mortal Savant and Trickster are gone, but the former could always be added in as an additional sword moveset different from Swordmaster, or Swordmaster could be moved up to Intermediate Tier.
• Soldier still winds up in Dismount Hell past Beginner Tier, sadly. No fixing that without wholly new classes.
• Pegasus Knight no longer needs to go through Paladin just to reach Falcon Knight.
• Speaking of Paladin, it can now stand alongside Holy Knight and Dark Knight as a peer instead of its moveset going extinct.
• Fortress Knight, Warrior, and Sniper are no longer forced to gain a mount and thus change how they play.
• Bishop and Warlock movesets no longer go extinct. Mages are no longer forced to become a Gremory or Dark Bishop.

I'm honestly fine with "dismount Hell," because the moveset is both complete and fun on its own. Where it gets annoying is where outfits are concerned (hey - you can pretend crusher wyvern Annette is actually Cherche). Which, they should really consider making magical footlocked versions of the soldier, archer, fortress knight, and warrior. Trouble is, even with magic, the soldier would be hard to justify over the incredibly versatile Dark Knight and Holy Knight which also have magic. It would probably need a whole new lance moveset to justify itself - maybe an Armored one.

 

Conversely, I think mounting the Mercenary, Warlock, and Bishop may be the only way to justify them over their alternatives. It sucks that both the Valkyrie and the Dark Flier that could logically come from them are female exclusive. I would suggest keeping Dark Flier since all existing Warlocks are female anyway (the only male character to suffer would be Hanneman if they made him playable), and changing Valkyrie to Fates' Tactician as a Bishop upgrade - it would basically just be the same appearance.

Edited June 30, 2022 by Fabulously Olivier

[Tediz64]

17 hours ago, TheHBK said:

As someone who enjoyed Three Houses quite a bit, and LOVED the first FE Muso, I'm super conflicted about this game.

It has a ton of improvements in the game mechanics, combat mechanics, a proper story (even if its quality isn't on par with Three Houses IMO), very good main missions and paralogue designs. Yet the super linear structure, a bit messy progression mechanics, shitty framerate, the way NG+ is so weirdly handled (no full character reuse, almost nothing to unlock left in the camp, quick access to top-tier weapons and classes), weird moveset management where the class based system needs some trial & error to check which is which (and with more "grounded" movesets which are arguably less fun, if more balanced), and just the super constrained structure make it hard for me to fully enjoy the game.

Also, after completing Edelqueen path and midway through Dimitri path, the story is kinda in a weird place both taking itself seriously while being self-aware of being a spin-off. It's weird. Of course the fact that the endings are so disappointing doesn't help, but arguably it's more about the journey than the end. But even there side missions are super freakin' repetitive. I feel they're all the same despite quite a bit of variations in the objectives (kill/conquer/defend/escort/etc). It's probably tied to the fact they all operate on relatively small maps (which is arguably consistent with how 3H handled side missions) but it's also that there's no variation overall, like the usual muso slaughter missions, or what the previous game called arena missions.

It's good. It's cool to see all these characters again. Some supports are cool. And the story isn't trash. But I dunno. The previous game felt like a Muso with added FE elements (and was a very good game for it). This one feels like a reinterpretation of Three Houses with Muso battles instead of SRPG ones. And while I'm having fun, I'm yearning for more.

I know part of this is highly subjective and due to my current mood, but there are also undeniable limited design choices like only one muso per character (which only applies while using the "right" class), no character intro/outro, some of the progression systems which feel needlessly complicated (why do combat arts level-up? and why only up to level 3 then? and what about those gazillion abilities?), the need to click on a ton of stuff to get region rewards after a side mission, how crappy the command interface is, and so forth.

I dunno what I expected. I didn't hope for much and in the end I'm still having fun, but this feels like a wasted opportunity. And I won't even go into spoiler territory about the insane wasted potential Arval is.

I think I'll do the three routes at least once and maybe try another again on harder difficulties (while on NG+, it goes MUCH faster), but I don't think I'll grind this like I did the first one, or even 3H (but I'm a sucker for SRPG, so there's that).

I'm not going to proceed to type out numerous paragraphs detailing all my praises or disappointments similar to like you did, but you aren't the only one whose feelings are all over the place on this game. I can relate to what you are getting at.

To help illustrate or visualize, imagine an old school thermometer that fills up with mercury (the red stuff). Now give about 5 of them titles over as a representation of feelings (eg. disappointed, impressed, and anything else you can think of that describes how you feel after experiencing something) and the more full they are, the intense the feeling. All of mine are full.  

I never thought a game could invoke such strong feelings in so many categories that are so contradictory. I found myself playing and thinking "this awesome!" and then a few minutes later "you f**king suck Nintendo, how could you possibly mess this up!" all in one hour of playing. They got some parts right and some wrong. 

[TheHBK]

19 minutes ago, Tediz64 said:

I never thought a game could invoke such strong feelings in so many categories that are so contradictory. I found myself playing and thinking "this awesome!" and then a few minutes later "you f**king suck Nintendo, how could you possibly mess this up!" all in one hour of playing. They got some parts right and some wrong.

Yeah that's a weird feeling. Not necessarily a super unusual one for me, but this games cranks up all to eleven. At one point you're like, "yeah, this is fun!", and then you go "damn, how could you mess this up?"

I have little doubts the game had a troubled development. Even if it tends to be the go-to explanation for uneven game design, I feel it probably applies here. Too much weird stuff. The later stages of the plot in particular are like, "Okay, you had a cool idea ... and ... you did absolutely zilch with it!!! What happened?!?"

Edited July 1, 2022 by TheHBK

[CompteSecours]

Hum, I think Three Houses had a bigger troubled development than Three Hopes honestly. Three Hopes is the living proof of that.

By the way, like Three houses, the maps are the same in Three Hopes in every route. They didn't learn.

[Fabulously Olivier]

5 hours ago, TheHBK said:

Yeah that's a weird feeling. Not necessarily a super unusual one for me, but this games cranks up all to eleven. At one point you're like, "yeah, this is fun!", and then you go "damn, how could you mess this up?"

I have little doubts the game had a troubled development. Even if it tends to be the go-to explanation for uneven game design, I feel it probably applies here. Too much weird stuff. The later stages of the plot in particular are like, "Okay, you had a cool idea ... and ... you did absolutely zilch with it!!! What happened?!?"

Is it actually uneven, or is it just human nature to always notice the flaws and always ask for better. The game far exceeded what most of us were expecting. Look at the Rate Their Chances thread for instance. A lot of us weren't even expecting all the students, let alone everyone else.

[TheHBK]

51 minutes ago, Fabulously Olivier said:

Is it actually uneven, or is it just human nature to always notice the flaws and always ask for better. The game far exceeded what most of us were expecting. Look at the Rate Their Chances thread for instance. A lot of us weren't even expecting all the students, let alone everyone else.

It’s hard to know what to expect which these projects. What we got seems pretty logical all thing considered.

It’s more-or-less in line with what they did with AoC (Zelda Muso 2): No crossover, focus on a single game (the latest obviously), deeper (if slightly) combat mechanics, reworked progression systems (more systems, but simpler), story focus, etc. The main difference with AoC is they didn’t drop the strategic aspect entirely (I do feel it’s less present than in the first FE Muso, but it’s still there). They basically made all the "logical choices", including not working on the framerate as most players don’t care 🤣

It would have been inconceivable if at least all 24 students weren’t in. And when going with a class-based system, it was pretty easy to get most teachers etc (and add a few new characters). It’s using the same engine as 3H. They already have all the assets.

[Fabulously Olivier]

9 minutes ago, TheHBK said:

It’s hard to know what to expect which these projects. What we got seems pretty logical all thing considered.

It’s more-or-less in line with what they did with AoC (Zelda Muso 2): No crossover, focus on a single game (the latest obviously), deeper (if slightly) combat mechanics, reworked progression systems (more systems, but simpler), story focus, etc. The main difference with AoC is they didn’t drop the strategic aspect entirely (I do feel it’s less present than in the first FE Muso, but it’s still there). They basically made all the "logical choices", including not working on the framerate as most players don’t care 🤣

It would have been inconceivable if at least all 24 students weren’t in. And when going with a class-based system, it was pretty easy to get most teachers etc (and add a few new characters). It’s using the same engine as 3H. They already have all the assets.

As someone who 100% the first FEW, I don't feel like the strategic aspect is less present here at all. I feel that it is much more present. Here I'm putting far more consideration into weapon types, the specific weapons I equip, team comp, etc.

 

Whereas in the first FEW, you could outright bypass the weapon triangle with Awakening, Pair Ups, and just plain old equipping slayer skills to kill most of the enemies who counter your weapon type.

Edited July 1, 2022 by Fabulously Olivier

[lancerusso]

Anyone else miffed by the lack of Hero class? There's even a blatant hole in the promotion trees where it should go, where the mercenary branch shifts sideways to swordmaster.

[Etrurian emperor]

5 hours ago, CompteSecours said:

By the way, like Three houses, the maps are the same in Three Hopes in every route. They didn't learn.

I'm pretty sure sure that's incorrect since my brother's Blion route has different stages than my Deers route. 

[TheHBK]

4 hours ago, Fabulously Olivier said:

As someone who 100% the first FEW, I don't feel like the strategic aspect is less present here at all. I feel that it is much more present. Here I'm putting far more consideration into weapon types, the specific weapons I equip, team comp, etc.

 

Whereas in the first FEW, you could outright bypass the weapon triangle with Awakening, Pair Ups, and just plain old equipping slayer skills to kill most of the enemies who counter your weapon type.

Debatable. There’s more unit customization, but unless fighting against effective weapons, enemies rarely get full WTA against you, only a mild tier 1, whereas you quickly have access to tier 3 WTA. So yeah, awakening can’t bypass it, but you’re rarely facing hard disadvantage anyway. Also the smaller maps (side missions are everywhere) mean lesser need for anticipation, despite tighter S-rank time requirements. Plus that weird-ass command interface of course. There’s also the question of healing which requires a full combat art slot which means more unit building and less tactical adaptation (in the first game, every unit able to equip staff was a de facto healer period, here if you didn’t equip an healing art, you need to power through).

I don’t really mind, it’s still there, but I feel it’s less prevalent.

[TheHBK]

1 hour ago, lancerusso said:

Anyone else miffed by the lack of Hero class? There's even a blatant hole in the promotion trees where it should go, where the mercenary branch shifts sideways to swordmaster.

Count me in.

[Sire]

Finally finished Scarlet Blaze, recruiting Byleth in the process. Overall, I had fun and enjoyed the story, although I can see why people may want more.
-- Has a rough surprise during the final chapter as Petra got supposedly one-shot during the boss encounter (she was an extra ally unit and may have been low, but not low enough to auto-heal). I guess there is a good reason to heal manually, but I just reset and used Pair-Up instead of having most of my forces out and about.
-- I just went try-hard mode and made full use of invincibility frames by using special attacks. I think Combat Arts/Magic also have some, but I haven't confirmed that yet.
-- I also probably should learn how to block...

For further thoughts, I'll place it in the spoiler.

Spoiler

Yeah, the story ends with the story arc being finished and not the full story itself being complete.
-- Edelgard's arc is about unifying Fodlan, but she doesn't get to finish off the Kingdom on-screen. On my route, it is simply implied the Empire and Alliance will eventually prevail over the Kingdom. She does, however, manage to crush the Church and TWSITD. It's a satisfying enough ending, but I do wish I could see it until the end. (That said, the final high-five seemed shoe-horned in. I get the callback and get why it had to happen there since the story arc was wrapping up, but I felt like it could've been used better elsewhere.)
-- Shez's arc was mostly about the rivalry with Byleth and the mystery of Arval. While the rivalry can end in different ways (I chose to recruit Byleth), the mystery of Arval could definitely have been expanded. Two chapters on one timeline with a paralogue on different timeline is not enough to flesh out the character, especially since Arval's "alter-ego" only really shows up to be immediately defeated. // I guess Arval is as much a mystery as Sothis is...
== This all being said, I felt more at ease with this ending than in Crimson Flower (Three Houses). In CF, there was a big buildup against TWSITD that got regulated to off-screen epilogue stuff. In SB, while unification was always the goal, there was no big built-up for a "final" Kingdom confrontation, so I'm content with the war continuing on. It's just a shame we don't see the end of it though.
=== Also, if I have my timelines right, the war in Three Houses lasted for 5 years (the end of Part One, then Byleth returns in Part Two and finishes the war). In Three Hopes, there's at least six months worth of fighting due to the timeskip between Parts 1 and 2. If the fighting ended sooner than Three Houses, that'll be quite a divergence, although it depending on how things go, the conflict may end faster.
-- ...I just noticed I didn't really get to fight the statue golem things in El's route. I think I saw it pop up once in a side or extra mission.

As for Arval and the "Hidden 4th Route," you get 2 extra chapters, one where you fight against a possessed Shez and one where all the House Leaders and Shez fight against "Arval." 
-- Honestly, it was somewhat underwhelming. I expected more, but I guess seeing how things played out here was interesting enough. Perhaps the other routes will provide more insight on this, although I imagine it will just be variations depending on the route one is on.
-- However, I did learn that if one goes the "Kill Byleth" route, one gets a paralogue with Arval that dives way into the past. Shame I won't get to experience it myself until my 4th round of playthroughs...
-- As an aside, I loved the dialogue of Jeralt coming in to save Byleth. I think this is because I deployed Jeralt on the map. (I also got the Game Over variant as I didn't have healers the first time around...)
-- Also, I have a feeling Arval defaults to whatever gender you choose for Shez, as I've seen Gremory Arval with F!Shez while I have a Dark Bishop Arval with my M!Shez.

Now for Byleth, they played the role of the "rival" fairly well. I get some wished Byleth had a more important role in the story, but I think Byleth served his role just fine.
-- I do wish we learned more about Sothis and how she relates with Arval. Perhaps there is information in other routes/timelines, but right now I'm left wanting.
-- I also wish for a Byleth route where Byleth is the main character and potential golden route, but I guess we'll just be told to play Three Houses instead...

For Bonus Characters (Sothis, Rhea, Arval), it seems like they are stuck in their unique outfits regardless of class. This was just a small detailed I decided to note here.

..So yeah. Now to Azure Gleam and the Blue Lions!

[Aedan7479]

Here's an odd question (coming from someone who hasn't posted in months): is it a bad thing that the game assumes the player has played 3 houses? Considering it's a spin-off, I don't think so, but I think it's used as an excuse not to explore certain elements, for example:

the game never explains why Byleth is Sothis' vessel (nor does it explain why Shez is Arvel's but thats a separate issue), because the player would already know from three houses, but because of that Byleth is this game never learns either. Come to think of it, I know Jeralt is avoiding Rhea in the game, but he never agknowleges the fact that she probably knows whats going on with Byleth, if he thought going to Rhea for answers would be risky, fair enough, but he should at least the option on screen. 

I might give my thoughts on the whole story once I've finished my third run, which I've almost finished.

[CompteSecours]

12 hours ago, Etrurian emperor said:

I'm pretty sure sure that's incorrect since my brother's Blion route has different stages than my Deers route. 

Hmm, I did Blion and I'm at Deer chapter 6 and for now it has the same maps (just not in the same order).

Edited July 2, 2022 by CompteSecours

[Aedan7479]

Just finished Scarlet Blaze, so I figured I might as well write my throught on each path (counting Shez's arc as a separate arc), 

Golden Wildfire:

I did this path first because Marianne is my favourite, little did I know you can recruit her in every route. Anyway, I thought this was a huge improvement over Verdant Wind, Claude employing strategies, Almyra is actually important, and a strong twist when Leister became a federation and allied with the empire. I really enjoyed this route, though.

Azure Gleam:

bluntly speaking, I think this route is inferior to Azure Moon, there was plenty I like, such as Sylvain's brother getting a bigger role, and Dimitri actually learning about Those who Slither in the Dark, but I could really tell which route was better based off the impact of the ending, I like that they somewhat parallel, but I felt much weaker, but Azure Moon was the best route in three houses, so it had a high standerd to live up to. 

Scarlet Blaze

oen thing that I liked about the overall story is that part 1 was basically the same between each route; you hear about something going on in the kingdom, the when you choose the blue lions, you get to experience it. Scarlet Blaze felt like it had the least character development, Claude and Dimitri had their own arcs in their routes, but the only arc Edelgard gets is learning to trust Shez, which felt a bit too small, I did like Ferdinand's arc quite a bit though. Regardless, I think this route benefits from being longer than Crimson Flower, and it also played off my knowledge from Golden Wildfire; I did not expect Claude's betrayal towards the end, and the final battle was an intetesting turn of events.

Shez's story:

so, the jist of this was the rivalry between Shez and Byleth, as well as the mystery behind Arvel and... well, I found the rivalry interesting, because Shez was willing to let bygones be bygones if circumstances were right, but Arvel insisted on it. But as for the truth behind Arvel and his connection to Shez... are they planning dlc (if they are, that's bad story telling)? I did Arvel's paralogue, and it had next to no story, just Epimenidies fighting Cihol, Cethleen and Seiros, that's it, so, what was the point? Who were Shez's parents and adopted mother? Who was Epimenidies? What was his relationship with Thales? How much did Rhea know? In fact, where is Rhea for most of the story? Without Three houses, how are we supposed to take a stance with or against her? [/spoilers]

Overall, I did enjoy the story, sometimes more than Three houses, but like that game, it has a few shortcomings.

 

[TheHBK]

9 hours ago, Aedan7479 said:

Here's an odd question (coming from someone who hasn't posted in months): is it a bad thing that the game assumes the player has played 3 houses? Considering it's a spin-off, I don't think so, but I think it's used as an excuse not to explore certain elements

I wholeheartedly agree. It’s nice that we can get faster to the meaty parts, we don’t need painfully re-explaining in full detail the world and lore, but it’s NOT nice when they skip whole arcs entirely.

Like:

Spoiler

In 3H Byleth getting toothpaste hair was due to Sothis merging with them after being sent to Zahras, something arguably pretty major. And here they’re in the middle of a fight, are about to get wounded … and bam Byleth goes SSJ and Sothis is controlling them and … okay? What happened? I mean sure Sothis is the goddess yadda yadda but that feels like fanservice way more than some proper plot development, especially as it’s implied Sothis doesn’t talk to Byleth anymore in some dialog later in the game. Did they merge? Is it different than in 3H? How?

We don’t necessarily need an explanation for every little tidbit, but some stuff is a bit too open to interpretation, and quite frankly feel a bit too much like "it’s okay, it’s a spin-off, no need to fret about little details".

Edited July 2, 2022 by TheHBK

[VincentASM]

I think skipping some story beats and explanations is also a ploy to get people to buy Three Houses XD

Otherwise, there's the danger of invalidating Three Houses, which the developers have spoken about trying to avoid.

Anyway, could be worse. At least people aren't jumping into the 10th game of a long-running series or something ^^;

[Anomalocaris]

After playing through Three Houses four separate times and seeing the same introductory stuff every time, I'd be pretty miffed if they made us sit through the same story beats three more times.

[Azz]

A question about NG+

Spoiler

So obviously Arval's classes are based on Shez's gender. If you pick M!Shez, Arval is a Dark Bishop while if you pick F!Shez, they are a Gremory. However, if on a NG+ file you decide to change Shez's form, does Arval also change or do they stay in the same class as when you first recruited them?