[On Seminars (and other things)]

@eclipse (How do I switch my theme? I didn't even realise there were themes...)

@SpiceMan Oh, yes, that works. Do you agree though, with Byleth being able to have a chosen Strength that doesn't get an E+ starting level?

[FE Twitter shows new Anna design, some footage (& on-going character profiles)]

In the E3 Treehouse footage we also saw the Flame Emperor wielding an Axe. If Jeritza  is a fencing instructor [and is it definitely fencing, as in swords, or is that a translation thing where it could apply to duelling with any weapon?] then the Axe seems... inelegant for him.  

[On Seminars (and other things)]

Last week I began poring over everything we've seen of the game in order to attempt to discern the initial Skill Levels of the students. I reached out to @Cysx for assistance, and in doing so learned quite a bit about Seminars. I thought I'd make a post about it.

To begin, Seminars are options that you can do to train yourself and your students. I'm not sure whether they consume a Stroll point or an Instruct point. They have a symbol of the latter, but are done on Sundays. [If they do use Instruction points, I wonder if those "recharge" every Sunday, else you'd have to plan ahead every Monday in order to leave points for Serminars later.] On Sundays, you can choose to Explore, take a Seminar, do a Battle, or Rest. So while Seminars can be valuable, they do require you to sacrifice other potentially useful weekend activities.  

The Seminars themselves are held by Professors at the Academy. Each Professor specialises in two Skills, and students will attend the Seminar if one of the Skills they have focused as a Goal matches what the Professor is teaching. In addition to them, Byleth will always attend (regardless of if they have one of the Skills as their Goals), unless they themselves are hosting a Seminar. There is a maximum of six people who can attend.

It's likely that the number of teachers who hold Seminars increases over time. In the recent saves of the game being showed off to reporters/youtubers, Seminars can be held by:

• Byleth (C Swords, D+ Authority)
• Seteth (C Lances, C Authority)
• Hanneman (D Bows, C Reason)
• Manuela (???) [I think D Swords, C Faith]
• Catherine (???) [I think B Swords, D+ Fighting]

In the E3 Treehouse footage, meanwhile, the list is:

• Byleth (C+ Swords, B Authority)
• Seteth (B Lances, C+ Authority)
• Hanneman (D+ Bows, B Reason)
• Manuela (D+ Swords, B Faith)
• Gilbert (C Lances, C Axes)
• Alois (B Axes, C Fighting)
• Catherine (B+ Swords, C Fighting)
• Shamir (C Lances, B+ Bows)

//

My hypothesise really got going with the one video in this Kotaku article, where you can get a clear view of all the Black Eagles at roughly level 6:

I was able to account for most of the experience gains through things like weekly lectures into their Goals, Air Patrol, Choir Practise, etc. It took me awhile, but eventually I noticed that Linhardt and Dorothea's Bows were both exactly the same (32 experience until a D). At first I wondered if there was an "Archery Practise" mini-game, but then it hit me: Seminars. At this point, I also realised that Bernadetta had unaccounted for experience in Reason, and so a Seminar with Hanneman (who we've seen teaches Bows && Reason) was likely the culprit. He even has higher ranks in Reason, explaining why Bernadetta is closer to a D than the others are with their Bows. The only hangup I had was that Hubert had a flat D in Bows. It was possibly that it being a Strength for him affected things, or he might start with a rank in Bows. But that would have required him to miss the Seminar. 

As Cysx seems an expert on all the nitty-gritty of this game, I asked them for their opinion. And, of course, he had already theorised a formula based on footage:

Exp. Gain == Base Value  +  4x(Professor's Level Above E - Student's Level Above E) 

Where the Base Value is 16 (this might change based on the Professor's level), a student having a Strength adds a 150% boost, and there appears to be a floor of 20. (A student being taught a Weakness has not definitively been observed.)

From there, he calculated the Bows experience Linhardt and Dorothea would have received. They started at an E (with Hanneman having a D in Bows), and have gained 68 experience.

16 + 4(2-0) = 24 ; would put them at 16-to-E+. So Cysx suggested that they have in fact had three sessions.
Second Seminar: 16 + 4(2-0) = 24 ; putting them at an E+, with 52-to-D.
Third Seminar: 16 + 4(2-1) = 20 ; putting them at an E+, with 32-to-D.

Which matches their observed experience perfectly! (It's always nice when a formula proves itself in unexpected situations.) Bernadetta would receive 92 experience into her Reason from this (leaving her at 8-to-D), which we don't know for a fact, but which does match how full her bar is.

For Hubert, if he had started at an E in Bows (a Strength) and attended all three Seminars, he would have received 102 experience. Putting him 2 points over D, which we observe is not true. If he started at an E+ however, and attended two of the Seminars, he would receive 60 experience, putting him at a flat D. (Later on, I discovered in the EuroGamer Spain video that Hubert indeed had, at some point, changed out of Reason as one of his focuses. This backs him not attending all three Seminars. For my original purposes it's impossibly to know whether he starts at an E+ or a D, but one can confidently say he does not start with an E.)

//

At this point, in my original quest I also had a look at a screenshot in Famitsu of a Seminar. Catherine, a B in Swords and D+ in Fighting, is teaching. I excitedly applied Cysx's formula:

• For Ashe and Sylvain, they must have had at least one of their Goals custom focused on Swords or Fighting (from Axes && Bows and Lances && Axes, respectively). We know that Ashe is neutral in both, and so must be Sylvain. From Neutral E's, both would gain 40 points in Swords and 28 in Fighting. We see the latter matches with the 12 points remaining until E+. There are an unaccounted for 28 points for the Swords.
• Ingird has the same Fighting result (suggesting she's a Neutral E), but I suspect from my findings elsewhere that she begins the game as a Strong E+ in Swords. She has 54 point until D, meaning she's gained 86. Applying the formula nets a gain of 54, leaving 32 points unaccounted for.
• Felix is likely a Strong D in Swords, and a Strong E+ in Fighting. In the former he's netted a full 80 (to a flat D+), in the latter 80 as well. Applying the formula, he'd receive 48 into Swords, leaving 32 points unaccounted for. He'd get 36 points into Fighting, leaving 44 points unaccounted for.
• Dedue is Neutral E in Swords, and Strong E+ in Gauntlets. He has 35 points and 59 points unaccounted for. Strangely, the only odd numbers.

At this point, I couldn't help but notice the prevalence of 32 and 28. Then I remembered that in the thread on Known Character Strengths and Weaknesses Csyx had noted that the experience gained during a week's lectured was based on Strengths. And when I checked, indeed Neutral Goals get 28 experience, and Strong Goals get 32! So that means Ashe, Sylvain, and Ingrid have Swords as one of their Goals, and Fighting not. They have points into neither from battle or tutoring, but have all received a single bout of lecturing experience into Swords. Felix's level in Swords matches as well, but he has an extra 12 points in Fighting. Maybe these are from tutoring?

Dedue makes less sense, now with 5 and 27 extra points. Byleth... is a bit of a mess. If they're a Strong D in Swords and Strong E+ in Fighting (to match other playthroughs) they've gained 164 and 72, while one Seminar would provide her with 48 and 36.

At this point, Cysx pointed out to me that the "Level Up" icon pops in when the experience bar fills up and resets to nothing before continuing to fill. It then fades away. As such, this image is not the results of a Seminar, but occurring during a Seminar. Which means that... this might be the second time the player has attended one with Catherine. If that's true, then Byleth's Fighting experience makes sense (they started at an E+, gained 36 from the first Seminar, leaving them at 24-to-D, and have gained a second 36, putting them at 68-to-D+). The 96 points into Swords still leaves 68 points unaccounted for, but... Byleth appears not to gain experience during the week's lectures (which makes sense, as they're giving them) so they might have their own alternative method of gaining level exp? I'd also speculate that there's probably a tutorial mission or two with just Byleth (and maybe Jeralt and some others) where Byleth could have earned some of that experience. This could also explain Dedue: his bars are in the process of filling. 

If this is true, it also means that you get access to Instructing, setting Goals, and Seminars before you ever hit the field with your students. (Otherwise, one would expect them to have bits of experience in their Goals, as they'd gain some from every combat.) This is also backed up by a video on the Japanese website where Mercedes is healing Dimitri. She's at level 2, has a flat D in Faith and 4 points into an E in Authority, and has Faith Prowess 1 and Reason Prowess 1. The chapter itself appears to be the first level that we've seen with the Black Eagles, and the flat D in her Strength of Faith means that she hasn't used it yet. The 4 points in Authority suggest that she's already used one Gambit (when used, Goals don't gain exp; instead Authority gets 4). For using the Faith magic she gets 3 points into it, plus 2 into Authority (as one of her Goals). But the Prowesses she has equipped suggest that her default focused Goals are Reason && Faith, so the player has already changed her to Faith && Authority before the first map! Edit: my understanding of how experience is given from combats was flawed. In the Japanese website video where Mercedes heals DImitri she gets points into Faith and Authority because she used Faith and had a Battalion, not because Authority was changed to be one of her Goals. (The 4 points into Authority still suggests she had previously used a Gambit, and the flat D in Faith still means this was her first use of it.)

//

From there, I also used Cysx's formula to try to help me explain these images of level 2 Ingrid and Byleth (from Famitsu):

Originally I thought that Ingrid would be a "Ferdinand" and start with an E+ in Faith, and that Byleth had chosen Fighting and Faith as optional Strengths and so started the game with E+'s in them. The little bit of experience could then be accounted for by the two of them sharing Choir Practise. But in a video from the Japanese website, a higher level Ingrid has the Prowesses: Swords 1, Lances 2, and Authority 1. (Her Goals seem to be a custom focused Riding && Authority.) But no Faith 1. So I decided that her Faith here might be from Seminars, and explored.

Manuela is the only one who teaches Faith, and based on Hanneman I speculate that she's a D in Swords and a C in Faith at this point in the game. Byleth and Ingrid would both attend, as their default Goals likely include Swords. If Ingrid is a Strong E+ in Swords that's 30 points from the Seminar plus 32 points during lectures for a total of 62. This would get her to a D, with 78-to-D+. Less than what we observe. A second Seminar would grant 24 points, bringing her to 54-to-D+, which seems roughly where she's at (if this is after a chapter where she's gotten some additional experience from combat, which Byleth's Authority bar and heavily damaged Battalion suggests). She seems to have >60 points into her Lances (the bar for D is 80) which suggests tutoring (as her level is too low to be from use, and besides the 32 from lectures). Byleth's Swords remind me of the previous example with Catherine, except accounting for the difference in Professors levels in Swords (D versus B) creating a gap of 48 points from two Seminars, which would put her here around 84-to-C (a D+ bar is 120). Which looks right.

If Ingrid had a Neutral E in Faith, she'd gain 32 in one Seminar. Which is too little. Two Seminars would make her an E+, with 36-to-D, which is far too much. As it's not a Goal she wouldn't get lecturing experience. A Strong E in Faith would net her 48 exp, leaving her an E+ at 52-to-D. Which seems accurate. But then that raises questions:

• If she's had only one Seminar, how did her Swords rank get so much experience without her leveling up. Did she get tutored in both Swords and Lances?
• And if Ingrid and Byleth have undergone just one Seminar, does that mean that you choose two Strengths for Byleth, but one of them starts at an E instead of an E+?

Sadly, that last bit didn't work out as nicely as the others. But just because I haven't figured out a solution yet doesn't mean others mightn't. What do you think?

[FE Twitter shows new Anna design, some footage (& on-going character profiles)]

1 hour ago, Jayvee94 said:

It's said he teaches fencing. However, we've never seen him in seminars.

It's likely that the number of teachers who hold Seminars increases over time. In the recent saves of the game being showed off to reporters/youtubers, Seminars can be held by:

• Byleth (C Swords, D+ Authority)
• Seteth (C Lances, C Authority)
• Hanneman (D Bows, C Reason)
• Manuela (???) [I think D Swords, C Faith]
• Catherine (???) [I think B Swords, D+ Fighting]

In the E3 Treehouse footage, meanwhile, the list is:

• Byleth (C+ Swords, B Authority)
• Seteth (B Lances, C+ Authority)
• Hanneman (D+ Bows, B Reason)
• Manuela (D+ Swords, B Faith)
• Gilbert (C Lances, C Axes)
• Alois (B Axes, C Fighting)
• Catherine (B+ Swords, C Fighting)
• Shamir (C Lances, B+ Bows)

You might even need to complete quests to unlock a character's Seminar, though that's just my speculation.

[Your Plan For Student Classes?]

From a video on the Japanese website, it can be speculated that Mercedes starts with a D in Faith and an E+ Reason, and an E in all the other weapons. (She's level 2, has a flat D in Faith and a couple points into an E in Authority, and has Faith Prowess 1 and Reason Prowess 1, which are learned at E+, but no other Prowesses.)  Her frequently being shown with a Bow suggest it's one of her Strengths.

[New Gameplay from Geeks & Com'!]

At 4:35, the Dark Mage class requires a Dark Seal instead of the Intermediate Seal that all the other Intermediate Classes require.

//

Around 10:45 Annette attacks a Bandit, and around 11:20 a Bandit attacks Annette. It appears to me in both case that is on a Forest, but Annette's Cutting Gale still has 100% to-Hit. Maybe magic ignores terrain avoidance bonuses, like in SoV?

//

We see that Annette's localised surname is Dominic and not Dominique, as had been translated.

[Classes You Know About, Expect to See, or Want to See]

9 hours ago, Rakath said:

In order to make each weapon type have a 'final form' it'd require a huge endgame class list (or a lot of specialized infantry classes with a generic cavalry and flyer list), but the game systems make that unneeded.

For me it's not just the Axe, it's the whole traditional Axe Fighter-to-Beserker line's "high HP, high Strength" kind of kit. Marshalls, Weaponsmasters, Whispers, and Marksman don't really provide that type of growth, or potential class skills (like boosting Crit).

If you want to keep a balance... maybe Beserkers as unisex, and Dark Fliers replaced by a unisex Malig Knight?

[Classes You Know About, Expect to See, or Want to See]

Aww, you're quite right. I missed that. Maybe it will give you a Skill Ability that you can then take with you to equip in any new Class?

//

@Rakath I like your list, and the methodology behind it.

Brigand and Warrior have been unisex so far, and locking women out of an Axe focused master class would be odd when we've seen them used a lot as the example (Edelgard, Hilda, and Petra with an Axe for Fighters and Leonie as a Warrior on the Japanese website). 

[Classes You Know About, Expect to See, or Want to See]

A thought on "Class Mastery":

From the Famitsu articles, we've been told Classes have zero to three Abilities, but have only been shown two for each. (Miasma-Delta and Hex for Dark Mages, Move Again and Terrain Resistance for Paladins, etc.) I'm thinking that maybe Class Mastery will unlock an additional Class Ability for each Class...

[Famitsu Online Article Drops]

Hate to bump, but in my quest to discover initial Skill Levels for all the students in Blue Lions and Golden Deer (*) I apparently missed Leonie going HAM.

In the Golden Deer section, we have shots of Raphael, Ignatz, and Leonie. The first two are at level 10, and while we don't know what level Leonie is, one assumes she's at a similar point. But check out the comparative Skill Prowesses:

• Raph: Axes 1, Fighting 2, Authority 1, Swords 1
• Iggy: Swords 1, Bows 2, Authority 1
• Leonie: Lances 3, Bows 2, Authority 1, Swords 5

Sword Prowess 5! Damn girl, slow down.

(*)

Spoiler

 What I currently have put together for the other houses:

In Blue Lions, we know:

• Dimitri: D+ Lances and Riding, D in Authority, E+ Swords
• Dedue: D+ Axes, D Armour, E+ Lances and Fighting

And there is proof of:

• Felix: D Swords, E+ Fighting, possibly something in Bows and the Movement Skills
• Mercedes: D in Faith, E+ in Reason, possibly something in the Movement Skills
• Ashe: D in Bows, E+ in Axes, possibly something in the Movement Skills
• Annette: D in Reason, possibly E+ in Authority and/or Axes, possibly something in the Movement Skills
• Sylvain: D/E+ in Lances and in Axes, possibly something in the Movement Skills
• Ingrid: D in Lances, E+ in Swords, likely something in the Movement Skills

In Golden Deer, we know very little. But can glean:

• Claude: Likely D/D+ in Bows and Flying, E+ in Swords and Authority
• Lorenz: D in Lances and E+ in Authority, possibly E+ in Reason and D in Riding
• Hilda: D in Axes, E+ in Lances, possibly something in everything else (no hints for this character)
• Raphael: D in Fighting, E+ in Axes, possibly something in Swords and the Movement Skills
• Lysithea: Likely D in Reason, possibly something in everything else (no hints for this character)
• Ignatz: D in Bows, E+ in Swords, possibly something in the Movement Skills
• Marianne: D in Faith, possibly E+ in Authority, possibly something in Swords and the Movement Skills
• Leonie: Likely D in Swords, E+ in Lances, possibly E+ in Bows and D in Riding or the other Movement Skills

 

[What's up with Lorenz?]

I think Lorenz may be one of the Ferdinand/Petra/Dedue's of the Golden Deer (ie. a lot of Strengths and high initial Skill Levels), based on a couple Famitsu screens and a video on the official Japanese website.

At levels 8 and 10 has three Skill Abilities showing: Lances 2, Reason 1, and Authority 1. And at level 12 he has Lances 3, Reason 1, Authority 2, Swords 1, and a Skill Ability that Byleth has had in other footage (so I assume is gained from Authority). He might start with D's in Lances and Riding, and E+'s in Reason and Authority (with his Goals set to Lances and Authority in their default focus).

[Classes You Know About, Expect to See, or Want to See]

Nice list. Though I think if some of the 4th tier classes add Reason and Faith, it might be similar to the Noble/Commoner's "This class can wield some magic." 

With the inclusion of Hero in the Advanced tier, I'd also expect a Vanguard to show up (disappointingly, likely male only). And the high end Faith users I'd expect to be called Saints.

[So Zombies...(RogersBase Preview Discussion)]

We've seen other sprites of female Swordmasters without the chinese farmer's hat though, right?

//

Not really any new details on skills/strengths. We can see that Ashe will probably start with a D in Bows, E+ in Axes, and E in everything other weapon. (The leftmost is his Personal Ability (Wisdom to Live), beside that is the Archer's Class Ability of Bowange +1, then he has four Skill Abilities. If he had an E+or higher in anything else, it would show as Sword/Lance/Fighting/Authority Prowess level n. And while it's possible they've unequipped it... it's unlikely...)

[which Students will you be recruiting from the other houses?]

I'll prioritise a couple per house. And I think I'll try to not just always recruit the same characters (ie. Petra, Lysithea, and Sylvain on every route).

Black Eagles

1. Ashe - His personal ability is very handy, and I'll need to get him quickly if I'm going to turn him into a Bow Paladin (so that the AI doesn't "waste" experience into Axes).
2. Sylvain - A potential Paladin to keep up with Ferdinand and create a sort-of Christmas Cavaliers situation. One of my favourite designs. 
3. Leonie - Another potential Bow Paladin/Armour or dedicated Sniper (depending on what I do with Bernadetta). I like her gumption. 

Blue Lions

1. Lysithea - To me, the Lions only really need some more magic, and she's my priority to get it.
2. Ferdinand - I really like what we've seen of him, he's a monster skill wise, and I might make Sylvain a Warrior so Ferdinand can sub in for Cavalier.
3. Marianne - Second choice for magic boost. Seems to be a very interesting character.

Golden Deer

1. Caspar - I really like what I've seen of him, and I'll need to rescue him before the AI puts too much into Fighting (if I run him as a Hero).
2. Petra - Could help with any potential Flying force. Also has good starting levels and useful strengths. And is among my favourite designs. 
3. Ingrid - The Deer could do with another Cavalier, and Ingrid seems pretty awesome.

[Fire Emblem Three Houses Information Compendium]

I went through a bunch of the videos we've seen and tried to pay more attention to the combat forecasts (as they show equipped skills, and we know that units get "weapon skill level 1" once they have an E+ rank). A lot of the time, characters had less than 5 equipped weapon skills, which while not 100% guaranteeing that they don't have a rank in it, is very, very likely. (I also looked at the experience screens, but as the videos tended to be for units around level 15 this was less telling.)

Findings:

• From the E3 playtime with Blue Lions, Ashe and Sylvain definitely start with E's in Authority.
• From a video on the Japanese website (of the Blue Lions during the first map), Mercedes definitely has a D in Faith, likely has a D or E+ in Reason (probably the latter), and likely E's in the other weapon skills. (Even her Bows, despite wielding one.)
• From a video on the Japanese website, it is very likely that Ingrid starts with an E in Faith (as well as Axes, Bows, Fighting, and Reason). This is seconded by the E3 gameplay.
• From the E3 gameplay, Sylvain likely starts with either a D or E+ in Lances and Axes, and E's in the other weapon skills. (And, as an aside, seems to have a really good Magic growth rate for a physical unit.)
• From the E3 gameplay, Ashe likely starts with either a D or E+ in Bows and Axes, and E's in the other weapon skills.

//

Okay, new summary for what I currently have put together for the other houses:

In Blue Lions, we know:

• Dimitri: D+ Lances and Riding, D in Authority, E+ Swords
• Dedue: D+ Axes, D Armour, E+ Lances and Fighting

And there is proof of:

• Felix: D Swords, E+ Fighting, possibly something in Bows and the Movement Skills
• Mercedes: D in Faith, E+ in Reason, possibly something in the Movement Skills
• Ashe: D in Bows, E+ in Axes, possibly something in the Movement Skills
• Annette: D in Reason, possibly E+ in Authority and/or Axes, possibly something in the Movement Skills
• Sylvain: D in Lances, E+ in Axes, possibly something in the Movement Skills
• Ingrid: D in Lances, E+ in Swords, likely something in the Movement Skills

In Golden Deer, we know very little. But can glean:

• Claude: Likely D/D+ in Bows and Flying, E+ in Swords and Authority
• Lorenz: D in Lances and E+ in Authority, possibly E+ in Reason and D in Riding
• Hilda: D in Axes, E+ in Lances, possibly something in the Movement Skills
• Raphael: D in Fighting, E+ in Axes, possibly something in Swords and the Movement Skills
• Lysithea: Likely D in Reason, possibly something in everything else (no hints for this character)
• Ignatz: D in Bows, E+ in Swords, possibly something in the Movement Skills
• Marianne: D in Faith, possibly E+ in Authority, possibly something in Swords and the Movement Skills
• Leonie: Likely D in Swords, E+ in Lances, possibly E+ in Bows and D in Riding or the other Movement Skills

[FE Twitter shows new Anna design, some footage (& on-going character profiles)]

34 minutes ago, VincentASM said:

I think you've all got good reason to worry.

I have a feeling a lot of people dunno how to pronounce Leicester and Gloucester, although they're pretty well known in the UK.

Aren't the Japanese versions of these somewhat phonetic? (I recall some initial translations of Lorenz's bio saying he was from "Glostar".) What does the Japanese for Samhain in Leonie's bio look like?

Edit: it looks like Sets on twitter did translate it as "Sawin". So you're in luck @Azz!

[Opinion On Changing Skill To Dexterity]

It seems as though:

• Skill (the stat) -> Dexterity
• Skills -> Abilities
• Weapon Proficiencies -> Skills/Skill Levels

In the end, I think it's a good change that will make things clearer going forward. But it's going to take some time to adapt to the new usages.

[(speculation) how I think amiibo will work (spoilers maybe?)]

8 hours ago, gangly369 said:

I'm personally betting that we'll get a special battalion based on each character that has special perks (e.g. Ike Amiibo will get you 'Greil Mercenaries', Alm will give 'Valentian Dread Fighters', etc.).

Additionally, maybe they could serve as special instructors? They could give out higher experience towards whatever weapons/professor levels they specialize in (but, as a caveat, they're only available to use once per day irl).  

I love both of these ideas.

[Your Plan For Student Classes?]

3 hours ago, Azure in a Roundabout said:

I am not sure on what I should do. Unless anyone’s willing to tell me everyone’s specialties, I am going to go in blind. The Lords will go into their special classes anyhow. If not, then tell me their specialties as well.

 

It's hard to say, with the limited info we have right now. Most characters start with some levels in the skills they're strong in, but we know very few of them for sure. Here's one of the best bits of info, with Black Eagles students around level 6:

I believe that Edelgard and Berandetta's E+'s in Flying are from Group Tasks, Dorothea and Linhardt's E+ in Bows from Seminars (as well as Bernadetta's E+ in Reason, and maybe Hubert's D in Bows), Linhardt and Ferdinand's Authority from using Gambits, and Petra, Edelgard, and Ferdinand's Faith from Choir Practise. All the C's and C+'s are their main weapons and Goals.

So at the beginning, I'm confident the Black Eagles will look like this (with the exception of Hubert's D in Bows, which I'm not sure about):

From there, realise the ways characters get experience into those skill levels:

1. Use in battle. If you whack someone with a weapon, you get some experience into that weapon's skill level.
2. Tutor a student. Entering Tutoring at the beginning of the week lets you select a student and give them experience into the skill levels of your choice.
3. Have one or two skills set as their Goals, and fight. Every time you exchange blows with an enemy, you get some experience into those Goals as well as whatever weapon you used. You can freely custom focus your students' Goals at the beginning of every week, or maintain their default focuses.
4. Have one or two skills set as their Goals, and progress the week. Every week, your students get a bit of experience into their Goals. (I say one or two, as if you choose to only have one Goal then you get 50% more experience for it, but miss out on the 100% experience you could be getting in a second skill.)
5. Two students a week can be given a Group Task, which will (slightly) raise one of their Movement skills as you progress the week. (Movement skills being Armour, Riding, and Flying.)
6. Use Seminars, where teachers will grant experience to every student who's Goals are focused in one of the subjects they teach. For example, say you do a Seminar tought by Hanneman. Hanneman teaches Reason and Bows. All the students who are focused on Reason or Bows will attend, and gain experience in both. The following students likely attended: Hubert (Reason && Authority), Lindhardt (Reason && Faith), Bernadetta (Lances && Bows), Dorothea (Swords && Reason). All would gain experience into both Reason and Bows.
7. Do events around the Monastery. For example, students doing Choir Practise will get experience into their Faith skill.
8. If the character is in a Class that has proficiency with certain skills, those skills gain extra experience. [We think. For example, Heroes are proficient in Swords and Axes, so you will get more Axe experience than Bow experience as a Hero, despite doing the same action.]

Remember to take into consideration the individual students' boons and banes if you're not just going to leave them with their default Goals. Here's a link to what skill level Strengths and Weaknesses we know for each character. A character will have increased growth in the former, and reduced in the latter. 

Here's a link for what we know about Classes. In order to unlock new Classes for a character you need to pass an exam. You will need the appropriate seal (as in previous games) but also a certain level of skill if you want to guarantee a pass. We know what's necessary for the Beginner and Intermediate levels, but not the Advanced.

Here's a link for characters' Personal Abilities (known as Skills in past games). You may want to note where some might work well combined with unexpected Classes, and try to pursue those. (For example, Ignatz has an inherent Hit Rate +20. So he might make a good Berzerker.)

//

*Exhales*. Okay, now a couple examples from my early thoughts.

Edelgard: I'd like her to become a Wyvern Rider at some point. (They're cool.) She starts with E+ in Swords, D's in Axes, Authority, and Armour, and E in everything else. Eventually, I know I'll need her to be skilled in Flying, and any custom Class will probably require Authority. (Not to mention that Battalions seem pretty good, so high Authority could be handy anyway.) So at the beginning I'll change her Goals from their default focus of (Axes && Authority) to a custom focus of (Axes && Flying). I will also put her in a Group Task which boosts Flying (Air Patrol).

At the Beginner Class exam level, I'll let her take the exam for Fighter (D in Axes = 100% pass) so that she can get any stat increases and the Class proficiency in Axes. Once she can take an Intermediate Class exam, I'll hopefully have raised her Axes skill level to a C, so that I can take the Brigand exam (C in Axes = 100% pass) or the Armoured Knight exam (C in Axes && D in Armour = 100% pass). If I have enough Intermediate Seals, I'll try to unlock both for the stat boosts. At this point, I might custom focus her Goals into (Authority && Flying) and depend on her fighting with Axes to raise their level.

By the time Advanced Class exams are open, I'll hopefully be at a sufficiently high Flying level to be able to pass the Wyvern Rider exam. There is a major concern: Pegasus Knights require a C in Lances and a D in Flying for a 100% pass. If the Wyvern Rider requires something like a B in Lances and a C in Flying for a 100% pass, then Edelgard might fail a couple attempts at the exam. Also, Edelgard has a Hidden Talent in Reason. I'm not planning on making her a magic wielder, but I might Tutor that to see if she gets anything interesting.

Ashe: Ashe's Personal Ability allows him to pick locks outside of the Thief Class. This seems like it will be very useful to me, especially if he's made into a highly mobile Class. So I want to make him a Paladin who uses Bows. We know Ashe has Strengths in Axes and Bows, a Weakness in Reason, and a Hidden Talent in Lances. He very likely starts with a D in Bows, an E+ in Axes, and an E in everything else. We are unaware of his Movement skills, but I really hope he's not weak in Riding or my plans are in danger.

To begin, I'll set a custom focus for his Goals, dropping the (Axes && Bows) for (Lances && Bows). I will also assign him to a Riding focused Group Task (Cleaning the Stables), as well as Tutoring him in the subject. Alternatively, I might change his Goals to (Bows && Riding) and have Shamir do Seminars for the students (she teaches Lances && Bows. If I have Dimitri, Dedue, Mercedes, Ashe, Sylvain, and Ingrid all with one of those in their Goals I'll get a lot of value out of Shamir's Seminars).

At the Beginner Class exam level, I'll likely go with Fighter (D in Bows = 100% pass) so that its Bows proficiency can help him gain experience. Once he's at the Intermediate Class exam level, I'll hopefully have raised his Bows to a C, but still be trying to increase his Lances and Riding to the C and D needed for a Cavalier. So I'll go with Archer first (C in Bows = 100% pass).  After this I can change his Goals to (Lances && Riding) and eventually he should be able to pass the Cavalier exam, and then later the Paladin exam (likely B in Lances && C in Riding = 100% pass). I'll continue to make use of Bows (even though Cavaliers and Paladins don't get a proficiency bonus with them) alongside his Lances, and if I have the extra Seals also take the Sniper exam (likely B in Bows = 100% pass) so that he has options.

 

 

[Fire Emblem Three Houses Information Compendium]

Bear in mind that originally Treehouse localised "Noble" as "Aristocrat". So in this case, the fact that Petra is a Princess of another nation doesn't matter - she lacks the heritage of Fodlan's gentry. She's a foreign barbarian.

[Fire Emblem Three Houses Information Compendium]

There's also the Kotaku video, which has Black Eagles characters near the start of the game so some speculation can be done:

• Edelgard (level 11): C+ Axes and Authority, D Armour, E+ Swords and Flying. Matches above, with progress in Axes and Authority (focus and use) and Flying (from Air Patrol). The touch of Faith might be from Choir Practise. (Note that she and Petra have the same level, and we know both have a weakness in it, whereas Ferdinand does not.)
• Hubert (5): C+ Reason, C Authority, D Bows. First two are from focus and use, and likely start as D and E+. Bows being a flat D is interesting. I think there's been two Seminars with Hanneman (effecting the Reason and Bows of him, Linhardt, Bernadetta, and Dorothea). But D suggests an E+ initial level for him (Linhardt and Dorothea are still at E+). Alternatively, we know that Bows are a Strength for him, so maybe that results in him getting more experience from the Seminars? That would mean an E in Bows.
• Ferdinand (6): C Lances, D+ Axes, D Riding, E+ Swords. Matches above, with progress from Axe Tutoring/Use, and Focus/Use of Lances and Riding.
• Linhardt (5): C+ Reason and Faith, E+ Bows. Matches above, with focus changed entirely to Reason and use in Faith, Seminar (?) in Bows.
• Caspar (7): C Axes and Brawling. Very likely to start with D in Axes, E+ in Brawling, E everything else.
• Bernadetta (3): C+ Bows, C Lances, E+ Reason and Flying. Likely starts with D in Bows and E+ in Lances. Her Flying E+ matches Edelgard's Air Patrol experience and likely starts as an E. The Reason I think is from Seminars/Tutoring, and probably starts as an E as well.
• Dorothea (6): C+ Reason, C Swords, E+ Bows. Matches above known starting levels of D in Reason and E+ in Swords. As above, E+ in Bows matches with being from Seminars. Her Faith is almost to E+, which I assume is a combination of Choir Practise and Turtoring.
• Petra (4): C+ in Swords, C in Axes, D in Flying, E+ in Bows. Her Swords and Axes seem to be from focus and use, and likely start as D and E+. Flying has not been raised via Air Patrol (that's all Bernie and Edie) so the D start is likely. The E+ in Bows is flat (so not matching the possible Seminar'd characters) which lead me to believe that's her initial level in it.

 

[Fire Emblem Three Houses Information Compendium]

Going through this, if anything jumps out at me I'll mention it. One bit:

"He even has a natural Strength in Axes. It’s too bad we don’t know if he has a high base in axes though, as the treehouse players had already invested a lot into his rank."

We did actually get to see Ferdinand's initial skill levels in one of the Famitsu articles. He has D's in Lances and Riding, and E+'s in Swords and Axes.

On that note, would you be interested in adding that info to your document? @VincentASM has done a fantastic job compiling the known Strengths/Weaknesses/Hidden Talents of characters' skill levels, as well as @Calico's thread on the subject, but no one has really tried to catalogue starting skill levels yet, I think.

//

Some others:

Dimitri: D+ Lances and Riding, D Authority, E+ Swords

Spoiler

Dedue: D+ Axes, D Armour, E+ Lances and Brawling

Spoiler

Edelgard: D in Axes, Authority, and Armour (*), E+ in Swords.

Spoiler

*Being Level 4, she potentially has some work put into her. But things seem consistent enough with others that this can be confidently stated. 

Byleth: D+ Swords, D Authority, E+ likely in two of your choosing (*).

Spoiler

*Below is Faith and Brawling, which we've seen in other footage of the F!Byleth that has been used for their Blue Lions run. The M!Byleth seen in various places with the Black Eagles has chosen Axes and a movement type in the Direct from earlier this year, and Brawling and Armour in the E3 Footage.

From the Direct video earlier in the year:

• Petra: D in swords and E in Authority. [Elsewhere we saw D in Flying. ??? for everything else.]
• Dorothea: D in Reason, E+ in Swords, E for other weapons. [Elsewhere we saw E in Armour, Riding, and Flying.]
• Linhardt: D in Faith, E+ in Reason, E elsewise.

 

[Famitsu Online Article Drops]

Ah! Thanks, I had missed those (I had only seen faculty training with Rhea). I guess Seteth will probably teach Flying?

Also, have we seen if we can set a custom focus for ourselves? The Kotaku video had some screentime with the Goals menu, and it looked like Byleth was absent.

[Famitsu Online Article Drops]

I think @Cysx has the just of it: in what appears to be a Blue Lions playthrough, Caspar has the option to be scouted (at the top) while Ingrid does not. 

  

//

Something that just occurred to me: we see in the article that Petra requires the player to have Riding skill to recruit. But have we seen a way for Byleth to raise any of their movement skill levels? They can't Tutor themselves, Seminars/Faculty Training seems to have available everything else, and they can't assign themselves to Group Tasks. 

[Ranking the (known) personal skills]

Felix has a weakness in Authority to boot, so it's going to be difficult to get him good Battalions anyway.