Use the Falchion

Last week there was a potential date leak of June 15 for a Direct due to a leaked NDA. Now it's speculated to be June 28/29 by Alanah Pierce and backed up by Direct Feed Games and GameXplain. I'm not sure how trustworthy DFG or Alanah Pierce are, but Alanah probably has some great insider connections. GameXplain, while I'm not a fan of the some of the stories the former cast at Good Vibes Gaming - who I prefer and like much more - share, does have a solid history and historically has had some good scoops and reporting on findings and whatnot. I bring this up here because if we do get a Direct around that time, I think a Fire Emblem announcement is possible. I can see us getting a quick "It's out buy it now!" reminder trailer for Three Hopes, along with the promise of some future DLC expansion, and then a "more details at a later date...but that's not all that's happening in the Fire Emblem world. Take a look," leading into a trailer/teaser for a new game. A late June Direct makes me wonder about the September Direct. Are we getting one in early September? Or will we have a Splatoon-focused one instead? Gah, I don't know. The point is that if we get a Direct after Three Hopes releases, the chances of a new FE game being announced rise higher.

I bought FEW a couple of days ago, and I've been enjoying it a fair amount! The reason I bring it up here is because as I've been playing, I've noticed that Tharja (and probably Robin, I actually haven't used him a whole lot) feels a LOT faster of a unit than any of the Monks/Priests/Mages in Three Hopes. The closest have been Annette and Dimitri weirdly enough, but the reaction and spell time feels slower to me. I know that doesn't really mean much, but that was one of the first things that stood out to me as I played this, and how weird it felt to have an older game have this one particular part run better. I mean, it's not THAT weird to have older games do specific things better than newer games at time, but it felt weird here. Other notes - FEW has good combat, but its combat makes me appreciate the changes made for Three Hopes, particularly in terms of the Combat Arts/Spells list. ...and everyone having a default two Vulneraries. I also remain unchanged about a crossover for DLC. I think Lianna could have a really interesting friendship with Dimitri and Claude, while Rowan would fit right at home with the likes of Caspar, Raphael, and Balthus, while also serving as a foil to Ignatz in a way. Still, NPCs that should be playable and new characters come first.

Shez has the benefit of being an Avatar in a world most players already know. They don't have to be the audience surrogate that has butt-tons exposition and lore dumped upon them for the player's convenience, since it's assumed most Three Hopes players have played Three Houses, and thus know these characters and the overview of the world. Granted, there are still lore dumps and exposition, but there's far less of it, and in far smaller amounts. (This isn't a complaint, just an observation, I think.) I'm not saying the isolation is the worst way to do things. Aloy for the Horizon games is a great example of an isolated character who is still relatable and solid, but she's also not a real avatar for the player, at least not to me. (Commander Shepard from the Mass Effect series is a relatively isolated character, since they are new to the galactic stage as a whole, but they still know things and have cultural and historical knowledge that most of your aforementioned avatars don't.)

Praying for the family. Billy's role as Ferdinand is all I really know him from, but he brought that character to life in so many ways, as I'm sure he did to every role and character. Though he may be gone, through his work he'll live on. In our hearts and the hearts of thousands if not millions of future players and viewers of his work, he will continue to live on. May he rest in peace and in power, and may his family be granted peace.

House Leaders of course Sylvain and Ignatz - Art Bros Bernadetta and Ignatz - Art Lovers Ashe and Bernadetta - Formerly Team Hoodie Ignatz and Ashe - Knights: Pros & Cons Dorothea and Ashe - Commoners Unite! Dorothea and Dimitri - I Can See It Dorothea and Hilda - Catfight (or Not? They May Get Along) Hilda and Edelgard - Catfight Part 2 Dedue and Constance - The Verbose Speaker vs The Man Who Doesn't Speak Much Yuri and Ashe - It Should Have Been In the Game Constance and Sylvain - Magic and Flirting Constance and Annette - It Should Have Been In the Game Part 2 Manuela and Balthus - He Likes Older Women Seteth and Mercedes - Holy People Unite! To Be Continued At a Later Time

Huh. I was actually mostly right about something...

That's actually a good idea! Maybe I'll turn Dedue into a Brawler and Ashe into a Brigand so that I can use pretty much every weapon type for the Blue Lions at least at this point in the game. Unfortunately, my Ashe has higher Magic than Strength and I'm at a loss about what to do with him. I wanted him to be a Wyvern Rider for the Blue Lions, but I have no idea how or what that will look like. There's the option of having him be use a Magic Bow later in the game, maybe...If Trickster is the Master Class version of Assassin but keeps its magical leaning, maybe he can fit there? That may mean turning him into a Thief, which is something I'm somewhat opposed to doing for character reasons (Ashe isn't proud of his thieving background), but maybe I can turn it into a head-canon where he's trying to overcome his past by taking agency over what he learned from it? There's also the option of Holy Knight, but since Dimitri and Rodrigue will be Holy Knights at least at some point during the game, and Sylvain is going Dark Knight - and recruiting/capturing other characters from other houses seems to be a thing given some of the in-game dialogue and hints, which means that if I can capture Ferdinand and/or Lorenz they'll be Holy Knights and Dark Knights as well - I think I'm good on that class. I also misspoke above about Ingrid going Holy Knight. While that is a plan, it's the backup for if Dark Flier doesn't make it into the game.

I like Shez a lot, both versions. The voice acting and personality really helps. I think Byleth, since they're speaking as well, will also regain some of that lost momentum later in the game. Arval is good. I still prefer Sothis, as I find her scolding of Byleth and her overall snarky-yet-motherly demeanor more interesting than Arval's mood, if that makes sense. I don't dislike Arval at all, but I will need more from them going forward, which is exactly what we're going to get.

I'm starting to think that you're right, and that it will be

Nothing more than speculation at this time in conjunction with a new Direct. I'm sure when the Direct is announced we'll get a LOT more speculation. For now, all eyes are focused on Three Hopes, the demo, and the datamine. If we hear about a new game, it'll be during the Direct as a new surprise, although I'm putting at a 50/50 shot at this time. The Direct already has its fair share of heavy-hitters in terms of Splatoon 3, Xenoblade 3, whatever Zelda thing may or may not come out this year, Bayonetta 3, and Mario + Rabbids 2. Metroid Prime 4 probably needs an update too. But all of those are known entities, so a mainline Fire Emblem game fitting in as the "big surprise" would be nice. Anyways, if we don't hear about a new mainline/remake FE game in June, our next best bets are in the September Direct, and next year's February Direct.

Huh! I legitimately keep forgetting that! Well, it's time to put Felix and Sylvain into Monk classes for a time and level up their spells! Who would have thought that the Blue Lions would be the magical class? Then again, I guess it makes sense, given that two of them are magical, two of them have Reason as their hidden talents, and a third is unit whose Magic and Strength growths are pretty much (if not exactly) tied.

I've been doing the same thing, and it's been working out really well for me also. My Dimitri is currently a Priest, in preparation for Holy Knight, if skill levels are needed. He's surprisingly good at it too! I think his Azure Lightning ability kicks in when he's using magic as well, or at least Thunder, which is a blast to use, pun intended. And yeah, his Strength gains are perfectly fine. I just turned Leonie into a Pegasus Knight on my Verdant Wildfire file since I'm missing the class now that I can't scratch that itch with Ingrid, and I'm excited to see how it turns out. I'm a little sad that her Cavalier ability about armor-breaking isn't crossing over, but I'll live. If anything, that's my one big downside to the game so far in comaparison to Three Houses - not every weapon is available in every class. I know that a lot of people here didn't like that, but I love the idea that in a Warriors game, I can go from using Dimitri's Javelin Lance attack thingy to using Thunder right off the bat, and then finish it with an Adjutant combo. I can't do that, at least not yet, and it's something I really want to do. Felix may also go to Monk later down the line, if Mortal Savant is in this game. I feel like he could actually excel in that class this time around, and I want to see it. I definitely recommend it as well! I noticed mine doing the same and I made the switch. It's been a blast. Ay I just turned my Leonie into a Pegasus Knight! I haven't tried her out yet, but I'm glad to know it's working well!

I usually don't mind more characters in general. More characters mean more characters to learn about and grow to love. They also mean a different team composition. Dieck isn't going to play the same as Echidna because they both have slightly different specialties - Dieck is going to kick butt with swords while Echidna has a naturally high rank with axes. For Iron Man runs, I imagine more characters are both a blessing and a curse. The more characters open, the easier it may be to lose a unit; but that may result in a less challenging run overall. IDK, I don't do Iron Man playthroughs. I wouldn't mind more units as legacy characters for Binding Blade in hindsight, but no more than 5. (One for Lyn that's canonical, one for Mark, one for Priscilla, and one for Erk, if not Erk himself. Oh, and one for Harkin and Isadora, or at least Isadora.) Blazing Sword...I think I'm good, honestly, although that might be nostalgia talking. If anything, I'd like to see another woman from the Plains tribes, so we can flesh those out a tad more. I love the Sacae Plains, and I'd love to see more of them in relation to Lyn and how another girl from the plains may see her. For Fates...yes, but with asterisk for most of them. As others have said, a male Oni Savage should be included easily. This is the highest priority to me, alongside a male Merchant that can be included on every route. (Yukimura can only be recruited in Birthright.) Lucina should be another retainer of Elise's IMO, since Elise is the only Nohr sibling without an Awakening retainer. I think Lucina could fit the bill pretty much perfectly. (She could be a Cavalier with Archer as her secondary class, and can Friendship Seal Hana to gain access to the Swordmaster line. She also can have a nice "Sword/Axe/Lance" thing going on with Arthur and Effie in that case as well.) I saw some artwork for a Child Unit that looked like Chrom once, years ago, and now I want it. (I think he was the son of Yukimura?) GIVE CAMILLA A SON THAT LOOKS LIKE A YOUNG FREDERICK JUST TO COMPLETE THE OG TRIO. Selena should probably have her own child, if only to make things fair for the Awakening Trio. Granted, if I could, I'd move Caeldori to being Selena's child and give Subaki a different child. (If people really want a mindscrew, though, one could give Selena a son that looks like Chrom. I'd probably have it so that if Caeldori goes to Selena, then Subaki can have an Oni Chieftan son that looks like Chrom, or something similar.*) I think another Kitsune and Wolfskin would be appreciated as well, a first gen woman for each. Lastly, Layla as a recruitable character on all routes. She has a unique model, and the story clearly intended to do more with her than it did. Heroes has paved a way for future games to utilize two Dancers at once, so I don't see what the problem is now. For other games, I'm all in for new characters as well, but this was for the GBA games and Fates. *It'd be too obvious to give Lucina the son that looks like her father, although Soleil looks a lot like Olivia, and Ophelia and Lissa basically use the same model...

Weird Builds that are apparently happening because I'm crazy and weird stat stuff: Priest Dimitri - I have no idea how hybrid classes will be implemented down the line, so for units I may want in hybrid classes, I'm getting them ready beforehand. I want Holy Knight Dimitri, at least for a time, so I put him through the Monk line and now he's a priest. Dimitri using Lightning is a LOT of fun TBH, but I'll probably only keep him in this class until he masters it, which probably won't happen for a bit since I've finished the Demo, I have no more training points, and he's reached the level cap of the Demo. Once that's mastered though, he'll go to Cavalier and Paladin for a time. (For main missions I'll turn him back into a Great Lord, as that class is FAR too fun to not use.) Priest/Mage Ingrid - Ingrid's Magic stat quickly caught up with and surpassed her Strength stat, so I'm leaning into it. I want her to go Dark Flier if that class is in the game (I didn't and won't look at all of the datamined information to see), but Holy Knight like Rodrigue in Three Houses and as Glenn was theorized to have been, might be the best way to go. So far, Ingrid's up to par with Mercedes and Annette, which is both weird and hilarious. Pegasus Knight Leonie - I admittedly haven't done this one yet, but I think it may be fun to try. Golden Deer don't have any Peg Knights at the time, and I feel like a void is missing when I play Azure Gleam and Ingrid isn't a Peg Knight, so I may compensate on my Verdant Wildfire playthrough at this time. Dark Knight Sylvain and Mortal Savant Felix are two endgame classes I'm thinking about, but it really depends on how the hybrid classes function later in the game. Will players be able to mix Combat Arts and Spells and have one of each? Will we gain more ability slots if we're willing to lose the Vulneraries, or just as the game goes on? I honestly can't say, and I'm willing to wait to find out.

Fluegel is fun, so I'm limiting myself on how much I play it (and because the level cap is apparently 15 so I don't want to reach it too soon). I'm not a giant fan of Archer or Monk, but it really depends on the character, and I'm working my way through them regardless. Overall, I'm trying not to peg myself into one character or playstyle, as I saw a playthrough of FEW where the YouTuber used Tiki for a majority of his run, and it was boring. I'm sure it was fun and useful for him, but seeing the same moveset by the same character for episodes and battles on end was annoying. I'm certainly not trying to stream Three Hopes, but watching that sort of pushed the philosophy for me to go outside my comfort zone. I also just like to keep everyone around the same level if I can help it.

The Reddit page says that But I also didn't decipher most of the info. More thoughts on the leaks you provided and the non GoogleDocs stuff at a later time, probably when I air all of my opinions on the demo.

I'm admittedly a little amused and a little jealous that Scarlet Blaze has more characters than any other route by the end of the demo, assuming I did everything correctly on the other two routes. They have: Current Black Eagles, Shez, Monica, Jeritza, and Manuela, giving them twelve characters to start with. Blue Lions only playable additions are Shez and Rodrigue (who is awesome and still married sorry F!Shez), so they have a total of ten. Claude's route has 10 as well, with Shez and Shamir. (Which means that the Golden Deer are once again my favorite house if they have both Marianne and Shamir by default.) I doubt this is indicative of the entire roster or even long-term story. Azure Gleam will most likely have more Church of Seiros members due to its storyline, alongside Gustav/Gilbert and possibly Margrave Gautier. (And I hope another Duscur character at the very least.) I'm sure Verdant Wildfire will have Holst, Nader, and Judith playable, as we know both are in the game, and if Rodrigue's playable it only makes sense that his counterparts are playable as well. (And anther Almyran please? We know Nader has a daughter. Maybe her and another sibling of Claude? That would be so fun!) Scarlet Blaze may have Hanneman if he's not with the Church alongside Count Bergliez, Randolph, and Fleche (the two of which we saw face off against Byleth in the latest trailer). So yeah, I'm not worried about the casts being too uneven, but it is something I noticed. Maybe it's payback for Crimson Flower having the fewest recruitable characters in the game. The one complaint I can say for now is far less of a complaint and more of a worry - The game advertises three routes, but at least two of those routes so far have ended with the same major conflicts in the main game. Of course, the context, characters, and characterization are all different, and that's what makes the routes feel different, but I can't help but wonder if all three routes are going to the same destination, just with different journeys, not unlike Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep in some ways. If that's the case, I don't mind, but I'd like to know ahead of time too... I have a LOT more thoughts about the demo, most of them positive, but I'll save those for when I'm through tinkering a bit. (I want to raise up Dimitri and Felix's magic abilities just in case later classes call for it. I doubt they will, but I want to err on the side of safety...and silly builds. I also need to S-Rank all of the side missions on Azure Gleam.) The demo gave me pretty much everything I wanted and did exactly what it was supposed to do IMO.

Oh that's a good point! Even if they don't carry over, it may be nice to know what all the routes offer at the beginning...and to prolong the demo experience.

Minor spoilers: Definitely when, and I'd wager by the end of the year, depending on the type of DLC and whether or not we get a new mainline FE game. If we get both, then I'd say DLC in November and Mainline Game in December. If there's no new mainline game until next year or later, then I'd say DLC Wave 1 in about September, Wave 2 in December, and maybe Wave 3 in February. What would be on these waves depends on what's in the base game IMO. I'm sure at least one will have the War Arc costumes alongside other fun costumes for characters, if they're not already included in the base game. Another will probably be new characters and a storyline that deepens the lore and adds a few more maps. I'm hoping a third would be a crossover DLC, because it can be the best of both worlds in terms of fun crossovers and non-canon storylines.* Besides, those who don't want to deal with the crossover wouldn't have to buy it. The three other options I can think of: Armor Break DLC, which feels like it'd belong with the costumes. (Good Vibes Gaming had a fun little video about this.) Agarthan DLC, which feels too early to say, since we only know a fraction of what the game is offering, and even that's coming out in bits and pieces. Cross-promotional material for the next FE game. Honestly, this would feel weird to me.** FEH gets most of the cross-promotional material, not Warriors. Besides, I'd imagine it'd be nothing more than a slight "download this and you'll get bonus materials" cross-promotion. *If this is going to be the case, my primary picks would change a bit. Rowan and Lianna were base game picks for crossover characters for me. I still think they'd be fun additions as DLC characters, if only as an homage to the Three Houses' team's previous venture into the Warriors/Musou genre. My primary picks this time around would be Lucina, Corrin, Owain, and Azura though. (Robin, Tharja, Camilla, and Hinoka are secondary choices from the previous Warriors game.) **If the next game was a genealogy remake, I could see Sigurd, Eldigan, Quan, Ethlyn, Lachesis, and Deidre at the least being reborn in Fodlan and allowed a second chance to earn their "happy ending." I think that would be sweet (in both the "awesome" and "adorable" definitions), although I'd prefer to see them as students first and then grown up...still, I that theme may still work in Three Hopes.

I originally agreed, but after seeing 3 of the four first Azure Gleam chapters, my answer is now "a LOT." Well, for some anyways. Dimitri and Felix's entire relationship is different this time around due to the events of the prologue. But I feel like I need to see more of the game before I can say that's the case for sure.

I have so much to say but I'm barely into the demo! I adored the new intro movie, Byleth speaking was great, and Shez's story is more believable than I thought at first glance. I'm still choosing Blue Lions for my first runthrough, at least up until the demo ends. But I'm so curious about that denial offer! Does that start a fourth path? Has anyone tried it yet?

What a weird banner! Not bad, just weird. I got some things I wanted, but nothing I really needed. my 5*s were: Ascendant Florina on the second pull. Huh! 5* Osian in the same session too! A 4* +1 Vanilla Mia A 4* +1 Vanilla Nephenee Fallen Gustav Pity-breaker (boo!) Sparked Letizia Most of my other pulls were the Usual Suspects of Altena, Gordin, Miranda, and Merric. Really annoying, as I was hoping for at least one Seteth, one Kaze, and/or one Knoll. Still, I'm not too upset. I'm a stone's throw from 850k feathers, and I'm closer to 700 orbs again than I thought I'd be...although I did have to break into my daily orb stash and do this month's story chapters to make be where I am. It's not a major setback by any means, and I should be able to summon New Heroes again when the Three Hopes crossover banner occurs, but it's a little annoying.

DEMO OUT NOW! ASHEN WOLVES CONFIRMED CHURCH MORE OR LESS CONFIRMED CHAPTER 4 DEMO!

So, someone apparently "leaked" the Direct Date due to not having to sign a specific type of NDA for a specific game or something. IDK if this is actually true or if that's when we'll get a Three Houses demo. We'll probably know pretty soon either way.

For every FE game I've played with an Avatar, I've given each Avatar a similar yet different name, as they're twins in my head and twin-themed naming is tight. Robin (M) and Rowan/Raven (F) Corrin (M) and Corinne* (F) Byleth (M) and Belle (F) for Three Hopes, I'm going to see how Shez (M) and Cher (F) work. *I'm thinking about changing it to Cameron for at least one of them. The idea is that one was named Kamui, but that eventually was adopted as "Cammy" by Nohrians, who all assumed it was short for Cameron. As the child grows up, they come to love both their birth name of Kamui and their adoptive name of Cameron. I'm just not sure if I want it to be F!Corrin or M!Corrin just yet.