On June 24, Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes was released for the Switch. Since its release, players have been trying to figure out which characters make the best investments to play.
The way the game plays out, there are very few functional differences in what the characters can do thanks to class changing. However, the game does offer unique abilities to characters. These unique abilities can give some characters a leg up over others. Regardless, it should be ed that in Warriors games, fans will be able to clear any content with their favorites alone.
Jeritza
In the original games, Jeritza is one of the teachers at Gerrag Mach and the secret identity of the mysterious and powerful Death Knight who works for the Flame Emperor.
Jeritza stays as one of the main teachers in Three Hopes, still featuring the ability to become a powerful Death Knight. Jeritza's signature ability, Quietus, allows him to do considerable damage to enemies by wiping all non-Commanders from a mob. Jeritza is a cool and interesting character that those who never played the Crimson Flower route need to check out.
Lysithea
Lysithea was one of the most broken units in the original Three Houses, one of the games of all time. Her nuclear magical attacks and early access to Warp made her a huge threat.
Lysithea returns as a great mage yet again in Three Hopes, maintaining her fun and awkward personality. Lysithea isn't quite as broken as she was in the original games, but she's still a top-tier student with great voice lines and story. Her unique ability, Cursed Expulsion, mimics her Three Houses magic and blasts enemies with incredible dark magic.
Shamir
Shamir is one of the strongest archers in Three Houses and is one of the characters associated with the church rather than the school. She was always a powerful unit that could reliably take out fliers.
Archery is a strong starting class in Three Hopes, and Shamir is a powerful unit that can be recruited fairly early in most routes. Not only is she incredibly fun to play, but her unique skill Cold Calculation adds a lot of power to her moves. Imbuing her moves with ice is a pretty ability, and Shamir can really do some damage with it.
Mercedes
In the original games, Mercedes was a solid unit and healer. She was one of the kindest of the Blue Lions, although may have felt a bit plain compared to the others.
Mercedes is one of the best ways to keep allies alive in Three Hopes. Her unique Radiant Love ability is a powerful healing-based action that can help keep the player afloat. Mercedes fans from Three Houses will enjoy that she's a little more self-reliant than she was in the traditional games, considering all Warriors characters need to be able to function by themselves.
Rhea
Depending on the chosen route, Rhea can fulfill many different roles in Three Houses. However, in all routes, it's very clear she's a flawed leader who doesn't always do the right thing.
Rhea is unfortunately only available in the post-game of Three Hopes. This means only those who want to do a New Game Plus playthrough will be able to play the leader of the Church of Seiros. However, if the player does unlock her, they'll have access to one of the strongest units in the game, already equipped with the powerful Saint class.
Dimitri
Dimitri was arguably the single most powerful playable character in the original Three Houses games, excelling in everything from powerful unique skills and weapons to general overpowered stats.
Dimitri is one of the best student characters to play both in of power and story. Without Edelgard's betrayal, Dimitri has become a far more noble and ionate king. Gone are the days of the dark Lion King from the other games. In this game, the noble leader of the Blue Lions imbues his weapons with lightning using his powerful Azure Lightning ability.
Claude
Claude as a house leader in Three Houses was always very unique compared to Dimitri and Edelgard. The brilliant archer had a goofy side while also being able to turn on a dime to match the intensity of the other two.
Claude as a character is similar in Three Hopes, and he comes equipped with his signature bow and arrows. The leader of the Golden Deer can carry entire playthroughs. Claude's unique ability is a very simple but powerful tool that the other two house leaders have similar copies of. In Claude's case, his ability Dustcloud imbues his attacks with wind.
Edelgard
Edelgard is both one of the best Byleth romance options and best overall units in the original Three Houses games, being the fearsome leader of the Black Eagles and the powerful Flame Emperor.
Edelgard is also one of the strongest units in Three Hopes. Similar to her eternal rival Dimitri, Edelgarde has a unique ability that imbues her attacks with an element. Fittingly in Edelgard's case, her attacks are imbued with Fire. Edelgard offers a great mix of both offense and defense that makes her a true threat.
Shez
Instead of Byleth, the protagonist of Three Houses, a new protagonist leads the way for Three Hopes. Shez is a lone mercenary with plenty of power and a few similarities to Byleth's origin.
Character-wise, Shez is a bit of a foil to Byleth and has their own guardian deity that grants them power. Unlike Byleth, who is the professor and confidant to their students, Shez is their classmate and teammate. Shez's ability, Shadowflash, allows them to execute non-Commanders and dash. It's overall a very useful skill that helps take care of mobs.
Byleth
Byleth is the protagonist and main professor at Gerrag Mach in Three Houses. However, Byleth actually isn't part of the main group at all in Three Hopes. Instead, they nearly kill Shez at the beginning of the story.
Byleth is actually the main rival of Shez and one of the potential minor antagonists of Three Hopes. However, it is also possible to recruit Byleth as an ally if the player plays their cards right. Their unique ability, Divine Pulse, is similar to their power in Three Houses, which allows them to distort time.
