Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes

Byleth served as the protagonist of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, but they've taken on a supporting role in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. This time, they oppose new main character Shez and the three House Leaders. Returning fans will quickly realize why Byleth was feared as the "Ashen Demon" in this expansion of Three Hopes' Fodlan.

As some may have already predicted, Byleth is playable in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes even if they're not the main character. They aren't available until Part 2, but they're a unit worth players' time and investment. Byleth shares many similarities with Shez as a fighter/unit, but has enough differences to make their own place on the team.

Breakdown of Byleth's Stats and Classes

Depending on the route players have chosen in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, Byleth's recruit time will be different, but only by two chapters. In Scarlet Blaze (Edelgard's Route) and Golden Wildfire (Claude's Route), Byleth will join at the end of Chapter 10. In Azure Gleam (Dimitri's Route), they will join at the end of Chapter 12 instead. Recruiting Byleth is the only way to get the True/Good End on all three routes. Choosing to pursue the Side Mission that calls to defeat Byleth in Chapter 10/12 will result in the Bad End, in which Byleth will not join Shez and the others.

Byleth's starting stats (in the prologue) mirror Shez's, with slightly higher Strength, Magic, and Charm, but lower Speed and Res. Thanks to Byleth's Charm, their battalions will have stronger endurance. As a unit, Byleth's attacks aren't as quick as Shez's, but with the right Abilities and Combat Arts, they can make their place on the team. Either Silverheart or Mercenary needs to be mastered in order to get Byleth to Swordmaster, and upon mastering Swordmaster, they'll be able to unlock the Enlightened One Class.

Byleth's Starting Class

Even though Byleth joins in Part 2, they will only have one Class unlocked at this time: Silverheart. This wasn't available in Three Houses, but in Three Hopes, it serves as Byleth's "starting" Class. Silverheart's stat spread is all-around, but mastering it gives Byleth two unique Abilities: Mage Knight's Ploy and True Awakening.

Mastering Classes & Other Tips

Since Byleth won't have any Classes mastered by the time they join, it's a good idea to master some of the Beginner Classes at the Training Instructor. These will unlock basic Abilities such as Spirited Seize and Sword Prowess. The Myrmidon Class line is the best beginner class for Byleth to master first, but there are other useful classes for them as well:

Mercenary Class (Intermediate): Byleth will learn Battalion Vantage at Rank 1 of this Class. Depending on if players want to use Battalions or not, this Ability will restore some of the Warrior and Awakening Gauge when the battalion's endurance is at 50% or less.
Swordmaster (Advanced) has some great Abilities such as Boost Critical, Apex Sword, and Astra. This Class is also needed in order to unlock the Englightened One with a Master Seal.
The Thief (Intermediate), Assassin (Advanced) and Trickster (Master) Classes work better on faster units, but Byleth will learn sword-Combat Arts such as Iceblade if they choose to Master any of them.
The Dancer Class (Master) can be unlocked at a survey spot in Chapter 12 (Scarlet Blaze/Azure Gleam) and Chapter 13 (Golden Wildfire). Dancer will give Byleth the Charm Catalyst Ability at max rank.

Byleth's worst stat is their Res, so players can change this by giving them Res-increasing items or by changing them to a Pegasus Knight/Falcon Knight (female Byleth only). Since they have better Defense than units like Shez, they can make better use of the Armored Knight and Brawler Classes (male Byleth only). Even if players don't want to have Byleth as an Axe-user, it may be worth mastering a few Classes to get Abilities such as Wrath and Defiant Defense.

Byleth's Best Class

The best Class for Byleth is the Enlightened One Class, which is unique to their character. This class will unlock the Aura Combat Art as well as two unique Abilities. Enlightened One's main weapon is a sword, but this Class will also allow Byleth to use Magic.

It's not a bad idea to master some Classes in the Monk branch to gain access to healing magic (Recover) and all of Byleth's offensive spells like Ragnarok. Male Byleth also has exclusive access to the Dark Mage and Dark Bishop Classes, which can be unlocked and carried over to female Byleth in NG+.

Byleth's Best Abilities & Equipment

Byleth may not be as versatile as they were in Three Houses. This is in part to them joining midway through Three Hopes and only have one Intermediate-level Class unlocked at the time of their recruitment. However, if players take the time to level them up at the Training Instructor, they should have no problems catching up. Byleth is worth using because of their unique ability, Divine Pulse. This will freeze time and allow players to rack up damage the stoppage. Divine Pulse can be upgraded at the Tactics Instructor and can be used on bosses.

It's best to focus on Byleth's Strength, Magic, Defense, and Charm when equipping them with Abilities and Combat Arts. This may be time-consuming since Byleth has some catching up to do when they join. However, their Unique Ability (Divine Pulse) coupled with the Enlightened One Class are worth having. If nothing else, players can have Shez give Byleth the merc whistle to get Byleth's Unique Ability.

The following are different Combat Arts and Abilities for Byleth to equip specifically for the Enlightened One Class. Depending on what players decide to make Byleth, this build may be different.

Combat Arts	Charge Time	How to Unlock	Description
Recover	Large	Rank 1 of the Priest Class	Greatly heals surrounding allies
Sword Dance	Medium++	Rank 1 of the Dancer Class	Attacks in a straight line and prevents enemies from guarding
Astra	Large++	Master the Swordmaster Class	Breaks opponent's guard
Firesweep	Medium+	Rank 1 of the Silverheart Class	Generates a cyclone that deals fire damage Inflicts the Burning status ailment, which causes damage over time

Ability	How to Unlock	Description
True Awakening	Master the Silverheart Class	Extends the duration of Awakening
Saint's Power	Rank 2 of the Enlightened One Class	Gradually restores the Awakening Gauge
Goddess' Vessel	Master the Enlightened One Class	If at least 50% of the Awakening Gauge is filled, Byleth can't be knocked back.
Charm Catalyst	Master the Dancer Class	The Warrior Gauge's fill rate is proportionate to the Charm stat.
Renewal	Master the Bishop Class	HP is restored at regular intervals.
Apex Sword	Master the Swordmaster Class	Critical hit damage is increased when Byleth is equipped with a sword.
Blessed Breath	Master the Holy Knight Class (Innate Ability)	When Byleth uses magic to heal, the Warrior Gauge is filled proportionally.
Defiant Defense	Master the Great Knight Class	Defense is increased by 20 when Byleth's HP is at 25% or less.
Driven Spirit	Master the Dark Knight Class	The Warrior Gauge fills while Byleth is Awakened.
Poison Strike	Rank 1 of the Dark Mage Class (male Byleth only)	Has a chance of poisoning enemies when attacking.
Muster	Master the Falcon Knight Class (female Byleth only)	Increases all stats by 10 (temporarily) when initiating a Perfect Dodge.

Some Abilities and Combat Arts will not be available depending on Byleth's Class. It's recommended to unlock as many Combat Arts across all weapons to give Byleth a few options regardless of which Class they are assigned.

Battalions and Equipment

It would be wise to assign Byleth a Battalion thanks to their Charm growth. Charm increases the endurance of a Batallion. There are a few Battalion Abilities that can be learned to help strengthen any Battalion assigned to Byleth. It's best to equip them with a Battalion that will cover their weakness. So, if Byleth is using an axe, then assign them a Battalion that will decrease the amount of damage taken from sword users. When first joining, they'll be assigned to Jeralt's Mercenaries. While this group isn't weak, Jeralt's Mercenaries are a Rank C Battalion. Players can get stronger ones by enhancing the Battalion Facility.

Jeralt will give Byleth the Knight-Captain's Sword. Before enhancement, this has a Might of 130 and a Durability of 140. It also has the Boost Awakening Lv3 and Boost Specials Lv3 skills equipped. Boost Awakening will greatly increase Byleth's attacks while Awakened, and Boost Specials will increase the power of their Warrior Specials. If players are on NG+ and have enough Renown, they can purchase the Sublime Creator's Sword. This weapon's unique ability will cause Byleth's attacks to hit twice. Players will need Umbral Steel instead of Smithing Stones if they want to increase its Might and Durability.

As for Byleth's accessory/armor, players can choose whichever they want. If they want to give an increase to Byleth's Strength, they should consider the Monstrous Strength Ring. Those that want a Renewal Effect (to save an Ability slot) can equip them with the Goddess' Ring instead. There's also the Healing Staff which increases the recovery of healing magic.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is available now on Nintendo Switch.

MORE: Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes - How Long to Beat and Chapter List