Tag Archive for Gameplay

Three Houses: Famitsu Third Article Part 1 (of 2) – Early Story, Battle System and New Classes

Like previously, Famitsu has uploaded their new Three Houses article hours before the issue containing it hits stores. To be honest, I’m not sure why, but I’m not complaining! Needless to say, there’s a lot of info to go through, so without further ado…

Actually, before I start, to make things easier for you and myself, I will be splitting this article into two parts. That way, you don’t want to wait several hours before I’m finished–instead, you can wait a few hours for the first half, then the remaining hours for the other half.

Signs of Disturbance

Revealed during yesterday’s Famitsu preview, these pair of ne’er-do-wells harbour ill feelings towards the Garreg-Mach Monastery where you’re stationed. They’ve been known to attack students and followers of the church and are clearly hostile towards the church. Their motives are currently unknown, but it’s probably nothing good.

Reaper Knight: In the streets of Garreg-Mach, there are rumours of a knight spiriting away people at night. But the dreaded knight who’s supposedly just a rumour suddenly appears before the protagonist. Their appearance evokes an ominous presence as if they’re not of this world.

Flame Emperor: A mysterious figure who acts behind the scenes around the monastery. They hide their body with a mask and cape and their true identity is a complete mystery. The thieves who attacked the students from the officer’s academy at the beginning of the game seem to be working under the orders of this Flame Emperor.

Shadows Cast by Incidents Involving the Academy

The protagonist is a teacher at the Officer’s Academy and will decide which of the three houses to lead during the early stages of the game. Although the incidents that occur at the end of each month/season are the same, the events before and after are different depending on the house. Often, you may gain a new perspective on the story compared to the other houses.

A Disquieting Presence Surrounding the Church of Seiros

The story revolves around the students of the chosen house. Are there truths that only certain characters know? In the screenshots above, Hubert from the Black Eagles is surprised that Lonato is staging a rebellion. Meanwhile, Dimitri from the Blue Lions posits that Lonato doesn’t want to involve Ashe with his rebellion.

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Three Houses: Second Famitsu Article (Skills, Crests, Battalions and Academy)

This week’s issue of Famitsu just came out not long ago, although their website already posted their Three Houses feature several hours ago. There’s an absolute truckload of new gameplay information, so make sure you’re comfortable and prepared for a very long read!

Before we go in, I recommend studying the contents of the previous Famitsu article, if you haven’t done so already.

History of the Crests

Some characters bear “crests” passed down by their ancestors. The crests play a major role in influencing one’s social standing; for example, the Adrestian Empire’s imperial throne has been passed down for generations to those with the crest of Seiros. In addition, crests may unlock talents such as superior physical or magical ability.

The protagonist possesses a crest, shown in the screenshot above. This same crest appears in various places, like on Sothis’s clothes, the king with the golden blade in the first trailer, etc. However, the name and properties of this crest are a complete mystery. In fact, it’s even called “Crest of ???” in the game.

However, there might be a clue about its origins later…

Skills and Crests

Skills are an important part of a character’s personality and growth. When set, they have a particular effect during battle. There are three types of skills.

  • Personal skills: Innate skills that each character has at the start. Cannot be removed and there’s only one for each character.
  • Class skills: Innate skills for each class. It’s granted to that class only and disappear once you change class.
  • Professor skills: These are learned skills according to the character’s professor levels (in Sword, Lance, Axe, Authority, etc.). Unlike class skills, they can be customised and are independent of class.

Above we can see Hubert as a Dark Mage with the following skills.

  • Personal: Strategist
  • Class: Miasma△ (from Echoes), Hex (from Awakening)
  • Professor: Reason Level 2, Authority Level 1, Rally Magic (also from Awakening), Bow Level 1

Just in case, you can find some additional information about Professor Skills via the previous Famitsu article (search for “Close Counter”).

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