Fire Emblem: Three Houses contains an elaborate skill system within its gameplay. This guide will help players learn each skill and how to use them. Fire Emblem: Three Houses is the first entry in the Fire Emblem series to be put on a home console since the release of Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. The player character beings their adventure after being asked to join the monastery as a professor. The majority of the gameplay takes place between interacting with students as a professor or battling outside in the fields. Without getting into spoiler territory, the plot does get a lot thicker as the game goes on. Each character has their own specific abilities they can learn and grow. This guide will help players understand skills and how to use them.

The Fire Emblem series has its history of positives and negatives. For starters, the series was almost canceled for good if the Nintendo 3DS title, Fire Emblem: Awakening was not profitable. Fortunately, the game went on the sell over 2 million units, showing the developer Intelligent Systems that interest still lies within the series. The game functions as a tactical turn-based RPG. Each main mission functions on a chess-board like a battlefield. Every turn, both sides of the game move closer to each other and fight until no more pieces are left. Fire Emblem Three Houses are the first title on the Nintendo Switch and are looking to be another successful entry. Much of its popularity comes from its elaborate gameplay mechanics and falling the proper moves. Amongst these mechanics are skills and this guide will teach all there is to know about them.

Skills in Fire Emblem Three Houses

Skills function similarly to DNA, as it is embedded inside of each character from the very beginning. There are certain things that players can do to improve their students or their own skills. Skills can improve progression on weapon classes, making them stronger. Depending on what class the students are, skills are helpful in letting players now what attributes would be useful for that character. For example, leveling up a character’s skill whose primary ability is using a sword will increase their strength and critical hit opportunities. Each character skill can be upgraded to A tier or S tier, starting down from E. This is how the skill ranking system works.

  • E+ D D+ C C+ B B+ A A+ S

S rank is the highest any character can reach, but they may stop learning skills earlier if their max attributes stop around A tier. Leveling up skills can be done by entering the battlefield or during lectures. To get even more experience, students can participate in 1-on-1 lessons or in group projects. These are all the additional buffs added when leveling up a rank depending on the class.

Leveling Up Skills in Fire Emblem Three Houses

This is how players can expect to level up their skills and when to unlock certain abilities. Faith Skilled characters also can get Whit Magic Avo+20 when playing with Byleth or Dorothea.

Faith Class

  • E+: Faith Lv 1 (Hit+5, Avo+5, Crit Avo+5) D: Heal D+: Nosferatu, Faith Lv 2 (Hit+6, Avo+10, Crit Avo+6) C: Physic or Recover or Silence C+: Faith Lv3 (Hit+7, Avo+13, Crit Avo+7) B: Restore or Rescue or Ward B+: Faith Lv 4 (Hit+8, Avo+16, Crit Avo+8) A: Warp or Luna or Fortify A+: Faith Lv 5 (Hit+10, Avo+20, Crit Avo+10) S: White Magic Range +1

Sword Class

  • E+: Sword Prowess Lv 1 Ability (Hit+5, Avo+7, Crit Avo+5) D: Wrath Strike Combat Art D+: Sword Prowess Lv 2 Ability (Hit+6, Avo+10, Crit Avo+6) C: Grounder Combat Art C+: Hexblade Combat Art (Magic Users) or Finesse Blade Combat Art or Bane of Monsters Combat Art (Byleth), Sword Prowess Lv 3 Ability (Hit+7, Avo+13, Crit Avo+7) B: Axebreaker Ability B+: Sword Prowess Lv4 Ability (Hit+8, Avo+16, Crit Avo+8) A: Windsweep Combat Art (Byleth) or Sunder Combat Art A+: Sword Prowess Lv 5 Ability (Hit+10, Avo+20, Crit Avo+10) S: Sword Crit +10 Ability (Crit rate +10 when using swords)

Axe Class

  • E+: Axe Prowess Lv 1 Ability (Hit+7, Avo+5, Crit Avo+5) D: Smash Combat Art D+: Axe Prowess Lv 2 Ability (Hit+10, Avo+6, Crit Avo+6) C: Helm Splitter Combat Art C+: Monster Breaker Combat Art or Wild Abandon Combat Art, or Focused Strike Combat Art, Axe Prowess Lv 3 (Hit+13, Avo+7, Crit Avo+7) B: Lancebreaker B+: Axe Prowess Lv 4 Ability (Hit+16, Avo+8, Crit Avo+8) A: Exhaustive Strike Combat Art A+: Axe Prowess Lv 5 Ability (Hit +20, Avo +10, Crit Avo +10) S: Axe Crit +10 Ability (Crit rate +10 when using axes)

Brawl Class

  • E+: Brawling Prowess Lv 1 Ability (Hit+5, Avo+7, Crit Avo+5) D: Fading Blow Combat Art D+: Brawling Prowess Lv 2 Ability (Hit+6, Avo+10, Crit Avo+6) C: Rushing Blow Combat Art C+: Bombard Combat Art, One-Two Punch Combat Art, Brawling Prowess Lv 3 Ability (Hit+7, Avo+13, Crit Avo+7) B: Healing Focus Combat Art B+: Brawling Prowess Lv 4 Ability (Hit+8, Avo+16, Crit Avo+8) A: Mighty Blow Combat Art A+: No New Skill S: No New Skill

Authority Class

  • E+: Authority Lv 1 (Gambit Mt+2) D: Rally Magic or Rally Dex or Rally Luck or Rally Charm or Rally Defense or Rally Strength D+: Authority Lv 2 (Gambit Mt+4) C: Battalion Vantage Ability or Battalion Wrath Ability or Battalion Desperation Ability C+: Model Leader Ability (Lords and Byleth), Authority Lv 3 (Gambit Mt+6) B: Defensive Tactics Ability B+: Authority Lv 4 (Gambit Mt+8) A: Battalion Desperation or Battalion Vantage A+: No New Skill S: No New Skill

Riding Class

  • E+: No New Skill D: No New Skill D+: No New Skill C: Dex+4 Ability C+: No New Skill B: No New Skill B+: No New Skill A: No New Skill A+: Movement +1 Ability S: No New Skill

Lance Class

  • E+: Lance Prowess Lv 1 Ability (Hit+5, Avo+7, Crit Avo+5) D: Tempest Lance Combat Art D+: Lance Prowess Lv 2 Ability (Hit+8, Avo+8, Crit Avo+6) C: Knightkneeler Combat Art C+: Shatter Slash Combat Art or Vengeance Combat Art or Monster Piercer Combat Art or Hit and Run Combat Art, Lance Prowess Lv 3 Ability (Hit+10, Avo+10, Crit Avo+7) B: Swordbreaker Ability B+: Lance Prowess Lv 4 Ability (Hit+12, Avo+12, Crit Avo+8) A: Glowing Ember Combat Art or Frozen Lance Combat Art or Swift Strikes Combat Art A+: Lance Prowess Lv 5 Ability (Hit+15, Avo+15, Crit Avo+10) S: Lance Crit +10 Ability (Crit rate +10 when using lances)

Bow Class

  • E+: Bow Prowess Lv 1 Ability (Hit+6, Avo+6, Crit Avo+5) D: Curved Shot Combat Art D+: Bow Prowess Lv 2 Ability (Hit+8, Avo+8, Crit Avo+6) C: Close Counter Ability C+: Deadeye Combat Art or Waning Shot Combat Art or Heavy Draw Combat Art, Bow Prowess Lv 3 Ability (Hit+10, Avo+10, Crit Avo+7) B: Break Shot Combat Art or Point Blank Volley Combat Art B+: Bow Prowess Lv 4 Ability (Hit+12, Avo+12, Crit Avo+8) A: Encloser Combat Art or Monster Blast Combat Art A+: Bow Prowess Lv 5 Ability (Hit +15, Avo +15, Crit Avo +10) S: No New Skill

Reason Skill

  • E+: Reason Lv 1 Ability (Hit+7, Avo+5, Crit Avo+5) D: Thunder or Miasma or Wind D+: Mire, Swarm, Reason Lv 2 (Hit+10, Avo+6, Crit Avo+6) C: Banshee or Thoron or Bolganone or Sagitae C+: Reason Lv 3 (Hit+13, Avo+7, Crit Avo+7) B: Cutting Gale or Agnea’s Arrow B+: Reason Lv 4 (Hit+16, Avo+8, Crit Avo+8) A: Ragnarok or Meteor A+: Reason Lv 5 (Hit +20, Avo +10, Crit Avo +10) S: Dark Magic Range +1

Heavy Armor Class

  • E+: No New Skill D: No New Skill D+: No New Skill C: Weight -3 Ability C+: No New Skill B: Smite Combat Art B+: No New Skill A: No New Skill A+: No New Skill S: No New Skill

Flying Class

  • E+: No New Skill D: No New Skill D+: No New Skill C: No New Skill C+: No New Skill B: Alert Stance B+: No New Skill A: No New Skill A+: No New Skill S: No New Skill

These are are the available classes to upgrade and what they give the character with each new rank. Each character in each class also contains their own personal skills that they begin with. The Fire Emblem series was almost gone from existence due to a lack of interest in the series. The most recent entry with Three Houses is currently the second-highest sold entry in the franchise, right next to Fire Emblem Fates. Most likely Three Houses will surpass Fates as the highest since the game is so young. If the Switch continues on this path, then the Fire Emblem series will continue to thrive in the gaming world.

More: Fire Emblem: Three Houses: Cindered Shadows DLC Review - Definitely Worth It

Fire Emblem Three Houses are available now on the Nintendo Switch.