Yuri Fire Emblem Guide

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One thing that makes Fire Emblem Three Houses utterly different from the rest of the series games is how it relates to its downloadable content. The first time a Fire Emblem game had downloadable content was in the days of Fire Emblem Awakening. Still, the main difference there is with that kind of downloadable content and Ashen Wolves today is its relevance. Yes, Awakening’s Xenologues are exciting and are excellent what-if stories, and The Future Past is a pretty intense idea for a story. However, the reality is that as far as giving the story weight, the reality is that it could be better.

The content in Awakening and Fates was just good. They weren’t excellent, but they did give a somewhat different experience. This is relatively normal because, up to that point, it was the first experience Intelligent System had with DLC for Fire Emblem. But it was something they solved pretty quickly in the Three Houses DLC with Ashen Wolves. Not only on a level where the story that the DLC tells is quite interesting. But on a level where the characters that are part of the DLC are good enough to endear you to them in the short time that the DLC lasts.

And Yuri is just the epitome of that. Yuri is the equivalent of Claude, Dimitri, or Edelgard of the Ashen Wolves house. He is the leader of the house, and thus has a critical role in the game’s DLC. When I played the Downloadable Campain, I found him an interesting enough character to recruit him into my army once I played the main story. So if you want to know a little more about my reasons for doing that, I’ll explain them below.

Important information to know about Yuri

  • Health: 25
  • Strength: 11
  • Magic: 77
  • Dexterity: 8
  • Speed: 10
  • Luck: 8
  • Defense: 6
  • Resistance: 8
  • Charm: 9
  • Movement: 5
  • Special Ability:  Honorable Spirit, Sword Prowess Lv2, Reason Lv 1 and Faith Level 1, Authority Lv2.
  • Combat arts: Wrath Strike
  • Crest: Aubin
  • Magic: Heal
  • Weapon: D+ Sword(Bonus), E-lance (penalization), E-Axe (penalization), E-bow (Budding talent), E-Gauntlets, E+Reason (bonus start), D-faith (bonus start), D+Authority (Bonus start), E-Armored unit, E-Horseback unit (Penalization), E-Flying unit (Penalization
  • Equipped items: Iron Sword, Abyssian Exam Pass and Vulnerary.
  • Class: Commoner

The first thing that jumps out at the moment of seeing Yuri is that he is a character that fits into the typical stereotype often held about the lords of Fire Emblem. He is a skilled swordsman, has excellent leadership statistics, and has a budding talent in using bow and arrow. That is to say, he has the characteristics that a Lord would have in a primary game. And this makes sense if we consider that within the specific context of the DLC’s story, he is the “Lord” (so to speak) of his house.

Yuri is a character that seems to be made based on mixed contact. He is a character that is not made for fast and deadly attacks but can’t take much damage due to his defense which could be considered a bit low. But still, due to his speed and luck, he can evade most of the attacks that enemies usually throw at him. In addition, having a Budding Talent in his bow allows him to defend himself from a distance. In addition to that, he also can make magical attacks since he has enough bonus in the use of faith and reason.

Yuri

The reality is that if Yuri had to be defined one way, it would be “mixed.” It is a character that is quite adaptable to any style of play. If you want something more aggressive, he can become the perfect knight due to his sword use and his more respectable attack. On the other hand, if you want an archer, a mage, or a healer, his bonuses in those weapons allow him to become those classes ideally. The only flaw is that it’s not really intended for defensive classes. Although that’s not really a problem if you can work appropriately with a skill-based character. This means that every attack will have a higher risk due to its low defense since it will depend almost entirely on dodging.

Regarding his personality, Yuri would fall into the stereotypical Lord similar to Marth or Chrom. That is to say: A character who thinks that the most important thing is to defend his ideals with the help of his friends. His main objective is to defend the people living in the Abyss. This is because he thinks most people living there are hated by the people outside. Although at first, he does not seem to be very talkative or friendly, the reality is that deep down, he is kind and sweet.

This can be seen in how he interacts with the people of the Abyss and in most interactions with the rest of the characters once they become close. Yuri is a character that has quite a magical personality. The reality is that you end up getting attached to him. In a way, I could consider him as a mix between Ike, Marth, and Seliph. This is because he has a personality that initially seems cold and uninterested in others. Still, it is only a shield because inside hides someone friendly with a great sense of duty and justice.

Yuri Background

Yuri’s story is equal parts sad and complicated. Unlike the other house leaders, Yuri was born into a poor family. He is actually the daughter of a village woman and an unknown soldier. During his childhood, he did not know many people or even know how to read or write. An elderly man who once came to her family’s house was the person who taught her to read and write. After that, Yuri got sick with a disease known as the plague. On the verge of death, he was cured by the same elderly man who taught him to read and write. Because of this, he got his compassionate spirit.

From here on, there are spoilers, so be careful if you haven’t played the game. Yuri was adopted by Count Rowe, who took pity on him. Actually, Yuri is not his real name, but the one imposed on him by Count Rowe. Actually, the reason why he was adopted was not out of affection from Count Rowe but to be used as a hired killer. His target was Bernadetta, the bearer of the crest of Indech. In Bernadetta’s support, we learn that she had only one friend when she was a child, but that his father killed that friend.

That friend that Bernadetta thought his father killed was Yuri. Yuri tried to kill Bernadetta. However, before the assassination, Yuri had become genuinely attached to Bernadetta, so he could not do it. Still, Bernadetta’s father finds out and beats him nearly to death. For a long time, Bernadetta thought that Yuri had died, but the reality is that he survived.

After that situation, Yuri was enrolled in Garreg Mach’s Officers Academy. However, he was expelled because he refused to kill the members of a gang. This was because the gang was old friends of Yuri. In that argument, Yuri killed his entire cavalry squad, which earned him expulsion from the academy and banishment to the Abyss.

Apostle Aubin Background

Yuri Emblem

This whole part of the story is full of major spoilers. If you don’t want to spoil the story, the only thing I can tell you about the apostle Aubin is that he was one of the four apostles of the church of Seiros. He was the original bearer of the crest of Aubin; however, after the failure of the Rite of Rising, he stopped living in the Garreg Mach Monastery and went off in an unknown direction. That is the official story you are told in the game. Like the rest of the apostles, he passed away before the beginning of the game, and nothing more was known about him.

In the DLC, they explain that he didn’t actually die but that he settled near the Abyss. To be exact, the elderly man who taught Yuri to read and write and cured him of the illness that almost killed him was actually the apostle Aubin. Aubin had survived, being one of the few apostles who had died of natural causes. Because Yuri was cured using Apostle Aubin’s blood, he not only inherited his crest but also gained access to a sort of constant rejuvenation. This allowed him to achieve a youthful appearance almost permanently.

Aubin is indirectly the creator of the fourth house because he was the person who saved Yuri’s life. If Yuri had not survived, the house would not have existed, and therefore, the story of the DLC would not have been similar. This is because Yuri’s life was spared, and he was expelled to the Abyss because Aubin’s blood made him the perfect candidate to spy on Aelfric. This is because Archbishop Rhea thought that Aelfric would betray the church.

Is Yuri a good choice for the main game?

The reality is that it all depends on your play style. Suppose you want a play style based on direct attacks and a defense based on dodging enemy attacks instead of resisting them. In that case, Yuri may be just the best option for you. This is due to one key point: his growth rate to trickster is at 85%. This means that he is on the higher side of most characters, being one of the fastest in the game and the fastest character in the DLC.

This, coupled with a Luck of 55%, and a Dexterity of 55%, makes it clear that Yuri is meant to be just the type of character that works in skirmishes. The type of character that hits hard and fast. The character is designed to deliver critical hits. In that sense, Yuri could be considered a character designed to be a Myrmidon, a swordmaster, or an assassin. He could also be considered a thief or an archer. However, all those options are ruled out thanks to the existence of something as simple as the trickster class.

Trickster is a class introduced within the DLC and is almost tailor-made for Yuri. It is based on a class that specifies speed and evasion of enemy attacks, with an ability that increases the total stats by five. In addition, they have one of the most critical combat art in the game, “foul play.” This combat art allows them to save the game in different situations since it basically allows them to change places with units in a range of 5 feet. It is a unit designed to do everything, like a Swiss army knife.

Despite this, it is essential that Yuri also learns several skills that can be very important for his development. The first one is Steal, which he learns by being a thief for a while. It is also essential to obtain Lethality, Fiendish bow and Miracle, and Death Blow. Besides that, Yuri is a character with a lot of charisma, which allows him to get the promotion to Dancer almost automatically. Overall, it could be argued that Yuri is a character that has access to too many options, placing him as one of the most overpowered characters in the game. His superior speed, good luck, and dexterity make him a character that can dodge anything thrown at him.

Regarding his affinities, the possible ones are:

However, he can only gain S support with both versions of Byleth.

How to Transform Yuri Into the Best Trickster?

Yuri Attack

The main thing is to concentrate on acquiring the right skills. That and concentrating on improving the use of the sword and reason. This is because Yuri has a pretty good reason spell pool. He has one of the best wind spells (Excalibur), which means he can have access to several devastating attacks regarding magic. But leaving out the specialization in those two weapons, giving him access to the right skills is essential. As I mentioned in the paragraphs above,  before committing him to trickster skills, he should also spend some time being a thief or assassin.

In addition, it is equally beneficial for him to acquire mage skills. These skills will increase the potency of his magical attacks due to his access to the spell pool. In addition, obtaining a series of combat arts is a good idea. The more combat arts Yuri has, the better his chances of surviving on the battlefield. From the beginning, it must be clear that Yuri’s trickster will not have a great defense or an excellent resistance. Most of his defense will be based on evasion rather than on resisting.

The abilities of Yuri as a Trickster

He starts with:

  • Honorable Spirit: Grants Atk +3 when in combat with an enemy one space away.
  • Sword Prowess Lv2: Grants Hit +6, Avo +10, and Crit Avo +6 when using a sword.
  • Reason Prowess Lv 1: Improves the users Hit Rate, Evade, Critical Rate, and Critical avoid when equipped with reason magic.
  • Faith Level Prowess Lv1: Improves the users Hit Rate, Evade, Critical Rate, and Critical avoid when equipped with faith magic.
  • Authority Lv2: Improves Might when using a Gambit.

When he becomes a trickster, Yuri gains access to:

  • Locktouch: Allows user to open locks without Lockpicks or Keys.
  • Stealth: Unit is less likely to be targeted by enemies.
  • Lucky Seven: Each turn, grants +5 to one of the following stats: Str, Mag, Spd, Def, Res, Hit, or Avo.
  • Duelist’s Blow: Avoid +20 when user is target by a battle.

Yuri trickster best build for the endgame

  • Health: 64
  • Strength: 59
  • Magic: 55
  • Dexterity: 68
  • Speed: 92
  • Luck: 77
  • Defense: 48
  • Resistance: 51
  • Charm: 71
  • Movement: 8
  • Special Ability:
    • Honorable Spirit: Grants Atk +3 when in combat with an enemy one space away.
    • Locktouch: Allows user to open locks without Lockpicks or Keys.
    • Stealth: Unit is less likely to be targeted by enemies.
    • Lucky Seven: Each turn, grants +5 to one of the following stats: Str, Mag, Spd, Def, Res, Hit, or Avo.
    • Duelist’s Blow: Avoid +20 when user is target by a battle.
  • Combat arts: Wrath Strike, Grounder, Windsweep, Foul play
  • Crest: Aubin
  • Magic: Excalibur, Nosferatu.
  • Weapon: S- Sword, and S-Reason
  • Equipped items:  Wo Dao, concoction, Fetters of Dormi
  • Class: Trickster

What Happens if I don’t recruit Yuri?

Emblem Fire YUri

Magically, Yuri becomes the game’s final boss, using all the past fire emblems and becoming a god… sike. Actually, nothing happens. He is a DLC character. His story is entirely optional.

How to Defeat Yuri?

You have to fight Yuri only once in the whole game. You fight him in the first chapter of the DLC. To defeat him, what you have to do is to use Edelgard as bait. This is because, in the first attacks, Yuri will always manage to evade them due to his high speed. So Edelgard has a high defense, preventing him from taking direct damage. Once that is done, the ideal is to use Dimitri with swordbreaker to eliminate him immediately.

His build for this battle will be:

  • Health: 39
  • Strength: 20
  • Magic: 12
  • Dexterity: 19
  • Speed: 31
  • Luck: 19
  • Defense: 14
  • Resistance: 15
  • Charm: 21
  • Movement: 8
  • Special Ability: Honorable Spirit, Locktouch, Stealth, Lucky Seven, Sword Prowess Lv 3. Axebreaker, Faith Lv3, HP+5
  • Combat arts: Wrath Strike, Grounder, Windsweep, Foul play
  • Crest: Aubin
  • Magic: Excalibur, Nosferatu.
  • Weapon: S- Sword, and S-Reason
  • Equipped items:  Wo Dao, concoction, Fetters of Dormi
  • Class: Trickster

Gift List, Share a Meal and Lost Item

The gift list for Yuri is:

  • Tasty Baked Treat:  Favorite (One Star)
  • Goddess Statuette:  Favorite (Three Stars)
  • Arithmetic Textbook:  Favorite (Three Stars)
  • Board Game:  Favorite (Four Stars)
  • Owl Feather:  Favorite (Three Stars)
  • Book of Sheet Music:  Dislike (Three Stars)
  • Riding Boots:  Dislike (Three Stars)

The share a meal list is:

  • Grilled Herring:  Favorite
  • Saghert and Cream:  Favorite
  • Fish and Bean Soup:  Favorite
  • Sautéed Jerky:  Favorite
  • Onion Gratin Soup:  Favorite
  • Sweet Bun Trio:  Favorite
  • Fisherman’s Bounty:  Favorite
  • Pheasant Roast with Berry Sauce:  Favorite
  • Fish Sandwich:  Favorite
  • Pickled Rabbit Skewers:  Favorite
  • Country-Style Red Turnip Plate:  Favorite
  • Peach Sorbet:  Favorite
  • Two-Fish Sauté:  Favorite
  • Daphnel Stew:  Favorite
  • Vegetable Stir-Fry:  Favorite
  • Spicy Fish and Turnip Stew:  Dislike
  • Super-Spicy Fish Dango:  Dislike
  • Sautéed Pheasant and Eggs:  Dislike
  • Gautier Cheese Gratin:  Dislike
  • Bourgeois Pike:  Dislike

And the lost item list is:

  • Makeup Brush
  • Suspicious Dice

The best way to level up Yuri

Yuri Emblem Fire

Play with him constantly. As a DLC character, he doesn’t have any specific strategy to get more experience than usual since he wasn’t originally intended to be playable. Even so, participating in paralogues and skirmishes with him in the team is the best way you can have to get a higher level in terms of advancing in gaining experience with Yuri.

FAQs

Question: What is the Best Class for Yuri?

Answer: As I explained before, the best class for Yuri would be trickster. Although this is not really a surprise due to his luck and speed stats. We could consider the trickster class as his personal version of the lord class that the rest of the three main characters have. This is because while it is a class that any character in the game can access, it is almost tailor-made for Yuri, and even the only way to get it is in the DLC.

Question: Is Yuri story canon to the game?

Answer: It is canon, but it is optional. This means that the game’s events do happen as they don’t conflict with the previously seen story. Still, considering that there are three timelines within the game, the events of the DLC happen only if the player wants them to.

Question: Do I need to play Yuri Story before or after beating the game?

Answer: You can play the DLC story at any time. You don’t need any kind of requirement to be able to play the content. Still, I recommend that you go through the main story at least once on any path before moving on to play the Cindered Shadows DLC.

Final Thoughts on Yuri

Yuri is simply a good character. He represents the highest point within the Fire Emblem DLC. It is a character thought from scratch, which could seem unbalanced, but in the long run, it is one of the best options. Due to its versatility, practically anyone can play with him. This leaves open to possibilities the different options of play style that exist within the own Fire emblem Three houses.
Yuri is, for me, a fun character to play. Simply because I can make with him many types of strategies. It is a character designed to attack, defend, dodge, to critical chain hits. It is a highly balanced character that, although at first glance it may not seem so, if you give him a chance, he will become an outstanding option in your army.

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