Fire Emblem Skills Guide

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    Fire Emblem (FE) isn’t a static series, especially when it comes to how it presents its skills. The Skill system is a Fire Emblem series gameplay mechanic that centers around special abilities that grant additional physical or magical powers to its characters. Skills created in the first Fire Emblem game, Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, subvert the normal flow of gameplay.

    Learned by player characters, allies, and enemies based on class, level, character, and items, Skills possess a wide variety of effects that either helps characters or hinder their performance. Both playable characters and enemies use skills to change the course of battle.

    Although Skills weren’t a defined mechanic until Genealogy of the Holy War (GoHW), the concept of Skills is present in every FE game, including Three Houses where skills are called abilities.

    Fire Emblem Skills Overview

    Most Fire Emblem games universally use three types of systems: A Class + Personal Skill system, an Offensive Skill system, or a Restriction system. Most games use a combination of the three, like Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn. Let’s take a look at these systems in-depth.

    Classification: Class and Personal Skills

    Most Fire Emblem games will divide skills into two categories: Class Skills and Personal Skills (“Solider” or “Citizen”). A Class Skill is a skill denoted to a specific class, whereas a Personal Skill has no association with a class but is person-specific and can be inherited.

    Thracia 776 has Weapon Skills, which are present in other games but are only shown as a visible stat in Thracia 776 and Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.

    Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn introduced Mastery Skills, which are class-specific skills that are only usable by advanced classes and are more powerful than ordinary skills.

    Except for Echoes: Shadow of Valentia, a remake of Fire Emblem: Gaiden, all games from Awakening onward don’t distinguish Class Skills and Personal Skills as much as the other games. Most playable characters have distinct skills, which they learn by leveling up. If a character changes their class, they still keep the skills they’ve learned and are equipped.

    In Awakening, some characters have access to Personal Skills that can’t be learned from any other class. Bonus units often have at least one skill outside their default class or gender. Rally was also introduced, an additional action that will boost one stat.

    In Fates, true Personal Skills were reintroduced, but some of the duel systems remain from Awakening. However, every normal playable character has one Personal Skill that can’t be removed and can access any skills they learned from a previous or current class.

    In Three Houses, the GoHW and 766 systems are back, but characters also have the option of adding additional skills (or abilities). Abilities are learned by increasing Skill Levels.

    Since Awakening, Fates, and Three Houses focus heavily on class skills described in length within the other games’ Skill lists, their Skill lists won’t be available on this page.

    Classification: Sword and Offensive Skills

    Introduced in Genealogy of the Holy War, offensive, special sword, trigger, or proc skills are skills that have a percentage chance of activating derived from a specific stat. An activated offensive skill augments a user’s next attack, usually by making it more powerful.

    Offensive skills are often treated differently than regular Skills because they specifically use the Skill stat to activate. Although non-offensive skills with offensive use augment the user’s ability to attack, typically in a passive way like with Wrath (Critical boost) or Resolve (Stat boost), offensive skills only augment one attack. For the most part. The definition for an offensive skill still applies to Adept, which is a non-offensive skill, but there are a few distinguishing features.

    For one, offensive skills won’t stack with each other when multiple offensive skills are taught to one character. More often than not, the difference between a regular skill and an offensive skill is style over substance. Offensive skills are significantly flashier, brighter, and grab your attention.

    Stats That Affect Skills

    To activate skills, the game will often use a character’s stats to calculate if the skill will be completed successfully. Once the skill initiates, the game may pull from other values, like the characters:

    • Strength (STR): Damage from weapons using the formula Strength + Weapon Might. Players typically want their Weapon Might be as high as possible unless they wish to keep an opponent alive to recruit them. Slim Weapons have the lowest Might.
    • Magic (MAG): Damage from Magic spells or attacks using the formula Magic + Tome Might. Similar to Weapon Might, players typically want Tome Might to do more damage. Several Tomes have no Might, like Eclipse, but it can reduce the enemy’s HP by half.
    • Skill (or DEX): Also called Dexterity in Three Houses, your Skill stat affects a unit’s Hit Rate and Critical Hit Rate. Skill can also determine an ally’s chance to Dual Strike and the event of an offensive skill activating, like Astra and Aether. Formulas:
      • Hit: ((Skill x3 + Luck)/2) + Weapon’s Hit Rate
      • Critical Hit: (Skill/2) + Weapon\s Critical
      • Dual Strike: (Lead Character’s Skill + Allies Skill)/4
    • Speed (SPD): Speed determines your chance to Avoid using the formula (Speed x3 + Luck)/2. The higher your Speed, the better chance you have of activating Speed skills. Any character with a Speed 5 points higher than another will be able to attack twice.
    • Luck (LCK): Luck is beneficial for all skills, even those that don’t calculate hit percentage based on this stat. Luck slightly raises your Avoid and Hit while also reducing the foe’s chance of critting. Plus, Luck determines if Defense skills will activate.
    • Defense (DEF): Defense lowers the damage dealt from weapons/physical attacks while also determining the likelihood of an allied character activating a Support Block successfully. Support Block Strength formula: (Lead Character’s DEF + Allies DEF)/4.
    • Resistance (RES): Resistance lowers damage dealt from Magic attacks. RES also determines how likely an allied character successfully activates a magic-based Support Block. Support Block Magic formula: (Lead Character’s RES + Allies RES)/4.
    • Charm (CHA): Also introduced in Three Houses, Charm affects the characters Gambit Might, Gambit Hit, and Gambit Avoid. Although gambits aren’t skills, having a high Charm stat can activate other Skills and earn you the Dancer class in Three Houses.

    All formulas ignore bonuses from Skills, Weapon Triangle Advantages (3 characters attacking at once), Weapon Rank Levels, Support Bonuses, and more. Weight may also play a role in some skills (Shove) because it determines how far you can move an opponent based on how heavy they are. Some Skills won’t even activate if you’re not in range or under a status effect.

    Skill Restrictions

    Some Fire Emblem games will limit how many skills a character can have at once, but Thracia 776, one of the first games with the Skill system, doesn’t.

    In Thracia 776, a unit can learn every teachable skill using the game’s Skill Manuals with no restrictions. However, since there are only a few Skill Manuals in the game, this practice is discouraged. Characters can’t learn a Skill Manual taught skill more than once.

    The Capacity stat is the best example of a skill restriction. In Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn, all characters are given a set Capacity for the number of skills they can have based on class. Basic classes tend to have a lower Capacity than advanced Classes, and Laquz units have the highest Capacity of any class. Mandatory Class skills, like Canto and Shove, do consume Capacity points and can’t be removed.

    In Radiant Dawn, a character can’t learn more than six skills at once.

    Fire Emblem Path of Radiance Skill Capacity
    Cap Classes
    0 Civilian
    15 Axe Knight, Bow Knight, Lance Knight, Pegasus Knight, Sword Knight, Wyvern Rider
    20 Archer, Bandit, Cleric, Falcon Knight, Fighter, Knight, Mage, Myrmidon, Priest, Princess Crimea, Ranger, Soldier, Thief, Wyvern Lord
    25 Assassin, Berserker, Bishop, Cat, General, Halberdier, Hawk, Hero, Lion, Lord, Raven, Sage, Sniper, Swordmaster, Tiger, Valkyrie, Warrior
    40 General (Black Knight), Hawk (Tibarn), Heron, King Daein, Red Dragon, White Dragon
    Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn Skill Capacity
    Cap Classes
    15 Archer, Armored Axe, Armored Lance, Armored Sword, Axe Knight, Bandit, Bow Knight, Civilian, Dragonknight, Fighter, Fire Mage, Horse, Lance Knight, Myrmidon, Pegasus Knight, Pilgrim, Priest, Soldier, Sword Knight, Thief, Thunder Mage, Vendor, Wind Mage
    20 Laguz 1-14, Light Mage
    30 Axe General, Axe Paladin, Bishop, Blade Paladin, Bow Paladin, Cleric, Dark Sage, Dragonmaster, Falcon Knight, Fire Sage, Halberdier, Hero, Lance General, Lance Paladin, Light Sage, Rogue, Sniper, Sword General, Swordmaster, Thunder Sage, Warrior, Wind Sage
    35 Laguz 15-29
    50 Order Incarnate
    60 Arch Sage, Assassin, Chancellor, Dragonlord, Empress, Fire Spirit, Gold Knight, Light Priestess, Marksman, Marshall, Queen, Reaver, Saint, Sentinel, Seraph Knight, Silver Knight, Summoner, Thunder Spirit, Trueblade, Valkyrie, Vanguard, Whisper, Wind Spirit
    70 Laguz 30-40, Black Knight
    100 Laguz Royals (Caineghis, Dheginsea, Giffca, Kurthnaga, Naesala, Nailah, Skrimir, Tiabarn) at max level

    In Awakening, characters can only have up to five skills active at a time. Surplus skills are put in a pool available to the specific characters, but all characters can swap skills at will.

    In Fates, characters can have up to six active skills and a Personal Skill.

    In Three Houses, characters can have five player-assigned skills, three inherited skills, and one personal skill. Since Awakening, each game adds to the same skill restriction pool.

    Predating the Skill System: SD&BL, Gaiden, and MoE

    Fire Emblem games Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light (SD&BL), Gaiden, and Mystery of the Emblem (MoE) did not use the skill system but were still called “skills.”

    Skills are class-specific, as they are in other games, but they aren’t inherited and are listed as “skill-light” mechanics. Characters could still use skill-type abilities but lacked the Capacity mechanic, meaning characters don’t have a cap for how many skills they could learn. Although Capacity wasn’t present in Genealogy of the Holy War, the Skill system was introduced by then.

    Fire Emblem Pre-Skill Skills
    Name Activation Effect Users First Seen
    Blessing  Passive Restors 5 HP to adjacent units. Class: Saint Gaiden
    Cancel  On turns not X of 4 or attacked with a weapon when HP is > 52. Negates enemy’s attack Personal: Jedah and Duma Gaiden
    Dance  Command Activates gray-out (or used) units. Class: Dancers MoE
    Imitate  Command Allows units to transform into an ally for five turns. Class: Freelancer SD&BL
    Slayer Passive Higher damage against Monsters. Weapon Skill Gaiden
    Steal Command After successfully striking a target, the user will steal the target’s gold. Class: Thief. Thief Fighter SD&BL
    Teleportation  Command Users can teleport to a traversable square on the map and act. Class: Witch Gaiden
    Triangle Attack Command (Requires specific positioning) A flurry of attacks the sisters perform together. Palla, Catria, and Est attacking together (Whitewing Sisters) SD&BL

    Several skills in these games are used in sequels, like how Blessing is a skill that Heron Laguz can use in Path of Radiance. Skills worked differently in the first three FE’s and didn’t appear again in this fashion after Mystery of the Emblem (not counting remakes).

    The Introduction of Skills in FE: Genealogy of the Holy War

    The skill system was introduced in FE: Genealogy of the Holy War, the 4th Fire Emblem game in the franchise. Skills were divided into Soldier skills, which are class-dependent. 64 total class skills were present in Genealogy of the Holy War, 44 of which could be chosen by the player.

    Other skills, called Personal (Citizen) skills, are inherent to the character and aren’t dependent on the class. From the off-set, skills could not be removed or assigned, but Personal Skills can be inherited by any children a character has. Skills could also be learned by wearing items. For example, the Pursuit Ring allowed anyone who could wear it to learn Pursuit.

    Since Thracia 776 (776) has a lot of the same skills as Genealogy of the Holy War, I’ll also include them below. Thracia 776 skills work similarly to GoHW, but there are no second generations. Skills can be learned through equipped weapons or Manuals.

    Fire Emblem Genealogy of the Holy War and Thracia 776 Skills
    Skill Game Activation Effect
    Accost GoHW (User’s Attack Speed – Foe’s Attack Speed + User’s HP/2)% Engages the enemy in 2-20 rounds of combat if the user’s HP is ≥ 25.
    776 100% if User’s Attack Speed > Foe’s Attack Speed and User’s Current HP > Foe’s Current HP Engages the enemy in another round of combat.
    GoHW Units: 1st Gen: Beowulf, Jamke, Naoise, Midir

     

    2nd Gen: Asaello, Lucharba, or any pair of children if 1st Gen is their father.

    776 Units: Personal: Conomor, Dagdar, Selphina, Xavier

     

    Item: Accost M

    Adept GoHW (Attack Speed + 20)% Deals two consecutive hits on the enemy.
    776 (Attack Speed)%
    GoHW Units: 1st Gen: Jamke, Lewyn, Quan, Silvia.

     

    2nd Gen: Altena, Amid, Ares, Coirpre, Hermina, Hannibal, Julia, Lene, Leif, Promotion: Ayra, Beowolf, Diarmuid, Fee, Erinys, Larcei, Linda, Tailtiu, Tine, Tristan

    Classes: Falcon Knight, Mage Fighter, Ranger, Sage, Swordmaster

    776 Units: Personal: Amalda, Asbel, Leif, Ronan, Ced, Eyvel, Shannam

     

    Classes: Sage, Swordmaster

    Items: Adept M

    Astra GoHW (Skill%) Strikes five times consecutively. It is possible for all strikes to miss or crit.
    776
    GoHW Units: 1st Gen: Ayra

     

    2nd Gen: Larcei, Shannan, Scathach

    776 Units: Personal: Galzus

     

    Event: Chapter 15, Speak to Mareeta

    Bargain GoHW 100% Reduced prices at armories and vendors by 50%.
    776
    GoHW Units: 1st Gen: Dew

     

    2nd Gen: Children of Dew

    Item: Bargain Band

    776 Units: Personal: Shannam

     

    Event: Chapter 15, Speak to Mareeta

    Charm GoHW Passive +10% hit rate, +10 avoid to all allied units in a 3-tile radius of the user.
    776
    GoHW Units: 1st Gen: Lachesis

     

    2nd Gen: Diarmuid, Laylea, Nanna

    Classes: Emperor, Princess, Queen

    776 Units: Personal: Diarmuid, Nanna

     

    Item: King Sword

    Critical GoHW Critical Rate OR (Skill + Kill Bonus)% Lets users perform critical hits.
    GoHW Units: 1st Gen: Ethlyn, Lewyn, Naoise

     

    2nd Gen: Altena, Leif, Oifey, Tristan, or any pair of children if 1st Gen (except Ethlyn) is their father.

    Items: Killer Ballista, Killer Bow, Mystletainn, or any weapon that has over 50 kills.

    Dance GoHW Command Refreshes four adjacent allies if already moved.
    776 Refreshes one adjacent ally if already moved.
    GoHW Units: Class: Dancer
    776 Units:
    Follow-Up GoHW 100% Allows the user to make multiple follow-up attacks based on Attack Speed.
    GoHW Units: 1st Gen: Alec, Azelle, Beowolf, Erinys, Finn, Midir, Sigurd

     

    2nd Gen: Ares, Ced, Deimne, Fee, Hawk, Julia, Oifey, Seliph, or any children if 1st Gen (except Erinys or Sigurd) is their father.

    Promotion: Ayra, Brigid, Febail, Chulainn, Jamke, Larcei, Credne, Dalvin, Shannan, Scathac, Altena, Dew, Leif, Patty, Lachesis

    Classes: Bow Fighter, Dark Bishop, Forrest, Master Knight, Myrmidon, Sniper, Swordmaster, Thief Fighter, Wyvern

    Item: Follow-Up Ring

    Luna GoHW (Skill%) Treats the target as if it has 0 defense during the strike.
    776 Treats the target as if it has 0 magic and defense during the strike.
    GoHW Units: 1st Gen: Chulainn

     

    2nd Gen: Larcei, Scathach, Patty, or Lene if Chulainn was the father.

    776 Units: Personal: Galzus, Mareeta

     

    Item: Luna M

    Miracle GoHW User’s HP ≤ 10 The user avoid stat increases by

     

    ((11 – HP) x 10) for a turn.

    776 (Luck x 3)% if an enemy’s attack would otherwise kill the ally. User dodges attacks for the remainder of the round.
    GoHW Units: 1st Gen: Finn, Silvia

     

    2nd Gen: Cirpre, Daisy, Lene, or any children if Finn is the father.

    Items: Circlet, Miracle Band, Miracle Sword, Tyrfing

    776 Units: Personal: Finn, Ilios, Sara

     

    Items: Bragi Sword, Blessed Sword, Miracle M

    Nihil GoHW Passive Negates foe’s combat skills.
    776
    GoHW Units: 1st Gen: Alec, Ayra, Deirdre

     

    2nd Gen: Julia, Larcei, Scathach, Seliph, and any two sets of children if Alec was the father.

    776 Units: Personal: Saias, Troude

     

    Items: Mareeta’s Sword, Shadow Sword, Nihil M

    Paragon GoHW Passive Doubles user’s experience gain.
    776
    GoHW Units: 1st Gen: Lex

     

    2nd Gen: Charlot, Linda, or any child who has Lex as a father.

    Item: Paragon Band

    776 Units: Personal: Homer, Sara

     

    Items: Paragon Sword, Paragon M

    Paragon Mode: A mode where allied units have Paragon.

    Pavise GoHW (User’s Level)% Nullifies enemy damage.
    776
    GoHW Units: 1st Gen: Hannibal

     

    Promotion: Arden

    Classes: Baron, Emperor, General

    776 Units: Personal: Amelia, Gilliam

     

    Classes: General

    Renewal GoHW Passive Restores 5-10 HP to the user at the beginning of their turn.
    776 Restores 5-10% of the user’s HP at the beginning of their turn.
    GoHW Units: Items: Circlet, Renewal Band
    776 Units: NPC
    Sol GoHW (Skill)% Restores damage dealt with the user.
    776
    GoHW Units: 1st Gen: Dew

     

    2nd Gen: Larcei, Lene, Patty, Scathach, if Dew was the father.

    776 Units: Personal: Ilios, Perne, Shiva

     

    Item: Sol M

    Steal GoHW 100% if the user hits the enemy successfully. The user steals all of the enemy’s gold.
    776 Command if (User’s Speed > Enemy’s Speed) Initiates a trade that allows the user to trade a single weapon, staff, or item from an adjacent target’s inventory into the unit’s own inventory or from the user’s inventory to the target’s inventory.
    GoHW Units: 1st Gen: Dew

     

    2nd Gen: Daisy, Patty

    Classes: Theft, Thief Fighter

    Items: Thief’s Band, Thief’s Sword

    776 Units: Personal: Lara, Lifis, Perne

     

    Classes: Thief, Thief Fighter

    Vantage GoHW If the user’s HP ≤ 50% and foe initiate combat. Negates foes Accost and allows the user to strike first.
    776 When foes initiate combat. Always allows the user to strike first.
    GoHW Units: 1st Gen: Arden, Lex

     

    2nd Gen: Ares, Dalvin, Hannibal, Luchar, or any set of two children if Arden or Lex are their fathers.

    776 Units: Personal: Halvan, Machyua, Perne

     

    Classes: Thief Fighter

    Items: Beo’s Sword, Dragonpike, Vantage M

    Wrath GoHW If the user’s HP ≤ (Max HP/2)+1 Always allows a user to inflict a critical hit.
    776 When a foe is supposed to attack first. User’s first strike will always be a critical hit.
    GoHW Units: 1st Gen: Tailtiu

     

    2nd Gen: Arthur, Linda, Tine

    776 Units: Personal: Brighton, Miranda, Osian, Sara, Xavier

     

    Items: Wrath M

    Similar to the modern post-Awakening Fire Emblem, Genealogy of the Holy War puts a lot of significance on inherited skills. Inherited skills are dependent on who a character has children with. If a character’s father has a unique skill, their children are guaranteed to also have it.

    Although GoHW had skill components that would later make Fire Emblem iconic, Inherited Skills were not industry staples and didn’t appear again until Awakening. The series added light dating sim elements and lower difficulty settings to appeal more to casual audiences.

    Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade and Blazing Blade remove the Skill system entirely. The Skill system doesn’t make another appearance until 776’s third sequel, The Sacred Stones.

    Remember that Personal skills are person-specific and often can’t be learned by other classes or players. In older games, there are usually one of two characters who can learn a given skill because there are few units to choose from.

    Reintroduction of Skills in The Sacred Stones

    Compared to the Skill system in other games, Fire Emblem Sacred Stones isn’t as advanced and only includes seven skills. All skills are class-specific, meaning if you don’t have a member in your party who can learn a skill, you’ll never be able to use it.

    Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones Skills
    Skill Activation Effect Class
    Great Shield (Enemy’s Level)% Nullifies damage dealt by enemies. General
    Sure Strike (User’s Level)% Max Accuracy stat for one hit. Sniper
    Silencer 50% (only if an attack is a critical hit) Instantly kills an enemy. Assassin
    Pick  Command Unlocks chests and doors without a Lockpick or key. Rogue
    Pierce (User’s Level)% Nullifies enemy’s Defense stat. Wyvern Knight
    Slayer 100% Deals bonus damage to Monsters. Bishop
    Summon Command Summons a Phantom on the map as an ally. Necromancer, Summoner

    The skills in Sacred Stones don’t have an interface that describes the skills’ effects. This can be confusing for first-time players who aren’t familiar with what each skill does.

    Back to Basics: Skills for Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn

    Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn introduced a biorhythm mechanic to roll for specific skills. Tempest and Serenity change your biorhythm’s effects. However, biorhythm is mainly used to predict how a unit performs as the battle goes on. The biorhythm mechanic gives bonuses or penalties to a unit’s Hit Rate and Avoid, stats that also affect the power or activation of a skill.

    General Skills

    In FE: Path of Radiance (PoR), skills were reintroduced similarly to GoHW and 766, but Skill Capacity was added, which limited the number of skills a unit could learn. Non-Mastery Skills or Regular Skills can be removed to free up capacity for new skills.

    In Radiant Dawn (RD), most skills can be removed and given to other units for most of the game. When starting Part 2, units can no longer swap or remove skills. If a unit welcomed into the party already had a skill,  this “innate” skill doesn’t take up any Capacity.

    Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn Skills
    Skill Game Cap Activation Effect User
    Nihil PoR 15 Passive Negates enemy skills in battle. Personal: Calill, Nasir

     

    Item: Nihil

    RD 20 Personal: Black Knight, Calill, Nasir, Nolan

     

    Item: Nihil

    Event: Part 4 Prologue

    Vantage PoR 10 If the enemy initiates combat User strikes first. Personal: Mia, Naesala

     

    Item: Vantage

      RD 15 (Speed)%, if the enemy initiates combat
    Adept PoR 10 (Skill)% Delts two consecutive hits against a foe. Personal: Soren, Zihark

     

    Item: Adept

    RD 15 (Speed)%
    Wrath PoR 10 100% if user HP ≤ 50% +50 Critical Rate when activated. Personal: Nephenee

     

    Item: Wrath

    RD 15 100% if user HP ≤ 30% Personal: Edward, Nealuchi, Nephenee

     

    Item: Wrath

    Miracle PoR 5 If user’s HP > 1, (Luck)% If an attack would kill the user, reduce damage to half the user’s current HP. Personal: Ena, Mist

     

    Item: Miracle

    RD Personal: Ena, Mist, Pelleas

     

    Item: Miracle

    Resolve PoR 10 When a user is below 50% HP Boosts Skill, Speed, and Strength by x1.5 when active. Personal: Tauroneo

     

    Item: Resolve

    RD 15 Boosts Skill and Speed by x1.5 when active. Personal: Skrimir, Tauroneo

     

    Item: Resolve

    Counter PoR 10 (Skill/2)% Deals half of damage taken by the user to the enemy. Personal: Titania

     

    Item: Counter

    RD (Skill)%
    Guard or Cancel PoR 10 (Skill)% Nullifies further action from the target within the current round. Personal: Haar

     

    Item: Guard

    RD (Speed)% Personal: Leonardo, Haar

     

    Item: Cancel

    Corrosion PoR 10 (Skill)% Reduces the remaining Durability stat of that target’s equipped weapon. Personal: Bastian

     

    Item: Corrosion

    RD (Skill/2)%
    Parity PoR 5 Passive Negate all other skills, support, and terrain bonuses for everyone. Personal: Lucia

     

    Item: Parity

    RD 10 Command
    Gamble PoR 10 100% Doubles Critical Rate and Hit Rate when equipped. Personal: Kieran

     

    Item: Gamble

    RD Command Doubles Critical Rate and Hit Rate when activated for one round.
    Smite PoR 10 Passive Pushes units two tiles away. Personal: Mordecai
    Item: Smite
    RD 15 Command, if

     

    (user Constitution) +2 > (target Weight)

    Celerity PoR 15 Passive +2 Movement. Personal: Tormod
    RD Personal: Tormod
    Item: Celerity
    Tempest PoR 5 Passive Doubles Biorhythm bonuses and penalties. Personal: Boyd, Makalov
    Serenity PoR 5 Passive Halves biorhythm bonuses. Personal: Rhys, Devdan
    Provoke PoR 5 Passive Attracts enemies to users. Personal: Shinon

     

    Item: Provoke

    RD 10 Personal: Shinon, Skrimir

     

    Item: Provoke

    Shade PoR 5 Passive Repels enemies from users. Personal: Llyana, Volke

     

    Item: Shade

    RD 10 Personal: Llyana

     

    Item: Shade

    Renewal PoR 15 Passive Restores 10% of users max HP at the start of the turn. Personal: Elincia, Ena

     

    Item: Renewall

    RD
    Savior PoR 10 Passive No rescue penalties. Personal: Tibarn

     

    Item: Savior

    RD Personal: Fiona, Tibarn

     

    Item: Savior

    Paragon PoR 15 Passive Doubles EXP gain. Personal: Astrid, Geoffrey
    RD Personal: Astrid, Geoffrey

     

    Item: Paragon

    Reinforce PoR 15 Command Summons three partner reinforcements. Personal: Tanith
    Blossom PoR 15 Passive Rerolls a stat when leveling up. Decreases user’s EXP gain to 2/3. Personal: Sothe
    RD 20 Rerolls a stat when leveling up. Decreases user’s EXP gain to 1/2. Item: Blossom
    Canto or Galdrar PoR 20 Command (Chant) Refreshes one adjacent ally untransformed ally or four transformed allies and allows them to move again. Personal: Reyson
    RD 0 Command (Galdr) Allows the user to perform one of a set of galdrar to aid allies. Personal: Leanne, Rafiel, Reyson

     

    Class: Heron

    Insight PoR 0 100% +20 Hit Rate. Personal: Janaff
    RD +20 Hit Rate. +5 fog vision.
    Vigilance PoR 0 100% +20 Avoid. Personal: Ulki
    RD +20 Avoid and Dodge.
    Daunt PoR 10 100% -5 Critical Rate and Hit Rate to all enemy units in a 3-tile radius. Personal: Bryce, Ashnard, Petrine
    RD Item: Daunt
    Mantle PoR 0 100% Negates all damage. NPC
    RD Negates all damage from non-blessed Yune weapons, restores HP (Luck)% to the user at the beginning of the turn. Grants Fortune and Nihil. Personal: Lehran
    Discipline PoR 0 Passive Decreases damage dealt by the user. NPC
    RD 10 Doubles weapon experience gain. Steal: Part 1, Chapter 3, Burton.

     

    Treasure: Part 2, Chapter 2.

    Lumina PoR 0 Passive Enables use of light magic. Class: Bishop
    Knife PoR 0 Passive Enables use of knives. Class: Thief, Assassin, Sage
    Steal PoR 0 Command, if

     

    (user’s Speed > enemy’s Speed) and (user’s Strength > weapon or item’s Weight)

    Lets a user steal one weapon, staff, and/or item from an adjacent target’s inventory and places it in the user’s inventory. Personal: Sothe, Volke, Chapter 13, enemy Ravens

     

    Classes: Thief, Assassin

    RD Personal: Heather, Sothe

     

    Classes: Thief, Rogue, Whisper

    Critical +5 RD 0 Passive +5 Critical Rate. Classes: Myrmidon, Halberdier, Reaver, Warrior
    Critical +10 RD 0 Passive +10 Critical Rate. Classes: Swordmaster, Sniper, Sentinel, Halberdier
    Critical +15 RD 0 Passive +15 Critical Rate. Classes: Marksman, Sniper
    Critical +20 RD 0 Passive +20 Critical Rate. Classes: Trueblade, Swordmaster
    Critical +25 RD 0 Passive +25 Critical Rate. Classes: Assassin
    Sacrifice RD 0 Command, if the user has > 1 HP Drains user’s HP to heal a target’s HP and status conditions. Personal: Micaiah
    Guard (RD only) RD 20 Based on Support level. May take a hit for a unit with a support level. Personal: Nailah, Sothe

     

    Item: Guard

    Fortune RD 20 100% Negates Critical Hits. Personal: Meg, Caineghis

     

    Item: Fortune

    Howl RD 20 (Strength)% At 2 Range, enemies that initiate a battle will become paralyzed. Personal: Volug

     

    Item: Howl

    Quick claw RD 20 (Speed)%, if at range > 1 Damages nearby attackers. Personal: Kyza

     

    Item: Quickclaw

    Wildheart RD 10 Command Laguz’s can Halfshift. Personal: Volug

     

    Item: Wildheart

    Shriek RD 20 (Luck)%, if at range > 1 Reduces enemy’s Luck stat to 0 for one turn. Personal: Vika

     

    Item: Shriek

    Imbue RD 15 100% Restores HP to the user based on Magic stat. Personal: Black Knight, Fiona

     

    Item: Imbue

    Pass RD 15 Passive Pass through enemy-occupied space. Personal: Heather

     

    Item: Pass

    Beastfoe RD 15 100% Bonus damage to beast units. Item: Beastfoe
    Birdfoe RD 15 100% Bonus damage to bird units. Item: Birdfoe
    Dragonfoe RD 15 100% Bonus damage to dragon units. Item: Dragonfoe
    Flourish RD 10 Command Reduces user’s Attack stat by 1/2 for one turn. Item: Flourish
    Disarm RD 10 (Skill/2)% Unequips target’s equipped weapon. Personal: Brom

     

    Item: Disarm

    Mercy RD 10 100% Blows that would otherwise kill users leave them with 1 HP. Personal: Elincia

     

    Item: Mercy

    Nullify RD 20 Passive Negates user-done bonus damage. Personal: Giffca

     

    Item: Nullify

    Formshift RD 0 100% Keeps Laguz Royal’s Transform Gauge full. Personal: Caineghis, Nailah, Naesala, Tibarn

     

    Event: Part 4, End Game, Kurthnaga

    Blessing RD 15 Passive Restores HP to allies. Personal: Leanne, Rafiel, Reyson

     

    Item: Sky Boon

    Bon RD 15 100% Heal status conditions. Personal: Ena, Nasir

     

    Item: Earth Bounty

    Glare RD 30 Command May petrify the target. Personal: Nailah
    Pavise RD 20 (Skill)% May negate all damage. Personal: Tibarn

     

    Item: Pavise

    Maelstrom RD 20 (Skill)%, if at range > 1 Damages to enemies. Personal: Naesala

     

    Item: Maelstrom

    Blood Tide RD 10 100% +5 Skill and Strength to allies. Personal: Ena, Gareth

     

    Item: Blood Tide

    White Pool RD 10 100% +5 Speed and Magic to allies. Personal: Nasir

     

    Item: White Pool

    Night Tide RD 10 100% +5 Resistance and Defense to allies. Personal: Kurthnaga

     

    Item: Night Tide

    Stillness RD 25 Passive Strongly repels enemies. Personal: Volke

     

    Item: Stillness

    Aurora RD 0 Passive Deals half of damage taken by the user. Personal: Ashera

    Capacity is unique to Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn and doesn’t appear in another game.

    Beast companions play a bigger role in Radiant Dawn than in Path of Radiance. Skills like Beastfoe, Birdfoe, and Dragonfoe show just how much beasts matter in the gameplay. There’s also more emphasis on Passive Skills, like the Critical + Skills and skill-based items.

    In Path of Radiance, Smite and Canto/Galdrar are replaced by Shove and Dance, respectively, in Radiant Dawn. Some skills rely on the biorhythm, which is why Canto was renamed Galdrar in Radiant Dawn, as it allows for biorhythm alteration.

    Mastery Skills

    Path of Radiance also introduced Mastery Skills, which were class-specific and could be learned through Occult Scrolls. Occult Scrolls are one-use items that correspond to their class. Only a few copies are available in Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn.

    In Radiant Dawn, Master Skills reappeared but were learned naturally on 3rd tier Beorc units, which look and act similar to humans. Laguz units could use Satori Sign at level 30 and learn other Mastery Skills after level 15 by equipping them with an Occult Scroll.

    Master Skills now take up Capacity and can’t be removed.

    Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn Master Skills
    Skill Game Cap Activation Effect User
    Aether PoR 20 (Skill)% Strikes twice. First strike restores HP to the user, second treats the target as if it has a 50% penalty to Defense. Occult: Lord
    RD 30 (Skill/2)% Strikes twice. First strike restores HP to the user, second treats the target as if it has a 0 Defense stat. Classes: Vanguard
    Sol PoR 20 (Skill)% Restores HP to the user. Occult: Paladin, Valkyrie
    RD 30 (Skill/2)% x3 damage dealt for the strike and restores HP. Personal: Renning

     

    Classes: Gold Knight, Silver Knight, Valkyrie

    Luna PoR 20 (Skill)% Enemies have a 50% penalty to Defense stat. Occult: General, Halberdier
    RD 30 (Skill/2)% Attacked enemies have a 0 Defense stat. Class: Marshall
    Astra PoR 20 (Skill/2)% Hits with five half-damage strikes. Strikes could be critical hits. Occult: Swordmaster

     

    Personal: Stefan

    RD 30 Hits with five strikes. All could miss and none of them are critical hits Class: Trueblade

     

    Personal: Stefan

    Impale RD 30 (Skill)% Deals x4 damage. Class: Sentinel
    Colossus PoR 20 (Skill)%, if (user Constitution) > (foe Constitution) Adds 25% of user’s Strength by x3. Occult: Berserker, Warrior
    RD 25 (Skill)% x3 Strength to the user. Class: Reaver
    Deadeye PoR 20 (Skill)% x2 Battle Hit Rate. Inflicts sleep status. Occult: Sniper
    RD 25 (Skill/2)% x3 damage and inflicts sleep status. Class: Marksman
    Stun PoR 20 (Skill)% Inflicts shock status. Occult: Falcon Knight, Princess Crimea, Wyvern Lord
    RD 25 (Skill/2)% x3 damage and inflicts paralysis status Personal: Elincia

     

    Classes: Queen, Dragonlord, Seraph Knight.

    Lethality PoR 20 (Critical Rate/3)% Instantly defeat foe. Occult: Assassin
    RD 30 (Skill/2)% Personal: Volke

     

    Class: Assassin

    Bane RD 30 (Skill/2)% Puts foes at 1 HP. Class: Whisper
    Flare PoR 20 (Skill)% Enemies have a 50% penalty to Resistance. Occult: Bishop, Sage
    RD 30 (Skill/2)% Attacked enemies have 0 Resistance. Personal: Bastian, Sanaki

     

    Classes: Arch Sage, Empress, Summoner

    Corona RD 30 (Skill)% Attacked enemies have 0 Resistance and halves their Hit Rate. Personal: Lehran, Oliver

     

    Classes: Saint, Chancellor, Light Priestess

    Roar PoR 20 Command Inflicts paralysis status. Occult: Cat, Lion, Tiger

     

    Personal: Giffca

    RD 30 (Strength/2)% x3 user Strength and inflicts shock status. Personal: Giffca, Caineghis

     

    Classes: Lion, Lion King, Tiger

    Rend RD 30 (Speed/2)% x5 user Strength and inflicts shock status. Class: Cat
    Savage RD 30 (Skill/2)% x5 user Strength and halves target’s Skill. Personal: Nailah

     

    Class: Wolf, Wolf Queen

    Cancel PoR 20 (Skill)% Nullifies damage dealt. Occult: Hawk

     

    Personal: Tibarn

    Vortex PoR 20 Command Deals damage. Occult: Raven

     

    Personal: Naesala

    Tear RD 30 (Speed/2)% x3 Strength and 1/2 foe Speed for one turn. Personal: Tibarn, Naesala

     

    Classes: Hawk, Raven

    Blessing PoR 15 Passive Restores HP to a unit. Occult: Heron

     

    Personal: Reyson

    Boon PoR 20 100% Returns unit to normal. Occult: Red Dragon, White Dragon

     

    Personal: Ena, Nasir

    Ire RD 30 (Skill/2)% Deals x3 damage. Classes: Red Dragon, White Dragon, Black, Dragon
    Eclipse RD 30 (Skill)% x5 Strength and striked foe have 0 Defence. Classes: Black Knight, Marshall

    Several Mastery Skills are downgraded in Radiant Dawn. For example, Blessing, Boon, and Cancel are treated as normal skills. At the same time, many skills don’t appear in Path of Radiance at all, despite them being in the same universe, like Ire, Eclipse, Tear, Savage, Rend, Corona, Bane, and Impale.

    Last of the Old Era: Shadows of Valentia

    Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadow of Valentia is the first and only remake that includes a skill system in a game that previously didn’t have one. Shadows of Valentia has a unique Skills system that centers around equipment, HP draining skills, and Passive arts.

    There are two primary skill types in Echos: Combat Arts and Passive Skills.

    Combat Arts

    Combat Arts are skills learned through skill points (SP) while a weapon with said skill is equipped. The more a character uses a weapon, the more Skills they obtain.

    Combat Arts cost HP and usually grant Hit Rate and Might bonuses as well as additional effects.

    Since skills are weapon-specific, they also automatically become class-dependent. Players should switch weapons often to make sure their characters are well-rounded fighters. For example, if a bow user equips an Iron Bow to learn Curved Shot but earns enough SP to learn the skill, they can unequip the Iron Bow, and Curved Shot will still be accessible while using another weapon.

    Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia Combat Arts Skills
    Skill Effect SP Cost Mt. Hit Crit. Avo. Rg.
    Curved Shot N/A 15 1 HP +1 +30 0 0 1-3
    Weapons: Iron Bow, Python’s Bow
    Wrath Strike N/A 10 1 HP +5 +10 0 0 1
    Weapons: Clive’s Lance, Ilwoon, Iron Sword
    Hit and Run Avoid +30. 20 1 HP +2 +10 0 +30 1
    Weapons: Iron Lance
    Subdue At 1 HP after a fatal hit. 5 0 HP 0 +20 0 0 1
    Weapons: Beloved Zofia, Emperor Lance, Rapier, Royal Sword
    Shove Pushes ally forward 1 tile. 10 0 HP          
    Weapons: Emperor Lance

     

    Items: Emperor Shield, Iron Shield, Luka’s Shield, Rion Shield

    Swap Switches places with ally. 5 0 HP          
    Weapons: Beloved Zofia, Saunion

     

    Items: Emperor Shield, Fugue Shield, Leather Shield, Lukas’s Shield

    Crosswise Cut N/A 20 3 HP +3 +30 0 0 1
    Weapons: Steel Sword
    Heavy Draw N/A 20 2 HP +8 +10 0 0 1-3
    Weapons: Python’s Bow, Steel Bow
    Duelist Sword +30 to Avoid, +20 Critical Rate, +4% damage output. 20 3 HP +3 +10 +20 +30 1
    Weapons: Silver Sword
    Sunder Critical Rate +30. 15 2 HP +4 +10 +30 0 1
    Weapons: Steel Sword, Zweihänder
    Hexblade Targets foe’s Resistance. 15 3 HP +7 +10 0 0 1
    Weapons: Ladyblade
    Lunge Critical Rate +10 and switch places with target. 10 3 HP +2 +10 0 0 1
    Weapons: Clive’s Lance, Ilwoon
    Penetrate Avoid +10 and move 2 tiles. 10 3 HP +2 +20 0 +10 1
    Weapons: Brave Sword, Fernand’s Lance, Zweihänder
    Leonine Poise Avoid -30, Critical Rate +50, and user strikes last. 25 3 HP +3 +20 +50 -30 1
    Weapons: Emperor Lance
    Foudroyant Range -1, +15 Avoid, Doubles Attack. 20 8 HP 0 +30 0 +15 1
    Weapons: Lightning Sword
    Knightkneeler + damage to mounted units. 15 4 HP +5 +15 0 0 1
    Weapons: Rhomphaia
    Armorcrush + damage to armored units. 15 4 HP +5 +10 0 0 1
    Weapons: Clive’s Lance, Rhomphaia, Steel Lance
    Death Blow + damage to armored units. 20 4 HP +6 +15 0 0 1
    Weapons: Ilwoon
    Celestial Bow + damage to terror foes. 20 4 HP +5 +20 0 0 1-2
    Weapons: Radiant Bow
    Grounder + damage to flying units. 25 4 HP +5 +15 0 0 1
    Weapons: Brave Sword
    Destreza Fatal strikes always hit. 20 4 HP +3 +20 0 0 1
    Weapons: Rapier
    Encloser Halts target’s Movement for one turn after combat. 20 4 Hp 0 +15 0 0 2-4
    Weapons: Longbow, Python’s Bow
    Ward Arrow Seals foes Magic for 1 turn. 25 4 HP 0 +15 0 0 1-3
    Weapons: Silver Bow
    Plenitude Restores HP to the user. 10 0 HP 0 +10 0 0 1
    Weapons: Golden Dagger, Mila’s Bow
    Double Lion Avoid + 10 and convers attack into a Brave Strike.* 20 6 HP +5 +20 0 +10 1
    Weapons: Royal Sword
    Vendetta Adds ((max HP -current HP)/2) to Might. 20 5 HP +3 +20 0 0 1
    Weapons: Duma’s Lance
    Dragonhaze Adds Speed to Might. 20 8 HP +5 +20 0 0 1
    Weapons: Rhomphaia
    Tigerstance Adds Skill to Might. 25 8 HP +5 +30 0 0 1
    Weapons: Zweihänder
    Archballista Range +2. 25 6 HP +2 +20 0 0 2-5
    Weapons: Saunion
    Trance Shot Range + 3. 30 8 HP +4 +30 0 0 1-6
    Weapons: Parthia
    Shadow Gambit Ignores terrain effects. 15 3 HP +2 +20 +10 0 1
    Weapons: Rapier
    Astral Blade 5 blows with halved Might. 30 10 HP 0 +15 0 0 1
    Weapons: Astra
    Roundhouse Avoid and Critical Rate +20

     

    Ignores half of the target’s Defense and Resistance.

    20 7 HP +4 +20 +20 +20 1
    Weapons: Silver Sword
    Solar Thrust N/A 30 10 HP +20 +15 0 0 1
    Weapons: Sol
    Lunar Flash Critical Rate +10. 30 10 HP +12 500 +10 0 1-3
    Weapons: Luna
    Defensive -5 damage physical strikes. 15 1 HP          
    Weapon: Saunion

     

    Items: Emperor Shield, Luka’s Shield, Rion Shield, Steel Shield

    Coral Cover Doubles terrain effects. 15 2 HP          
    Items: Coral Ring, Fugue Shield
    Pavise 1/2 physical strike damage. 20 4 HP          
    Item: Duma’s Shield
    Earth’s Kiss 1/2  magical strike damage. 25 4 HP          
    Item: Royal Shield
    Windsweep Critical Rate +10 and negates counterattacks. 25 4 HP +3 +20 +10 0 1
    Weapons: Fernand’s Lance, Iron Sword
    Thunderclap Range +1 min of 2. 20 4 HP +2 0 0 0 2-3
    Weapons: Lightning Sword
    Earth’s Boon Avoid and Critical Rate +5. Grants provisions.** 25 2 HP +3 +20 +5 +5 1
    Weapons: Golden Dagger, Mila’s Bow
    Flamberge Attack = Brave Magi strike. 20 15 HP 0 0 0 0 1
    Weapons: Ladyblade
    Longearche Range becomes 2. 20 3 HP +1 0 0 0 2
    Weapons: Fernand’s Lance, Iron Lance
    Tempest Lance N/A 20 5 HP +10 +20 0 0 1
    Weapons: Steel Lance
    Mistdancer Avoid +10, -10 damage taken from magical strikes. 20 3 HP +2 +15 0 +10 1
    Weapons: Clair’s Lance, Silver Lance
    Overrun Avoid +10. Pushes unit 1 square after combat. 20 4 HP +4 +10 0 +10 1
    Weapons: Silver Lance
    Hunter’s Volley Critical Rate +10. Attack = Brave Strike. 20 8 HP +1 +15 +10 0 1-3
    Weapons: Killer Bow
    Scendscale Range +2. 50 16 HP +14 0 0 0 1-3
    Weapons: Falchion, Royal Sword
    Ragnarok Ω Range +1. 25 14 HP +24 0 0 0 1-2
    Weapons: Beloved Zofia
    Triangle Attack Critical Rate +40 when attacking with three allies.   10 HP +8 +30 +40 0 1
    Allies: Palla, Catria, Est

    * Brave Strike allows a user to attack twice the amount of times they’d be able to.

    ** Provisions are healing items.

    Besides weapon-specific/Class-dependent skills, characters could also inherit skills associated with specific classes apart from weapon skills that require a class to use.

    For example, Banish is a Passive Skill that can only be learned by the Falcon Knight and Harrier class, but they can also equip Lances to learn Combat Arts like Wrath Strike. Although Skoguls and Gold Knights can equip Lances, they don’t have access to the Banish Passive Skill.

    Passive Skills

    Unlike Combat Arts, Passive Skills are always active. Passive Skills aren’t used to attack foes directly. Still, they apply an assortment of abilities that lower a foe’s stats reinvigorates users/allies, inflicts status conditions, or deal more effective damage against foes.

    Many players call Combat Arts Passive Skills once learned by a character. Passive Skills are specific skills that aren’t learned through weapon use but are unique to classes.

    Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia Passive Skills
    Skill Effect and Availability
    Lifetaker Restores HP after defeating a foe.
    Weapons: Devil Axe, Shadow Sword
    Soothing Light +5 HP to adjacent allies at the start of the turn.
    Class: Saint
    Recovery +5 HP to the user at the start of the turn.
    Weapons: Beloved Zofia, Blesses Bow, Blessed Lance, Blesses Sword, Falchion, Gradivus, Mercurius, Mila’s Bow, Parthia, Royal Sword

     

    Items: Angel Ring, Animus Ring, Blessed Ring, Blessed Shield, Coral Ring, Dracoshield, Keepsake Ring, Mage Ring, Mila’s Ring, Prayer Ring, Sage’s Ring

    Incarnation +5 HP to the user at the start of the turn.
    Class: Cantor
    Deicide Nullifies the attack-sealing effect of Oculus (black magic spell).
    Weapon: Binding Blade, Exalted Falchion, Falchion

     

    Black Magic: Nosferatu

    Hex Users may damage themselves with their own strike instead of a target.
    Weapon: Devil Axe, Shadow Sword
    Antihex Nullifies Hex skill on character’s weapon.
    Class: Dread Fighter
    Transmute The user’s weapon becomes a magic weapon.
    Weapons: Lighting Sword, Radiant Bow
    Reconstruct Shuffles two non-Resistance growth rates x8.
    Item: Demon Ring
    Evade Critical Immune to Critical Hits.
    Item: Mila’s Ring
    Banish Damage against terrors +10.
    Class: Falcon Knight
    Vengeful Cry When using black magic, users can counterattack regardless of Range.
    Item: Animus Ring
    Magic +5 Might be +5 when using black magic.
    Item: Grimoire Ring
    Discipline Hit Rate +10 when using black magic.
    Class: Sage
    Sophisticate Range +2 when using black magic.
    Item: Mage Ring
    Bowrange +1 Range +1 when using bows.
    Classes: Archer, Conqueror
    Bowrange +2 Range +2 when using bows.
    Classes: Bow Knight, Sniper
    Resistance +5 Resistance +5.
    Class: Dread Fighter
    Sanctuary 1/2 damage dealt by terror foes.
    Item: Blessed Shield
    Heavy Armor 1/2 damage dealt by bows.
    Classes: Baron, Spartan
    Apotrope 1/2 damage dealt by black magic.
    Class: Dread Fighter
    Phantasm 1/2 damage dealt by bows and black magic.
    Weapon: Kriemhild
    Teleportation Users can teleport beside the target and do a bonus action.
    Enemy NPCs
    Divide Splits user into two units.
    Classes: Balor, Mogall
    Miracle Survive a fatal strike with 1 HP.
    Items: Prayer Ring
    Eerie Screech Status Effect: Seal Magic.
    Classes: Deathgoyle, Gargoyle
    Anti-Cavalry Bonus damage to mounted foes.
    Weapons: Rapier, Riderbane
    Anti-Armor Bonus damage to armored foes.
    Weapons: Rapier
    Anti-Fliers Bonus damage to flying foes.
    Weapons: All bows except Rusted Bow and Venin Bow
    Anti-Terrors Bonus damage to terror foes.
    Weapons: Blessed Bow, Blesses Lance, Blessed Sword, Falchion, Seraphim
    Absolve Negates damage dealt with the user by terrain skills.
    Classes: All terror, flying, and Saint classes.

    Icons define skills in Echoes. Sword, Lance, Bow, Shield, Ring, Personal, Class Skills, and Defensive Combat Arts have their icons based on equipment type.

    New Era: Fire Emblem Awakening, Fates, Three Houses

    Awakening, Fates, and Three Houses add more Skills to the franchise than all the other games combined. For this reason, the following section will look at what each game changed in the Skill system, but most of the newer Fire Emblem games use features from past games or pull from each other. For example, the trait system is present in Awakening, Fates, and Three Houses.

    Fire Emblem Awakening

    See: Fire Emblem Awakening Skills

    In Awakening, skills are solely level-dependent. All recruited units arrive in a class group that can’t be changed without a Promotion Item. The Reclassing system was reworked to allow the player to try out different classes and acquire specific skills. To reclass, a unit must be level 10 or higher in a first-tier class or any level in a second-tier class.

    After reaching a second-tier class, the user can promote further. For example, Lucina can turn into a Great Lord by using a Master Seal after reaching Level 10. All base-level classes can promote with a Master Seal. Once this happens, they can access Level 15 Skills.

    Through reclassing, units can access a vast pool of skills from their reclassing options. To balance this feature, only five skills can be equipped by each unit simultaneously. Players can pick from their library of skills to mix and match their units.

    The Skill Inheritance system was reworked for Awakening. Children characters inherit one skill from each parent’s 5th equipped skill slot; even if it’s from a class the child character can’t reclass into due to their gender. DLC skills aren’t inheritable to child characters.

    There are eight enemy-exclusive skills, seven of which only appear on Lunatic+ difficulty. Skills like Vantage+ and Pavise+ are upgrades of unit skills, whereas Rightful God is its own unique skill with a +30 Skill activation rate. Enemy-exclusive skills make the game much harder.

    Fire Emblem Fates

    See: Fire Emblem Fates Skills

    In Fates, there are two types of Skills: Personal Skills and Class Skills. Some skills are taught via an item, but most skills are locked to a person, class, or both.

    Every playable (including children) and non-captured unit in Fire Emblem Fates has a unique skill. For example, only Shura can learn Highwayman, and only Charlotte can learn Unmask. Although characters have six equitable skill slots, they can only access five skill slots since their Personal Skills can’t be removed, given to another player, or re-equipped.

    Class Skills work similarly to how they do in Awakening, except that units at level 15 or higher in a promoted class can learn a Class Skill from its first tier. When a character levels up, they’ll learn a new skill from a different class after reaching level 15 or higher. After level 35, special class units will learn an extra Class Skill.

    Fire Emblem Three Houses

    See: Fire Emblem Three Houses Skills

    In Three Houses, Personal Skills (unit-specific and can’t be unequipped) and Class Skills (granted if the unit is in a certain class and/or if they’re equipped with abilities from a previous class) are both available. Up to nine skills can be active on a unit at once: three Class Skills, one Personal Skill, and five equipped abilities.

    “Skills” were renamed “Abilities” to avoid conflicting with the new Skill Level system. Previously called “Weapon Levels,” the Skill Level system combines weapon proficiency, Rally proficiency, Passive Skill proficiency, and terrain advantages. Three Houses also adds a “+” level that unlocks before reaching the next level.

    Weapon Levels virtually remained the same in all games, where a weapon’s level would range from E-SS tier. The weapon’s tier determines damage output, which is necessary to activate certain skills or deal more damage in general, whether it’s an Attack or Skill.

    Fire Emblem Three Houses Level Progression
    Base E+ D D+ C C+ B B+ A A+ S S+
    0 40 100 180 300 460 580 860 1220 1660 2420 3500

    On top of level progression stat increases, Three Houses also add additional Skill Level abilities for weapons and skills. Here’s an example of Sword Prowess, a Passive Skill.

    Fire Emblem Three Houses Sword Prowess Skill
    Skill Level Effect
    1 (E+) Hit +5, Avoid +7, Critical Avoid +5
    2 (D+) Hit +6, Avoid +10, Critical Avoid +6
    3 (C+) Hit +7, Avoid +13, Critical Avoid +7
    4 (B+) Hit +8, Avoid +16, Critical Avoid +8
    5 (A+) Hit +10, Avoid +20, Critical Avoid +9

    Some Skill Levels are static, like Swordbreaker, while others are higher depending on the unit. For example, a D-level Rally Charm is equipable by Dorothea and Manuela, while an S-tier Rally Charm is only available with Clause, Dimitri, and Edelgard.

    While most abilities are obtainable by raising a unit’s Skill Level, you can also achieve Class Mastery. When a player enters into a battle, uses a gambit, or white magic, they’ll gain one mastery point. After maxing out their class, they earn a mastery ability or combat art.

    Spin-Off: Fire Emblem Heroes

    See: Fire Emblem Heroes Skills

    In the spin-off Fire Emblem Heroes, skills belong to five separate categories:

    • Weapon Skills: Based on their class, characters are locked into a specific weapon type. Legendary Weapons are fixed to certain characters and can’t be inherited.
    • Assist Skills: Non-combat skills that can activate and affect other allies.
    • Special Skills: Skills that activate in certain intervals and are determined by the skill itself. Once activated, skills will need to go through a cooldown phase.
    • Passive Skills: Classified by A, B, or C skills, most Passive Skills will provide beneficial effects to the player and stay active while the character remains in play.
    • Seals: Seals are universally equitable skills that can be swapped between characters.

    All characters come with a predetermined set of skills based on the Heroes themselves, not the person who summons them. Most characters have one Passive Skill and will come summoned with the highest rarity skill and weapon. In Heroes, Passive Skills are taught, but the Rarity of each skill is Hero specific. Some units will learn a skill at a lower level than others.

    A Hero can learn a skill by inheriting them directly. Skills may activate differently depending on how they interact with each other. For the most part, skills are separated by field and combat.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

    Question: What are the most useful skills in Fire Emblem?

    Answer: Skills like Summon, Canto, and Celerity are endlessly helpful because you can summon new units to the field, move after attacking, or increase movement speed, respectively. However, the Dance skill, specific to the Dancer class, is hands down the best support skill. Dancers x2 all actions when Dance is activated on a unit, covering more ground.

    Question: How can I raise my skill level fast in Three Houses?

    Answer: Players can infinitely farm levels by waiting for Free Time and battling in a forested map with broken or rusted weapons. Go into the forest and immediately draw aggression from the enemies. Skip your turn and keep doing this tactic until you need to retreat. Ensure you restore the four Saint Statues in the Chapel to access a multiplier on your Skill Level rate.

    Question: Are the older Fire Emblem games any good?

    Answer: Fire Emblem games pre-Awakening is still incredible, but several of them are much more complex and don’t give you the option to keep units after they die. Pre-Awakening games also don’t utilize the inherited skill system in the same way, meaning you’ll miss out on some character building. If you like tough strategy-RPGs, I recommend trying Path of Radiance.

    Conclusion

    With over 400 skills across almost 20 games, it’s easy to say that Skills play a significant role in Fire Emblem’s mechanics. What’s more, each game changes how each Skill system works, which adds variety, but can make the Fire Emblem games hard to get into on the first try.

    Still, Fire Emblem and its in-depth Skill system are digestible if you focus on specific games. With a bit of time, you’ll have no problem equipping, engaging, and leveling up your skills.

    For more interesting readings about Fire Emblem check out:

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