Though there’s still a little more than two months until Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave launches on the Nintendo Switch 2 on September 17th, there’s quite a bit of info we already know about the game. In addition to the main characters and the desires and conflicts that brings them together, there’s also a wealth of information about where the story takes place, its relationship with other Fire Emblem games, and some tidbits about character classes and abilities.
Fortune’s Weave Is Set In The Same Universe As Three Houses
A keen-eared Fire Emblem enjoyer should have picked up on the fact that Fortune’s Weave shares a world with Fire Emblem: Three Houses at the first mention of the Dagosian Games — the tournament that the four main characters strive to win. The name seems to imply this tournament takes place in Dagda, an area referenced but not visited in Three Houses where the mercenary Shamir is from.
Other Fortune’s Weave characters that have been introduced by official Fire Emblem social media accounts directly reference Fódlan—where Three Houses takes place—strengthening the connection. But the strongest indication is the appearance of the goddess Sothis, who acted as a patron of sorts to Three Houses protagonist Byleth and will possibly fulfill a similar role in Fortune’s Weave.
The presence of Sothis has interesting implications for when Fortune’s Weave is set in relation to Three Houses. In Three Houses she’s depicted as a young girl but in Fortune’s Weave it appears that she’s grown into a young woman, suggesting the latter game is potentially a sequel set in the far-flung future.
Who Are The Characters In Fortune’s Weave?
Fortune’s Weave has four main characters, each with their own ambitions and allies. As players progress through the game, they’ll be able to pick one of the four whose cause they will champion as they compete in the tournament in hopes of making their wish come true. Additionally, each of the main four have a companion that joins them in their fight. Here are all the characters we know so far.
Kai and Tiara
Kai comes from Ribiera Village. He fights in the Heroic Games to save his imprisoned father. Kai is a mounted unit wielding a spear and riding a “flying camel” (that looks more like a dinosaur ostritch) that can jump over barriers, making it easy for him to challenge harder-to-reach enemy units.
Kai is joined in the Heroic Games by his childhood friend Tiara. A shy but intelligent girl, Tiara is a support character able to heal and buff her allies.
Dietrich and Fabio
Dietrich is a warrior who hails from Fódlan, the continent where Three Houses takes place. Three Houses fans should notice that his sword, named Answerer, looks exactly like a Hero’s Relic, a powerful end-game weapon. He’s entering the tournament for pure love of the game, in search of ever more powerful enemies to challenge. His special ability, Blood Flash, increases his chances of landing a critical hit.
Fabio is a missionary priest of the Church of Seiros, the main religious organization in Fódlan, and hails from the same town as Dietrich although they apparently don’t know each other. It’ll be interesting to see how much Fabio talks of the Church because that could have major implications for the canonicity of certain events in Three Houses, or could tell us exactly when Fortune’s Weave takes place if it’s not a sequel as I suspect. Outside of being a potential plot clue, Fabio is a dark magician who uses his power to debuff his enemies.
Theodora and Bonaparte
Theodora is the Queen of Salamis, a client kingdom of the Dagosian Empire. A strong queen, devoted to her people, she wields the Spear of Mahadou. Her special ability allows her to take power from her loyal army to destroy her enemies or heal her allies.
Theodora is joined by her wise general and advisor Bonaparte. Bonaparte’s character description reveals a unique bit of world building, indicating that the Kingdom of Salamis forbids the written word, so the general has taken it upon himself to memorize all of the kingdom’s history. Bonaparte, as the name suggests, is a general, able to attack with swords and buff his allies with magical prowess.
Leda and Vakkania
Leda is a performer who, after a tragic incident, has joined the games for revenge. She’s a hybrid class, able to use swords and bows to attack while playing her lute-like “vihuela” to give her allies a boost in combat.
Vakkania acts as Leda’s father and often refers to her as “Princess Leda.” Now this could be a nickname but if fantasy tropes have anything to say about it, I suspect this is actually a hidden-in-plain-sight reference to Leda’s true identity. Nicknamed the Demon Bear, Vakkania is a bruiser, able to crush foes with his devastating axe swings.
What’s The Combat Like In Fortune’s Weave?
The majority of the action in Fortune’s Weave will take place in the arena. But between battles, characters will be able to venture outside to take on bandits and other combat challenges in search of treasure.
The five major weapon types from previous Fire Emblem games make a return: Swords, Spears, Axes, Bows, and Gauntlets. The presence of Sothis and of Deitrich’s Answerer sword suggest that crests and Hero’s Relics might also play a part in Fortune’s Weave’s combat. Each of the four main characters might have a powerful crest embedded inside them, which may be what grants them all their special abilities.
Though each character is initially restricted by the type of weapon they can use, I suspect that, as in other Fire Emblems, you’ll be able to learn proficiencies in other weapons as your stats improve. Magic also returns in Fortune’s Weave, with players being able to equip spells that have a certain number of casts before the spell is exhausted.
The gameplay cadence of Fortune’s Weave seems similar to that of other Fire Emblem games in that, between major story events, you’ll be able to do social activities that improve your skills, teach you new ones, and earn you new allies.
