Fire Emblem: Three Houses – Best Abilities combinations

Building units in Fire Emblem can be serious business, with personal abilities and class skills to take into account. It becomes doubly important when you’re playing on higher difficulties, and in Three Houses, your ability to grind can be severely limited. Planning is key. That’s strategy games for you! Below are ability combinations you can use as a guide to create your god unit. This won’t be comprehensive or even something you should follow strictly, but as something to keep in mind for your playthrough. You can read our review of the game here!

As a preface, it’s certainly easier to do some of these on a New Game+ file, where you can spend your renown to buy skills you’ve previously unlocked for a unit. Without further ado, have a look at these builds.

Great Knight – Tank

SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT	CLASS INNATE	EFFECT
Rafail Gem	Canto	After performing an action, user can use their leftover movement.
Hexlock Shield	Axefaire	Might +5 when an axe is equipped.
Seiros Shield	Lancefaire	Might +5 when a lance is equipped.
Goddess Ring

REQUIREMENT	ABILITIES	EFFECT
Mastering Bishop	Renewal	Unit recovers up to 20% of max HP at the start of each turn.
Mastering Fortress Knight	Pavise	Chance to reduce sword/lance/axe/brawling damage by half. Trigger % = Dex stat.
Mastering Paladin	Aegis	Chance to reduce bow/magic damage by half. Trigger % = Dex stat.
Axe Level A+	Axe Prowess LV 5	Grants Hit +20, Avoid +10 and Critical Evade +10 when equipped with Axe
Axe Level S	Axe Crit + 10	Grants Crit +10 when using an axe.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERS	PERSONAL ABILITIES	EFFECT
Raphael	Goody Basket	At the start of a turn, unit has Luck% chance of regaining 10% of HP
Catherine	Fighting Spirit	Unit takes 5 less damage when no battalion is assigned or when battalion endurance is 0.
Gilbert	Veteran Knight	Unit takes 2 less damage while in formation with a battalion.
Caspar	Born Fighter	Adjacent foes receive Avoid -10 during combat.
Leonie	Rivalry	When adjacent to a male ally, damage dealt to foe +2, damage received from foe -2.
Sylvain	Philanderer	When adjacent to a female ally, damage dealt to foe +2, damage received from foe -2.

With both Pavise and Aegis along with Renewal that will heal you every turn, you will have an unstoppable tank. By adding the Rafail Gem which will remove both Armored and Calvary weakness, which will further improve the tankiness. With both Axe Prowess LV 5 and Axe Crit +10, this unit will have better accuracy and crit, which improve damage output.

Raphael is a great choice for this thanks to his self-healing personal ability. Catherine and Gilbert both can reduce damage even further, while Caspar has an AOE debuff that reduces enemies Avoid by -10.

Great Knight – Debuff Tank

SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT	CLASS INNATE	EFFECT
Rafail Gem	Canto	After performing an action, user can use their leftover movement.
Hexlock Shield	Axefaire	Might +5 when an axe is equipped.
Seiros Shield	Lancefaire	Might +5 when a lance is equipped.
Goddess Ring

REQUIREMENT	ABILITIES	EFFECT
Mastering Bishop	Renewal	Unit recovers up to 20% of max HP at the start of each turn.
Mastering Fortress Knight	Pavise	Chance to reduce sword/lance/axe/brawling damage by half. Trigger % = Dex stat.
Mastering Paladin	Aegis	Chance to reduce bow/magic damage by half. Trigger % = Dex stat.
Mastering Dark Knight	Seal Resistance	If unit damages foe during combat, foe suffers Res -6 for 1 turn after combat.
Mastering Wyvern Rider	Seal Defense	If unit damages foe during combat, foe suffers Def -6 for 1 turn after combat.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERS	PERSONAL ABILITIES	EFFECT
Raphael	Goody Basket	At the start of a turn, unit has Luck% chance of regaining 10% of HP
Catherine	Fighting Spirit	Unit takes 5 less damage when no battalion is assigned or when battalion endurance is 0.
Gilbert	Veteran Knight	Unit takes 2 less damage while in formation with a battalion.
Caspar	Born Fighter	Adjacent foes receive Avoid -10 during combat.
Leonie	Rivalry	When adjacent to a male ally, damage dealt to foe +2, damage received from foe -2.
Sylvain	Philanderer	When adjacent to a female ally, damage dealt to foe +2, damage received from foe -2.
Ignatz	Watchful Eye	Hit rate +20.

The build is very similar to the previous Great Tank, but this one will add debuffs. Things like Seal Resistance being from a male-exclusive class can somewhat limit your choices for this build. A unit using this build doesn’t necessarily need to kill enemies. Their job is to take the damage, and deal just enough back to inflict debuffs, and enable your weaker units.

Caspar once again can be an excellent choice to stack even more debuffs with his personal ability. If you want to further reduce damage taken, then Gilbert could be your pick.

Falcon Knight – Magic Swordsman (FEMALE ONLY)

SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT	CLASS INNATE	EFFECT
Levin Sword +	Canto	After performing an action, user can use their leftover movement.
Evasion Ring	Lancefaire	Might +5 when a lance is equipped.
Magic Staff	Avoid + 10	Increases Avoid by 10.

REQUIREMENT	ABILITIES	EFFECT
Mastering Mage	Fiendish Blow	MAG+6 when initiating attack.
Sword Level A+	Sword Prowess LV 5	Grants Hit +10, Avoid +20 and Critical Evade +10 when equipped with Sword
Sword Level S	Sword Crit + 10	Grants Crit +10 when using a sword.
Sword Level S+	Swordfaire	Might +5 when a sword is equipped.
Dancer (Upon obtaining the class)	Sword Avo + 20	Grants Avo +20 when using a sword.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERS	PERSONAL ABILITIES	EFFECT
Dorothea	Songstress	At the start of each turn, restores adjacent allies’ HP by 10%.
Marianne	Animal Friend	When adjacent to a horseback or flying ally, restores 20% HP at the start of the turn.
Lysithea	Mastermind	Unit gains 2x skill EXP from combat
Flayn	Lily’s Poise	Adjacent allies take 3 less damage during combat.

The key equipment of this build is Levin Sword+ is a range 3 sword which actually deals damage based on your magic instead of strength. With evasion ring along with the Avo abilities, this unit will be able to evade most attacks. With Canto, the unit will be able to hit and escape, and Fiendish Blow will add more damage to the attacks. Levin Sword+ will let you deal damage to melee enemies without getting hit.

Lysithea, Flayn and Marianne are great choices due to their magic growth.

Falcon Knight – Defiant (FEMALE ONLY)

SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT	CLASS INNATE	EFFECT
Evasion Ring	Canto	After performing an action, user can use their leftover movement.
	Lancefaire	Might +5 when a lance is equipped.
	Avoid + 10	Increases Avoid by 10.

REQUIREMENT	ABILITIES	EFFECT
Mastering Falcon Knight	Defiant Avo	Grants Avo +30 when HP is ≤ 25%.
Mastering Wyvern Lord	Defiant Crit	Grants Crit +50 when HP is ≤ 25%.
Mastering Bow Knight	Defiant Spd	Grants Spd +8 when HP is ≤ 25%.
Sword Level A+	Sword Prowess LV 5	Grants Hit +10, Avoid +20 and Critical Evade +10 when equipped with Sword
Obtain Dancer Class	Sword Avo +20	Grants Avo +20 when using a sword.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERS	PERSONAL ABILITIES	EFFECT
Bernadetta	Persecution Complex	When HP is not full, unit gains +5 Damage
Petra	Hunter’s Boon	When foe has less than 50% HP, Critical rate +20
Edelgard	Imperial Lineage+	+20% Experience Gained, If unit takes no action except Wait, grants Res +4 for 1 turn.
Ingrid	Lady Knight	When using a Gambit, Might +3 and Hit Rate +5.
Catherine	Fighting Spirit	Unit takes 5 less damage when no battalion is assigned or when battalion endurance is 0.

The Defiant build revolves around lowering your HP, and staying there to reap the benefits. Weapons like the Cursed Ashiya Sword or the Devil Sword can safely lower a unit’s HP after combat. The unit cannot die from these effects unless they get hit. Spd also increases Avo, so your unit should be able to fly in, hit hard and leave if they need to.

Bernadetta can be excellent with a Defiant build thanks to her personal ability, and is otherwise held back by her weakness in swords which Falcon Knight requires. You would also lose out on a Dancer if you decide to reclass solely for Sword Avo.

Wyvern Lord – Magic Axe

SUGGESTED EQUIPMENTS	CLASS INNATE	EFFECT
Bolt Axe+	Canto	After performing an action, user can use their leftover movement.
Evasion Ring	Axefaire	Might +5 when an axe is equipped.
Magic Staff	Avoid + 10	Increases Avoid by 10.

REQUIREMENT	ABILITIES	EFFECT
Mastering Mage	Fiendish Blow	MAG+6 when initiating attack.
Mastering Dark Bishop	Life Taker	Unit recovers HP equal to 50% of damage dealt after defeating a foe.
Riding Level A+	Movement + 1	Increases move by 1
Axe Level A+	Axe Prowess LV 5	Grants Hit +20, Avoid +10 and Critical Evade +10 when equipped with Axe
Axe Level S	Axe Crit + 10	Grants Crit +10 when using an axe.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERS	PERSONAL ABILITIES	EFFECT
Ferdinand	Confidence	When HP is full, unit gains +15 Hit and Avoid
Felix	Lone Wolf	When a Battalion is not deployed or when battalion health is zero, damage dealt +5
Lorenz	Distinguished House	When a battalion is deployed, damage dealt +2
Sylvain	Philanderer	When adjacent to a female ally, damage dealt to foe +2, damage received from foe -2.
Marianne	Animal Friend	When adjacent to a horseback or flying ally, restores 20% HP at the start of the turn.
Lysithea	Mastermind	Unit gains 2x skill EXP from combat

This build wants to take advantage of the axe’s high damage, boosting your magic user’s damage even further with the Bolt Axe+, which deals magic damage. You can choose to give the unit a little more Avo, or use them as a pure damage dealer.

Units like Marianne and Lysithea have their innate magic growths and can naturally utilize the Bolt Axe+.

Bow Knight – Debuff Ranger (MALE ONLY)

SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT	CLASS INNATE	EFFECT
Venin Bow+	Canto	After performing an action, user can use their leftover movement.
Accuracy Ring	Bowfaire	Might +5 when a bow is equipped.
	Bowrange + 2	Increases range of Bows by 2.

REQUIREMENT	ABILITIES	EFFECT
Mastering Dark Knight	Seal Resistance	If unit damages foe during combat, foe suffers Res -6 for 1 turn after combat.
Mastering Wyvern Rider	Seal Defense	If unit damages foe during combat, foe suffers Def -6 for 1 turn after combat.
Mastering Dark Mage	Poison Strike	If unit initiates combat, enemy loses up to 20% HP
Mastering Assassin	Lethality	Chance to instantly kill a foe when dealing damage. Trigger % = 0.25×Dex.
Bow Level A+	Bow Prowess LV 5	Grants Hit +15, Avoid +15 and Critical Evade +10 when equipped with Bow

SUGGESTED CHARACTERS	PERSONAL ABILITIES	EFFECT
Ignatz	Watchful Eye	Hit rate +20.
Ferdinand	Confidence	When HP is full, unit gains +15 Hit and Avoid
Dimitri	Royal Lineage+	+20% Experience Gained, Grants Avo +20 while unit is at full HP.
Lorenz	Distinguished House	When a battalion is deployed, damage dealt +2

You’ve got your debuff tank, how about your debuff sniper? This build is male-only primarily due to the Dark Knight and Dark Mage mastery abilities. Bow Knight is used for their increased range, allowing them to hang back and weaken enemies from a safe distance. Support your tank with this unit build, and just shred the enemy lines.

Lorenz can deal more damage, but considering the debuff focus, Ignatz is excellent for his personal ability to actually land the debuffs.

War Master – Crit (MALE ONLY)

SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT	CLASS INNATE	EFFECT
Critical Ring	Axefaire	Might +5 when an axe is equipped.
	Fistfaire	Might +5 when a gauntlet is equipped.
	Critical +20	Critical +20

REQUIREMENT	ABILITIES	EFFECT
Mastering Mercenary	Vantage	Always attack first when under 50% HP.
Mastering Wyvern Lord	Defiant Crit	Grants Crit +50 when HP is ≤ 25%.
Mastering Dark Bishop	Life Taker	Unit recovers HP equal to 50% of damage dealt after defeating a foe.
Fist Level A+	Brawling Prowess Lv5	Grants Hit +10, Avoid +20 and Critical Evade +10 when equipped with Brawl
Fist Level S	Brawl Crit +10	Grants Crit +10 when brawling.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERS	PERSONAL ABILITIES	EFFECT
Raphael	Goody Basket	At the start of a turn, unit has Luck% chance of regaining 10% of HP
Caspar	Born Fighter	Adjacent foes receive Avoid -10 during combat.
Felix	Lone Wolf	When a Battalion is not deployed or when battalion health is zero, damage dealt +5

Warmaster is another male-locked class. With how gauntlets can swing up to four times, this build can be extremely hilarious as you see everything critted to death. With how critical hits deal triple damage, combining this with Life Taker ensures your unit will never die in a direct fight.

Raphael can supplement Life Taker with his personal ability. Maybe get Felix to run in by himself and throw hands and watch every melee enemy fall.

With all these builds, it’s important to mention Byleth as well. Byleth can access skills from gender-locked classes, that you can purchase with Renown in New Game+. This makes them, as the main character unit, even more flexible with how you can mix and match anything you want within the five ability limit. Byleth will be the one you can count on to fill the gaps in your line-up, so go wild!