Shez is the new protagonist of the Fire Emblem: Three Houses universe, making their debut in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. Their looks and personality make quite the contrast to FE Three Houses' main character, Byleth. Much like Byleth, however, Shez plays an important part in helping one of the three house leaders (Edelgard, Dimitri, or Claude) in achieving their goals.

Since Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes gameplay mechanics mirror that of Three Houses', Shez is capable of learning every Class except for gender-specific Classes such as Pegasus Knight (female Shez only) and Brawler (male Shez only). Fortunately, Shez is as versatile as Byleth in Three Houses, so there are many ways to build Shez into a powerful unit.

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Breakdown of Shez's Stats and Classes

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At the start of Three Hopes, Shez has all-around stats, with their highest being a 13 in Speed. Once Shez can start changing Classes in chapter 4, the stats' growth can be influenced by stat-increasing items or Shez's assigned Class. For example, a Gremory will have better Magic and Res growth than an Assassin, which excels in Speed and Dexterity. Fortunately, Shez's initial stats make it easy for them to fill the role of whatever they're assigned.

It is highly recommended to prioritize Shez's Strength, Speed, and Dexterity. Start by having them master the Fluegel Class and the other Myrmidon Classes.

  • Fluegel will have better stats in Speed, Luck, and Charm. Mastering this Class will unlock various Abilities such as Dual Wielder's Ploy and True Awakening.
  • The Thief and Assassin Classes will increase their Speed, Dexterity, and Luck Stats while giving them useful Class Abilities such as Sword Prowess and Shadowblade.
  • If players choose to prioritize the Mercenary and Swordmaster Classes, Shez's Strength and Speed stats will have better growth. Swordmaster has the Apex Sword and Boost Critical Abilities that will help Shez tremendously in combat.

Other recommended Classes are the Monk Class Branch, particularly Mage-Warlock-Gremory/Dark Bishop Classes. Magic Classes will help Shez's Magic, Speed, and Res grow.

  • Keep in mind that the Gremory Class is locked to female Shez while the Dark Bishop and Dark Mage are for male Shez. To get all these Abilities, players will need to select the other version of Shez on a NG+.
  • Mastering the Reason Classes of the Monk Class Branch will unlock Shez's magic arts, such as Banshee and Luna.

These are other/optional Classes that can help with Stat Growths but usually have Class-restricted Abilities:

  • If players want to build on Shez's Strength and Speed, they can master the Brawler-Grappler-War Master branch (male Shez only).
  • Dexterity, Speed, and Res earn better growths through the Pegasus and Falcon Knight (female Shez) Classes.
  • There's also the Cavalier line, with the Cavalier's Master Classes excelling in Res and Dexterity. Mastering the Dark Knight Class will unlock Shez's Innate Ability: Range Master.
  • Other Classes with high Movement and great Speed and Strength build are the Wyvern Rider and Wyvern Lord Classes, which are part of the Fighter Class Branch.
  • Finally, there are the Archer and Armored Knight Classes that will help Shez's Dexterity and Defense Growth, respectively.

In part 2, Shez will unlock Asura, a unique Class that only they can use. In short, this is the stronger version of the Fluegel Class. Asura's best stats are Strength, Magic, Luck, Speed, and Charm. Mastering this Class unlocks The Creation, an exclusive Ability for Shez. They will also learn Swift Slice and Dark Spikes T for Combat Arts.

There's also the Dancer Class, which is a unique Class anyone can learn as long as they have mastered the Advanced Classes of the Myrmidon Line (i.e.: Assassin and Swordmaster). Furthermore, it's easy to miss if players aren't checking survey spots on the War Map in each chapter. Dancer builds on Speed, Dexterity, and Charm, but Shez will want to get the Sword Dance Combat Art, which is unlocked at 1-star.

Ultimately, it's up to players which Class they'll want for Shez in the latter part of Three Hopes. Shez's Best Classes (indicated by the two blue arrows on the Change Class menu) are Fluegel, Swordmaster, and Asura. However, mastering other Classes will make Shez a better unit.

Swordmaster or Trickster Class must be mastered in order to learn Shez's Asura Class with a Master Seal. Since Asura allows Shez to use magic, it's recommended to build up Shez's Magic stat.

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Shez's Best Abilities & Combat Arts

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Just like their Classes, Shez's Abilities can be adjusted however the FEW:3H players see fit. If they want Shez to be more of a physical fighter, then they can neglect Abilities that build on Shez's Magic and Res. If they want Shez to withstand hard-hitting attacks, then they should prioritize their Defense stat through the Armored Classes Line.

Despite their flexibility, Shez works better as a fast attacker, with Strength and Speed serving as their best stats and Magic and Dexterity as their secondary stats. This will allow Shez to be a balanced fighter in both physical and magic arts. High Speed will make Shez's Combat Arts recharge quicker while also extending the duration of Awakening. Dexterity increases the chance of Critical Hits landing, which can help Shez mow down enemy hordes. Magic is recommended simply for Shez's magic arts as an Asura.

If players have been consistent with the Tactics Facility at the Camp, they can unlock up to 10 Ability Slots per unit. Here are some recommended Combat Arts and Abilities for Shez (stats not included):

Combat Arts

Charge Time

How to Unlock

Description

Dark Spikes T

Large++

Reach 1-star/Rank of the Asura Class
  • Dark Spikes T is effective against mounted units (i.e.: Cavalier, Holy Knight, Dark Knight).
  • It also inflicts Dark Magic, which will Spellbind the opponent. Spellbind reduces enemy movement and lowers their Defense and Resistance. Enemies will still receive damage even if they block.

Sword Dance

Medium++

Reach 1-star/Rank of the Dancer Class

Sword Dance attacks in a straight line and prevents enemies from guarding.

Swift Slice

Large++

Reach 2-stars/Rank 2 of the Asura Class

This does damage in front of Shez and is effective against all enemies regardless of their Class.

Windsweep

Medium++

Reach 1-star/Rank 2 of the Fluegel Class.
  • Creates a cyclone while inflicting the Windtorn status.
  • Windtorn deals more damage to airborne units (ex: Pegasus Knights, Wyvern Riders)
  • Windsweep can be replaced with a better Combat Art, but it's good to have in the beginning to combat Pegasus Knights.

Ability

How to Unlock

Description

True Awakening

Master the Fluegel Class

Extends the duration of Awakening.

Dual Wielder's Ploy

Rank 2 of the Fluegel Class

Increases the attack range of Asura and Fluegel.

Renewed Carnage

Rank 3 of the Asura Class

Gradually fills the Warrior Gauge(s).

The Creation

Master the Asura Class

Prevents knockback if one (or more) bar(s) of the Warrior Gauge is filled.

Boost Critical

Rank 1 of the Swordmaster Class

Increases critical hit rate.

Apex Sword

Master the Swordmaster Class

Critical hit damage is increased when Shez is equipped with a sword.

Range Master

Master the Dark Knight Class (Innate Ability)

Increases Shez's attack range.

Quick Riposte

Master War Master Class (male Shez only. Ability can be carried onto female Shez in NG+)

Enemies will take damage equal to the amount they inflict if Shez's HP is at 50% or lower.

Tableturner

Rank 2 of the Pegasus Knight Class (female Shez only)

Extends the period of critical attack time after a Perfect Dodge.

Cyclical Specails

Rank 2 of the Dark Knight Class.

Temporarily increases the Warrior Gauge after using a Warrior Special.

Some Abilities and Combat Arts will not be available depending on Shez's Class. A lance-wielding unit can't equip Abilities such as Apex Sword or the Swift Slice Combat Art.

Furthermore, some Challenging Quests on the War Map may prohibit Shez from using Warrior Specials. Make sure Shez has plenty Abilities to fall back on just in case.

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Battalions and Equipment

Battalions can be equipped and adjusted to Shez's current Class. If Shez is equipped with a Class that's weak to swords, then they should assign themselves a Battalion that reduces damage from enemies equipped with swords. Depending on the Type and Rank of the Battalion, the reduced damage can be as low as 40% or as high as 50-60%. Enhancing the Battalion Facility will allow players to purchase stronger/sturdier battalions.

Just like everything else, Shez's best weapon will vary depending on their Class. However, a recommended sword is the A-Rank Mercurius. This has the Speed Fact lv3 and Dexterity Fact lv3 abilities with it. These will factor in Shez's Strength and Magic proportional to their Speed and Dexterity, respectively. Since Shez doesn't have a Crest, they won't be able to use the full potential of Heroes' Relics. However, they can get the Dark Creator Sword in NG+ by spending Renown. This sword's unique ability is Twin-Crest's Darkness, which causes attacks to hit twice. Visit the Blacksmith to Forge and Reforge weapons to increase their Might and Durability.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is available now on Nintendo Switch.

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