Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes continues a proud Fire Emblem tradition by giving each and every character a unique individual skill. This allows each character to truly feel distinct in battle, despite sharing a small number of classes. While personal skills were present in Fire Emblem Fates and Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Three Hopes, which features a 1-vs-100 musou-style combat system, significantly expands on the option by creating new personal skills that allow characters to perform powerful elemental attacks, control the battlefield with distinct effects, or enhance their stats and abilities if certain conditions are met.
While personal skills are mostly locked to their original unit, there is one very special item that allows protagonist Shez to learn one of their allies’ personal skills: the Merc Whistle. The Merc’s Whistle is an item that can be given as a gift to an ally once per playthrough. This lets you expand Shez’s battlefield capabilities by taking on the strengths of one of your playable characters.
How to Get the Merc Whistle
The Merc Whistle (short for Mercenary’s Whistle, referencing Shez’s backstory as a mercenary before joining up with either Edelgard, Dimitri, or Claude) is automatically given to the player near the end of Chapter 10 of any route of the main story. It is obtained in the same manner on all routes – Scarlet Blaze, Azure Gleam, and Golden Wildfire – and can be used only once per playthrough.
How to Use the Merc Whistle
Shez can give the Merc Whistle to any playable character that they have reached a support rank of “A” with. If the character of your choice does not yet have enough support points with Shez, you can increase them by performing activities together in the base camp between battles. Training with a character, doing chores with them, cooking with them, taking them on Expeditions, and giving them their favorite gifts will all increase support points. Support points can also increase if characters are deployed together in battle, especially if one serves as the other’s Adjutant or if they perform powerful combo attacks together.
The character who receives the Merc Whistle will respond by giving Shez a gift of their own. This gift varies depending on the character, but its function is always the same: it will allow any character with the gift equipped as an accessory to utilize that character’s special ability in battle. Gifting the Merc’s Whistle the first time also unlocks an Achievement called “A Very Special Friend.” Note that the Merc Whistle does not carry over between playthroughs,
Who Should Get the Merc Whistle?
You can give the Merc Whistle to absolutely any character you want, as all of their unique abilities are quite useful in battle. However, if you are looking for a couple of ideas, here are some characters whose special abilities synchronize particularly well with other characters, particularly protagonist Shez.
- Edelgard, Dimitri, or Claude – Scarlet Blaze, Azure Gleam, Golden Wildfire respectively – Each of the three lords has a personal skill that imbues their attacks with elemental power, doing extra damage with practically every hit. Edelgard’s element is fire, Dimitri’s is lightning, and Claude’s is wind.
- Ferdinand – Scarlet Blaze – Ferdinand’s “Maximum Ambulation” ability increases his speed when he reaches 300 hits and above on the battlefield. For example, it pairs perfectly with Shez’s dual-wielding style that allows them to reach high hit counts more rapidly than many other characters.
- Felix – Azure Gleam – Similar to Ferdinand, Felix’s “Intense Velocity” helps a unit get even faster than they already can. In this case, speed is increased whenever the character dodges an attack, making them even harder to hit.
- Mercedes – Azure Gleam – Mercedes possesses “Radiant Love,” which allows her to gradually charge up her ability gauge and regain HP over time in battle. Once the ability is fully charged up, she can release a combination attack that damages enemies and heals allies. This ability lets any character serve as a backup healer in a pinch.
- Lorenz – Golden Wildfire – The flamboyant Lorenz’s ability, “Rondo of Roses,” is as flashy as he is. Attacks charge the Unique Ability Gauge, and the player can draw in enemies closer to them. This can make some characters’ special attacks even more devastating.
- Ignatz – Golden Wildfire – Ignatz, a talented artist, spreads paint across the battlefield with his ability “Dreamer’s Paintbrush.” The paint remains on the field, and any enemy that steps in it is dealt elemental damage. This skill provides unique battlefield control that any unit can benefit from.
- Balthus – All Routes – Players who find themselves feeling constantly short on money should definitely borrow Balthus of the Ashen Wolves’ skill, “Golden Fists.” This allows characters to earn gold in battle by knocking enemies down. You can then use this gold to purchase weapons, gifts, cooking ingredients, and more.
- Byleth – All Routes – Possibly the most unique ability in the game, Byleth’s “Divine Pulse” draws on their connection to the goddess Sothis to briefly stop time, and then attack enemies for huge amounts of damage while they are temporarily frozen. This is a great way to take out tricky enemy commanders and other powerful opponents.
Who is your favorite unit to give the Merc Whistle to in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes? Are there any names you feel should be added to this list? Comment below and let us know!
