Is Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes a sequel?

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is the second installment of the Fire Emblem Warriors game, which itself is a spin-off title of the mainline Fire Emblem games. The Warriors spin-offs are hack-and-slash action RPGs that focus on different Fire Emblem characters taking down large groups of enemies on the screen. Three Hopes focuses on the characters from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, offering a different perspective of the story through the eyes of a brand-new character. The game is a follow-up to Three Houses, but it's not necessarily a sequel.

Is Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes a sequel to Three Houses?

Three Hopes is part of an alternate timeline where Byleth didn't join Garreg Mach Monastery. Instead, a new character, called Shez, is introduced and takes Byleth's role. Shez also serves as a rival to Byleth, and their presence greatly changes the outcome of certain key events that were present in the original Three Houses timeline.

One key difference is that the major events of the war take place sooner. In Three Houses, Byleth falls into a five-year coma and wakes up to a world deep into a war. In Three Hopes, Shez does not go into a coma, and the major events of the story happen two years after the events in Garreg Mach Monastery.

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That makes Three Hopes more of an alternate telling of Three Houses rather than a true sequel. It could be argued that it is more of a midquel, since it technically takes place during a time in-between Three Houses. Three Hopes also covers story aspects from Three Houses that weren't expanded on, like the characters' many different family members. But since the order of events is so different between Three Hopes and Three Houses, it isn't a real continuation of the story. Ultimately, Three Hopes is not a sequel to Three Houses.

Is Three Hopes a sequel to the first Fire Emblem Warriors?

Even though it is the second installment in the Fire Emblem Warriors game, Three Hopes has nothing to do with the original Warriors story. The original Fire Emblem Warriors game featured an original narrative that starred Fire Emblem characters from various titles throughout the franchise's history. Three Hopes takes place directly in the world of Fodlan and centers around the characters from Three Houses.

There is no direct connection to the first Warriors game, and it doesn't continue any of the stories beats from that first game. So in a story sense, Three Hopes is not a true sequel to the first Fire Emblem Warriors game. But Three Hopes is a further refinement of the gameplay that was showcased in the first Warriors game.

For more on all things Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, including Is there permadeath in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, keep reading Pro Game Guides.