Classes

Class Ranks

• Advanced
• Beginner
• Intermediate
• Master
• Special
• Unique

Classes in Three Houses are broken into five ranks: Unique, Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Master. ⁠ These correspond roughly to the five stages of the game: ⁠ You will spend most of the earlygame in Beginner classes; most of the early midgame in Intermediate classes, most of the late midgame in Advanced classes, and will have a few units in Master classes by the lategame. ⁠ (In practice, you will probably move a little faster than this schedule with at least some of your units.) ⁠ {The D·L·C adds Special classes, which function effectively like Advanced ones.}[D·L·C only] ⁠

Class Certification

• Abyssian Exam Pass
• Advanced Seal
• Beginner Seal
• Dark Seal
• Intermediate Seal
• Master Seal

In order to equip a class, a unit must have obtained a corresponding class certification. ⁠ Units can freely change class at any time to any that they have attained a certification for. ⁠

Certification exams may be taken at Lv 5 for Beginner classes, at Lv 10 for Intermediate classes, at Lv 20 for Advanced and Special classes, and at Lv 30 for Master classes. ⁠ It is not possible to certify for Unique classes via exams. ⁠

Certification exams also require particular skill levels to pass—but a unit doesn¦t have to meet the skill levels exactly. ⁠ Rather, there is a penalty to a units chances of passing for each skill level they are short of the reccommendations. ⁠ This penalty varies depending on the class in question ⁠:⁠—

Counteracting the penalties, the pass rate increases by 0.5 for every point of Lck a unit has. ⁠ A pass rate of at least 30 is required to attempt an exam. ⁠

In addition to skill level requirements, certification exams also require seals. ⁠ These come in a few varieties: ⁠ Beginner classes require Beginner Seals, Intermediate classes require Intermediate Seals, Advanced classes require Advanced Seals, Special classes require Abyssan Exam Passes, and Master classes require Master Seals. ⁠ As an exception, the Intermediate class Dark Mage and the Advanced class Dark Bishop both require Dark Seals instead of the usual Intermediate Seal and Advanced Seal. ⁠

Dark Seals can only be obtained by defeating the Death Knight or by stealing them from him. ⁠ The latter technique is the easier, but it will still likely require investment into your fastest character (in the form of Speed +2 and Speed Carrots) to pull off. ⁠

Certain certification exams require that a unit has already obtained a certification in a different class: ⁠ Assassin and {Trickster}[D·L·C only] require a Thief certification, and Dark Bishop requires Dark Mage. ⁠ This means that two Dark Seals are required for every unit you wish to class into Dark Bishop, as the Dark Mage certification is nonskippable. ⁠

Access to higher‐level seals is initially limited: ⁠ You will obtain one the first time a unit reaches the requisite Lv to take the corresponding exam, and three will be available to purchase each month in the Item Shop. ⁠ You should always strive to purchase these seals. ⁠ Once a new variety of seal becomes available to purchase, the old ones become unlimited, and you no longer need to worry about stocking up on them in advance. ⁠

Whether or not a unit will pass a given exam is fixed at the beginning of the week. ⁠ You can reload the game if a unit fails an exam to avoid wasting seals, but there is no point retrying the same exam again after resetting because you will get the same result. ⁠

Class Proficiency

Most classes are proficient in one or more skills, meaning that they offer boosted Skill Exp for those skills in combat. ⁠ This is a flat bonus which is not modified by the Knowledge Gem or other factors. ⁠

Class Mastery

• Class Exp
• Class Mastery

As a unit takes actions while equipping a class, they will gain Class Exp for that class. ⁠ Class Exp is similar to, but not exactly the same as, Skill Exp. ⁠ Once enough Class Exp is gained, the unit achieves Class Mastery and learns a new ability, a combat art, or both. ⁠

The amount of Class Exp needed for Class Mastery varies by class ⁠:⁠—

Abilities learned thru Class Mastery must be equipped as personal skills to be used. ⁠ The same is true of combat arts learned by Beginner and Intermediate classes. ⁠ Combat arts from other classes cannot be equipped separately and are instead always available when the class is equipped. ⁠

Unit Types & Effective Damage

• Armoured
• Cavalry
• Dragon
• Flying
• Infantry
• Monster

Each class is associated with one or more of the following unit types ⁠:⁠— Infantry, Armoured, Cavalry, Flying, Dragon, Monster. ⁠ Only Infantry, Armoured, Cavalry, and Flying classes are available to the player. ⁠

Some weapons and combat arts deal effective damage to one or more unit types. ⁠ For weapons, effective damage gives the weapon ×3 Mt; for combat arts, it gives ×2 Mt. ⁠ (These do not stack, but the higher value takes precedence.) ⁠ This happens before any other modifications to Mt are taken into account, and it does not modify other contributions to Atk (such as Str). ⁠ Effective damage will thus provide more of a boost for a low‐Str unit with a high‐Mt physical weapon than it will for a high‐Str unit with a low‐Mt physical weapon. ⁠

Commoner & Noble

• Commoner
• Noble

All units have access to either Commoner or Noble upon recruitment. ⁠ The other cannot be obtained. ⁠

Class abilities

These classes do not provide any class abilities. ⁠

Skill proficiencies

These classes are not proficient in any skills. ⁠

Class Mastery

• H·P +5 (ability)

The Commoner and Noble classes are available for all units and provide an effectively blank slate with no stat modifiers to speak of. ⁠ Mastering them unlocks H·P +5, which can be useful in the earlygame but which is quickly outpaced by even Defence +2 (which makes up the difference after three hits). ⁠

Dancer

• Dancer

At most one student can certify in Dancer by winning the White Heron Cup in Chapter 9. ⁠

Class abilities

• Dance

Skill proficiencies

• +2
• +2

Class Mastery

• Special Dance (ability)

Dancer is one of the best classes in Three Houses, in part because Dance can be used to easily farm Exp. ⁠ Any unit with a Dancer certification also has access to the amazingly useful ability Sword Avo +20 and the powerful combat art Sword Dance; these together greatly boost the capabilities of any Sword unit. ⁠ And in situations where a Dancer is not the best unit for the job, they can Dance to give a better unit an extra turn at the problem. ⁠

{Dancer faces competition from War Monk and War Cleric, which provide Brawl Avo +20 upon class mastery and can also use magic while being much easier to obtain. ⁠ Consequently, it is recommended to save Dancer for some·one who can actually make especial use of its Sword focus.}[D·L·C only] ⁠

Enlightened One

• Enlightened One

Byleth automatically certifies in Enlightened One at the start of Chapter 11. ⁠

Class abilities

• Swordfaire
• Terrain Resistance

Skill proficiencies

• +3
• +2
• +3
• +3

Class Mastery

• Sacred Power (ability)

Enlightened One is essentially a slightly stronger version of Mortal Savant which is available much earlier. ⁠ Like the latter, its main draw is in its ability to wield magic despite otherwise emphasizing swords with Swordfaire, allowing it to pivot back and forth between a supportive role and an offensive one. ⁠

{For a Brawling Byleth, Enlightened One must compete with War Monk or War Cleric, which provide Fistfaire in place of Swordfaire while retaining most other characteristics.}[D·L·C only] ⁠

Armoured Lord

• Armoured Lord

Edelgard automatically certifies in Armoured Lord at the start of Chapter 13. ⁠

Class abilities

• Charm
• Axefaire

Skill proficiencies

• +3
• +3
• +3

Class Mastery

• Pomp & Circumstance (ability)

Armoured Lord is a modified version of Armoured Knight, offering slightly higher Def and Mv than the latter but slightly lower Spd. ⁠ It is worse than Fortress Knight, which Edelgard certainly can be made to access by the time Armoured Lord becomes available, making it a hard class to justify except when trying to learn Pomp & Circumstance via Class Mastery. ⁠

Emperor

• Emperor

Edelgard automatically certifies in Emperor at the start of Chapter 16. ⁠

Class abilities

• Charm
• Axefaire

Skill proficiencies

• +3
• +3
• +3

Class Mastery

• Flickering Flower (Axe combat art)

Emperor is a modified version of Fortress Knight, offering slightly lower Def in exchange for slightly more Mv and Spd. ⁠ However, the increase in Spd is not as significant as it may seem, as Emperor lacks Weight −5 as a class ability; for some weapons, it may actually be the slowest Armoured class. ⁠

Emperor also competes with Great Knight, which offers nearly the same stats but has increased Mv, Canto, and Lancefaire in addition to Axefaire. ⁠ Great Knight is simply the better option unless access to Emperor¦s unique combat art is desired. ⁠

The Class Mastery combat art of Emperor, Flickering Flower, is certainly a strong Axe combat art: ⁠ It substantially raises Mt and prevents enemy units from moving for a turn after they are hit. ⁠ In practice, tho, it is a bit niche—in that Edelgard already can hit quite hard with axes and preventing enemy movement is more easily achieved with gambits. ⁠

High Lord

• High Lord

Dimitri automatically certifies in High Lord at the start of Chapter 13. ⁠

Class abilities

• Charm
• Lancefaire

Skill proficiencies

• +3
• +3
• +3

Class Mastery

• Pomp & Circumstance (ability)

As an infantry class that emphasizes lances, High Lord is a bit unique; this quality would be more interesting if enemies with Horseslayers were common. ⁠ As it is, the main thing to commend High Lord is its Spd: ⁠ It offers more than any Intermediate class and as much as nimble Advanced classes like Wyvern Rider and Grappler. ⁠ This comes at the cost of Mv and Canto relative to the cavalry classes that Dimitri would otherwise be suited for. ⁠

Great Lord

• Great Lord

Dimitri automatically certifies in High Lord at the start of Chapter 16. ⁠

Class abilities

• Charm
• Lancefaire

Skill proficiencies

• +3
• +3
• +3

Class Mastery

• Paraselene (Lance combat art)

Great Lord is essentially a Lance variant of Swordmaster, offering high Spd and reasonable Str relative to other Lance‐oriented classes. ⁠

Great Lord competes with Wyvern Lord, which offers as much Spd, more Str and Def, Avo +10, and Canto at the cost of lacking Lancefaire. ⁠ For a Lance Dimitri, Great Lord will deal a little more damage but be less mobile and durable than Wyvern Lord. ⁠

Wyvern Master

• Wyvern Master

Claude automatically certifies in Wyvern Master at the start of Chapter 13. ⁠

Dismounting adds −1 Str, −1 Spd & −3 Mv to the above modifiers. ⁠

Class abilities

• Charm
• Bowfaire
• Canto

Skill proficiencies

• +3
• +3
• +3

Class Mastery

• Pomp & Circumstance (ability)

Wyvern Master, ironically considering its name, is essentially a slightly worse version of Wyvern Rider that makes up for the fact (in Claude¦s case) by offering Bowfaire in place of Axefaire. ⁠

Barbarossa

• Barbarossa

Claude automatically certifies in Barbarossa at the start of Chapter 17. ⁠

Dismounting adds −2 Spd & −2 Mv to the above modifiers. ⁠

Class abilities

• Charm
• Bowfaire
• Canto

Skill proficiencies

• +3
• +3
• +3

Class Mastery

• Wind God (Bow combat art)

Barbarossa is mostly equivalent to Wyvern Lord from a stat perspective; they differ in their Faire ability (Bowfaire instead of Axefaire) and in that the former has Charm in place of Avo +10. ⁠ Consequently, it is a class which is primarily useful for a Bow‐oriented Claude who can take advantage of its abilities and Class Mastery combat art. ⁠

Death Knight

• Death Knight

Jeritza has a Death Knight certification at the time of his recruitment. ⁠

Dismounting adds −1 Str, +2 Spd, −1 Def & −3 Mv to the above modifiers. ⁠

Class abilities

• Canto
• Lancefaire

Skill proficiencies

• +3
• +3
• +3

Class Mastery

• Counterattack (ability)

As a class, Death Knight is essentially a slightly stronger version of Paladin which can use some magic, al·be·it with one less Mv. ⁠ There is little reason not to use it as Jeritza¦s final class, at least insofar as he is using lances, and its Class Mastery ability, Counterattack, is profoundly useful. ⁠

Myrmidon

• Myrmidon

All units can certify in Myrmidon using a Beginner Seal at Lv 5 with Sword D. ⁠

Class abilities

This class does not provide any class abilities. ⁠

Skill proficiencies

• +1

Class Mastery

• Speed +2 (ability)
• Swap (combat art)

Offering boosted Sword Skill Exp, Myrmidon is the most niche of the Beginner classes. ⁠ This is because it is rare that one needs to overcome Sword weaknesses, and because the combat art that comes from Myrmidon Class Mastery, Swap, is simply not very useful. ⁠ However, it is essential that your fastest units master this class, as it offers Speed +2 as its Class Mastery ability. ⁠ This ability can be the deciding factor in your attempts to match the Spd of, and consequently steal from, the fastest units in the game. ⁠

Soldier

• Soldier

All units can certify in Soldier using a Beginner Seal at Lv 5 with Lance D. ⁠

Class abilities

This class does not provide any class abilities. ⁠

Skill proficiencies

• +1

Class Mastery

• Defence +2 (ability)
• Reposition (combat art)

As with Myrmidon, Lance Skill Exp tends to come easily and it may not seem like there is much advantage offered by this class. ⁠ How·ever, Reposition is probably the most useful of the Beginner‐class combat arts, and Defence +2 can greatly aid early unit survivability. ⁠

Fighter

• Fighter

All units can certify in Fighter using a Beginner Seal at Lv 5 with Axe D, Bow D, or Brawling D. ⁠

Class abilities

This class does not provide any class abilities. ⁠

Skill proficiencies

• +1
• +1
• +1

Class Mastery

• Strength +2 (ability)
• Shove (combat art)

Fighter is a class most useful because of its proficiencies: ⁠ There are many units who suffer an Axe weakness, and conversely Axe is a useful skill for most units. ⁠ Strength +2, learned from Class Mastery, isn¦t bad either, altho it will compete heavily with abilities acquired later and may not see much use by the lategame. ⁠ Fighter¦s repositioning combat art, Shove, is useful at times, altho it is less versatile than Reposition or Draw Back and Smite (obtainable much later in the game) is strictly better. ⁠

Monk

• Monk

All units can certify in Monk using a Beginner Seal at Lv 5 with Reason D or Faith D. ⁠

Class abilities

This class does not provide any class abilities. ⁠

Skill proficiencies

• +1
• +1

Class Mastery

• Magic +2 (ability)
• Draw Back (combat art)

The Monk class is the only Beginner class which can use magic and it will generally be equipped for that reason. ⁠ Class Mastery gives Magic +2. a welcome boost which, like Strength +2, nevertheless will face heavy competition in the lategame. ⁠ It also provides Draw Back, a combat art of similar utility to Reposition. ⁠

Lord

• Lord

Claude, Dimitri, and Edelgard can certify in Lord using an Intermediate Seal at Lv 10 with Sword D+ & Authority C. ⁠

Class abilities

• Charm

Skill proficiencies

• +2
• +1
• +2

Class Mastery

• Resistance +2 (ability)
• Subdue (Sword combat art)

The Lord class is available only to Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude, but its emphasis on swords suits none of them. ⁠ Class Mastery also offers little: ⁠ Resistance +2 is not practically useful, and Subdue, a Sword combat art that leaves an enemy unit with 1 H·P, sounds better on paper than it is in practice. ⁠ While this combat art can be used to prep bosses and monsters for another unit to kill and receive the Exp, this kind of Exp management is rarely necessary in a game with softball auxiliary battles available every week. ⁠

As a result, the only real benefits to this class are the fact that it provides fast Authority growth early in the game, and it offers Charm as a class ability to help with the damage output of weaker units. ⁠ These qualities make it an acceptable fallback class, but only if you have nothing better for your house leader to be doing. ⁠

Mercenary

• Mercenary

All units can certify in Mercenary using an Intermediate Seal at Lv 10 with Sword C. ⁠

Class abilities

This class does not provide any class abilities. ⁠

Skill proficiencies

• +2
• +1

Class Mastery

• Vantage (ability)

As Thief has the same certification requirements and is generally more useful, Mercenary is a niche class valuable only for its Class Mastery ability, Vantage. ⁠

Thief

• Thief

All units can certify in Thief using an Intermediate Seal at Lv 10 with Sword C. ⁠

Class abilities

• Steal
• Locktouch

Skill proficiencies

• +2
• +1

Class Mastery

• Steal (ability)

Thief offers the most Spd of the Intermediate classes and consequently is not a bad default class for fast units. ⁠ Both of its class abilities, Locktouch and Steal, are quite useful, and the latter can be learned upon Class Mastery. ⁠ Thief is also a prerequisite for certifying in Assassin {and Trickster}[D·L·C only], so units will need to certify in it to obtain those classes. ⁠

Armoured Knight

• Armoured Knight

All units can certify in Armoured Knight using an Intermediate Seal at Lv 10 with Axe C & Heavy Armour D. ⁠

Class abilities

This class does not provide any class abilities. ⁠

Skill proficiencies

• +1
• +2
• +2

Class Mastery

• Armoured Blow (ability)

Armoured Knight is probably the most useful of the Intermediate classes, both because it offers a huge boost to Def early in the game, when it is needed most, and because it aids in training the high‐value Axe and Heavy Armour skills. ⁠ However, its Class Mastery skill, Armoured Blow, is of only marginal utility as it only boosts survivability in the player phase, when healing is plentiful. ⁠

Cavalier

• Cavalier

All units can certify in Cavalier using an Intermediate Seal at Lv 10 with Lance C & Riding D. ⁠

Dismounting adds +2 Spd & −3 Mv to the above modifiers. ⁠

Class abilities

• Canto

Skill proficiencies

• +1
• +2
• +2

Class Mastery

• Desperation (ability)

Cavalier is commended by being the easiest way to train Riding and by offering early access to the advantages of mounted classes. ⁠ For male units, it provides the only access to Canto before Lv 20. ⁠ Class Mastery provides Desperation, a skill useful only to fast units as it has no effect if a unit cannnot make a follow·up attack. ⁠

Brigand

• Brigand

All units can certify in Brigand using an Intermediate Seal at Lv 10 with Axe C. ⁠

Class abilities

This class does not provide any class abilities. ⁠

Skill proficiencies

• +2
• +1

Class Mastery

• Death Blow (ability)

While the Skill Exp and combat utility of Armoured Knight generally surpass that of Brigand, the latter is made notable by its Class Mastery ability, Death Blow, which is beneficial to any physically‐oriented unit. ⁠

Archer

• Archer

All units can certify in Archer using an Intermediate Seal at Lv 10 with Bow C. ⁠

Class abilities

• Bowrange +1

Skill proficiencies

• +1
• +2

Class Mastery

• Hit +20 (ability)

Every unit can benefit from Hit +20, the Class Mastery ability of Archer. ⁠ Otherwise, the Skill Exp boost and Bowrange +1 ability offered by this class make it a good choice for units with bows. ⁠

Brawler

• Brawler

Male units can certify in Brawler using an Intermediate Seal at Lv 10 with Brawling C. ⁠

Class abilities

• Unarmed Combat

Skill proficiencies

• +1
• +2

Class Mastery

• Unarmed Combat

While Brawler is the only Intermediate class with a proficiency in Brawling, it is restricted to male units. ⁠ Fortunately, its Class Mastery ability, Unarmed Combat, is not especially useful, which cannot be said of the other gender‐locked classes in the game. ⁠

Mage

• Mage

All units can certify in Mage using an Intermediate Seal at Lv 10 with Reason C. ⁠

Class abilities

• Fire

Skill proficiencies

• +2
• +1

Class Mastery

• Fiendish Blow (ability)

Mastering Mage provides the very useful Fiendish Blow ability, making it an important class for virtually all magical attackers. ⁠ Its class ability, Fire, also helps in the earlier chapters by providing more Use of offensive magic at a time when spell lists are limited. ⁠

Dark Mage

• Dark Mage

Male units can certify in Dark Mage using a Dark Seal at Lv 10 with Reason C. ⁠

Class abilities

• Miasma Δ
• Heartseeker

Skill proficiencies

• +2
• +1

Class Mastery

• Poison Strike (ability)

Dark Mage is, perhaps counterintuitively, a class less useful for heavy‐hitting magical attackers and much more useful for ranged debuffers, particularly archers. ⁠ This is because its Class Mastery ability, Poison Strike, only activates for units who tend not to defeat their foes. ⁠ Unfortunately, Dark Mage is only available to male units and a Dark Seal is required for the certification exam. ⁠

Priest

• Priest

All units can certify in Priest using an Intermediate Seal at Lv 10 with Faith C. ⁠

Class abilities

• Heal
• White Magic Heal +5

Skill proficiencies

• +1
• +2

Class Mastery

• Miracle (ability)

Magical units should essentially never class into Priest, as its Class Mastery ability, Miracle, is tactically useless and the extra uses of Heal are less useful than those of Fire or Miasma Δ. ⁠ However, this class still has some utility for nonmagical units looking to eventually class into Bishop for the Stat Bonus or for Renewal, as it offers boosted Skill Exp in Faith and provides lots of opportunity for using white magic while avoiding any need for training Reason for units who will not make use of it longterm. ⁠

Pegasus Knight

• Pegasus Knight

Female units can certify in Pegasus Knight using an Intermediate Seal at Lv 10 with Lance C & Flying D. ⁠

Dismounting adds −2 Spd & −2 Mv to the above modifiers. ⁠

Class abilities

• Canto
• Avo +10

Skill proficiencies

• +1
• +2
• +2

Class Mastery

• Darting Blow (ability)
• Triangle Attack (combat art)

Offering the only means of training Flying in battle among the Intermediate classes, Pegasus Knight is a useful class that is unfortunately restricted to only female units. ⁠ As it offers Avo +10 as a class ability, it makes a good default choice for those aiming not to be hit. ⁠ Its Class Mastery ability, Darting Blow, also has some utility for fast units in ensuing they can reliably hit twice on the player phase. ⁠

Class Mastery in Pegasus Knight also unlocks Triangle Attack, a strong attack that can only be used when at least three flying units surround the same enemy. ⁠ If you are planning on deploying at least three flying units, this combat art can be useful against monsters and bosses. ⁠ It is best ignored otherwise. ⁠

Hero

• Hero

Male units can certify in Hero using an Advanced Seal at Lv 20 with Sword B & Axe C. ⁠

Class abilities

• Swordfaire
• Vantage

Skill proficiencies

• +3
• +2

Class Mastery

• Defiant Str (ability)

Hero is a very niche class which offers little at first glance; it has no unique combat arts and its class abilities, Swordfaire and Vantage, are easily obtained elsewhere—the former from equipping other Sword‐oriented classes; the latter from mastering Mercenary. ⁠ But Vantage does offer this class some utility: ⁠ For builds which rely upon Vantage, Wrath, and Defiant abilities, having access to Vantage as a class ability frees up a valuable ability slot. ⁠ Note that altho Swordfaire encourages sword usage, it really only makes up for their comparative lack of Mt and axes are not a significantly worse choice. ⁠

Hero is restricted to male units, meaning it is unfortunately disjoint with Defiant Avo, which can only be learned by female units. ⁠

Swordmaster

• Swordmaster

All units can certify in Swordmaster using an Advanced Seal at Lv 20 with Sword A. ⁠

Class abilities

• Swordfaire
• Sword Crit +10

Skill proficiencies

• +3

Class Mastery

• Astra (Sword combat art)

Swordmaster is a class targeted at fast, high‐Crit Rate sword‐users—especially female ones. ⁠ While Sword Crit +10 pales in comparison to the more versatile Crit +20 of male‐only War Master, Class Mastery of Swordmaster enables use of Astra, a combat art which hits five times—and, consequently, has a high probability of landing one if not two critical hits. ⁠ Swordmaster also offers very high Spd, which can help to prevent enemy follow·up attacks or ensure player ones. ⁠

Finally, for units who have good reason to be using swords, Swordmaster is simply the strongest option that still provides Swordfaire as a class ability. ⁠ If a unit lacks Sword combat arts, they may be better off with a different weapon specialty and a stronger class. ⁠

Assassin

• Assassin

All units with a certification in Thief can certify in Assassin using an Advanced Seal at Lv 20 with Sword B & Bow C. ⁠

Class abilities

• Swordfaire
• Locktouch
• Stealth

Skill proficiencies

• +3
• +2

Class Mastery

• Lethality (ability)
• Assassinate (Sword combat art)

Assassin is the fastest class in the game and offers Stealth as a class ability, working to paper over bad defensive capabilities by helping units avoid targets. ⁠ {As a Stealth class, it competes with Trickster; the latter allows for some magic at the cost of Swordfaire.}[D·L·C only] ⁠ Because Stealth only impacts the enemy phase, Assassin units still need to find ways to survive player‐phase battles, for example thru Blow abilities. ⁠

Neither the combat art (Assassinate) nor the ability (Lethality) learned from Assassin Class Mastery are particularly useful: ⁠ Assassinate offers increased Hit, which swords rarely need, and an unreliable 5% chance to instantly kill an enemy, while Lethality produces an instant kill at a rate of just 0.25% per point of Dex a unit has. ⁠ Even with the four hits that gauntlets provide during the player phase, high‐Dex units can only expect to activate Lethality (at most, near the end of the game) in one third of battles, which is typically not reliable enough to count on. ⁠ As such, there is little reason to equip Assassin except as a final class. ⁠

Fortress Knight

• Fortress Knight

All units can certify in Fortress Knight using an Advanced Seal at Lv 20 with Axe B & Heavy Armour B. ⁠

Class abilities

• Axefaire
• Weight −5

Skill proficiencies

• +2
• +3
• +3

Class Mastery

• Pavise (ability)

Fortress Knight offers easily the best Def in the game at the cost of significantly reduced Spd. ⁠ This reduction is less bad than it appears, how·ever, as Fortress Knight also offers Weight −5 as a class ability, meaning that units will make up nearly all of the drop in A·S provided they are using a weapon with enough Wt. ⁠ A Silver Axe takes full advantage of this ability for units with less than 30 Str; for Short Axes or Hauteclere, the number is 40. ⁠ If a unit is going to be equipping such weapons anyway, Fortress Knight enables them to cash in the A·S cost for significant durability. ⁠

Class Mastery in Fortress Knight provides Pavise, an ability which can slightly boost the survivability of high‐Dex characters. ⁠

Paladin

• Paladin

All units can certify in Paladin using an Advanced Seal at Lv 20 with Lance B & Riding C. ⁠

Dismounting adds +2 Spd & −2 Mv to the above modifiers. ⁠

Class abilities

• Canto
• Lancefaire
• Terrain Resistance

Skill proficiencies

• +2
• +3
• +3

Class Mastery

• Aegis (ability)

Offering high Mv, Terrain Resistance, and Lancefaire, Paladin can be seen as either a steppingstone on the way to Great Knight or as a final class in its own right. ⁠ Between the two, Paladin offers slightly higher Str, Spd, and Res at the cost of significantly lower Def. ⁠

For female units, Paladin also competes with Falcon Knight, which is generally a better choice for units with high Spd. ⁠ As male units cannot certify in Falcon Knight, Paladin is the next best thing. ⁠

Class Mastery in Paladin provides Aegis, a somewhat‐useful defensive ability which can help to shore up defenses against ranged attacks. ⁠

Wyvern Rider

• Wyvern Rider

All units can certify in Paladin using an Advanced Seal at Lv 20 with Axe B & Flying C. ⁠

Dismounting adds −1 Str, −2 Spd & −2 Mv to the above modifiers. ⁠

Class abilities

• Axefaire
• Canto

Skill proficiencies

• +2
• +3
• +3

Class Mastery

• Seal Defence (ability)

As a final class, Wyvern Rider offers nothing over the corresponding Master class, Wyvern Lord. ⁠ How·ever, Class Mastery in Wyvern Rider provides the ability Seal Defence, which is immensely useful for any ranged debuffer. ⁠ Wyvern Rider also offers the first opportunity for male units to train Flying in battle, which may matter for builds targeting Alert Stance+ as otherwise it is very difficult to achieve by the end of the game. ⁠

Warrior

• Warrior

All units can certify in Paladin using an Advanced Seal at Lv 20 with Axe A. ⁠

Class abilities

• Axefaire
• Axe Crit +10

Skill proficiencies

• +3

Class Mastery

• Wrath (ability)

For male units, Warrior is a mere steppingstone to the better class of War Master, but for female units, the latter class is not available. ⁠ In that case, Warrior trades the agility of Swordmaster for the higher damage output of axes. ⁠ Because axes tend to hit fewer times, this class depends on a very high Crit Rate to be worthwhile, for example thanks to its Class Mastery ability, Wrath. ⁠ With a fast enough female unit and Defiant Avo, one can mitigate the lack of defences this class offers and lean into its raw power. ⁠

Sniper

• Sniper

All units can certify in Sniper using an Advanced Seal at Lv 20 with Bow A. ⁠

Class abilities

• Bowfaire
• Bowrange +1

Skill proficiencies

• +3

Class Mastery

• Hunters Volley (Bow combat art)

As a final class for bow‐users, Sniper competes with Bow Knight: ⁠ The latter offers more Mv, Canto, and Bowrange +2, while the former offers Hunters Volley as a Class Mastery combat art. ⁠ This trade·off is better than it might sound, as Hunters Volley is immensely useful while Bowrange +2 is difficult to take advantage of with·out severe penalties to Hit Rate. ⁠

Grappler

• Grappler

Male units can certify in Grappler using an Advanced Seal at Lv 20 with Brawling A. ⁠

Class abilities

• Fistfaire
• Unarmed Combat

Skill proficiencies

• +3

Class Mastery

• Tomebreaker (ability)
• Fierce Iron Fist (Brawling combat art)

The main advantage Grappler offers over the similarly male‐only class War Master is its Class Mastery combat art, Fierce Iron Fist. ⁠ This combat art strikes three times rather than the usual two, and offers +10 Crit which amounts to about an additional one‐quarter chance for at least one critical hit amongst the three. ⁠ For slower units equipping gauntlets, this can be a significant damage boost. ⁠

{Grappler also faces competition from the classes of War Monk and War Cleric, which instead offer a ranged combat art that deals magical damage.}[D·L·C only] ⁠

Altho Grappler and War Master offer the same Mv, Grappler units ignore movement penalties in Forest, Thicket, Stronghold, Floor Trap, and Fiery Floor terrain. ⁠ This gives Grappler significantly more movement potential on many maps. ⁠

Regardless of final class, it is worth considering mastering Grappler for any male Brawling unit, as it provides the Tomebreaker ability. ⁠ As gauntlet‐users often lack Res, this can significantly boost survivability against mages. ⁠

Warlock

• Warlock

All units can certify in Warlock using an Advanced Seal at Lv 20 with Reason A. ⁠

Class abilities

• Black Tomefaire
• Black Magic Uses ×2

Skill proficiencies

• +3
• +2

Class Mastery

• Bowbreaker (ability)

The major utility of Warlock is the fact that it has access to both Black Tomefaire and Black Magic Uses ×2. ⁠ For units who aren¦t typically short on Use, or for units who use dark rather than black magic, it is a strictly worse class than Dark Knight, but it has some utility among users of Meteor and Bolting. ⁠ With the exception of Hanneman, all of these units are female and may be better served as Gremories if the loss of Black Tomefaire is tolerable. ⁠

Class Mastery of Warlock offers the Bowbreaker skill, which can aid ranged magical attackers in avoiding counter·attacks. ⁠

Dark Bishop

• Dark Bishop

Male units with a Dark Mage certification can certify in Warlock using a Dark Seal at Lv 20 with Reason A. ⁠

Class abilities

• Miasma Δ
• Heartseeker
• Fiendish Blow

Skill proficiencies

• +3
• +2

Class Mastery

• Lifetaker (ability)

Dark Bishop operates in a strange niche of close‐range magic user, as its class ability Heartseeker only affects adjacent enemies. ⁠ Its Miasma Δ ability fails to synergize with the black magic abilities most units learn from training Reason, and as a gender‐locked class it is inaccessible to female units. ⁠ While it offers Fiendish Blow as a class ability, which could free up an ability slot, it lacks any Faire abilities. ⁠ In fairness, Dark Tomefaire would have been beneficial only to Hubert. ⁠

The best use of Dark Bishop is as a unit who uses magical attacks, but not spells, as the increased Mag of the class helps to compensate for the loss of the Faire abilities from physically‐oriented classes matching their preferred weapon type. ⁠ As Mortal Savant already is designed around magical swords, Dark Bishop is really designed around magical axes: either Bolt Axes proper or other axes with the Lightning Axe combat art. ⁠ Sylvain is the only male unit with access to the latter, and Dark Bishop is a fine choice of class for him, despite his Black Magic Avo +20 not activating for Miasma Δ. ⁠ For maximum damage, Heartseeker can offset the Hit reduction of the powerful combat art Diamond Axe, learned by Seteth {and Balthus}[D·L·C only]. ⁠

As Warlock¦s class abilities offer no utility to Hubert, Dark Bishop is a much better Advanced class for him, even tho in this case it is merely a steppingstone on the way to Dark Knight. ⁠

While it doesn¦t translate into more offensive firepower due to the lack of Faire, Dark Bishop does earn its name by offering higher Mag than any other class available to male units. ⁠ This directly translates to more Rng to spells like Physic and Warp in comparison to Bishop. ⁠ This is rarely gamechanging, but may be a nice perk if one has extra Dark Seals lying around. ⁠

The Class Mastery ability of Dark Bishop, Lifetaker, is of limited utility as it activates only during the player phase when other methods of healing are usually available. ⁠

Bishop

• Bishop

All units can certify in Bishop using an Advanced Seal at Lv 20 with Faith A. ⁠

Class abilities

• White Magic Heal +10
• White Magic Uses ×2
• Terrain Resistance

Skill proficiencies

• +2
• +3

Class Mastery

• Renewal (ability)

For female units, Bishop is mostly just a steppingstone on the way to Gremory: ⁠ While Bishop offers White Magic Heal +10 and Terrain Resistance, these are of marginal utility in comparison to Gremory¦s Black Magic Uses ×2 and Dark Magic Uses ×2. ⁠ How·ever, as male units have no access to Gremory, Bishop provides their only access to White Magic Uses ×2. ⁠ This makes it a somewhat niche but useful class for male units who make heavy use of Nosferatu or Warp. ⁠

Class Mastery in Bishop provides Renewal, a useful ability which boosts the survivability of high‐Max H·P units. ⁠ And White Magic Heal +10 can help even low‐Mag units to contribute while they grind for Class Mastery of this class. ⁠

Trickster

• Trickster

All units with a certification in Thief can certify in Trickster using an Abyssan Exam Pass at Lv 20 with Sword B & Faith B. ⁠

Class abilities

• Locktouch
• Stealth
• Lucky Seven

Skill proficiencies

• +3
• +1
• +2

Class Mastery

• Duelists Blow (ability)
• Foul Play (combat art)

Trickster is a phenomenally‐useful class just for offering a magical option with access to Stealth. ⁠ Many magical units in Three Houses lack both Spd and Def, so providing them with a means of avoiding targets goes a long way towards keeping them alive. ⁠ This has a cost in Use, how·ever, as Trickster (like Mortal Savant) halves the Max Use of spells. ⁠

The Class Mastery ability of Trickster, Duelists Blow, is an excellent ability for units who depend on Stealth for survivability, as it provides +20 Avo during the player phase, presumably the only time these units are seeing battle. ⁠ This of course synergizes well with the other Blow abilities. ⁠ The Class Mastery combat art, Foul Play, is a very useful repositioning art and can be used to both advance and rescue. ⁠

War Monk & War Cleric

• War Cleric
• War Monk

Male units can certify in War Monk using an Abyssan Exam Pass at Lv 20 with Brawl B+ & Faith C+. ⁠ Female units can certify in War Cleric using an Abyssan Exam Pass at Lv 20 with the same requirements. ⁠

Class abilities

• Fistfaire
• Unarmed Combat
• Heal

Skill proficiencies

• +1
• +3
• +1

Class Mastery

• Brawl Avo +20 (ability)
• Pneuma Gale (Brawling combat art)

War Monk and War Cleric essentially provide the benefits of Dancer (Dance excepted) with·out being locked to a single unit and emphasizing Brawling rather than Sword. ⁠ Their biggest draw is their Class Mastery ability, Brawl Avo +20, which makes a number of high‐Avo builds possible. ⁠ They also are the only way for female units to access Fistfaire, and so may be desired as a final class for female Brawling units even when access to magic is not a priority. ⁠ The Class Mastery ability, Pneuma Gale, offers one of the few ranged Brawling options in the game. ⁠

Dark Flier

• Dark Flier

Female units can certify in Dark Flier using an Abyssan Exam Pass at Lv 20 with Reason B+ & Flying C. ⁠

Dismounting adds −2 Spd & −2 Mv to the above modifiers. ⁠

Class abilities

• Canto
• Black Tomefaire
• Transmute

Skill proficiencies

• +2
• +3
• +3

Class Mastery

• Transmute (ability)

Dark Flier is notable for inverting the relationship between Flying classes and Bow units: ⁠ Because it can make use of Bowbreaker, a high‐Avo Dark Flier can fly over obstacles and engage enemy bows and ballistae with·out significant fear of counterattack. ⁠ Thanks to Transmute, Dark Flier is also the best magical class for baiting other mages, altho it will probably still deal less damage to them than physical attackers. ⁠

The mobility of Dark Flier pairs well with Rescue, and this class seems built for Flayn in particular. ⁠ As it is somewhat lacking in defensive capabilities on its own, it is also a good fit for mages with high Def, such as Edelgard, or with abilities such as White Magic Avo +20. ⁠ Note that despite its name, Dark Flier only offees Black Tomefaire as a class ability, not Dark Tomefaire, meaning it offers less for the likes of Hapi and Lysithea. ⁠

Valkyrie

• Valkyrie

Female units can certify in Valkyrie using an Abyssan Exam Pass at Lv 20 with Reason B & Riding B. ⁠

Dismounting adds +2 Spd, −1 Res & −2 Mv to the above modifiers. ⁠

Class abilities

• Canto
• Black Magic Range +1
• Dark Magic Range +1

Skill proficiencies

• +3
• +1
• +3

Class Mastery

• Uncanny Blow (ability)

Despite being a mounted class, the Mv of Valkyrie is no better than that of Mortal Savant. ⁠ This is because the class instead offers Black Magic Range +1 and Dark Magic Range +1 as class abilities, allowing units to maintain their distance and hit from farther away. ⁠ This makes it a very desirable class for ranged magical debuffers as well as any mage who suffers from poor defensive capability. ⁠

Mastering Valkyrie provides Uncanny Blow, a phenomenal ability for player‐phase attackers. ⁠ This ability is essential for female archers who want to attack at range as well as any female unit who suffers from low Hit Rate on their gambits. ⁠ Unfortunately, as Valkyrir is gender‐locked, male units have to make do with·out. ⁠

Falcon Knight

• Falcon Knight

Female units can certify in Falcon Knight using a Master Seal at Lv 30 with Sword C, Lance A & Flying B+. ⁠

Dismounting adds −1 Str, −2 Spd & −2 Mv to the above modifiers. ⁠

Class abilities

• Canto
• Lancefaire
• Avo +10

Skill proficiencies

• +3
• +3
• +3

Class Mastery

• Defiant Avo (ability)

Falcon Knight is simply a better version of Pegasus Knight, offering high Spd, Res, and Mv. ⁠ Thanks to Avo +10, it is a good choice for female Lance units who want a high‐Avo build. ⁠

Wyvern Lord

• Wyvern Lord

All units can certify in Wyvern Lord using a Master Seal at Lv 30 with Lance C, Axe A & Flying A. ⁠

Dismounting adds −2 Str, −2 Spd & −2 Mv to the above modifiers. ⁠

Class abilities

• Canto
• Axefaire
• Avo +10

Skill proficiencies

• +3
• +3
• +3

Class Mastery

• Defiant Crit (ability)

Wyvern Lord is a better version of Wyvern Rider; it offers very high Str and Def and consequently, its weakness to bows notwithstanding, is one of the better classes for the front lines. ⁠

Mortal Savant

• Mortal Savant

All units can certify in Wyvern Lord using a Master Seal at Lv 30 with Sword A & Reason B+. ⁠

Class abilities

• Swordfaire
• Black Tomefaire

Skill proficiencies

• +3
• +3

Class Mastery

• Warding Blow (ability)

Mortal Savant is the only Master class which offers Swordfaire and is the most durable, al·be·it slowest, of the Sword classes. ⁠ It has a few other quirks: ⁠ It offers Black Tomefaire (but not Dark Tomefaire) and can use some magic; despite this, it can also make use of gauntlets if needed. ⁠

Despite the trappings of the class, most units will equip abilities emphasizing either swords or magic, and not both. ⁠ Furthermore, as a magical class, Mortal Savant offers little over its competition—it is strictly worse than Dark Knight. ⁠ How·ever, Mortal Savant does have some utility as a sword‐based class that can also heal—ignoring that certification requires Reason and not Faith. ⁠ It also does provide sword‐users with a powerful ranged option, al·be·it one which may not take advantage of their abilities, and nevertheless boosts Mag for those using Levin Swords for range. ⁠

Great Knight

• Great Knight

All units can certify in Great Knight using a Master Seal at Lv 30 with Axe B+, Heavy Armour A & Riding B+. ⁠

Dismounting adds +2 Spd, −2 Def & −3 Mv to the above modifiers. ⁠

Class abilities

• Canto
• Lancefaire
• Axefaire

Skill proficiencies

• +3
• +3
• +3

Class Mastery

• Defiant Def (ability)

Great Knight is effectively a slightly less extreme version of Fortress Knight: ⁠ It has a little more Spd, a little less Def, and more Mv. ⁠ It also offers Lancefaire in addition to Axefaire, making it the better choice for lance‐weilding tanks. ⁠

The major drawback to Great Knight is its A·S: ⁠ It lacks Weight −5 from Fortress Knight and is much slower than Paladin. ⁠ For units whose Spd is already middling, this may not practically matter. ⁠

Bow Knight

• Bow Knight

All units can certify in Bow Knight using a Master Seal at Lv 30 with Lance C, Bow A & Riding A. ⁠

Dismounting adds +2 Spd & −2 Mv to the above modifiers. ⁠

Class abilities

• Canto
• Bowfaire
• Bowrange +2

Skill proficiencies

• +3
• +3
• +3

Class Mastery

• Defiant Spd (ability)

The major advantage offered by Bow Knight is its Bowrange +2; while attractive, this ability is a bit difficult to make use of considering the inaccuracy of bows at range. ⁠ Otherwise, Bow Knight is simply a slightly better Sniper, trading the latters Class Mastery combat art for improved stats and access to Canto. ⁠

An interesting quirk of Bow Knights is that they may actually be better off of their horse: ⁠ Dismounting offers +2 Spd at the cost of Canto. ⁠ For fast archers, this is an option worth considering if it enables them to make a follow·up attack. ⁠

Dark Knight

• Dark Knight

All units can certify in Dark Knight using a Master Seal at Lv 30 with Lance C, Reason B+ & Riding A. ⁠

Dismounting adds +2 Spd, −1 Def & −1 Mv to the above modifiers. ⁠

Class abilities

• Canto
• Black Tomefaire
• Dark Tomefaire

Skill proficiencies

• +3
• +3
• +3

Class Mastery

• Seal Resistance (ability)

For users of dark magic, Dark Knight is simply the strongest class, as it is the only one which offers Dark Tomefaire. ⁠ For black magic users, Warlock is slightly stronger at the cost of less Mv and Black Magic Uses ×2 in place of Canto. ⁠ Generally, when Max Use is not a concern, Dark Knight is the best choice of final class for mages. ⁠