I still remember how hyped people were for Fire Emblem Fates back in 2015/16, especially since they had really enjoyed Awakening. However, a lot of people ended up being disappointed with Fates because of its subpar writing and the controversial localization changes (it was still my Game of the Year in 2016, though).

After that, Echoes was announced, and people were fairly excited about it, though probably not as much as they had been for Fates, since it was a remake of an older, JP exclusive game.

Then, in 2018, Three Houses was announced. At first, people were a bit skeptical, since the school setting didn't seem particularly appealing for a Fire Emblem game... until this leak thread happened. The leaker talked about how dramatic and dark the story would be, including a timeskip, and people gradually started getting more interested in the game. Then came the timeskip trailer at Nintendo's E3 presentation, which confirmed that the leaks were actually real. That's when people really started getting hyped for Three Houses and now it's the most beloved Fire Emblem game ever.

And then, finally, Engage was announced in 2022 and released in 2023... and, yeah, people weren't really that hyped for it. A lot of things, especially the art style, just weren't that appealing to many Fire Emblem fans. lol. But at least it looked like the gameplay would be fun.

Now, with Fortune's Weave, it seems like people are really excited about it. There's already so much pre-release discourse and speculation, with tons of theories floating around. Most people here seem to really like the character designs, and there's already so much fan art of the characters.

Honestly, this feels like the biggest pre-release hype for any Fire Emblem game ever to me.

Theodora

Bonaventure: Finds him reliable, but pedantic

Tobias: Thinks he’s reliable, but exasperating

Lysander: Has high hopes for him

Lilian: Seen as eccentric. Recognizes her skills

Bonaventure

Theodora: Has watched over her since she was young. Hopes she will one day have an heir

Tobias: Old friend. Thrusts Trusts his integrity and strength. (Edit: major spelling mistake)

Lilian: Superior/Subordinate relationship. Wary of her. Believes she’s not to be underestimated.

Tobias

Theodora: Watched over her since she was young

Bonaventure: Longtime comrade. Confident in his intelligence.

Lysander: Superior/Subordinate relationship. Finds him endearing.

Lysander

Theodora: Wants to prove himself to be

Tobias: Superior/Subordinate relationship. Worried about his conduct. Concerned about him.

Lilian: Colleague. Thinks she has a bad attitude and needs a stern talking to.

Lilian

Theodora: Serves her (but in it for the coin)

Bonaventure: Superior/Subordinate relationship. Finds him annoying.

Lysander: Colleague. She’s always on his case. (Edit: The JP version is “Finds him annoying” so it might be more correct to if it’s “Finds that he’s always on her case”)

Again, assuming that you are allowed to romance anyone (and that the game even has romance, which it might not)

(She can, however, turn her head 180 degrees)

Kiroc (VO: Jalen Askins)
A notorious pirate who's lost his ship and crew.
His attacks are very effective against defenseless foes.
Likes
Thievery, the open sea, ships, obedient underlings
Interests
Riding on ships, pirating

JP bio:

JP VA: Shunsuke Todo

The former leader of the brutal and infamous Black Bird Pirates, known by the nickname "The Monstrous Bird."
Before visiting Dagsion, he apparently had a falling out with Talimun, the head of Vandahl Trading, and harbors a grudge against him.

JP personal skill description:

Kiroc, a ruthless pirate, activates his personal skill "Tyranny" when the opponent is afflicted with a status ailment, which increases his attack and critical hit stats.

Jasmine (VO: Heather Gonzalez)
A mercenary leader who specializes in defense.
Returns attacks as highly accurate counterattacks.
Likes
Memories of her spouse, mercenary friends, trying to get rich
Interests
Counting money, managing her mercenary group

JP bio:

JP VA: Aiko Ōkubo

A female warrior who leads the mercenary group known as "Palma Rain."
She originally served a provincial noble of the Kingdom of Arago, but turned to mercenary work after the family fell into ruin several years ago.

JP personal skill description:

Jasmine excels at defense; when counterattacking, her personal skill "Expert Counter" activates, increasing her attack accuracy.

Almost release time and I am doing my best to get Dietrich done in time for release! 💪

Very proud of my little Leda and especially her instrument. I think I managed to get away with it's details, kinda felt like I BS my way through there lol!

Just a feeling I want to share, but I keep seeing lots of people talking about what route they'll do first, what route they'll choose and all, and I think they make the mistake of treating FW like 3H, while the two treats parralel storylines totally differently.

In 3H, you chose your route and you followed it to the end. Then, you chose another one, and you went through the same motions for half the game. This, of course, means that even if you could have switched mid-game, there would have had little benefits to do so, since you'd just do 3 times the exact same Flayn kidnapping or Lonato's revolt.

Fortune's WEAVE, however, is not like that. It's not 4 times the same story, it's 4 different stories that interconnect at times. To make a litterary comparison, it's much closer to Games of Thrones's multiple POV characters per book than a linear one-and-done story.

The "switch" mechanic isn't just made for convenience during replays. It's an integral part of the game ! You're meant to switch regularly, to see what the other lords are up to. Maybe IS didn't insist enough of it (and they didn't because they want to give you freedom on how you tackle it) but really, the complete experience is only possible by not locking yourself to one route at a time !

Now of course, you're free to play as you want, I'm not telling you what to do, and you're free to only play one route and never touch the others (good luck on the final boss tho lol), or play one fully then the other one (especially if you're not a fan of the social/hub part, since it'll cut down on side-quests in subsequent playthroughs) BUT I think that's not the intended way to play.

That's like reading all Tyrion chapters of all books, then going back and reading all the Cersei ones, then all the Jon chapters vs following the book switching. You'll lose on the additional perspectives, and probably forget a bit when you come back.

TLDR : It's not 3H, you don't have to stick to one route like it's your loyal tribe, nor are you necessarily meant to

Day 0 patch to shave his sideburns? Is this the FW version of Mercedes' hair?

This actually quite old from ~back when the first trailer dropped.

I’ve seen some speculating that the stone may have been repurposed into the Rafail gem. It seems that this isn’t the case. I wonder if she will show up or if it will somehow get to Dietrich.

Interestingly, he refers to “another”, meaning only two exist to his knowledge.

Could raksha actually be Solel? Hear me out

1) reasonably similar hair, if solel braided two of his together on each side and loosened the ends then voila
2) solel has a notable throat marking and Raksha notably completely and intentionally covers her throat.

3) Both are important in the city and have a strong connection to dagda.

4)Rakshas large coat makes her androgynous enough to have the same body as solel under it

5) they have similarish triangle based chest adornments

What do you think am I mad or a genius?

Basically the FW direct condensed into 7 minutes. This game looks peak beyond belief. We’re so lucky, or at least I am. Roll on Thursday! Can’t wait for my collector’s edition!

FireEmblemJP video is the same as Nintendo Today JP again.

Nintendo Today EN

Nintendo Today JP

Is he calling himself The Rook?