The original Fire Emblem Warriors was criticized by fans for a lack of character and class variety. The playable characters, which included original characters alongside those returning from Fire Emblem: Awakening, Fire Emblem: Fates, and Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, featured over a dozen sword users and very few axe wielders, archers, or mages. In particular, several fans were disappointed that the Dancer class, a staple in the Fire Emblem series, was not accurately represented. However, a recent trailer indicates that Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes might feature a new take on the Dancer.

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What Are Dancers in Fire Emblem?

First introduced in Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem and appearing in almost every game since, the Dancer is a unique class that allows the unit to perform a dance, thus refreshing another ally and letting that ally take another action. Typically, each game features between one and three Dancers, with special rules in place to prevent players from deploying more than one Dancer at once. Some Dancers can attack and use weapons or magic, while others are strictly limited to refreshing others. Variants on the class have included the Bard and Songstress, who sing instead of dancing, and the Heron laguz, a rare race of beings who can transform into birds with restorative powers.

The 2019 main series title Fire Emblem: Three Houses altered the formula by allowing any student character to become a Dancer. Near the end of the in-game year, players must choose one character to compete in the White Heron Cup event; should they win, they are granted access to the powerful Dancer class. Nobody other than the White Heron winner can become a Dancer, but players may choose a different competitor each time they play. Every selectable character has a unique outfit and color scheme for the Dancer class. This was the first main series Fire Emblem game to introduce male units in the Dancer class, as previously males had all been classified as Bards or Herons.

The Dancer Class In Fire Emblem Warriors

Fire Emblem Warriors, the first musou-style spinoff of the Fire Emblem series, featured no Dancers in its initial lineup. Fans speculated that this was due to the difficulty of implementing the classic’s unique ‘refresh’ mechanic in a game that did not utilize turn-based combat. However, two characters were added as part of later downloadable content pack: Olivia from Fire Emblem: Awakening and Azura from Fire Emblem: Fates. Olivia was classed as a Dancer, moved quickly across the battlefield, and fought using swords, while Azura, a Songstress, wielded a lance and incorporated water magic into her attacks.

Rather than giving allies another turn, Olivia’s dance and Azura’s song instead restored allies’ Warrior and Awakening gauges, allowing them to boost their stats and perform unique powerful attacks. Azura’s gauge-refreshing attack even included her singing a snippet of ‘Lost in Thoughts All Alone,’ her signature song from Fire Emblem: Fates. While the characters were generally positively received, fans were disappointed that they were locked to DLC. Olivia also received criticism for being yet another sword user and Azura for her song animations taking up so much time in otherwise fast-paced battles.

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Dorothea May Be Three Hopes’ Dancer

There is currently no official confirmation as to how the Dancer class will be implemented in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, as so many characters could become Dancers in Three Houses. However, one likely choice for the Dancer representative is Dorothea Arnault, a former member of the Mittelfrank Opera Company and member of the Black Eagles house. Dorothea was a popular choice for a Dancer in Three Houses because of her performance background, strong magical abilities, and extremely high Charm stat.

A recent trailer showcasing the Black Eagles further hints that Dorothea might be Three Hopes’ Dancer, as she was shown delivering magical attacks that caused musical notes to appear on-screen while she sings a high note. However, she was not shown refreshing allies, meaning that the appearance of the musical notes could simply be linked to her background as a singer and not indicate any refresh ability. As no other character has shown signs of being a Dancer, though, Dorothea currently remains fans’ best guess for the class’s representative.

As it is likely that additional trailers featuring the Golden Deer house and members of the Church of Seiros will be released before the game’s debut, it is definitely possible that more information about the Dancer class and its appearance in Three Hopes will come to light.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes will release on June 24, 2022 for the Nintendo Switch

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