What can you do as a free member?

Member benefits illustration

Create your free account today and unlock all our premium features and tools to enhance your gaming experience.

Member benefits illustration

Create your free account today and save articles to your watchlist and get notified when they're updated with new information.

Member benefits illustration

Create your free account today and save your favorite games for quick access later, synced across all your devices.

Member benefits illustration

By creating a Game8 account and logging in, you'll receive instant notifications when someone replies to your posts.

Comment rating feature illustration

By creating a Game8 account and logging in, you can make use of convenient features in the comments section, such as rating and sorting comments.

Premium archive feature illustration

By creating a Game8 account and logging in, you can access Premium articles that are exclusively available to members.

Site Interface

Guest
Free Member
Article Watchlist
Game Bookmarks
Cross-device Sync
Light/Dark Theme Toggle
User Profiles
Direct Feedback
Comment Rating

Game Tools

Guest
Free Member
Interactive Map Access
Interactive Map Pins
Interactive Map Comments
Interactive Map Pins Cross-Device
Check List
Event Choice Checker
Deck Builder Cross-Device
Message Board Notification
Message Board Cross-Device
Build Planner
Stat Calculator
Diagnostic Tool
Weapon/Armor Wishlist

Want more information?Learn more

Fire Emblem: Three Houses (FE3H)

Difficulty Levels and Differences

Add to Watchlist

This is a guide to the difficulty modes in Fire Emblem Three Houses (FE3H). Learn about the game's normal, hard, or maddening difficulties, the difference between Classic and Casual modes, and our recommended difficulty settings by reading below!

List of Difficulty Levels

There are three difficulty levels in the game. These are Normal, Hard, and Maddening.

Normal Mode

Normal Mode.jpg
Normal mode is the base difficulty that FE3H has to offer. This mode is recommended for first-timers to the fire emblem series.

Hard Mode

Hard Mode.jpg
Hard mode gives a slightly more difficult experience than normal mode. There are slightly more enemies and their levels are higher than in Normal mode.

This mode is recommended for veterans of Fire Emblem games that are trying the game out for the first time, or for those who have beaten Normal mode and want a harder challenge.

Maddening

Maddening Mode.jpg
Maddening is the series' hardest difficult. Enemies are several folds stronger than on Hard mode, and are abundant in quantity. Experience earned is also lessened so there is no power leveling for your units.

Enemy reinforcements that appear also act the turn they arrive in combat . This setting is best for players that have beaten the game on Hard Mode already. The true challenge is beating it without relying on New Game Plus benefits.

List of Modes

There are also 2 modes that greatly affect the way you need to play the game. These are known as Casual Mode and Classic mode.

Casual Mode

Casual.jpg
Casual Mode is a game mode where perma-death is disabled. This means that your units that fall on the battlefield only retreat. They can participate in future battles and survive until the end of the game.

If the thought of losing units for good is too stressful for you, feel free to turn it off and just enjoy each battle one at a time.

Classic Mode

classic.jpg
Classic Mode enables the perma-death feature, a feature present in the series' older titles. Units you control that have their HP depleted will permanently die, and become unusable in maps afterward.

Luckily, this game introduces the Divine Pulse mechanic, which allows you to redo turns a certain number of times per battle. This means you do not have to restart the map if one of your units meets a tragic fate.

What Happens to Dead Units?

Which Difficulty Settings Should You Choose?

Casual and Normal for New Players

Claude.jpg
This is the best difficulty setting to choose if you are completely new to the franchise. You only need to focuus on how to clear the battle and how to grow your units. If you value story above challenge, this is a good way to enjoy the rich story of FE3H.

Classic and Hard for Fans

Edelgard.jpg
Classic Hard mode is the best difficulty setting for long time fans of the series. It provides enough challenge and the risk of permadeath forcess you think carefully about every move you make. Although you do have Divine Pulse to save you a few times per battle.

Classic and Maddening for Hardcore Vets

2020052518021200-0DC6ECE91CF3F6F02BAFC002E3FFBAAD.jpg
Playing Classic Maddening or even just the Maddening game mode alone is the game's toughest difficulty. The Maddening mode is only for those who truly seek a challenge and understand how the ins and outs of the game work.

Maddening Tips and Guide

Fire Emblem Three Houses Related Links

Beginner Guides

Beginner Guides.png
Stats and Game Mechanics
What Does Luck Do? What Does Dexterity Do?
What Does Weight Do? What Does Charm Do?
What Does Authority Do? What Does Speed Do?
The Attack Speed Formula How To Learn and Equip Abilities
Character Guides
Recruitment Guide Lecture Guide | How to Instruct
Classes That Can Use Magic List of Unique Classes
Best Classes for Each Character What Happens When Someone Dies?
How to Change Outfits -
Battle Guides
How to Beat Demonic Beasts How to Beat the Death Knight
Gambit Guide Training Weapons or Iron Weapons?
How Do Linked Attacks Work? How to Use Divine Pulse
How to Use Auto Battle List of Terrains
How to Open Doors and Chests -
Building your Army
Best Characters to Recruit What Are Adjutants?
How to Repair Weapons Are Rusted Weapons Worth Forging?
Where to Get Umbral Steel What is Renown?
Where to Get Advanced Seals -
Maddening Guides
Maddening Tips and Guide Best Characters for Maddening
FAQS
What Carries Over To New Game Plus? How Long Does It Take To Beat FE3H?
Difficulty Levels and Differences Is There a Weapon Triangle?
Which House Should You Pick? -

Author

    All rights reserved

    Guide Index