Fire Emblem: Three Houses Update Live, Adds Harder Difficulty And More DLC

Nintendo has released a new update for Switch's acclaimed tactical RPG, Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Following the recent Switch firmware update, which resolved an issue that prevented certain players from booting up the title, this patch introduces a more challenging difficulty mode, along with the game's second wave of Expansion Pass content.

First, the update adds the new Maddening difficultly setting for players looking for even more of a challenge. If you're able to clear Maddening mode without beginning a New Game+, Nintendo teases that the game's title screen will change. Additionally, Nintendo has increased the bonus Renown for starting New Game+ and implemented protagonist Byleth's new male English voiceovers, following abuse allegations that surfaced regarding the previous voice actor.

The update also brings a new assortment of content for Expansion Pass holders. First, you'll find the following handful of helpful supplies waiting for you in Byleth's personal quarters:

• Sacred Galewind Shoes (Movement +1)
• Sacred Floral Robe (HP +7)
• Sacred Snowmelt Drop (Strength +3)
• Sacred Moonstone (Speed +3)

Expansion Pass holders also have access to new "loungewear" outfits for Byleth and other characters, as well as glasses for Byleth. Rounding out the Expansion Pass content is a handful of new auxiliary battles, which may give you special rewards such as status-up items and more Gold. Finally, the update fixes an assortment of bugs and other issues in the game. You can check out the full patch notes, taken from Nintendo's support website, below.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses launched on Switch this past July and has been a big commercial success, recording the highest first-month sales in the series' history in the US. The game was also received very warmly by critics. GameSpot awarded it a 9/10 in our Fire Emblem: Three Houses review and wrote, "Fire Emblem: Three Houses asks a lot of you. Every piece, from battle to friendships to training your units, must be managed both individually and as part of a whole. It can be intimidating, but when it all clicks together, it really clicks."

Fire Emblem: Three Houses Patch Notes

• New and Updated Features
  • Added Maddening mode to the New Game difficulty options. Note that if you clear Maddening mode without selecting New Game +, the title screen will change.
  • Increased the bonus Renown for selecting New Game + at the start of the game.
    • In addition to the usual difficulty bonus, 10,000 Pts. will now be added each time you clear a path.
    • The max threshold for bonus Renown is now 50,000 Pts.
    • If you already started playing using New Game + before applying the DLC data, 10,000 Pts. per cleared path will be added to each save slot the first time it is loaded.
    • Up to Ver.1.0.1, only the type of path cleared was saved but not the number of clears for the same path, which will now be saved applying the DLC Ver.1.0.2.
  • Added Goddess Tower to the Event Gallery in Extras. Use the ZL/ZR Buttons to select the Goddess Tower page, then choose a character event to replay.
    • The Event Gallery is unlocked once you’ve cleared the game.
  • Implemented new English voice for Byleth (male).
  • New Expansion Pass Content:
    • A new set of items
      • You can receive this set of items as DLC Supplies from the bed in Byleth’s Personal Quarters. Each save file can receive these supplies: Sacred Galewind Shoes (Movement +1), Sacred Floral Robe (HP +7), Sacred Snowmelt Drop (Strength +3), Sacred Moonstone (Speed +3).
    • Additional auxiliary battles
      • There are five additional auxiliary battles in the Expansion Pass: Battle at Lake Teutates, Battle in the Forest, Battle at Gronder Field, Battle at the Sealed Forest, and Battle at Conand Tower.
      • Depending on your progress, one of them will be listed in the battle-selection screen.
      • These additional auxiliary battles will be marked with the yellow “!” icon in the battle-selection screen. As a bonus, these battles may give you status-up items, such as Ailell Pomegranate, and an increased Gold reward in addition to the Bullions.
      • All maps will consume one activity point to start.
    • A new song (Corridor of the Tempest)
      • You can access the new song (Corridor of the Tempest) from the System menu while you are in an auxiliary battle. You can also listen to it in the Music Library.
    • New attire/accessory (House Loungewear / Glasses for Byleth)
      • The new attire (House Loungewear) is for the protagonist and students. Swap outfits in Byleth’s Personal Quarters from the Journal. These outfits are only wearable inside the monastery, or for specific unit classes during battle (this varies by character).
      • The new attire cannot be sent along with a traveler.
      • The new accessory (Glasses) can also be put on in Byleth’s Personal Quarters. They can be combined with any other attire. The glasses can be worn in the monastery and during battle.
    • A confirmation message is now displayed when you abandon an item during battle.
• General
  • Fixed the bug that caused the game to freeze when Fortify was used while equipped with a certain skill.
  • Addressed the incorrect character design in event still images.
  • Fixed the bug that incorrectly displayed a Caspar line as Linhardt’s during the White Heron Cup.
  • Fixed the bug that displayed a “TBD” message when mastering combat.
  • Fixed the bug in the cut-in sequence for a CRITICAL attack.
  • Fixed the bug that prevented Rescue magic from working properly to move an ally to a space near the user.
  • Fixed the bug that accidentally let the player enter the closed-off desk corridor in the Cardinals' Room.
  • Some text has been revised.
  • The gameplay has been improved by addressing a few additional bugs.