It’s no secret that Fire Emblem: Three Houses has a timeskip midway through the game. But what it affects isn’t immediately clear — and neither is when exactly it occurs. In our Fire Emblem Three Houses Timeskip Guide, we’ll give you all the relevant info on gameplay without any plot spoilers.
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When Does the Timeskip Happen in Fire Emblem Three Houses?
The timeskip in Fire Emblem: Three Houses occurs on 3/31. You might have noticed that many paralogues have a deadline of 2/22 — this should be your first clue that something serious is going to happen. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t get much more specific that than. Remember back in Fire Emblem: Awakening when a lot of players ended up married to Chrom because of that game’s sudden timeskip? It’s a little like that. Thankfully there aren’t any surprise nuptials this time around.
So what should you try to do before then? Well, finish those character-specific paralogues for rewards and to learn more about your students, firstly. Second, recruit every student you’re interested in. This is more for narrative than mechanical reasons. You don’t really need any one unit to finish the game, but if you want a chance at getting an S rank support with someone, or just want to have them around, you’ll have to recruit them before the timeskip.
What Changes After the Timeskip in Fire Emblem Three Houses?
Most obviously, everyone ages five years. All your students will get new art, and some will change classes. After the timeskip, you’ll also have the ability to get S-rank (romance) supports. Weirdly though, it seems like support conversations will pick up where you left off. My A-rank conversation with Annette post-timeskip had her referencing a chat we’d had about overwork earlier in the game with her typical bubbly demeanor. In the context of the Fire Emblem: Three Houses world after the timeskip, it was a little out of place — so be prepared for some tonal whiplash.
Students you didn’t recruit before the timeskip will mostly not show up in the monastery. Even some you already had might not appear at first. But all is not lost — you can recruit some students at this point by defeating them when they show up in battles. Specifically, each House is able to recruit one student post-timeskip. If you recruited them before the timeskip, you’ll have to get them again. They are: Lysithea for the Black Eagles, Lorenz for the Blue Lions, and Ashe for the Golden Deer.
Some of your options at the monastery will change post-timeskip, too. The Faculty Training option used to raise Byleth’s stats will be replaced by “Advanced Drills.” At this point, any unit can train Byleth, with the skills they have available being dependent on both their and Byleth’s stats.
That’s about it for our Fire Emblem: Three Houses Timeskip Guide. We’ll add more details as we get further through the game. In the meantime, be sure to check out the rest of our Fire Emblem: Three Houses coverage for guides and more.
