TL;DR
- Recruit most students by meeting specific skill and support rank requirements
- House leaders and their retainers are permanently locked to their respective houses
- Gender affects recruitment difficulty for certain characters like Sylvain
- Use monastery interactions and skill training to efficiently recruit students
- Plan recruitment early to manage time and resource allocation effectively
Choosing your house in Fire Emblem: Three Houses represents one of the most impactful decisions you’ll make, shaping your entire gameplay experience. The Black Eagles, Blue Lions, and Golden Deer each offer distinct narrative paths and character dynamics that significantly alter how the story unfolds. Each house features unique student personalities and specialized combat capabilities that influence your strategic options throughout the campaign.
Fortunately, the game’s flexible recruitment system allows you to build your ideal roster by persuading students from other houses to join yours. With dedicated effort, you can assemble a powerhouse class that combines the best talents from all three factions. The only exceptions are the house leaders—Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude—along with their dedicated retainers who remain loyal to their original affiliations regardless of your persuasion attempts.
Successfully recruiting students requires meeting two key criteria: achieving specific skill level thresholds and building adequate support relationships through social interactions. This dual-requirement system means you’ll need to balance combat training with relationship-building activities at the monastery.
Here is a comprehensive breakdown of what each student seeks in a professor:
- Dorethea: Charisma and Authority
- Bernadetta: Strength, Bow
- Ferdinand: Dex, Hvy Armor
- Raphael: Str, Heavy Armor
- Ignatz: Dex, Authority
Understanding these requirements early helps you plan your skill development trajectory. For instance, focusing on Authority early benefits multiple recruitment targets, making it an efficient investment. Meanwhile, specialized skills like Heavy Armor require more targeted training but unlock unique character combinations.
Based on extensive player testing, recruitment thresholds vary significantly between characters. Skill requirements typically range from E to D+ ranks, while support levels needed span from C to B rank. These variations mean some students join your class relatively easily, while others demand substantial investment in specific skill trees.
Gender plays a crucial role in recruitment difficulty for specific characters. Sylvain, for example, will join a female protagonist’s class automatically regardless of skill levels, representing a significant time-saving advantage. This gender-based mechanic underscores the importance of considering protagonist gender when planning your recruitment strategy.
The actual recruitment process occurs during monastery exploration on free days. When you meet a character’s requirements, approach them directly to extend the invitation. Occasionally, sufficiently impressed students may proactively seek you out during weekly activities to request joining your class.
Pro Tip: Prioritize characters who require skills you’re already planning to develop for your main units. This synergistic approach minimizes wasted training time and maximizes your roster’s combat effectiveness. For comprehensive character development strategies, check out our Class Guide that covers optimal skill progression paths.
Common recruitment mistakes include spreading skill training too thin and neglecting support building activities. Focus on 3-4 key recruits per playthrough rather than attempting to recruit everyone, which spreads your resources too thin. Remember that each recruitment attempt consumes valuable time that could be spent strengthening your existing students.
Action Checklist
- Identify 3-4 priority recruits based on your house choice and combat needs
- Check character-specific skill and support requirements in the roster menu
- Plan skill training sessions that align with both your main units and recruitment targets
- Build support ranks through gifts, shared meals, and choir practice
- Monitor recruitment progress monthly and adjust strategy based on remaining time
No reproduction without permission:SeeYouSoon Game Club » Fire Emblem: Three Houses Tips – How To Recruit Every Student And Teacher For Your Class Master Fire Emblem: Three Houses recruitment with proven strategies and character-specific requirements
