Fire Emblem Three Houses: Cindered Shadows

Fire Emblem Three Houses is a tactical role-playing game part of the Fire Emblem Saga. The game was developed by Intelligent systems and has seen a lot of hype since its release. The game’s intricate plot and the mesmerizing world keep you yearning for more, something to play after completing the storyline. And that is where DLCs come in, which is what Cindered Shadows is. This Fire Emblem Three Houses Cindered Shadows guide will let you know everything you need about this DLC.

Here is a comparison table between the characters in Fire Emblem Three Houses:

No.	Character	Ability	Health Points	Strength	Magic	Defense	Luck	Dexterity
1	Constance	Circadian Beat	23	8	15	3	4	7
2	Hapi	Monstrous Appeal	27	7	12	4	4	9
3	Balthus	King of Grappling	29	12	6	8	3	5
4	Yuri	Honorable Spirit	25	11	7	6	8	8

Furthermore, This DLC is the last massive update that the game gets, allowing you to dive deeper into the game’s story. The past updates have been pretty small scales and haven’t introduced anything too noteworthy.

However, that is not the case with This Fire Emblem Three Houses Cindered Shadows, which gives you numerous avenues to explore. This DLC enables you to interact with new characters, recruit them, and complete exciting missions with them.

Hence, as there is a lot to unpack from this DLC, let’s just jump right in.

Starting Fire Emblem Three Houses Cindered Shadows DLC

To invigorate yourself into this DLC, you will first need to know how to access it. There is only one way for you to get your hands on this DLC: buying it. Once you have purchased the DLC, the following steps are pretty simple.

You only need to click on the side story in the main menu. Don’t worry; this will not affect whatever your main story is on. After all, The Cindered Shadows is an entirely different storyline.

As mentioned, this won’t affect your main story in any way, including saving the game. Saving your progress is a huge factor as it allows you to take breaks between playthroughs. However, one cannot take a break if they are scared that they might mess up saving the game.

Therefore, this DLC gives you separate save slots, so you don’t need to worry about overwriting your save file and relax easily.

The DLC follows a different storyline and allows you to interact with different characters. IF you haven’t played the main story before, it is recommended you do so. This will enable you to enjoy this DLC more as you will be more involved in the game’s world. However, it is okay if you haven’t, as they do not impact each other.

Fire Emblem Three Houses Cindered Shadows Features

New Characters

This side story introduces you to a new faction residing in an underground city called the Abyss. We don’t know of them in the main story, so to learn about this faction in the side story is a huge thing. The cover-up for their absence in the main story is due to their habit of keeping hush.

They don’t interact much and keep to themselves. However, the circumstances shift, and they are forced to make a decision. Due to an ever-growing number of attacks, the members of this faction keep getting more concerned. Such worry keeps them on edge and forces them to seek help from other characters.

Upon another attack, their hands are tied, and for the safety of the people, they reach out to Professor Byleth and even the Heads of the prominent Three Houses.

This story unfolds after these interactions and gives you glimpses into Byleth’s life. It allows you to explore Byleth’s path and familiarize yourself with the new members of the Ashen Wolves.

Now the Ashen Wolves members are great, and we will talk about them, but the DLC stays true to its roots. It doesn’t just forget characters from the main story and keep bringing them back to dose you with nostalgia.

Characters like Ashe and Hilda make appearances that allow players to relate more. These are the same characters that ask you questions in Lectures, for which you can check out our guide.

But for now, let us talk about the Ashen Wolves members. The Cindered Shadows DLC allows us to interact and get to know four Ashen Wolves members, so let’s see what each has to offer.

Constance

Constance is a member of the Ashen Wolves that exhibits her sword mastery skills to deal with enemies effectively. Her ability to use fire magic as well makes her a formidable character. Moreover, she has her own persona, which is reliant on whether she is in the Sun. Her mood can severely be affected because of it. After completing Chapter two of the cindered shadows, you can recruit her.

Hapi

Hapi showcases talent in her magical prowess. She can cast several magical spells to decimate her opponents. Even with a casual sigh, she can summon monsters to take care of her opponents. She can be a considerable arsenal for your roaster, so you must recruit her. She can be recruited once you complete chapter five of Cindered Shadows.

Yuri

She is a swords master for the Ashen Wolves and outputs a lot of damage to take care of her enemies. You can unlock her after chapter six.

Balthus

Last but not least, we have Balthus, an absolute unit for the Ashen Wolves. His physical strength and equipment allow him to deal with hordes of enemies singlehandedly.

He is someone who is an absolute must to have. Moreover, his character is also likable due to his persona as a genuine guy with a big heart. To unlock him, you must complete chapter four of the Cindered Shadows.

These are all the Ashen Wolves members that you can recruit and interact with. The flaw with these characters is that their backstory isn’t fully revealed, and we are just given general information.

Those who bond with these characters can check out Fire Emblem Three Hopes as they make an appearance in that part. You can check out our guide to learn more about Fire Emblem Three Hopes Characters.

Fire Emblem Three Houses Cindered Shadows Storyline

This DLC is different from the main story in terms of its difficulty. Even though it is only said to be 8-10 hours, the game’s hard difficulty can take much longer to complete. If you find the main story lacking, this is the perfect fit for you. The game allows you to take part in many challenges and fight off against different potent monsters that get your adrenaline flowing.

Additionally, the game keeps on ramping up the stakes. Even if you think you have won a fight, be careful as they could be something lurking in the shadows.

Although the difficulty is hard, it Is worth it because of the rewards you get from completing the challenges. So, wake up the adrenaline junkie inside you, and take the mission by the horns.

Moreover, the game introduces new classes to help you in these perils. Upon completing chapter one of Cindered Shadows, you will unlock new classes – War Monk, Trickster, Valkyrie, and Dark Filter. Even though you have opened these classes doesn’t mean you can use them. There are still some prerequisites.

Prerequisites for the New Classes

What is the point of having new classes if you can’t use them? Well, worry not, as we have got you covered on that front. It is relatively easy to fulfill the requirements as long as you follow these instructions

Firstly, you need to be level 20. Leveling up is very straightforward to do. Just keep on progressing through the story and gaining XP. You will be able to reach that in no time.

Secondly, you need the correct certification for the class you want and the Abyssian Exam Pass. You can get the Abyssian exam pass through various methods.

The most optimal approach would be to recruit all four of the Ashen Wolves. The members of the Ashen Wolves carry an Abyssian Exam pass, and once you recruit them, you can make yourself into one of the new classes.

Rewards for the DLC

Completing the DLC is no easy task, so it’s only fair that you get something valuable in return. Well, the game provides you with two things for all your hardships. You receive 10,000 renown which you can use to buy things and items in the main story. These will come in handy if you have your eyes on something.

Next is the Chalice of Beginnings. An item with excellent perks to make use of. It allows you to counterattack from any range and even nullifies extra effectiveness. The additional range makes a huge difference in a fight as it can give you the upper hand. Such an item is worthwhile and will help you progress and playthrough.

Conclusion

To summarize, Cindered Shadows allows players to connect with more characters and learn more about the Fire Emblem world. The DLC has a pre-determined party which can be considered a negative aspect.

However, that interpretation is entirely up to you. But you need to realize that a party like this allows you to use the mighty powers of the Three Leaders (Dimitri, Claude, and Edelgard).

The Abyss also has a weapon that could hold some powerful items for you. Hence, this DLC is recommended if you want to be more involved in the game. It isn’t something that beginners would be able to adjust to quickly, so consider yourself warned.

Well, that concludes our Fire Emblem Three Houses Cindered Shadows guide. Let us know down below which character from the Ashen Wolves was your favorite.