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The Weapon Triangle (武器の三すくみ, Buki no San-sukumi lit. Trilemma of Weapons) is a combat gameplay mechanic introduced in Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War that has since appeared in most subsequent main series entries, as well as spin-offs including Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Warriors, and Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE. It defines combat advantages/disadvantages of weapon types when used against certain other weapon types.

Overview[]

With weapon triangle advantage, weapon users may attack with increased battle accuracy; conversely, users with the disadvantage may suffer from decreased battle accuracy. Beginning with Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade, the weapon triangle system may positively or negatively influence the damage output of participating combatants, depending on whether they have the advantage or disadvantage (respectively).

In the weapon triangle's most traditional form, sword users have an advantage over axe users, axe users over lance users, and lance users over sword users. Bow users, knife users, and all types of magic users almost always have a neutral presence and do not command advantage or disadvantage. Fire Emblem Fates became the first game featuring the weapon triangle to make significant changes to the relationship structure, incorporating all previously uninvolved weapon types as well as magic.

Some games feature a similar relationship triangle for magical tomes called the "Trinity of Magic," which defines the relationships between the elemental magics Fire, Thunder, and Wind.

The reaver weapons in Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade and Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones as well as the dual weapons in Fire Emblem Fates behave such that they reverse the direction of the weapon triangle in the battles they are used. Additionally, they may double the system's effects on battle accuracy and damage output; this goes for advantageous situations as well as disadvantageous ones.

Though Fire Emblem: Three Houses is one of the few entries since the introduction of the Weapon Triangle that does not use it, characters may learn skills that mimic the effects of its influence. For example, raising a unit's Sword skill to rank B will teach that unit the passive skill Axebreaker, which grants a bonus to both hit and evasion against axe users if the unit is wielding a sword.

Genealogy of the Holy War ~ Radiant Dawn[]

In these games, the weapon triangle components and their directions are as follows:

  • Swords > Axes
  • Axes > Lances
  • Lances > Swords

Other weapon types act neutrally when used against any of the weapon types listed above. In the table below, values indicated with an asterisk (*) will double when a reaver weapon (i.e., Lancereaver, Swordreaver, Axereaver) is used against non-reaver weapons; if a reaver weapon is used against another reaver weapon, then the values remain unchanged.

Title Adv. Disadv.
Genealogy of the Holy War +20 Acc -20 Acc
Thracia 776 +5 Acc -5 Acc
The Binding Blade +1 Dmg
+10 Acc
-1 Dmg
-10 Acc
The Blazing Blade +1* Dmg
+15* Acc
-1* Dmg
-15* Acc
The Sacred
Stones
+1* Dmg
+15* Acc
-1* Dmg
-15* Acc
Path of
Radiance
+1 Dmg
+10 Acc
-1 Dmg
-10 Acc
Radiant Dawn +1 Dmg
+10 Acc
-1 Dmg
-10 Acc

Shadow Dragon ~ Fates[]

For the titles between Shadow Dragon and Awakening, the weapon triangle components and their directions are as follows:

  • Swords > Axes
  • Axes > Lances
  • Lances > Swords

For Fates, the weapon triangle components and their directions are as follows:

  • Swords/Katana, Tomes/Scrolls > Axes/Clubs, Bows/Yumi
  • Axes/Clubs, Bows/Yumi > Lances/Naginata, Daggers/Shuriken
  • Lances/Naginata, Daggers/Shuriken > Swords/Katana, Tomes/Scrolls

Other weapon type act neutrally when used against any of the weapon types listed above. In the table below, values indicated with an asterisk (*) will double when a dual weapon (i.e., Dual Katana, Club, Naginata, Yumi, or Shuriken) or Calamity Gate is used in battle. Moreover, in these titles, the weapon rank of the unit with weapon triangle advantage now influences the magnitude of weapon triangle effects; e.g., in a bout between a swordsman with sword proficiency C and an axeman with axe proficiency A, the combatants will receive weapon triangle benefits and detriments based on the "WRank C" values in the table below.

Title Dis/adv. Adv. unit's
WRank: E
Adv. unit's
WRank: D
Adv. unit's
WRank: C
Adv. unit's
WRank: B
Adv. unit's
WRank: A
Adv. unit's
WRank: S
Shadow Dragon Adv. +5 Acc +5 Acc +10 Acc +10 Acc +1 Dmg
+10 Acc
-
Disadv. -5 Acc -5 Acc -10 Acc -10 Acc -1 Dmg
-10 Acc
-
New Mystery of the Emblem Adv. +5 Acc +5 Acc +10 Acc +10 Acc +1 Dmg
+10 Acc
-
Disadv. -5 Acc -5 Acc -10 Acc -10 Acc -1 Dmg
-10 Acc
-
Awakening Adv. +5 Acc +5 Acc +10 Acc +1 Dmg
+10 Acc
+1 Dmg
+15 Acc
-
Disadv. -5 Acc -5 Acc -10 Acc -1 Dmg
-10 Acc
-1 Dmg
-15 Acc
-
Fates Adv. +5* Acc +5* Acc +10* Acc +1* Dmg
+10* Acc
+1* Dmg
+15* Acc
+2* Dmg
+20* Acc
Disadv. -5* Acc -5* Acc -10* Acc -1* Dmg
-10* Acc
-1* Dmg
-15* Acc
-2* Dmg
-20* Acc

Fire Emblem Engage[]

Fire Emblem Engage retains the weapon triangle relationship of Sword over Axe, Axe over Lance, and Lance over Sword. In addition to the core triangle, Arts now have advantage over Magic, Bows, and Daggers. An attacker with a weapon advantage over their foe can inflict the Break status, which negates the defender's ability to counterattack until the following turn. However, armored units are immune to Break, as are boss characters with the Unbreakable skill.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes[]

A departure from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, which saw an absence of the Weapon Triangle outside of the various weapon Breaker skills (like Swordbreaker), the Weapon Triangle returns in a unique fashion. Here, instead of the weapons dictating the triangle, it is the classes that do. All classes in Three Hopes have class abilities collectively dubbed the Buster skills which give innate bonus damage against enemy units of those weak to them proportionate to the level the Buster class ability is at, which is marked as a blue circle with a upward facing arrow; e.g, a Fighter will have an innate damage bonus against Soldiers despite of what weapon a playable unit might be wielding, be they bow, axe, or gauntlets, a weapon archetype introduced in Three Houses, due to having Lance Buster Lv. 1, but will take additional damage if they are attacked by a Myrmidon, who has Axe Buster Lv. 1.

In addition to the classic weapon triangle of sword classes > axe classes > lance classes > sword classes, there is a second weapon triangle that doesn't intersect with the classic weapon triangle, one that consists of tome classes > bow classes > gauntlet classes, which is almost identical to Fates's version of the Weapon Triangle.

Battalions also can have influence over the Weapon Triangle, allowing one to have a more flexible approach to battles, allowing any given unit to:

  • Invert the triangle; e.g., a playable unit as a Thief with the Alliance Wyvern Co. Battalion equipped allows them to be on more even footing against lance enemy units, allowing them to take better advantage of reduced damage from Sword Buster classes.
  • Personalize the triangle; e.g., a playable unit as a Brigand with the Alliance Magic Corps allows them to take on both lance units and bow units more easily.
  • Intensify the triangle; a playable unit as a Cavalier with the Alliance Knights equipped can resist lances, deal double damage to sword units yet also take double damage from axes.

Weapon effectiveness traits ignore the weapon triangle if going in the opposite way, but scales in damage if going the normal way. In example Wingthreasher deals weapon effectiveness damage to Pegasus Knights and Wyvern Riders, but because sword classes have the Axe Buster ability, Wyvern Riders will take more damage than Pegasus Knights. However, since Three Hopes is a Warriors game, weapon effectiveness traits does nothing for a unit defensively if they get attacked and are not able to land a hit in, so a Cavalier can potentially defeat a enemy Myrmidon with a Rapier equipped due to Cavalier having Sword Buster Lv. 2 so long as the player is controlling that Cavalier.

Fire Emblem Heroes[]

Fire Emblem Heroes retains the Weapon Triangle as a key combat function and retains the traditional melee weapon advantages. Heroes color codes these weapons with Swords represented by Red, Lances represented by Blue, and Axes represented by Green. Staff weapons are represented by Colorless icons and can only be these colors. Tomes, Daggers, Bows, Breath, and Beasts have representation under all four colors, but each Hero is fixed to a single color for these weapons.

All damage calculations regarding the Weapon Triangle occur before damage reduction effects. Units with the color advantage deal 20% more damage while units with disadvantage deal -20% less damage. Colorless units have no advantage or disadvantage against all weapons except in a case where a weapon forces the function on them like a Raven Tome or Tactical Bolt. All Red weapons have advantage against Green weapons, Blue weapons have advantage against Red weapons, and Green weapons have advantage against Blue weapons. Triangle Adept skill increases the effects of the Weapon Triangle.

See also[]

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