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The Face Beneath
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| “ | How many years has it been since we last spoke? I'm so sorry... I should have come back for you sooner... I'm sure it wasn't pleasant living in House Bartels. | ” | — Mercedes |
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The Face Beneath (Japanese:隠された素顔Hidden Face) is aparalogue chapter inFire Emblem: Three Houses. It is available fromChapter 15 toChapter 16
/Chapter 19
/Chapter 17
and is unavailable on the Crimson Flower route. In order to attempt this paralogue, the player must have recruitedMercedes andCaspar and neither must have fallen in battle previously.
Plot
- Main article:
The Face Beneath/Script
Caspar reports that Imperial forces have been spotted in the Sealed Forest led by theDeath Knight, and an apprehensiveMercedes reveals that she has been thinking about her younger brother Emile.Byleth leads their forces into the forest to drive off the Death Knight. In the forest, Mercedes confronts the Death Knight and asks him to remove his helmet, believing that he is Emile. Imperial reinforcements arrive and order the Death Knight to help them fight Byleth's forces, but the Death Knight refuses, citing a lack of interest in fighting.
Byleth and their companions defeat the Imperial soldiers. Afterwards, Mercedes asks the Death Knight to join their cause, and the Death Knight asks Mercedes to leaveGarreg Mach Monastery; neither sibling is willing to back down. The Death Knight gives Mercedes the Heroes' Relic of House Bartels, theRafail Gem; if Caspar defeated him, he also gifts him hisScythe of Sariel. The Death Knight vows to kill Mercedes the next time they meet before departing. Mercedes blames his upbringing in House Bartels for his current psychotic nature and believes that there is still a kind man within him.
Beginning log
Whispers of Death Knight sightings in Garreg Mach excite Caspar, but Mercedes has a much more pensive reaction. Something must be on her mind...
Chapter data
NormalHardMaddening
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| Victory: Rout all enemies except theDeath Knight | Player | Partner | Other | Enemy | Third | |
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| Defeat:Byleth orDimitri | 3–11 | {{{partner}}} | {{{other}}} | 20+6 | {{{third}}} | |
| Map dimensions: 20 columns by 30 rows | ||||||
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| Victory: Rout all enemies except theDeath Knight | Player | Partner | Other | Enemy | Third | |
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| Defeat:Byleth orDimitri | 3–11 | {{{partner}}} | {{{other}}} | 26+6 | {{{third}}} | |
| Map dimensions: 20 columns by 30 rows | ||||||
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| Victory: Rout all enemies except theDeath Knight | Player | Partner | Other | Enemy | Third | |
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| Defeat:Byleth orDimitri | 3–11 | {{{partner}}} | {{{other}}} | 30+9 | {{{third}}} | |
| Map dimensions: 20 columns by 30 rows | ||||||
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Character data
Silver Snow
Azure Moon
Verdant Wind![]()
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- Other characters may be available if the paralogue is attempted later.
Item data
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Enemy data
- On Maddening, some stats are separated by a '~'. The stats to the left of the ~ are taken during Chapter 15, the earliest possible point where this paralogue may be undertaken; the stats to the right of the ~ are taken from Chapter 16 and later, at which point the enemies gain three levels.
- Every non-monster enemy other than theDeath Knight begins moving after any unit enters the central forested area.
NormalHardMaddening
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Reinforcements
- On turn 10, or after any player unit other than Mercedes or Caspar ending their turn within three tiles of Mercedes or Caspar; on Maddening, these can move the turn they appear
- 2/3Dark Knights from the western forests
- 2/3Heroes from the northeastern forests
- 2/3Snipers from north of theDeath Knight's starting position
Boss data
- On Maddening, some stats are separated by a '~'. The stats to the left of the ~ are taken during Chapter 15, the earliest possible point where this paralogue may be undertaken; the stats to the right of the ~ are taken from Chapter 16 and later, at which point this boss gains three levels.
- Main article:
Death Knight
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Strategy
| This section details unofficial strategies that may help with completion of the chapter. This may not work for everybody. |
TheRafail Gem obtained from this paralogue is aHero's Relic associated with theCrest of Lamine; it negatesbonus damage andcritical hits against the bearer. Enemies wielding effective weapons other thanbows are uncommon inThree Houses, and cavalry and flying classes can dismount on their turn without sacrificing their chance to move or make an attack. Enemies with high-crit weapons are also uncommon, though the crit-negation may be useful on a unit with particularly low luck who consistently face a low crit chance against many common enemies.
One of this paralogue's potential rewards is theScythe of Sariel; it is the most accuratelance in the game with 100hit, and has highmight, high crit, and lowweight, but requires A-level in lances. If the Scythe is obtained, the Death Knight will use aBrave Lance in all subsequent encounters, which, short of letting the Death Knight initiate combat, equates to the Death Knight suffering -4AS and -30Hit/Crit; if the Death Knight cannot be reliably defeated by Caspar, it may be better to not obtain the Scythe—even with the fairly heavy Brave Lance, the Death Knight is fast enough to attack many units four times, and the Rafail Gem obtained from this paralogue will negatecritical hits outright; the Scythe itself is mostly replaceable with aKiller Lance+ unless the Scythe's low weight and high accuracy are absolutely necessary. Alternately, the Scythe's high crit, especially in conjunction withWrath andVantage, can be used as a somewhat reliable way to defeat the Death Knight.
In order to obtain the Scythe of Sariel, Caspar must be the one to defeat the Death Knight. In order to one-shot the Death Knight, a unit would need (on Normal/Hard/Madding after Chapter 15) 73/83/99 physical attack or 68/77/96 magical attack; Caspar has boons and high base skill levels inaxes andgauntlets, neither of which have weapons orcombat arts effective against cavalry, with one exception. The axe artWar Master's Strike, learned by masteringWar Master, is effective against all units, including cavalry; however, War Master is a master class and mastering it may take some time, even with each of the saint statues' boosts. To two-shot him, a unit would need 49/56/67 physical attack or 44/50/64 magical attack, and 21/27/37attack speed. Caspar can ignore the attack speed requirement withgauntlets, abrave weapon, or one of threecombat arts which strike consecutively:Bombard,Fierce Iron Fist, orHunter's Volley—each art also increasedcrit by 10. Hunter's Volley is the art Caspar is least likely to learn, as it requires masteringSniper, and Caspar's weakness in bows makes it harder for him to reach the requirements for the class; it is the only art of three to increase hit, though with Caspar'sBorn Fighter, it is only a net increase of 5 points compared to the other two arts. Bows generally have similar hit to gauntlets, but usually have higher might. Caspar can learn Bombard at C+ brawling, but it only adds 3 might to each strike when gauntlets already strike twice. Fierce Iron Fist also adds little might, but it strikes three times—when striking thrice, Caspar needs 41/47/57 physical attack, or 36/41/54 magical attack with theAura Knuckles; additionally, as Fierce Iron Fist strikes thrice, it is the art with which Caspar is the most likely to get at least one crit, potentially allowing him to defeat the Death Knight without meeting the three-shot requirement. If Caspar was not significantly invested into, he is unlikely to be able to defeat the Death Knight alone.
With his goal set to lances, Caspar can reach D lances in only a few weeks—even less time with instruction and seminars—which allows him to use theHorseslayer and learnTempest Lance; at basestrength using Tempest Lance and a Horseslayer, Caspar will deal 6 damage to the Death Knight on Maddening. If Caspar reaches C lances—which requires more investment than D but is still feasible—he will learn theKnightkneeler combat art; at base strength using theLance of Ruin and Knightkneeler, Caspar will deal 23 damage to the Death Knight on Maddening. Caspar will not be able to defeat the Death Knight without help this way, but he can reliably get the finishing hit. If Caspar has not been invested into, the Death Knight can be weakened to 1 HP and Caspar can deal the last point of damage; on Normal and Hard, with his stats and skill levels as they are when he is first recruited in the Black Eagles, Caspar can deal at least 1 damage withFreikugel or aDevil Axe andSmash—on Maddening, he needs one point of strength from base to deal 1 damage with Freikugel and Smash. Weakening the Death Knight may be difficult, asCommander reduces the damage ofgambits andCounterattack does not allow ranged attackers to avoid damage. TheWindsweep sword combat art, learned byByleth andDimitri at A andYuri at C+, can prevent a counter attack, or theSubdue sword art, learned by masteringLord, can leave the Death Knight at 1 HP; both arts can be used with the cavalry-effectiveRapier.
One final potential strategy to defeat the Death Knight can be used if Caspar's recruitment is delayed untilChapter 12. If recruited in Chapter 12 and certified as a Warrior, Caspar has 35 attack with the Smash combat art, and needs 41/47/57 attack to kill the Death Knight with a single critical hit. On Normal and Hard, theKiller Axe+ provides enough might to reach the threshold; on Maddening, the Freikugel has enough might to ensure a critical kills, although theAxe of Ukonvasara provides more crit chance and the 3 points needed to reach the one-shot threshold can be granted by a battalion or aRally Strength*.
Disregarding the Death Knight, the rest of the battle is a fairly straightforward rout map. Most enemies move in relatively small groups, and can be lured and fought with little risk of being overwhelmed. However, the Sniper reinforcements from the north can pose a significant threat to Mercedes and Caspar. The reinforcements will appear on turn 10, or if any other player unit enters within two tiles of Mercedes or Caspar; moving a unit north to aid them could potentially put them in more danger, so it is best to move Mercedes and Caspar south towards other units.
Trivia
- The various spaces of "rock" terrain that can be seen on the map are actually the destroyed bodies ofGolems.
- If zoom view is used to observe the northern cliff, one can find a rock bearing theCrest of Flames.
- This is the only chapter where, as an enemy, theDeath Knight'slevel increases with thedifficulty. In all other chapters, his stats increase with difficulty while his level remains the same.
- The in-game dialogue and text hinting how to obtain theScythe of Sariel in this paralogue is present only in Normal difficulty.
Etymology and other languages
| Names, etymology, and in other regions | ||
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| Language | Name | Definition, etymology, and notes |
| English | The Face Beneath | -- |
| Japanese | 隠された素顔 | Hidden face |
| Spanish | El enmascarado | The masked |
| French | Quand le masque tombe | When the mask falls |
| German | Das verborgene Antlitz | The hidden Face |
| Italian | Dietro la maschera | Behind the mask |
| Korean | 감춰진 얼굴 | Hidden face |
| Simplified Chinese | 藏起来的真面目 | Hidden real identity |
| Traditional Chinese | 藏起來的真面目 | Hidden real identity |
Gallery
- Entering the area outlined in red triggers the movement of every non-monster enemy.
- A part of rock terrain that can be found on the map.
- The rock with theCrest of Flames that can be found on the map.
References
| The Face Beneath |
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| Fire Emblem: Three Houses | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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