Fire Emblem: Three Hopes guide - How to activate co-op multiplayer

Though it will take some time to get access to it, Fire Emblem: Three Hopes players can take part in co-op multiplayer. This is great because players can’t always rely on NPCs to do exactly what they’re told, and capture certain points on the map in time.

So instead, it may be better to rely on a good friend to jump into a glorious battle with. Though not every stage can be done in multiplayer, the majority can. As for how to begin taking part, here is all that players need to know.

Overcoming the Ashen Demon as Shez will not be easy, but having a friend tag along can certainly make things a bit more manageable.

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Fire Emblem: Three Hopes players can take part in co-op multiplayer

Local co-op is a part of Fire Emblem: Three Hopes, but is only available after a certain point in the game. In particular, players have to get to the most important part of the game: Chapter 4.

Depending on what house they join, this will be one of two mission names. Azure Gleam and Golden Wildfire take part in “To War!” and Scarlet Blaze challenges “The Shadows of Adrestia." At this point, multiplayers will get unlocked and allow players to take part in split-screen gameplay. After this point, the majority of the stages in the game will let players take part in local co-op.

If "P2 Joined!" is on the screen, then co-op has begun in the game (Image via Koei Tecmo)

It is easy to tell when a map is multiplayer too. On the Fire Emblem: Three Hopes battle preparation screen, look at the top-right of the screen for “P2 Can Join!." If it is there, multiplayer is allowed on that map.

For local co-op, it’s incredibly easy. Just have the other player press the Minus button on the second controller, and make sure it is synced to the Switch. At this point, they’ll see “P2 Joined!” in place of the original message. The first player can change their units on the Battle Map as normal.

Thankfully, both players can change units on the fly while in battle, so it doesn’t matter who the second player does wind up picking. This will put the two players into split-screen local co-op.

What about online multiplayer though? Unfortunately, at this time there is no online multiplayer. This may change in the future, but not at this time. In local co-op, the only major downside for players is that they only have half a screen, since there is a horizontal split in the screen so both players can take part.

If one of the players enters the menu in Fire Emblem: Three Hopes, it fills the entire screen, so it’s important to communicate and let the other player know when they need to open the menu.

It’s also worth noting the difficulty and choices the first player made. Permadeath is an option in Fire Emblem: Three Hopes after Chapter 4, so a second player could wind up permanently losing characters for their friends.

While not every stage allows for co-op, it should help bring the difficulty of the latest Musou game from Koei Tecmo and Omega Force down. Fire Emblem: Three Hopes is now available on Nintendo Switch.