Fire Emblem: Three Houses will painstakingly explain the mechanics of how to take out its gigantic monsters when you first encounter them as part of the story. But let's be honest--with all the stuff going on in this game, you'll probably forget about it by the time another one rolls around and just spam Gambit abilities at it, which is not the best way to do things.

　　Here's what to remember when you take on monsters:

　　You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.

　　Click To Unmute

　　Thompson: The Pop Culture Icon’s Strange Legacy - Loadout

　　Firearms Expert’s FAVORITE Weapons Of 2023State Of Gaming Handhelds In 2023How Lies of P Cracked the Souls GenreLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Ichiban Kasuga Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Chitose Fujinomiya Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Saeko Mukoda Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Eric Tomizawa Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Kazuma Kiryu Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Seonhee Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Koichi Adachi Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Yu Nanba Character Spotlight Trailer

　　Share

　　LinkEmbed

　　Size:640 × 360480 × 270

　　Start at: End at: Autoplay Loop

　　Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?

　　Sign up or Sign in now!

　　Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.

　　This video has an invalid file format.

　　00:00:00

　　HTML5

　　Auto HD High Low

　　Report a problem

　　Sorry, but you can't access this content!

Please enter your date of birth to view this video

　　By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's

　　Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

　　enter

　　Now Playing: Fire Emblem: Three Houses - 9 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started

　　Each monster has a number of different segments available for attack. These are all initially shielded, as indicated by the golden squares underneath it.

　　You need to take down these shields by attacking them. You won't do as much damage, but it's a necessity--think about using your weaker units to help out with this.

　　The gold squares that indicate shields will eventually crack, and then shatter. Once they're gone, that particular square will be susceptible to full damage.

　　Gambits will do damage to multiple segments, as well as stun the monster, which means it won't be able to counterattack until it is hit again.

　　If all the gold squares on a monster are shattered, then the monster will be stunned for a full phase.If all the gold square on a monster are shattered, you'll get a piece of rare ore for weapon forging.As you can imagine, the fastest way to take down a monster is to have units prepared to make targeted strikes one after the other. If you don't think you can take it down in one phase, try and make your last attack a Gambit attack so the monster will be stunned during their phase. When your team starts to become more powerful, consider drawing out monster encounters so you can work on shattering all their shield segments for resources.

　　For more in-game know-how, check our complete collection of essential advice and tips for Fire Emblem: Three Houses. It's a huge game, and after our multiple playthroughs, we have plenty of guidance we're dying to give you.

　　For a behind-the-scenes look at the game, read our interview with the directors of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, where they talk about the series' increasing popularity in the West, the dramatic changes they made to the combat system, and the refreshing new character designs.

　　In our Fire Emblem: Three Houses review, Kallie Plagge concluded: "When all was said and done, all I could think about was starting another playthrough… whether you're managing inventories or battlefields, it's the kind of game that's hard to put down, even when it's over."