With news regarding the differences between both the ‘black’ and ‘white’ versions, one of the biggest ones to me is the exclusive classes that will be available for their respective version of the game. Perhaps these classes are what contribute towards the difference in difficulty between the two; with the ‘white’ version having objectives similar to Fire Emblem Awakening with an overworld and the ‘black’ version having the traditional skirmish map with new harder sub-objectives including suppressing and base defense.
That said, here’s a look at the two distinct exclusive classes for both versions:
For the ‘black’ version, the jobs are as listed in order shown in video:
- Dark Prince (‘Lord’ class that uses ‘Dark Kingdom’ weaponry)
- Dark Princess (Fights with innate dragon powers)
- Cavalier (Traditional sword/spear horsemen)
- Knight (Tanky spear units)
- Fighter (Powerful axe user)
- Mercenary (Potent class with high crit chance)
- Thief (Nimble utility class and this version’s archer)
- Wyvern Rider (All around powerful wyvern mounted axe soldiers)
- Dark Mage (Magic users proficient in the dark arts)
- Rod Knight (Support class with heals and buffs)
- Garu (Werewolf class with extraordinary attack and agility)
Also shown halfway through are the promotion classes that you can reach by leveling the basic jobs above to at 20:
- Paladin (Powerful variant of Cavalier)
- Great Knight (A more experienced Cavalier that also uses axes)
- General (Knights with an exceedingly high defense and still just as strong with a lance)
- Berserker (Experienced Fighter that’s bursting with colossal damage)
- Brave Hero (Refined Fighter who’s taken up the way of the sword to be versatile)
- Bow Knight (Losing stealth, the Thief becomes more proficient with a bow)
- Adventurer (Taking up the life of a vagabond, the Thief learns to use the staves to help support alongside his bow)
- Wyvern Lord (The Wyvern Rider’s power increases and becomes skilled with spears)
- Revenant Knight (Imbuing their steed and themselves in magic, they’re able to fight with tomes of magic)
- Sorcerer (Becoming wiser, their touch with the dark arts becomes stronger)
- Dark Knight (No longer fearing hand-to-hand combat, the Dark Mage gains a steed and learns to use a blade alongside their magic)
- Tactician (Becoming a jack of all trades for any situation, the Rod Knight learns how to hurt as well as heal)
- Butler/Maid (A special class that fights for their master)
- Managarmr (An even deadlier Garu with heightened power)
- Dark Blood (The Dark Lord’s pinnacle form fighting with noble blood coursing through their veins, fighting with swords, magic and Dragon Stones)
And of course on the other side, these are the classes you’ll have access to:
For the ‘white’ side, we’ll be getting to use:
- Samurai (The legendary sword user, fighting for speed and honor)
- Ogre (Wielding a traditional club, powerful and sturdy)
- Spearmen (Spear uses that pierces defense with their polearm)
- Hexer (The magical users that utilize ‘hexes’ to fight)
- Tempest/Shrine Maidens (The healers and buffers bestowed upon allies through prayer)
- Pegasus Warrior (Pegasus mounted spearmen with a more emphasis on speed and magical defence)
- Archer (Bowmen honing their accuracy)
- Ninja (Shadow dwellers, skilled in sneaky debuffs and quick attacks)
- Fox (Fox beasts with insane speeds and magical defence)
- Villager (Inexperienced citizens, defending their towns using halberds)
Of course, like the ‘black’ variant, the ‘white’ side will have its own exclusive evolved forms:
- Master Swordsman (Reaching their peak, the Samurai keeps fighting)
- Asura (Appealing to the power of hexes, the Ogre combines both their clubs and hexes)
- Strategist (Being versatile in all styles, these Samurai developed an affinity towards clubs, katanas and halberds)
- Blacksmith (Their brutish power only increases as these Ogre’s learn to wield katanas)
- Spear Master (Becoming a more efficient Spearmen, their growth develops to make them an all around solid)
- Basara (Spearmen who utilize hexes to defend themselves)
- Onmyoji (Heightened hexers who developed the way to heal as well)
- Monk (Picking up the halberd, the Tempest can take care of themselves while healing their allies)
- War Maiden (Shrine Maidens keeping far away from the front lines to keep supporting allies while picking off incoming invaders)
- Master Pegasus Warrior (A much stronger Pegasus Warrior who also became proficient in healing and supporting)
- Gold Kite Warrior (Riding on the legendary Gold Kite birds using their expertise in halberds and bows)
- Master Archer (An extraordinarily accurate Archer hardened by their experiences in fights)
- High Ninja (More quiet, more deadly, the Ninja’s capabilities are maxed out with both daggers and short swords)
- Ventriloquist (Masters of puppetry, gracefully using them to attack)
- Nine Tailed Fox (An evolution from the regular fox form, it has exceedingly high stats)
- White Blood (The Light Lord class’s pinnacle form, fighting with swords, healing prowess and Dragon Stones)
An interesting thing to note is that each has its own unique set; with the ‘black’ side using the original trinity of melee weapons and the ‘white’ side using a more traditional set, opting with clubs instead of axes, katanas instead of swords and halberds instead of lances. Magic is also split with the ‘white’ having buff and healing magic known as “Haraegushi” and “Hexes” and the ‘black’ side using primarily the usual magic and healing spells.The ‘Lord’ character is the main protagonist so it’s also interesting that he’ll have two different advanced classes depending on the story he goes through.
So far, Fire Emblem Fates is shaping up to be very interesting. The game will provide at least one side of the game with the first 6 levels being the same. You can eventually buy the DLC for the other missed version after you diverge. After which you’ll be able to also get the 3rd and final part of the game. Fire Emblem Fates is slated to a 2016 release on the Nintendo 3DS