Barrier (monster)

Barrier Icon used by Barriers in Three Houses. Reduces damage received and activates a barrier ability. Disabled in one blow when receiving a gambit or effective special attack.

Type(s) Class First game Three Houses

Barriers (Japanese: 障壁 Barrier) are a form of defense used by monsters which debuted in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. They are a special force that surrounds monsters, granting them enhanced survivability, as well as various abilities while they are present.

Overview

An Experimental Demonic Beast with all of its barriers intact.

A barrier is present for each space a monster occupies, and each has its own durability independent of the other barriers. If a space with a barrier is targeted when attacking the monster, the damage dealt to the monster will be reduced, and they also gain access to their barrier abilities. Barriers will be weakened, and eventually destroyed if they endure up to two rounds of combat in which they take damage from their opponent. They will be destroyed instantly if they are the primary target of a gambit, or if they take damage from a weapon or a combat art that they are weak to. Destroying a barrier will deprive one of the monster's spaces of its power, and attacking the space will no longer invoke any barrier abilities or damage reduction for the monster.

When a barrier is destroyed, a monster will additionally be confused, preventing them from counterattacking, no matter which of their spaces is targeted. Destroying all of a monster's barriers results in an armor break, a more severe form of confusion that also prevents the monster from acting during their next phase. Achieving an armor break will also reward the player with rare materials, such as ores.

If given the chance, monsters can repair damaged barriers or regain barriers that were destroyed previously, usually after preparing a Staggering Blow. Barriers cannot be repaired or regained if the monster was inflicted with an armor break, however.

Data

Game	Icon	Effect	Activation	Capacity	Notes
Three Houses		Reduces all damage dealt to the user by 50%. Grants access to the user's Barrier Abilities.	If an intact barrier is targeted	--	--

Variants

There are several variants of the standard barrier, with different damage reduction percentages or altered behaviors.

Enclosing Wall

Game	Icon	Effect	Activation	Capacity	Notes
Three Houses		Reduces all damage dealt to the user by 50%. Grants access to the user's Barrier Abilities.	If an intact barrier is targeted	--	Can only endure one round of combat before being destroyed.

Dragon-Scale Wall

Game	Icon	Effect	Activation	Capacity	Notes
Three Houses		Reduces all damage dealt to the user by 70%. Grants access to the user's Barrier Abilities.	If an intact barrier is targeted	--	--

Heavily Armored Wall

Game	Icon	Effect	Activation	Capacity	Notes
Three Houses		Reduces all damage dealt to the user by 50%. Grants access to the user's Barrier Abilities.	If an intact barrier is targeted	--	Will not inflict an armor break to the user upon being destroyed. Refreshes at the start of each turn.

Essence Barrier

Game	Icon	Effect	Activation	Capacity	Notes
Three Houses		Reduces all damage dealt to the user by 70%. Grants access to the user's Barrier Abilities.	If an intact barrier is targeted	--	--

Availability

Three Houses

Unobtainable

Exclusively used by monster classes

Barrier-exclusive abilities

While barriers can grant nearly any kind of ability when they are intact, there are also a select few abilities that are only available from barriers; most others can be obtained through other methods. The abilities that are exclusive to barriers are the following:

• Vital Defense
• Giant Wings
• Anti-Magic Armor
• Divine Dragon Horn

Flavor text

Game	Text (English)	Text (Japanese)
Three Houses (status; intact)	Reduces damage received and activates a barrier ability. Disabled in one blow when receiving a gambit or effective special attack.	受けるダメージを軽減し、障壁スキ ルが発動する。計略か、有効・特効 の攻撃を受けると一撃で解除。
Three Houses (status; weakened)	Reduces damage received and activates a barrier ability; disabled once attacked.	受けるダメージを軽減し、 障壁スキルが発動する。 攻撃を受けると解除される。
Three Houses (Barrier, Enclosing Wall)	Barrier reduces damage by 50% while intact. Remove it to inflict an armor break.	障壁があるとダメージを５０％減。 すべて解除でアーマーブレイクする。
Three Houses (Dragon-Scale Wall, Essence Barrier)	Barrier reduces damage by 70% while intact. Remove it to inflict an armor break.	障壁があるとダメージを７０％減。 すべて解除でアーマーブレイクする。
Three Houses (Heavily Armored Wall)	Barrier reduces damage by 50% while intact. No risk of armor break. Refreshes each turn.	障壁があるとダメージを５０％減。 アーマーブレイクせず毎ターン復活。

Etymology and other languages

Names, etymology, and in other regions
Language	Name	Definition, etymology, and notes
English	Barrier	--
Japanese	障壁	Barrier
Spanish	Barrera	Barrier
French	Barrière	Barrier
German	Barriere	Barrier
Italian	Barriera	Barrier
Korean	배리어	Barrier
Simplified Chinese	防护障壁	Protective barrier
Traditional Chinese	防護障壁	Protective barrier

Gallery

• 

  Icon used by Barriers in Three Houses.

• 

  Icon used by weakened Barriers in Three Houses.

• 

  Icon used by Barrier Abilities in Three Houses.

• 

  An Experimental Demonic Beast with all of its barriers intact.

• 

  An Experimental Demonic Beast with one of its barriers weakened.

• 

  An Experimental Demonic Beast with one of its barriers broken.

• 

  An Experimental Demonic Beast being afflicted with an armor break.