Fire Emblem: Three Houses might need to change its name, as the game is adding a secret fourth house known as the Ashen Wolves in a DLC update called Cindered Shadows. A trailer for Cindered Shadows was shown following the latest Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Direct, as it was revealed that the next DLC character coming to Smash Bros. is from Fire Emblem, in the form of Byleth from Fire Emblem: Three Houses. 

Fire Emblem: Three Houses was a surprise hit last year and it was declared one of the best games of 2019 by many different publications. The player takes on the role of a professor in a military academy, who must choose between three different school houses that are led by members of powerful noble families. The story of Fire Emblem: Three Houses can play out in many different ways and the player is encouraged to go through it with each of the three houses at least once in order to fully understand what is going on.

The trailer for the Cindered Shadows DLC for Fire Emblem: Three Houses that was shown after the Smash Direct has been uploaded to the Nintendo UK YouTube channel. The DLC centers around a fourth secret house at Garreg Mach Monastery, who live in an underground area known as the Abyss. The members of the fourth house call themselves the Ashen Wolves and they are sorely in need of guidance from a teacher. The trailer only shows four members of the Ashen Wolves and it’s possible that their role in the story is far more limited in scope than the titular three houses. Fire Emblem: Three Houses might have too much content as it is and the addition of a fourth house could add many more hours onto the runtime.

The Cindered Shadows DLC will be available on February 13 and it’s included as part of the Fire Emblem: Three Houses Expansion Pass, which is available to purchase now for £22.49/$24.99. The people who purchase the Expansion Pass now will gain access to new costumes, Auxillary Battles, characters, items, songs, a sauna, and the ability to interact with the animals in Garreg Mach Monastery.

Nintendo has embraced DLC in a big way with the Nintendo Switch and even games like Pokemon Sword & Shield are expanding their Pokedex and adding Wild Areas. The DLC that has been released for Fire Emblem: Three Houses so far hasn’t been that impressive for its price tag, but the addition of a brand new house and a whole new area of Garreg Mach Monastery feels like it could add a whole new dimension to the game. It will be interesting to see how the Ashen Wolves influence the already excellent story of Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

Next: Fire Emblem: 10 Main Characters Sorted Into Hogwarts Houses

Cindered Shadows will be available in Fire Emblem: Three Houses for the people who purchased the Expansion Pass on February 13, 2020.

Source: Nintendo UK/YouTube