Fire Emblem Heroes: Unlock Potential, Explained (Upgrading Rarity)

Fire Emblem Heroes: Unlock Potential, Explained (Upgrading Rarity)

As a dedicated fan of Fire Emblem Heroes, I cannot stress enough the importance and excitement of unlocking a hero’s potential through this unique system. Unlike other gacha games where rarities remain fixed, FEH offers players the flexibility to upgrade their heroes to higher rarities, granting them not only increased stats but also access to more powerful skills.


Nintendo’s Fire Emblem Heroes is a mobile tactical role-playing game derived from their renowned Fire Emblem series. In this gacha-style game, players can call upon an array of franchise characters to support them during fights against the Emblian Empire.

In contrast to games such as Honkai: Star Rail where character rarities remain constant, Fire Emblem Heroes enables players to enhance the rarity levels of their in-game units via the Unlock Potential system. This article aims to clarify the functionality and advantages associated with this feature.

How to use Unlock Potential

Fire Emblem Heroes: Unlock Potential, Explained (Upgrading Rarity)

In the “Ally Growth” section of the “Allies” tab, you’ll discover the “Unlock Potential” feature. Every game character, regardless of their initial rarity, can eventually be elevated to a maximum 5-Star status. By enhancing a character’s rarity, they acquire additional base stats and become eligible for more advanced skills. Upgrading characters comes with two primary expenses: Hero Feathers and Badges.

  • Hero Feathers: Feathers can be earned through a wide variety of content, including Daily Log-Ins, Events, Quests, Story Maps, Coliseum, and Sending Home.
  • Great Badges & Badges: Badges can be earned mainly from the Training Tower and occasionally Quests.
    • There are four types of Badges, each corresponding to the color-type of units: Scarlet Badge (red), Azure Badge (blue), Verdant Badge (green), Transparent Badge (colorless).

Hero Feather

Great Scarlet Badge

Great Azure Badge

Great Verdant Badge

Great Transparent Badge

Fire Emblem Heroes: Unlock Potential, Explained (Upgrading Rarity)
Fire Emblem Heroes: Unlock Potential, Explained (Upgrading Rarity)
Fire Emblem Heroes: Unlock Potential, Explained (Upgrading Rarity)
Fire Emblem Heroes: Unlock Potential, Explained (Upgrading Rarity)
Fire Emblem Heroes: Unlock Potential, Explained (Upgrading Rarity)

Unlock Potential can also be used on Combat Manuals, allowing better skills to be inherited.

Rarity

Hero Feather Cost

Badge Cost

1-Star to 2-Star

20

5 Badges

2-Star to 3-Star

200

10 Badges

3-Star to 4-Star

2,000

20 Badges

4-Star to 5-Star

20,000

20 Great Badges

When a unit’s hidden abilities are activated, their levels are set back to the beginning, erasing any stats gained through merging. However, enhanced skills, skill points (SP), Individual Values (IVs), and Dragonflower bonuses remain intact. Players can unlock this potential without meeting a specific level requirement, but they’ll miss out on maximizing SP efficiency if they skip leveling up the unit first. The lost SP aren’t permanently gone but take more time to accumulate from battles.

“To avoid the monotony and cost of advancing beyond level 20 for one- to three-star units, consider halting their upgrades at this point. This decision won’t drastically impact Special Points (SP) productivity.”

Enhancing a character’s capabilities is an effective method in “Fire Emblem Heroes” to bolster your roster and unlock advanced skills for inheritance. In conjunction with merging, players have the ability to develop powerful 4-Star +10 units that can challenge the statistics of limited 5-Star characters at a more affordable price point. Although a 5-Star character with merges will undoubtedly remain stronger, having less expensive 4-Star +10 units is an invaluable asset for game modes like Arena Assault and Rival Domains.

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2024-07-14 00:04