Nintendo’sFire Emblem Heroesis a mobile tactical RPG based on their popularFire Emblemseries. As a gacha game,Fire Emblem Heroeslets players summon various franchise characters to aid in their battles against the Emblian Empire.
While some gacha games likeHonkai: Star Railhave fixed rarities for their characters,Fire Emblem Heroesallows players to upgrade the rarities of their units through the Unlock Potential system. This guide will explain how Unlock Potential works and the benefits it offers.
How to use Unlock Potential
The Unlock Potential feature can be found under Ally Growth in the Allies tab. All Heroes in the game, including 1-Stars, can eventually be upgraded to a 5-Star rarity. By raising a unit’s rarity, they not only gain extra raw stats but also gain access to more powerful skills that they can learn or give away. Upgrading Heroes has two main costs: Hero Feathers and Badges.
Great Verdant Badge
Great Transparent Badge
Unlock Potential can also be used on Combat Manuals, allowing better skills to be inherited.
1-Star to 2-Star
20
2-Star to 3-Star
200
3-Star to 4-Star
2,000
4-Star to 5-Star
20,000
20 Great Badges
When a unit’s potential is unlocked, their level is reset to 1, and they lose any stats gained through Merging. An upgraded unit will keep their Skill Points (SP), skills, Individual Values (IVs), andDragonflower enhancements. While there is no level requirement to use Unlock Potential, players do lose out on SP efficiency if they forgo leveling up the unit beforehand. The SPs are not lost forever, but they do take longer to earn due to the small amount given from battles.
Since leveling can get tedious and expensive, stopping around level 20 when upgrading 1- to 3-Star units can save both time and resources without significantly reducing SP efficiency.
Unlocking Potential is a great way to beef up a player’s roster inFire Emblem Heroesand gain access to higher-ranking skills for Inheriting. In combination with Merging, players can create 4-Star +10 units that rival limited 5-Star stats at a significantly cheaper cost. While a 5-Star with merges will always be stronger, having cheaper 4-Star +10 units can be greatly beneficial for game modes like Arena Assault and Rival Domains.
