It took two years but beasts are finally in Fire Emblem Heroes

Ever since the launch of Fire Emblem Heroes back in February 2017, fans have been asking for beast units. That wait comes to an end Friday with the Rulers of the Laguz banner, which finally introduces the unit type to the game.

The first beast units were introduced to the Fire Emblem franchise back in 2005 in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance on GameCube. These units, known as the Laguz, could transform between animal and human form. Transformations ranged from hawks to wolves to ravens. Since then, beast units have been represented in many of the major Fire Emblem releases, including Awakening and Fates.

Despite their popularity, beast units took nearly two years to appear in Fire Emblem Heroes. Friday’s banner will add four beast units: Tibarn (a hawk person), Leanne (a heron person), Reyson (another heron person), and Nailah (a wolf person). A fifth unit, Naesala (a raven person), will be available for free to anyone who completes his Grand Hero Battle.

Functionally, the beast units are unlike anything we’ve seen in Fire Emblem Heroes before. In their human form, they move and act like standard units, but when they transform, they gain increased stats and movement abilities. They’re sure to throw the meta in chaos for a while as players adjust to their new, beast-laden realities.

These five units are undoubtedly just the beginning for the beast unit-type. The last time Nintendo had players vote for their favorite characters in the Choose Your Legends 2 event, Selkie (a beast unit from Fire Emblem Fates) clocked in at number 21 on the list of over 600 characters. The demand is definitely there.