I doubt Crimson Flower wasn’t planned from the start. There is voiced dialogue from that route in the very first trailer for the game. And the Japanese title of the game references all four routes.
It’s also important to note that while it has the least amount of content, it has more unique content than the other routes. It shares less missions.
It seems clear they had budget/time issues, but other routes show signs of it as well.
-talk to each of the lords, and have them run down each of their classmates personalities and their view on them.
-Spend 30 minutes reading the dossier that you also have in the game menu to get to know each student.
-Hem and haw for another 15 minutes.
-Talk to all the students you can, if possible.
-End up going with your second choice cause one of your best friends is playing the game too and the two of you want to compare notes.
All but the last is applicable.
But yeah, go with your gut of which one you end up liking the best once examining them. You can't go wrong, each of the routes is good and you'll most likely end up liking at least some of the characters in the class.
If so IMO Blue Lions is the best “first” one as it leaves the player wanting more.
But if this helps...
Blue Lions if you want a more personal, emotional story
Golden Deer if you want a lore focused tale
Black Eagles is somewhere in between, and is the most unique route.
Almost 50% of my close family who i love and adore are police officers or closely connected to police officers (Prison guards) so i have a fairly high opinion of them as they're some of the closest people to me.
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Warlock82Never pet a burning dogRegistered Userregular
edited October 2019
Ugg I have had barely any time to play this.. Really need to get back to it.
Also didn't realize Flayn and apparently Seteth have unique boss dialog on the Leonie/Linhardt paralogue. Discovered that on accident but it was a neat little thing. (I really really gotta get their damn A support)
I didn't realize Indech was her uncle. I really wanna learn more about wtf is going on with that whole thing.
Since Black Eagles were shit in this department, I'm hoping Blue Lions is better. But suspect it's more Golden Deer from what I've heard...
Recruit all the girls. I did BL with M!B and my squad is all unhittable throat slicers/heart piercers/eyeball melters who double smash everything
Ingrid and Mercedes are the only original house members I use
Lysithea
Petra
Leonie
Killda
Dorothea helping them go again
Marianne as healing adjutant
Bernadette raining ... misses ... from 7 squares away
Byleth just standing back cause he can’t keep up with the mayhem
I recruited Lorenz for the thing but all the other dudes can go to hell
Almost 50% of my close family who i love and adore are police officers or closely connected to police officers (Prison guards) so i have a fairly high opinion of them as they're some of the closest people to me.
Then you'll probably want either Blue Lions or Silver Snow; they're the ones who are definitely friendliest to the establishment and the existing power structures of the continent, and most invested in maintaining those same systems of power
Almost 50% of my close family who i love and adore are police officers or closely connected to police officers (Prison guards) so i have a fairly high opinion of them as they're some of the closest people to me.
Then you'll probably want either Blue Lions or Silver Snow; they're the ones who are definitely friendliest to the establishment and the existing power structures of the continent, and most invested in maintaining those same systems of power
Blue Lions is a particularly unique route, Silver Snow doesnt give much Golden Deer doesn't, so go Blue Lions is my suggestion for a first run between those two.
I'd argue that Blue Lions is actually best as a palette cleanser as a second or third path, since it's very much a traditional Fire Emblem plot and all the other routes are about deconstructing those sorts of stories to greater or lesser degrees
When deciding whether to bother with Silver Snow, there are a few questions to ask yourself. Minor spoilers for general plot structure
1) Do you like Seteth? Cause Silver Snow is all Seteth, all the time. He ends up taking over the 'house leader' role and is the character that talks so your silent protagonist doesn't have to.
2) Did you hang on to a Black Eagles save before the time skip? The beginning of the game can feel tedious the 3rd or 4th tine through. Doubly so for Silver Snow since it's identical to the first half of Crimson Flower.
3) Can you turn a blind eye to recycled maps? Silver Snow borrows several from Golden Deer.
For me, the answer to all of these questions was 'yes,' and I really enjoyed Silver Snow.
I did blue lions first, and am currently at the month before the skip on my game+ golden deer. So far I have liked both more or less the same. There was some parts in BL that I thought kind went out to left field which i don't see in GD. I feel like I am going through the story faster in GD but I am definitely not as overleveled (but I am doing hard this time).
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DuriniaEvolved from Space PotatoesRegistered Userregular
When deciding whether to bother with Silver Snow, there are a few questions to ask yourself. Minor spoilers for general plot structure
1) Do you like Seteth? Cause Silver Snow is all Seteth, all the time. He ends up taking over the 'house leader' role and is the character that talks so your silent protagonist doesn't have to.
2) Did you hang on to a Black Eagles save before the time skip? The beginning of the game can feel tedious the 3rd or 4th tine through. Doubly so for Silver Snow since it's identical to the first half of Crimson Flower.
3) Can you turn a blind eye to recycled maps? Silver Snow borrows several from Golden Deer.
For me, the answer to all of these questions was 'yes,' and I really enjoyed Silver Snow.
That's helpful. I dropped and kept a save file at the exact split point so I could come back to it directly. Only downside is it was my first playthrough so the team is a little haphazard (but still had no problems at all with Crimson on Hard).
For business reasons, I must preserve the outward sign of sanity.
--Mark Twain
Is there a split at all if you tell the flame emporer you will join him after the remire?
Yes. That response is meaningless.
As is every other response not accompanied by extremely loud hardbeat sounds and "ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO MAKE THIS CHOICE!?!?!?!?!" dialog boxes :P
(they really could have stood to branch some things a *little*)
Edit: Honestly it wouldn't be that bad but there's definitely a handful of "Do you save or sacrifice Emmeryn?" choices in there... Aka those choices where you pick something and they go "Nah, we aren't gonna do that"
Edit 2: Random non sequitur on Crimson Flower (Black Eagles) route:
Why the heck aren't Randolf, Ladislava and Fleche playable? You lose out on a bunch of professors if you go that route.
They would be amazing stand-ins for not getting Seteth, Catherine and Cyril... (and losing Flayn and I *think* Alois? I'm still not 100% sure if I just failed to recruit him or if it's impossible). They could be shitty and lack supports - it's not like you guys didn't already do this with a bunch of Awakening characters (Tiki, Anna, Say'ri, literally any of the orange dot map DLC characters like Gangrel, Emmeryn, etc). They clearly already have models and portraits :P You might have to put in the work to put them in other class outfits but I kinda sorta have a feeling the way the game is designed this probably isn't too too difficult. (as in, I have no doubt their models share some bones with other characters)
I'm ignoring Death Knight since he's apparently gonna be free DLC at some point...
But then that whole route is such an afterthought It's never going to happen but I really wish they'd patch it to be a bit less bare-bones (at least give us some damn cutscenes... I gotta think you can still chop up the timeskip one to just remove the bit with Dimitri and Claude so it works for that route...)
Is there a split at all if you tell the flame emporer you will join him after the remire?
Yes. That response is meaningless.
As is every other response not accompanied by extremely loud hardbeat sounds and "ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO MAKE THIS CHOICE!?!?!?!?!" dialog boxes :P
(they really could have stood to branch some things a *little*)
Edit: Honestly it wouldn't be that bad but there's definitely a handful of "Do you save or sacrifice Emmeryn?" choices in there... Aka those choices where you pick something and they go "Nah, we aren't gonna do that"
Edit 2: Random non sequitur on Crimson Flower (Black Eagles) route:
Why the heck aren't Randolf, Ladislava and Fleche playable? You lose out on a bunch of professors if you go that route.
They would be amazing stand-ins for not getting Seteth, Catherine and Cyril... (and losing Flayn and I *think* Alois? I'm still not 100% sure if I just failed to recruit him or if it's impossible). They could be shitty and lack supports - it's not like you guys didn't already do this with a bunch of Awakening characters (Tiki, Anna, Say'ri, literally any of the orange dot map DLC characters like Gangrel, Emmeryn, etc). They clearly already have models and portraits :P You might have to put in the work to put them in other class outfits but I kinda sorta have a feeling the way the game is designed this probably isn't too too difficult. (as in, I have no doubt their models share some bones with other characters)
I'm ignoring Death Knight since he's apparently gonna be free DLC at some point...
But then that whole route is such an afterthought It's never going to happen but I really wish they'd patch it to be a bit less bare-bones (at least give us some damn cutscenes... I gotta think you can still chop up the timeskip one to just remove the bit with Dimitri and Claude so it works for that route...)
About your second edit
You can recruit Shamir and Alois on Crimson Flower, no Catherine, Seteth or Cyril though.
But yeah, I really wish Ladislava, Randolph, and Fleche were played; they're be perfect replacements.
ph blake on
+1
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Warlock82Never pet a burning dogRegistered Userregular
Is there a split at all if you tell the flame emporer you will join him after the remire?
Yes. That response is meaningless.
As is every other response not accompanied by extremely loud hardbeat sounds and "ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO MAKE THIS CHOICE!?!?!?!?!" dialog boxes :P
(they really could have stood to branch some things a *little*)
Edit: Honestly it wouldn't be that bad but there's definitely a handful of "Do you save or sacrifice Emmeryn?" choices in there... Aka those choices where you pick something and they go "Nah, we aren't gonna do that"
Edit 2: Random non sequitur on Crimson Flower (Black Eagles) route:
Why the heck aren't Randolf, Ladislava and Fleche playable? You lose out on a bunch of professors if you go that route.
They would be amazing stand-ins for not getting Seteth, Catherine and Cyril... (and losing Flayn and I *think* Alois? I'm still not 100% sure if I just failed to recruit him or if it's impossible). They could be shitty and lack supports - it's not like you guys didn't already do this with a bunch of Awakening characters (Tiki, Anna, Say'ri, literally any of the orange dot map DLC characters like Gangrel, Emmeryn, etc). They clearly already have models and portraits :P You might have to put in the work to put them in other class outfits but I kinda sorta have a feeling the way the game is designed this probably isn't too too difficult. (as in, I have no doubt their models share some bones with other characters)
I'm ignoring Death Knight since he's apparently gonna be free DLC at some point...
But then that whole route is such an afterthought It's never going to happen but I really wish they'd patch it to be a bit less bare-bones (at least give us some damn cutscenes... I gotta think you can still chop up the timeskip one to just remove the bit with Dimitri and Claude so it works for that route...)
About your second edit
You can recruit Shamir and Alois on Crimson Flower, no Catherine, Seteth or Cyril though.
But yeah, I really wish Ladislava, Randolph, and Fleche were played; they're be perfect replacements.
OK, I kinda had a feeling. I know he's recruitable right before the chapter with the route split, so I must have missed the prompt and then got fucked :P
I recruited everyone. Have fun, Edelgard, Hubert and Claude, in your empty lecture halls, suckas!
It's fun to see the maps that are supposed to have other students on it be replaced with a bunch of generics Everyone's always like "Do we really have to fight our classmates?" and I'm like, "What classmates? I recruited all of them" :P
I recruited everyone. Have fun, Edelgard, Hubert and Claude, in your empty lecture halls, suckas!
It's fun to see the maps that are supposed to have other students on it be replaced with a bunch of generics Everyone's always like "Do we really have to fight our classmates?" and I'm like, "What classmates? I recruited all of them" :P
Well, all the named ones. There are other students.
I recruited everyone. Have fun, Edelgard, Hubert and Claude, in your empty lecture halls, suckas!
It's fun to see the maps that are supposed to have other students on it be replaced with a bunch of generics Everyone's always like "Do we really have to fight our classmates?" and I'm like, "What classmates? I recruited all of them" :P
Well, all the named ones. There are other students.
Yeah but the game is weird about that, because it's like no one cares about them. I have never quite understood why the playable ones were so special... like, are they the upper classmen or something?
I recruited everyone. Have fun, Edelgard, Hubert and Claude, in your empty lecture halls, suckas!
It's fun to see the maps that are supposed to have other students on it be replaced with a bunch of generics Everyone's always like "Do we really have to fight our classmates?" and I'm like, "What classmates? I recruited all of them" :P
Well, all the named ones. There are other students.
Yeah but the game is weird about that, because it's like no one cares about them. I have never quite understood why the playable ones were so special... like, are they the upper classmen or something?
They tend to be either from the major Noble families (Edelgard, Dmitri, Claude, Ferdinand, Lorenz, Sylvain, Hubert, Lindhart, Ingrid, Petra, Felix, Hilda), be from minor houses but have crests (Mercedes, Bernadetta, Lysithea, Ignatz), or just be notable people Through merit (Annette, Leonie, Raphael, Dorothea).
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Warlock82Never pet a burning dogRegistered Userregular
I recruited everyone. Have fun, Edelgard, Hubert and Claude, in your empty lecture halls, suckas!
It's fun to see the maps that are supposed to have other students on it be replaced with a bunch of generics Everyone's always like "Do we really have to fight our classmates?" and I'm like, "What classmates? I recruited all of them" :P
Well, all the named ones. There are other students.
Yeah but the game is weird about that, because it's like no one cares about them. I have never quite understood why the playable ones were so special... like, are they the upper classmen or something?
They tend to be either from the major Noble families (Edelgard, Dmitri, Claude, Ferdinand, Lorenz, Sylvain, Hubert, Lindhart, Ingrid, Petra, Felix, Hilda), be from minor houses but have crests (Mercedes, Bernadetta, Lysithea, Ignatz), or just be notable people Through merit (Annette, Leonie, Raphael, Dorothea).
Hmm, maybe. Still, it's weird how the game just kinda ignores the other students unless they need a random NPC to say something/be part of a map. Especially considering they literally do not have rooms at the monastery :P (maybe the implication is they live in the town? *shrug*)
Went on a support bender last night. Bernie's A supports with everyone continue to be adorable, and I love Hubert's completely no chill max drama goth everything. Ferdinand is also growing on me, mostly because he is somehow the biggest dork in a house full of dorks.
Ferdinand/Dorothea A though
At first I was disappointed that Dorothea had some deep backstory reason for disliking Ferdie instead of just naturally finding him annoying, but Ferdinand reacting to the bee explanation by saying "actually I'd love to be a mindless drone who diligently serves his queen for the rest of my life, that sounds awesome" had me screaming.
Like, I knew he was a bottom but, got damn, what a legend.
I recruited everyone. Have fun, Edelgard, Hubert and Claude, in your empty lecture halls, suckas!
It's fun to see the maps that are supposed to have other students on it be replaced with a bunch of generics Everyone's always like "Do we really have to fight our classmates?" and I'm like, "What classmates? I recruited all of them" :P
Well, all the named ones. There are other students.
Yeah but the game is weird about that, because it's like no one cares about them. I have never quite understood why the playable ones were so special... like, are they the upper classmen or something?
Wait until the DLC when they all become Hot Neville Longbottomses
+1
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Warlock82Never pet a burning dogRegistered Userregular
Went on a support bender last night. Bernie's A supports with everyone continue to be adorable, and I love Hubert's completely no chill max drama goth everything. Ferdinand is also growing on me, mostly because he is somehow the biggest dork in a house full of dorks.
Ferdinand/Dorothea A though
At first I was disappointed that Dorothea had some deep backstory reason for disliking Ferdie instead of just naturally finding him annoying, but Ferdinand reacting to the bee explanation by saying "actually I'd love to be a mindless drone who diligently serves his queen for the rest of my life, that sounds awesome" had me screaming.
Like, I knew he was a bottom but, got damn, what a legend.
Literally one of the best supports in the game IMO
Posts
I'm surprised Hubert has enough blood in him to blush.
It’s also important to note that while it has the least amount of content, it has more unique content than the other routes. It shares less missions.
It seems clear they had budget/time issues, but other routes show signs of it as well.
My Let's Play Channel: https://youtube.com/channel/UC2go70QLfwGq-hW4nvUqmog
Do what I did:
-talk to each of the lords, and have them run down each of their classmates personalities and their view on them.
-Spend 30 minutes reading the dossier that you also have in the game menu to get to know each student.
-Hem and haw for another 15 minutes.
-Talk to all the students you can, if possible.
-End up going with your second choice cause one of your best friends is playing the game too and the two of you want to compare notes.
All but the last is applicable.
But yeah, go with your gut of which one you end up liking the best once examining them. You can't go wrong, each of the routes is good and you'll most likely end up liking at least some of the characters in the class.
Do you plan on playing all three?
If so IMO Blue Lions is the best “first” one as it leaves the player wanting more.
But if this helps...
Blue Lions if you want a more personal, emotional story
Golden Deer if you want a lore focused tale
Black Eagles is somewhere in between, and is the most unique route.
My Let's Play Channel: https://youtube.com/channel/UC2go70QLfwGq-hW4nvUqmog
What are your thoughts re: the police
This is wonderful.
And I can map my dnd players to each one of them as well, which is also great.
Almost 50% of my close family who i love and adore are police officers or closely connected to police officers (Prison guards) so i have a fairly high opinion of them as they're some of the closest people to me.
Also didn't realize Flayn and apparently Seteth have unique boss dialog on the Leonie/Linhardt paralogue. Discovered that on accident but it was a neat little thing. (I really really gotta get their damn A support)
Since Black Eagles were shit in this department, I'm hoping Blue Lions is better. But suspect it's more Golden Deer from what I've heard...
Recruit all the girls. I did BL with M!B and my squad is all unhittable throat slicers/heart piercers/eyeball melters who double smash everything
Ingrid and Mercedes are the only original house members I use
Lysithea
Petra
Leonie
Killda
Dorothea helping them go again
Marianne as healing adjutant
Bernadette raining ... misses ... from 7 squares away
Byleth just standing back cause he can’t keep up with the mayhem
I recruited Lorenz for the thing but all the other dudes can go to hell
Lots of tea drinking frands
Then you'll probably want either Blue Lions or Silver Snow; they're the ones who are definitely friendliest to the establishment and the existing power structures of the continent, and most invested in maintaining those same systems of power
Blue Lions is a particularly unique route, Silver Snow doesnt give much Golden Deer doesn't, so go Blue Lions is my suggestion for a first run between those two.
3DS: 0473-8507-2652
Switch: SW-5185-4991-5118
PSN: AbEntropy
Silver Snow is skippable
My Let's Play Channel: https://youtube.com/channel/UC2go70QLfwGq-hW4nvUqmog
Silver Snow/Verdant Wind Full Spoilers
I imagine that her final speech to Byleth—and Hubert's letter, afterward—carries a lot more emotional weight if she was actually your student
That's the order I did, and feels probably like the best order. Alternatively, do Golden Deer first, then Lions then Flame.
FFXIV: Tchel Fay
Nintendo ID: Tortalius
Steam: Tortalius
Stream: twitch.tv/tortalius
2) Did you hang on to a Black Eagles save before the time skip? The beginning of the game can feel tedious the 3rd or 4th tine through. Doubly so for Silver Snow since it's identical to the first half of Crimson Flower.
3) Can you turn a blind eye to recycled maps? Silver Snow borrows several from Golden Deer.
For me, the answer to all of these questions was 'yes,' and I really enjoyed Silver Snow.
That's helpful. I dropped and kept a save file at the exact split point so I could come back to it directly. Only downside is it was my first playthrough so the team is a little haphazard (but still had no problems at all with Crimson on Hard).
--Mark Twain
Yes. That response is meaningless.
FFXIV: Tchel Fay
Nintendo ID: Tortalius
Steam: Tortalius
Stream: twitch.tv/tortalius
As is every other response not accompanied by extremely loud hardbeat sounds and "ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO MAKE THIS CHOICE!?!?!?!?!" dialog boxes :P
(they really could have stood to branch some things a *little*)
Edit: Honestly it wouldn't be that bad but there's definitely a handful of "Do you save or sacrifice Emmeryn?" choices in there... Aka those choices where you pick something and they go "Nah, we aren't gonna do that"
Edit 2: Random non sequitur on Crimson Flower (Black Eagles) route:
They would be amazing stand-ins for not getting Seteth, Catherine and Cyril... (and losing Flayn and I *think* Alois? I'm still not 100% sure if I just failed to recruit him or if it's impossible). They could be shitty and lack supports - it's not like you guys didn't already do this with a bunch of Awakening characters (Tiki, Anna, Say'ri, literally any of the orange dot map DLC characters like Gangrel, Emmeryn, etc). They clearly already have models and portraits :P You might have to put in the work to put them in other class outfits but I kinda sorta have a feeling the way the game is designed this probably isn't too too difficult. (as in, I have no doubt their models share some bones with other characters)
I'm ignoring Death Knight since he's apparently gonna be free DLC at some point...
But then that whole route is such an afterthought
About your second edit
But yeah, I really wish Ladislava, Randolph, and Fleche were played; they're be perfect replacements.
My thoughts a few hours in.
Have fun with her B support
It's fun to see the maps that are supposed to have other students on it be replaced with a bunch of generics
Well, all the named ones. There are other students.
3DS: 0473-8507-2652
Switch: SW-5185-4991-5118
PSN: AbEntropy
Yeah but the game is weird about that, because it's like no one cares about them. I have never quite understood why the playable ones were so special... like, are they the upper classmen or something?
They tend to be either from the major Noble families (Edelgard, Dmitri, Claude, Ferdinand, Lorenz, Sylvain, Hubert, Lindhart, Ingrid, Petra, Felix, Hilda), be from minor houses but have crests (Mercedes, Bernadetta, Lysithea, Ignatz), or just be notable people Through merit (Annette, Leonie, Raphael, Dorothea).
Hmm, maybe. Still, it's weird how the game just kinda ignores the other students unless they need a random NPC to say something/be part of a map. Especially considering they literally do not have rooms at the monastery :P (maybe the implication is they live in the town? *shrug*)
Ferdinand/Dorothea A though
Like, I knew he was a bottom but, got damn, what a legend.
Wait until the DLC when they all become Hot Neville Longbottomses
Literally one of the best supports in the game IMO