My thoughts on (and partial analysis of) Fire Emblem Three Houses (SPOILERS!)

Click here for my spoiler-free review if you don’t want any as there will be heavy spoilers from here on out.

Is everyone ready? This is your last chance to leave!

3…

2…

If you haven’t played the game yet, you really should (or at least watch a playthrough)!

1…

deep breath

Who coulda guessed the Death Knight was Bruce Wayne?!

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Okay, final final warning now. Spoilers start after the break:

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I said I played the game four times – the Black Eagles path, the Golden Deer, the Blue Lions and the Black Eagles again. This is because there are actually four routes in Part 2. I’d like to share my thoughts on all of them in the order I played them, followed by some extraneous thoughts.

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The Routes

Black Eagles – Crimson Flower

My first playthrough! Replaying this Act One was neat as it cast Edelgard and Hubert’s secret conversations in a new light: for example, their talk after hearing about the Remire incident wasn’t just Edelgard talking about her past, but being horrified that the incident was her allies’ doing! In a way, it’s useful that this is the story that splits in two, as it’s also the one with telltale moments like this one (which makes sense, since this is the route with the “villains”).

And that Flame Emperor reveal! It was quite abrupt, but just seeing her order her soldiers to attack us alone was mindblowing! I was a little worried at how stern she became towards Duke Aegir after being crowned Emperor, but seeing how she so willingly ordered our deaths? It was a small comfort when Byleth attacked her directly and she said she didn’t really want to kill us, but still!

When Rhea ordered us to kill her, I…well, I had no idea what to do. She had done terrible things (Rhea even says she’s too dangerous to be allowed to live and she was tied to my father’s killers) but she’d explained why she hated this society and what it had done to her, and I was sure she had good reason to do what she did, so…well, I sided with her. And because this was my first run, I only had a few other students with me when we fled Garreg Mach.

As an aside, this was one of the bigger “they actually did that?!” moments, since the Calendar is abandoned for this section of the game and you instead have to bide your time in a temporary hideout. To think: you only come here once – and since you have nothing to do but talk to people you won’t spend much time there – but they went ahead and put in such a big place and gave everyone something to say about their situation, wow! (Dorothea’s surprise at Edelgard declaring war is also clever in that she says the same thing whatever the route, but feels differently about it depending on which side of the conflict she’s on.)

This meant that I had to fight a lot of my former friends too and it felt horrible. This is exactly what Fire Emblem Conquest was supposed to be: I was fighting as one of the “bad guys” but was just taking the direct route (I felt bad about it and wished there was a way to stop the war part way) to accomplish something greater. I was surrounded by new generals but saw them as people with their own loveable quirks (Randolph, Ladislava and Fleche*) that I wanted to protect – knowing full well that they’d probably be my enemies in other routes and Edelgard still retained her own quirks despite being a warlord in the public eye. Her portrait of Byleth was a surprising but cute scene, as was her support with Lysithea where she subtly tells her they’ve gone through the same things, which adds a double meaning to all the advice she’s given her.

\* Instead of being put off by their seeming devotion in other routes, seeing them “as people” first makes you understand that they genuinely value Edelgard when they appear in other routes and you feel terrible for killing them. A cruel trick!

If there’s one issue I have, it’s the abrupt ending. Arundel and Those Who Slither in the Dark are built up as major adversaries but are dealt with off-screen. I saw a spoiler about there being a second timeskip so even when the battle stats scrolled across the screen I was half-convinced this ending was a fakeout and that we’d get to play through the war against them the narrator described, but nope. I figured I’d have to fight them in one of the other paths, but it still felt odd to build them up like that.

On the other hand, I was still scarred from being forced to kill some of the former students, so being able to close the book on that route was likely for the best. I feel no shame in admitting I took much longer than I should’ve on the maps where past students/ faculty showed up trying to run or warp my team past them. Making some of them compulsory kills was a cruel blow…

(Oh, and needless to say I spared Claude without hesitation. Heck, I was amazed it was even a choice! It was at least nice foreshadowing that you could spare Ashe and Lorenz the same way in the other routes, at least – does anyone know if they stay loyal in this one? In hindsight I assume I could have gotten Failnaught that way, but I wasn’t killing anyone from the academy if I could help it, no sirree. Sorry, Rodrigue.)

Finally, I should mention Dorothea. I was blown away at how much she changed after the time skip and how much the war clearly tore at her insides. She utterly despises it, and even her battle quotes are completely changed: where she used to be eager to help out and was excited to get strong level ups, post-timeskip she hated being selected for battle and was happier to get bad level ups instead. She was my S Support in this run and when I saw that she refused to get involved in the war against Those Who Slither, it made absolutely perfect sense. I didn’t care that she was one of my strongest units at the time – her own mental health came first, dangit!

Speaking of villains though…Rhea. She takes more drastic measures and becomes more maniacal in this route (and is the main antagonist here), but I just can’t see her as a bad person (outside maybe setting Garreg Mach on fire). She’s doing the best she can and while I was always at edge around her (in this POV even her A Support made her seem more happy that I had merged with Sothis than me gaining strength or surviving)…she just wanted to see her mother again. The story implied she tried reviving her mother through Nemesis too (later proved to be false) and that she was betrayed twice made her anger all the more understandable, especially after killing Seteth and Flayn (why did I have to kill Flayn?!) She may have been a villain, but her reaction to their deaths showed that she really did see them as family (in other routes you find out that they are, in a way) and I loved that she reacts to this as fiercely as she did to being betrayed (if not moreso). As I said before, war really is cruel to everyone and I’m so glad (and sad) that this story captured that!!

In my review, I complained that the credits spoiled some character reveals. While there’s enough evidence to suggest Jeritza is the Death Knight (though I’d have still liked to have found out for my own), what really irritated me was the casual reveal that Thales and Arundel shared a voice actor. Given Thales’ being surrounded in mystery and Arundel’s ties to the group, it made sense that they were one and the same and I was annoyed that I didn’t have the chance to find out for my own. Of course, I later found out that these two connections aren;t made in any route (and I like that), but more on that later.

If there’s a nit I want to pick here, it’s that this route has fewer cutscenes. Specifically, there’s no cutscene for Byleth (literally) falling into their coma nor for reuniting with Edelgard – the latter is especially odd because the other version of their reunion does. This route made me expect a limited number of cutscenes for the other post-time skip routes because only 1/3 of players would see each set, but they proved me wrong…hence the nitpick.

P.S. Anyone else wonder if the BLACK Eagles being mainly RED was a hint that they would have two routes since every other House’s name and colour scheme matched? Silver could be considered a shade of grey and thus related to black, while Crimson is obviously red. Huh? …just a shower thought, but it would be pretty neat if true!

Golden Deer – Verdant Wind

I’ll be honest: after starting Edelgard’s route I was paranoid that Claude would also force me to make a game altering decision, so when he too started talking about his dream to unify Fodlan, I was more than a little worried. Combined with Byleth’s observation that smile doesn’t reach his eyes and his jealousy that we get the Sword of the Creator and not him…well, yeah: I was expecting “The Schemer” to stab me in the back too and decided Dimitri (who always seemed so sincere and calm – whoops -) would be the only one who didn’t turn on me and maybe only have a single route to himself.

Thankfully this isn’t the case, which is a relief because Claude is a really laid back and loveable guy. This is reflected in the Golden Deer as a whole too: maybe it’s because they’re mostly commoners, but they feel really relaxed compared to the other two Houses, at least to me.

Anyway, I loved his dream despite how distant it seemed and was hit in the feels every time he died and it was what he spoke of. I was also surprised by the early reveal that he came out of nowhere a year before the story began and wanted to hear more about that too. It’s interesting that the story heavily implies that he’s Almyran royalty but never explicitly spells it out (even his ending just says he “returned to take the throne of his motherland”), but it informs his character and the way he acts (in the past and present) around others after you figure that out, especially around Hilda (who has imbibed the impression that Almyrans are monsters from her brother constantly fighting them) and Cyril (who’s Almyran himself but never picks up on Claude’s hints that he’s one too). His A Support with Shamir implies she figured it out though, as she off-handedly mentions that she’d like to go there after the war – and he tells Edelgard she’s smart enough to figure it out after being defeated in her route.

His Support with Marianne was pretty heartwarming as a result, as was the reveal of why he’s such a schemer: he was hated for being part-Fodlan (and Fodlan’s high nobility at that) back home then hated for being Almyran in Fodlan; wherever he went he was prejudiced against and no one would defend him, so he had to fend for himself. And being so outmatched, how could he fight back but to be sneaky?

It’s also interesting that this is the route that reveals more about the Church’s history (even more so than “the Church route,” though I may be misremembering this) with his insistence on talking to Rhea both before and after rescuing her and the reveal that Seteth censors the library. (Of course, the latter is mentioned in passing by NPCs, but this is the first time we see that he’s hiding away legitimate information simply because he doesn’t want the public to know of it.)

Speaking of the church, I was also surprised (and a bit worried) that Claude also hated it for its doctrine and that he also wanted to abolish it for the sake of equality for all, but instead of hating Crests he just wanted to be rid of discrimination and Fodlan’s closed borders – a similar but much more “comfortable” goal than Fodlan’s. But I was so relieved to find out that in the end he was just a nice guy. After the pain from Edelgard’s route (and as a prelude to Dimitri’s – and the Church’s – routes), being able to hang out with “just a nice guy” felt so…nice!

In the end, I think this route is the closest to a “good guy” route. You don’t spend time or Support with Edelgard to get her backstory (so you don’t feel guilty about siding with or defying her) and Claude wages war simply to protect his people instead of to achieve an agenda (though he admits that the damage to the church was probably for the best). I think it’s this sense of being on the defensive (and only attacking to protect oneself) that makes this more “morally clean/ healthy” for your mindset (at least it was for mine).

This is also the first route to have a confrontation with Those Who Slither, something missing from the previous one! Oh, and the track I said really surprised me in my review? Shambhala’s dubstep! The “javelin of light” (i.e. missile) looked oddly mechanical, but to walk into a cyberpunk city complete with “metal monsters” (i.e. robots) was mindblowing and its out of place track just emphasised how out of place everything around you was (or, to be more specific, how out of place you were)! And following it up with Nemesis and his Latin-theme was another auditory shock, but a very very welcome one.

Fighting Nemesis also makes this the more “epic” of the routes in my opinion. And that ending scene of our two heroes working together to slay him and shaking hands afterwards? Precious. Oh, and as mentioned in my main review, this path is when I realised that – despite being obviously evil at first – I could understand why the Agarthans were so extreme in their methods. You can’t help feeling a little sorry for them.

This is also when I realised Byleth would have a different ending depending on the route: he was a general in the past and the king of this, where could he go next? And while I had Mercedes and Caspar with me (and thus got the Death Knight Paralogue) there still wasn’t a Thales reveal, but we hadn’t spent time with him or Arundel this time so that made sense. Nor did we get explicit “Jeritza = Death Knight” reveal either, but if you remembered Jeritza musing about Mercedes in the Monastery – just as Gilbert did for her BFF, now that I think about it – that wasn’t a big deal.

Finally, it was interesting to get the other side of the Nemesis/ Seiros story. I’m inclined to believe Rhea’s version after seeing Nemesis himself and how skeletal the Heroes’ Relics are (Hilda even says hers is pulsating!) Does this mean Edelgard was lying, or that her ancestors created a fake version when they fell out with the Church? And if her actions were at all influenced by a lie…poor her.

And as I said before, this game really makes war feel like war and Edelgard ends up using her citizens as human shields to defend Enbarr (which is similar to Rhea’s actions in the prior route) – you know Edelgard would usually never do something like that, so this is another reminder of how costly conflict is, how people can be forced to take drastic measures and the similarity between Edelgard and Rhea…and again, if Edie did all this for a lie…wow!

P.S. I assumed this path would also end at 18 chapters and was surprised when one paralogue had a deadline of 8/30 (I assumed it was the game trying to trick me). I even thought 19 would be the end because Reunion at Dawn was a mini-chapter, then decided I had no idea how many Chapters there would be and loved that the paths didn’t care to be uniform (I was a bit worried about having time to play them all, but that was a minor thing :P)

P.P.S. This was also the first time someone left me: Ashe. I remember being scared that I’d gotten him killed without realising when I noticed and was scared at the thought of fighting him when he returned, and was so relieved when he joined me upon defeat. It taught me to brace myself when characters left me in subsequent playthroughs, so for that I’m grateful for the shock. But that he left me at all speaks volumes for his character and how much he despises the church after having five years to let everything sink in!

Blue Lions – Azure Moon

…there’s a reason there are so many “Protect Dimitri” rallying cries in the community and this is probably the most emotional of the routes. It’s also the one tied deepest with the lore of Fodlan, so I was glad I’d taken the time to visit the library again at the start of this run (I last went at the start of my first, minus checking random factoids as you would with a real library at your disposal – and I loved that you could do this, by the way!)

Since Dimitri kept his eye in Crimson Flower and we’d already seen the “Kill every last one of them” line, I wasn’t sure which way he would go. He seemed sincere, but he was so crazed at Remire that I was honestly a bit spooked – as spooked as he assumed I’d be, now that I think about it! There’s also his Support with Felix that mentions how he enjoyed putting down a rebellion, so all of a sudden Felix telling me Dimitri was a boar and a beast took on a whole new meaning beyond Felix himself just being an edgelord as I thought before. There’s also Dimitri getting angry when I suggested maybe the Flame Emperor didn’t have anything to do with Remire: while he had a good point in being sceptical, it was also a warning about his black and white worldview and willingness to step over people if need be.

This is also the route I assumed would reveal Thales and Death Knight’s true identities: Dimitri’s research reveals Thales used to donate to the Church and NPCs say he used to be much kinder, both of which suggest another switcheroo happened, while the last run already taught me of Mercedes’ tie to the latter…but nothing comes of either. Death Knight is killed off sooner and gets to die in Mercie’s arms, but we don’t even see his real face!

…but I think I like this approach. Even without explicit reveals, you can deduce Thales’ identity by how Arundel’s death at Deirdriu seems to remove Those Who Slither from the plot: they don’t bomb Merceus (nor does Death Knight try to run as a result), nor do the Lions need to storm Shambhala as the others do. This is what I meant by the story’s fixed continuity being a boon in my main review. The lack of reveals also makes Thales a villain in the vein of those like the Joker: it’d be nice to know his backstory and theorise about him (and some versions even DO spell these out) but you don’t really need to know those things to know who he is – and in Thales’ case, sympathise with him on at least a surface level.

But that’s skipping ahead. While those two don’t get revealed, this is the one that makes the Flame Emperor’s reveal a big deal, by having “him” drop Edelgard’s dagger and having a cutscene dedicated to it. And Dimitri’s sneer at the end of that scene and his manic, brutal massacre of the Imperial soldiers? Wow!

And really, Dimitri’s arc makes up a large part of the story, moreso than the other Lords in theirs. He completely snaps here and this is even reflected in gameplay, with him no longer eating, attending “classes” or even speaking to you, just standing still in the cathedral (save to threaten you at one point). While he can barely keep himself together before the timeskip, after it he really is the wild beast Felix mentioned who’s just slumped inside the Goddess Tower surrounded by corpses and assumes you’re a ghost. And while he mentions off-hand that he hears his dead family and friends, it’s here that you hear him explicitly talking to Glenn and not only that, but him admitting that he’s scared of forgetting everyone’s faces is truly gutwrenching – and he does some of that manually too, pointing out in an earlier scene that I have no right to judge him for seeking revenge after doing the same for Jeralt (and as that was one of the times Byleth actively emotes in Part 1 and has single-option dialogue, this is very likely canon).

And him finally breaking down, asking if he can live then admitting that he wants revenge for his friends and family but personally wants to save his people (hence changing course to Fhirdiad)? That was such an emotional surge I…well, I genuinely got chills when I saw that chapter’s title was “The King’s Triumphant Return”. Take that, Aragorn! That he goes around apologising to everyone both on and off-screen (he apologised to Caspar for torturing Randolph) makes this even sweeter. It’s like his five years off-madness gave him the perspective he needed to be a gentle king and I loved that about him.

And…that’s the best way to describe him. It’s worrying that Dedue says the angry Dimitri is the real one and the one he respects, but the much calmer Dimitri is much politer and…well, gentle. You get that part of it is him trying to atone, but you get the feeling right away that he would make a perfect king. The best examples of this are him sparing someone who admits to taking part in the Tragedy of Duscur (which ruined his life and turned him into the vengeful monster that he was) and trying to parley with Edelgard – he’s willing to be peaceful around the two biggest causes of conflict in his life (it’s suggested by how much angrier he gets once Edelgard’s unmasked that it’s the sense of betrayal that enrages him about her more than her supposed role in Duscur) after being so fueled by rage towards them until now, that’s huge!!

Speaking of Edie, the reveal of their relationship is also quite sweet and explains a lot of their interactions elsewhere, such as his reluctance to fight her both during and after the mock battle and Gronder Hill and calling her El (which she says only those closest to her can do) upon defeat in the Crimson Flower Route.

And…well, with no one left from Those Who Slither to rely on and Dimitri refusing to let the Church die, Edelgard has to become a monster to form the final boss, which again makes this the more emotional route of the four. As Dimitri points out upon seeing her, this story really is about the clash of their ideals – the chapter is even called “Oath of the Dagger” and ends with Edelgard trying to “cut a path with it” as Dimitri told her to – Edelgard thinking to the future and wanting everyone to become strong while Dimitri having spent life among the people (and five years in the gutters) understands that they aren’t capable of such a heavy change and need time and care to transition the way she wants them to. Not only is the ending tragic – Dimitri silently kills his stepsister and crush because their ideals can never be reconciled, but Edelgard had to go through such pain to even try to fight against them. As I’ve said a few times now, this really is a more sombre tale than the others, which just makes it all the more heartwarming to hear Dimitri became a kind king once the war ended – with Byleth as the archbishop likely guiding society to the freedom Edelgard wanted in a more accepting way.

Finally, this is the only route where Gilbert is playable. While Byleth figures out his connection to Annette in all routes, this means this is the only route where you learn more about him and, through him, Dimitri, Duscur and Annette herself (despite her being a “side character”) which was another lovely touch that made this story that much richer. Incidentally, this also means Azure Moon has the largest possible roster of playable characters out of all the routes assuming you recruit every possible teacher and student! (For the record, Crimson Flower has the smallest roster.) Oh, and Gilbert’s Support with Dimitri – especially the A Rank – is very heavy on the feels 😥

P.S. This is the first time I played as f!Byleth (so you can deduce I played as her in my next run too) and some animations work better for her than m!Byleth, specifically the arms crossed one. Dudeleth’s arms are a bit too long 😛

Black Eagles – Silver Snow

Fates’ DLC added another path to the game, so as I played my first run I assumed the upcoming DLC would be another path for this one and focused on the church (maybe Byleth would just be a training instructor like Jeritza, or even just working on behind the scenes admin stuff while going on missions for Rhea with the Knights) and that the name of this route would be based on the colour white (since “White Clouds” suggests white is the “neutral colour” here). I was pleasantly surprised to see that this very idea was already in the game all along!

It was with “Azure Moon” that I realised the path names were taken from the “Wind, Flower, Snow, Moon” poem but sadly didn’t remember what the fourth “element” was until this path unlocked. I was still stunned to see it though! It’s strange – I still assumed the path would have the same name as Crimson Flower or maybe even that I’d join Claude and/ or Dimitri, so to get not only a brand new path name but a new flag too was pretty mindblowing.

And a new flag! I know it’s the same flag/ banner Claude fashions, but seeing a new emblem on the save screen and Byleth show up as its representative on the map report/ cutscenes felt so exciting – as though they were now the protagonist after the the three lords had theirs!

Gameplay-wise, this route schews pretty close to Verdant Wind, even past the point Azure Moon branched off – the only difference is that Byleth misses the Battle at Gronder this time. While I was surprised by this, the set up is unique here of all four routes so I still enjoyed it. After all: there is no Lord this time! Seteth (and to a lesser extent Flayn) fill in as the vocal authority figure, but this route is mostly Byleth’s story. It also makes the conflict with the Empire more personal as this time you’re fighting your own students, with your main allies now fighting two of their best friends. And while Dimitri had blown her out of the water at this point in terms of “changes post-timeskip”, it made perfect sense that Dorothea would take in war orphans during the five years since she is an orphan and as mentioned before despises war.

Anyway, as I said, this route is more personal for you and your students as they’re now on the front lines of the fight against their own nation, something they don’t fail to mention – one of Edelgard’s Generals, Randolph, is even Caspar’s uncle! Edelgard’s death is also more impactful here than in Verdant Wind despite using the same cutscene due to her having a deeper relationship with Byleth here (especially if you built up their Support before she left).

In addition to this however, as I said before, this is also the “church route”. While you don’t learn as much about Nemesis or the Heroes’ Relics as in Verdant Wind, you learn more about Seteth, Flayn and Rhea this time, as well as about Byleth themselves, with the remaining ambiguities about them and Jeralt filled in. For example, Rhea mentions treating Jeralt when he was young and Alois says Jeralt had an infusion of Crest-bearing blood in Supports. You may have connected the dots, but Rhea confirms that the blood was her own (hence his long life that has Alois and Byleth so stumped).

This is also where you find out that Rhea was telling the truth when she explained that Byleth’s mother traded her life for theirs (literally, in fact, since she gives up her Crest Stone to save her child) – something that seems suspicious and Jeralt never believed. She even explains why it was Byleth that received Sothis and not their mother or any other Crest of Flame-bearers (and why she had no control over whether Sothis reincarnated into a male or female body). Incidentally, this also confirms that either Sothis really is the reason Byleth grew up so stoic, or that their mother also started off emotionless but eventually warmed up enough to fall in love and have a child.

Likewise, this is the only time Seteth is upfront about his own past. It’s implied in his Supports and dialogue that he’s the Saint Cichol (and thus Flayn is Cethleann) but the two always dodge the question outside their own A Support and boss battles with Indech and Macuil, so this really drove home how this was the route for the people of the church. It’s also where we see Rhea at her most vulnerable, admitting outright if the war was in any way her fault she would have to atone, something you never have a chance to hear in any other. Seteth trying to be careful in mentioning The Immaculate One here (only for Byleth to tell him they already know it’s Rhea) also ties into how he confiscates Claude’s paper about her in his route – and how he’s willing to open up about her too.

The final month is also very interesting in how unique it is, with everyone talking about how great it is that the war is over. While this is all rich in dramatic irony (and the final boss does admittedly come out of nowhere), it’s genuinely heartwarming to hear everyone celebrate the end of the war – even the NPCs! – and discuss what they plan to do next, all of these plans running the emotional spectrum from visiting graves to visiting families. Byleth being the lead isn’t just for the sake of gameplay either, as Seteth tries to push them into taking a leadership role for Fodlan too, so hearing everyone including NPCs) ask what you’ve decided or saying they’d love to serve under or support you was a pretty harrowing experience that still put a smile on my face. The S Support scene is even changed for this moment, reading “Before making a decision” instead of “Before the final battle”.

And…as I said before, this route has Rhea at her most vulnerable. While she apologises for her actions in Verdant Wind, she seems close to tears when explaining herself to Byleth. As I’ll explain later, Rhea is likely intended to be the focal point of this path instead of (or alongside Byleth) and moments like this really drive this home.

While each route writes the unchosen Lords out of Fodlan (sadly Claude is the only one who survives every other route), the story does something interesting here to push Byleth (and/ or Rhea) forward: while Edelgard still dies, the other two Lords’ fates are left ambiguous. It was an interesting choice to have Byleth miss the Battle at Gronder this time, but Claude goes missing after it and Dimitri is killed…only he appears later to Byleth and it’s left ambiguous whether he was real or an illusion. Edelgard still dies (though this was necessary to end the war), but that’s it. Even if both survived it’d make sense for them to fake their deaths (Dimitri out of shame and Claude so he can go back to Almyra) so even this can’t really be used as a way to reason about their survival. Again, a very interesting decision!

And while the final boss comes out of nowhere, it still hurts to hear everyone being so sad or angry in their own ways that the war is over yet they still have to kill someone dear to them, and the ending itself is also pretty sad. Even though Rhea survives (barely), that she managed to see her mother again and now feels guilty for both her rampage and the war (as shown in her S Support) is heartbreaking. As I said, even in Crimson Flower I didn’t see her as an antagonist, but after this…well, how can anyone?

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Was the war inevitable?

I remember asking myself this. What’s sad is that Edelgard gets her wish of a reformed Fodlan in every route even though she only survives to see it in one. The war also opens Rhea’s eyes to the harm the church’s doctrine caused for the continent too, so in that way the war can be considered a necessary evil. On the other hand, Rhea all but confirms she plans to step down as archbishop and give the role to Byleth ASAP, and Byleth who could have instated the reforms Edelgard and others wanted (you certainly see enough reasons to want to do so in all routes, not just hers), so in that case…no, the war was avoidable. It’s Shakespearean in that way (though it doesn’t make me feel better): if only Edelgard had known or been willing to wait for Byleth to take the “throne”…(or maybe she was in too deep with TWSITD to stop by the time Byleth arrived at the academy, in which case war was inevitable).

Wind, Flower, Snow, Moon

When the game’s JPN name was revealed everyone assumed three of those four themes fit a Lord and the fourth was either Byleth or a secret fourth kingdom. Well, it turns out there WAS a fourth faction under our noses all along – the biggest of the four in fact! Not only are the four themes used as names for each route, they’re also tied into specific characters:

Claude is Wind, Dimitri is the Moon and Edelgard is the Flower and these are reflected in their ultimate combat arts (Dimitri’s Paraselene is the name of a phenomena that appears around the moon). Snow, however, is Rhea. She’s the head of the fourth faction of the game, and her ultimate attack is called Hoarfrost. So not only was this route hidden by the press and the game itself, the key representative of the theme is also completely different than who you might expect!

The Wind and Moon are also referenced by name in The Edge of Dawn, the main theme of the game, with the singer mentioning how the moon is searching through the darkness while the wind is relaxing – which fits Dimitri and Claude very well! While Snow isn’t mentioned explicitly, the singer does say she knows how it feels to be cold and how terrible it is. Speaking of…

The Edge of Dawn (Girl of Hresvelg ~Wind, Flower, Snow, Moon~)

The main theme is sung from Edelgard’s perspective. I think it also works from Rhea’s, but the Japanese song is literally “Girl of Hresvelg”, which makes it quite explicit who the singer is.

The song makes sense from her perspective too. Just as there’s a specific speaker, there’s also a specific listener: Byleth. Through this song, Edelgard explains that Garreg Mach is the one place she’s happy and can be herself (the first four verses), but mourns that she’s been through too much:

My blackened heart,

Scorched by flames, a force I can’t run from

…and that this peaceful time is fleeting, even as she tries her best to maintain it (just as she tries to keep her friends by going to the Goddess Tower in both versions of her Route and feeling sorry for everyone when declaring her attack at Gronder Field).

On top of all this however, she lies. She “hides behind a mask” and brazenly lies to Byleth to keep them with her:

And the lie upon my lips

I let it go

Cross my heart

Making vows I know will be betrayed

But hoping they’ll stay with her anyway Byleth’s the only one she trusts to understand what she’s gone through (because she opens up to them in their Support and because Rhea/ the Church has also been responsible for the grief in Byleth’s life).

She goes on to praise Dimitri for being “pure and clear as a ringing bell” and Claude for making her feel at peace and finally mourns how those ones “cherished halls” have now become “ruined halls” that “entomb stolen time”, i.e. the time she could just be herself with her friends. Since she blames the church and Rhea for her woes, it makes sense that she wouldn’t bother praising her.

I skipped over some lines, but rest assured that every last one tells Edelgard’s story like this. In fact, you may have noticed that a more sombre version of this song plays during the credits of every path that isn’t hers – in other words, every path in which you didn’t “reach for her hand” before “she soared away” (and declared war).

But as I said before, this song could also be about Rhea asking Byleth for forgiveness as she too genuinely loves her life at Garreg Mach while secretly craving her mother, and hides things from Byleth while genuinely wanting to befriend them (in the church route she even states that – while she wanted her mother back at first – she’s grown fond of Byleth as their own person instead). This would also explain why neither Edelgard nor Rhea are mentioned (even via symbolism) in the lyrics: either of them could be singing it instead.

Either way, this grants a whole new meaning to the 2018 reveal trailer, which was set to this song and was very Edelgard-centric. Almost as though she was already trying to appeal to us! How very meta!!

I already mentioned this in my review, but the directors and singers of both versions should be incredibly proud of themselves. Especially Greg Chun, who was not only able to capture the meaning of the song when translating it, but also made it rhyme!

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Rhea

I spoke of how ambiguous Rhea was before, but I think she’s so interesting she deserves her own section.

And…she really is very interesting! Jeralt is uneasy about her from the word “Go” and even her introduction is a little eerie. She radiates power and authority when you meet her for the first time but appears polite enough – though her conversation with Jeralt becomes much more interesting once you learn who Byleth is and that she already knows who they are; she and Jeralt are flat-out lying to each other’s faces about Byleth without anyone else knowing – though even here Jeralt tells you to be careful of her.

And this is a feeling that persists throughout the story. She gives you your orders and seems cheerful enough, but her ruthlessness when dealing with rebellions against the Church are alarming – as is her immediate execution of the Western Church soldiers. She even openly admits that sending you to surpress Lonatao’s rebellion was to teach you and your students not to mess with her!

It’s easy to get the impression that everything she does has an ulterior motive at this point (and maybe some of them do), but even if you have this opinion it’s difficult to deny that she does do some good: she applauds you for avenging Jeralt (and tries to empathise with you after his passing), but this could be construed as her trying to butter you up, especially with how vindictive she sounds. On the other hand, she’s incredibly charitable; taking in all those affected by the Remire village calamity. While you could call foul of her taking such interest in healing Byleth, we find out that she also tended personally to Catherine and Jeralt when they were injured too – Catherine wasn’t even hurt trying to protect her, she was just being too reckless in a training exercise! There’s also Cyril, who she took in simply because he was being mistreated and doesn’t expect him to convert to the Seiros religion in return (nor does she expect this of Shamir).

She also has people she genuinely values even without any discernable ulterior motives: Seteth and Flayn. I admit to being a tiny bit suspicious when she told the former that she considered the latter to be family, but you actually lose affinity with Rhea if you express surprise that she’s also looking for her when she goes missing! On top of this, she has a cute/ silly side too. Of course, you see this first hand in her A Support, though it’s hard to tell how much of it is due to joy for Byleth and how much of it is joy that they received Sothis’ blessing. However, if you visit the counsellor often you may have noticed that Rhea also submits requests. Among them is one where she laments that she can’t even take a walk without an armed escort, while in another she admits to being jealous that the students can eat together in the dining hall but she can’t (she’s also happy when you tell her that they’d be happy to have her if she would just join them).

Despite these softer, altruistic moments, it’s difficult not to keep her at arm’s length. In my first playthrough, I always did my best to keep her happy, but not to reveal too much (for example I gave her my name when we were introduced despite Jeralt’s uncomfortableness, supported her decisions in the monthly meetings and always complimented her in her Supports, but only gave her the bare minimum whenever she asked a question), at least until Jeralt died at which point I decided she was the only one left who could give me the answers I was looking for – in fact I specifically remember deliberating on whether or not to tell her I recognised Sothis’ throne in Chapter 11 specifically for this reason.

I mentioned above that I played Crimson Flower first: even though you have to fight her in this route, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, nor did I feel any joy in having to kill her. If anything, I felt horrible and the narrator’s promise that it was all worth it in the end still left me feeling empty inside. But once you spend more time with her in the other paths, you realise that she really was genuine in all her praise and attempts to help you and everyone else, and I have to admit I felt pretty guilty after realising this! Even in Azure Moon, where she doesn’t physically appear, you can still feel her affection through the letter she leaves you, while in Verdant Wind (and to a greater extent Silver Snow) she apologises for what she did to you and confesses that she’s come to care for you as your own person.

I mentioned Rhea’s S Support earlier: while I admit I initially chose her because I thought the idea of romancing the Pope was hilarious given how our Pope works (especially since she was a woman and I was playing as f!Byleth at the time), the conversation with her is so sweet, gives her so much closure and is just so darn satisfying that…well, her ending was easily the most fulfilling in my eyes. She’s by no means a good person (even if she wasn’t aware of the damage her policies caused), but goshdarn she really deserved that happy ending :3

Jeralt (and Byleth)

This segment is mostly about the former, since I already talked about the latter in my spoiler-free review but part of my thoughts on Jeralt involve them too so I figured it was worth including them a second time here:

Now, I know the joke – there’s no room for parents in Fire Emblem (save the Eldritch Abomination that is Eliwood, I guess) However, Jeralt fit so well in Garreg Mach and was around for so long that I genuinely thought he’d survive. In fact, until Monica stabbed him I thought the worst that’d happen is him falling into a coma or being crippled in some way so he wouldn’t be able to help in the war phase, which made his death even more shocking – doubly so for how Byleth was unable to prevent it even with Divine Pulse!

You learn a lot about Jeralt too. It’s unfortunate that you don’t see many quirks from Jeralt himself, but it’s quite charming how goofy he turns out to be if you ask aroun, especially from the stories Alois tells about him. He’s an oddball who can’t even be bothered to remember his own age (the story behind which incidentally hints at the reveal at the end of Silver Snow and thus Rhea’s own age) nor his child’s, has an utterly ineffective method of choosing squires and a drinking problem, loves to fish and genuinely loves his kid. That much is obvious despite his gruff demeanour. And it’s clear that everyone else loves him too!

Well, I already mentioned his death, but the aftermath of it is one of my favourite moments as it doesn’t just shake Byleth to the core but everyone. Even the music completely changes for the entire month! The formerly stoic Byleth now looks utterly defeated in their room and spends all their time crying (even moreso if you accept Sothis’ offer of waiting for you to cry some more). Everyone, from the other teachers to Rhea to the students (except possibly Hubert, though he tries in his own way) and even the generic students and soldiers are distraught and offer their condolences (some are even tearing up or having mini-breakdowns), while the Gatekeeper – who is usually so chipper and goofy – starts crying while offering his monthly report. Even more moving is how all your students even promise to aid you in getting revenge, even if it means defying the Church to do so – even Lorenz, stuck-up as he is, promises that absolutely everyone will side with you should you choose to go on a rampage!

And speaking of going on a rampage, Byleth. At the end of the month, Byleth learns that Rhea plans to deal with Kronye in secret and is furious. I mentioned before how I tried to stay on her good side in my first run, but Byleth doesn’t even try to persuade her gently. They just glare at Rhea and offer the single line “You can’t stop me.” Combined with how crushed they are throughout the month – enough to change a once standard interface – and how Jeralt’s death is the first time they cried (and kept crying), despite not even crying at birth and the implication in the GD route that they read Jeralt’s journal in its entirety just to feel closer to him (after all, there’s no indication that they don’t read it in the others, Claude’s just the only one of the three Lords who interrupts them while doing so)…well, it all combines to make this a powerful moment for Byleth too, developing their character despite their lack of words. You know, it just kills me to see their sad face at the end of each week during that month, regardless of their gender…

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Attention to Detail/ Miscellaneous Details about Other Characters

• In addition to Dimitri having two sets of dialogue for before and after his character shift, he also has a different sprite set, so if you thought he looked warmer afterwards…you’re right! He also starts submitting requests to the counsellor again.
• You know the birthday letters you get? If your birthday falls during Dimitri’s…off period, you get one from Gilbert instead. In a similar vein, you get one from Flayn in Silver Snow and both are just as in-character as those from the Lords.
• While everyone typically has their own thing to say in Part 2 even if they look like they’re talking to someone else (because who’s even in the Monastery then is up to Byleth’s actions and “worth as a teacher”), at the end of the Church route Leonie and Alois share a conversation about Jeralt in his office. It’s perfectly in character for both of them to do so, so I’m so glad someone added this moment for them for those of us who were able to recruit them both in time!
• Post-time skip, everyone wears their default outfit in all of their “canon” classes, but this includes those they ask to train for. For example, Petra keeps her outfit as a Thief and Assassin, but also as a Wyvern Rider (which, as I said, is a class she asks you about). This also extends to dancers: Dorothea’s the only dancer I’ve had so far who wears her default outfit. This makes sense because a. it’s a dress and b. she knows how to dance already, so of course it could be considered one of her “default” classes!
• Take Dorothea/ Manuela and Seteth/ Flayn to Enbarr when you go there in any non-Edelgard route and they’ll react to the Opera House/ Church respectively. It’s a neat and perfectly in-character moment that also rewards you with Battalions for each you visit (and a stat boosting item for each one you visit twice!)
• There’s dialogue for certain characters after killing another (curse this war!) in battle. For example Dorothea mourns Ferdinand, which can only happen if she’s recruited to your side but not him. They recorded dialogue for even something as obscure as that, but it pays off becauss it’s exactly the sort of thing that would mess with her! Amazing! The attention and love they put into everything, even as sad and heartwrenching like this, is something go behold! It’s so incredibly cruel though!!
• It makes sense how – despite everyone being scared into following Edelgard upon seeing The Immaculate One – Flayn goes back to her once you realise she’s also a Child of the Goddess and thus already knows Rhea is a dragon (and agrees with her philosophy), even if she didn’t know that Rhea was still able to transform as stated in Silver Snow (at least Seteth didn’t know).
• There’s a lot of dramatic irony surrounding Hilda and her inability to understand the idea of self-sacrifice. She’s always expressing confusion in her Supports and the GD route at how some people are willing to lay down their lives for others or what they believe in and says that she’d never do that (despite Claude saying she probably would). Of course, I played Crimson Flower first so knew this is exactly what she does for Claude: she’s one of the mobile mini-bosses you fight on that route. In other words, where most other bosses stay stationary, she actively pursues you and has a larger attack range – and even flat out states that she’s willing to do anything to protect Claude if you do fight her (Claude on the other hand, planned on her surviving – which is both sweet and a hint that even he was surprised by her taking action). The same holds true for Catherine: while she says in her Supports that despite her love for Rhea she’d never do anything abhorrent, she still stands by as she sets fire to Fhirdiad at the end of Crimson Flower (though she is initially shocked at her order).
• While the war is terrible for most people (I’ve already discussed what it does to Dorothea), it actually helps others – specifically Bernadetta and Marianne, who become less reclusive and less suicidal respectively. I guess having to fight for your life on a regular basis is pretty good at getting you out of your room and appreciating the value of life, huh?
• A Fridge Horror moment: compared to the other Relics that are passed down between generations, Edelgard’s Aymr is brand new. Considering she’s more than happy to experiment with Demonic Beasts and steal Crest Stones…whose body did she use to make herself her new weapon?
• Speaking of Edelgard: while this is admittedly part of balancing the game (i.e. you’re not allowed to fight with monsters on your side) and making her more likeable, I like that Byleth’s presence reins Edelgard in from using such extreme methods when she declares war in Crimson Flower; like an angel on her shoulder to counteract Hubert’s/ her uncle’s devil. Neat!
• I mentioned in my previous review that the story takes the time to include “side characters” if it makes sense for them to be invested in a certain moment, but I just want to reiterate how wonderful this is. For example, Leonie has unique dialogue when fighting Kronye. Kronye could have saved this special treatment for Byleth alone, but no! Leonie lost her idol; of course she’s going to have even more of a bone to pick with Kronye than everyone else (save Byleth and Alois) – and instead of that corner being cut we got a representation of just that!

Attention to Detail

• I gushed about this before, but it really can’t be said enough how much was crammed into this game. Characters will mention having transferred classes in Paralogues, or Paralogues in Supports, or Supports in the dining hall. It’s really quite amazing! Lorenz does the former while Shamir mentions her Paralogue in her C Support. Meanwhile, Mercedes and Annette will be awkward when eating together after the fight in their B Support and Felix will take offence to being compared to the Death Knight if he eats with Mercedes after her Paralogue (because she says he reminds her of her brother).
• Supports also take into account others you’ve completed (Marianne will mention her conversation with Sylvain to Ashe if you did that Support earlier) and also which Part you’re in (Ingrid will ask Bernadetta why she joined the academy or the war effort depending on which side of the timeskip you’re on and Bern will respond accordingly) and which route (to use another Ingrid example, her situation with her parents changes post-timeskip depending on who she’s allied with, as this can mean estranging herself from her family).
• It was only in my fourth run that I realised that Rhea and whoever you selected for the White Heron Cup will have something to say if you go back to them after the contest is over – but only during that month (since next month everyone’s preoccupied by…you know).
• Byleth’s model includes internal organs and their Crest Stone. ‘Nuff said.
• There are an incredible number of animations for battle, including those for class/ weapon animations that aren’t canon – for example, getting a crit with a bow while on a pegasus will trigger an animation where the rider will fly into the air and fire a small volley. They fly into the air when IS could have simply reused the Bow Knight’s animation! For a movement type/ weapon combination that isn’t even used canonically by anyone outside Claude (who has a unique animation anyway!)
• Speaking of Critical Hits, the animation you get depends on when in the current fight it triggers. For example, if triggered during a counter attack, Enlighted One!Byleth attacks by force pushing the foe away before slashing them, while if triggered upon initiating Byleth instead slashes them before swiping down in an elegant pose. For War Masters, when in combat they get a Critical with Gauntlets can mean the difference between spinning like a top to get to their foes and Shoryukening them instead. It’s wonderful!
• Also, the character will wince in the Critical Hit cut-in if they’re low on health and everyone even has an animation for killing an enemy without a weapon equipped (e.g. via a Battalion). That’s huge!
• Credit to Helsionium of Serenes Forest for this one: you know the writing on the walls in Shambhala? That’s not random letters strung together, it’s Russian! The two signs we see there read “Light Pole” (presumably their name for the Javelins of Light) and “Closed City” (which should be self-explanatory). Considering the Japanese dev team already had to translate everything into English to be Fodlan’s canon language, it’s awesome that they also used another foreign language for another “nation” too!

Miscellaneous

• Divine Pulse is a canon ability! While I love Mila’s Turnwheel, it didn’t seem to be an in-universe ability; no one ever mentioned it or tried to use it outside of gameplay. Here, however, it saves Byleth’s life and they even use it in-universe in an attempt to save Jeralt. However, unlike the Turnwheel’s only limit being an arbitrary one placed on it for gameplay reasons, Sothis explicitly states that her power can only be used sparingly, justifying why Byleth can’t jump massive distances in time or why they can’t go back even further to save Jeralt: in-universe it can only go back a few seconds (and each turn of a map has always felt like a slowed down span of a few seconds to me, so I can accept this). I know this mechanic is here to stay but that “I have time powers” can’t keep being an in-universe explanation, so I’m glad to have it be one here, in a game that’s already so intricate in its story and lore that this little tidbit just fits right in. On the other hand, while Rhea mentions “the flow of time” a few times and in her song, Sothis’ ability to time travel doesn’t seem to come up anywhere else. It’s also implied that it can’t break through the Forbidden Spell of Zahras (that’s why Sothis had to sacrifice herself and render Byleth immune to it unless Solon could beat them back into it), so it’s good to know that it has its limits too.
• Battalions are also canon. Characters often refer to the soldiers under their command and having battalions really sells the idea of the characters being part of an army (with Felix being an edgy loner :P), and I love it!
• While the weapon triangle is gone, I thought it was neat that the -breaker skills were retooled to effectively be the same thing (boost Hit/Avd by 30% against another weapon type). A neat way of maintaining an old mechanic while also moving away from it as a core mechanic. (Oddly, the initial removal seems to be another thing lifted and improved from Echoes alongside combat arts, free roam, full voice acting and time travel. It seems the little old remake was more influential on the next big entry than we thought!)
• While some maps are reused, I appreciate that each route has unique maps (or at least unique spins on existing maps). At the same time, I think it’s neat that Paralogues use the same pool of well-crafted maps to tell their stories, with different enemy placements or ballistas to make them feel fresh. Some also use fog of war to obfuscate things futher which is a nice trick. Of course, you have to accept this is happening if you notice a map being reused. Otherwise you’ll come away thinking Margrave Edmund has territory in Brigid, to name just one example 😛 (On the other hand, if Gautier and Fraldarius are as friendly as they seem, it would make sense that both Felix and Sylvain’s Paralogues are about defending the same city.)
• I like the name “Those Who Slither In The Dark” and that Hubert coins the term in every route. While it’s a mouthful, I think it’s more realistic a name: it’s just a description that Hubert (who can be quite theatrical/ hammy when he wants to be) coined, but it fits them so well that everyone just casually starts to use it too and it sticks. The name isn’t even capitalised outside of enemy stat screens! The game as a whole feels very grounded (especially compared to recent entries) so giving the evil organisation a mundane name fit quite well. It isn’t even an important name: Kronye has it as her faction’s name long before Hubert coins the term, but it changes nothing.
• I touched on this before, but I love how Byleth ends up in one of three different positions depending on the route: a Commander, King/ Queen or Archbishop. I was also surprised that they keep their “enlightenment” in most routes. After playing Edelgard’s first I assumed all of them would end with Byleth losing their powers, but it seems that only happens when they side against the church! And of course, this also affects their S Support. To think that every actor had to record at least three different versions of that scene, and such an incredibly niche scene at that!
• Also mentioned before, but I like how the Seteth/ Flayn reveal is handled: even in Silver Snow, Seteth never goes further than to reveal he’s been around since ancient times (but explains why he nor Flayn can take on giant forms), but there are hints littered around the game as to the duo’s identities. Their dialogue with the other Saints is neat too (Flayn and Indech is especially hilarious.)
• Speaking of – a number of things are alluded to but never explained. While I’d like an explanation of how Dimitri and Dedue met, I still like how neither goes in depth about it – almost as if it’s too pure for public ears – all we know is that Dimitri saved his life and has scars on his back to show for it and Dedue in turn saved him by offering emotional support and being a constant presence throughout his life (further prompting Dimitri’s fall post-timeskip, though it takes his return AND the return of his father’s lance and death of his father figure to snap Dimitri back to normal). It makes the event more…precious, in a way.
• On the other hand, I see why some people would like a more comprehensive Death Knight origin, since it’s a more recent (and more radical) event. In a way, that we know nothing about how Emile was warped beyond recognition beyond “House Bartels probably abused him/ his role as a Crest-bearing former noble and the Empire plucked him off the streets” is scarier than knowing what happened would be. I wouldn’t say no to Death Knight DLC though!
• Not sure where to put this: some of the animations can look a bit odd – for example, sometimes fold their arms but hold them away from their bodies. However, this is because these animations are shared between men and women; whose arms appear more natural and fit more snugly with their bodies despite also holding them out because…you know.
• A nitpick I left out of the spoiler-free review because I also wanted to stay vague about specific mechanics: while I’m fine with the Reason/ Faith split for magic, I don’t like how Reason magic is further divided into Black and Dark magic as this means there are twice as many abilities associated with it (e.g. Black Range +1 and Dark Range +1). This may not sound like much, but it means Classes associated with Reason effectively have one less Skill than they seem to – for example, Dark Knight has Black and Dark Tomefaires while Holy Knight has White Tomefaire and Terrain Resistance – and for what? Lysithea, Hubert and Edelgard are the only characters in the game to even learn Dark Magic and with such a small subset, it really would have made more sense to just treat Miasma, Dark Spikes et al as a different branch of Black Magic (like how some characters can learn Fire while others learn the likes Wind and Cutting Gale instead).
• Back to happier news, I had the pleasure of perusing the Art Book recently and noticed some of the Crests on the foreheads of some Beasts were accompanied by the numbers and names of some of the Major Arcana (they really were taking inspiration from Persona for this, huh?) While only some are named, at the end of the section regarding Crest Stones all 22 Crests are printed and the positions of the Crests that are named shows that all 22 are ordered as they are in the Tarot. u/Cenobiaa of Reddit has already listed the Crests and their Tarot designations (as well as their Dragon Sign as I wanted to do, thanks!) while u/AllusionsIlludeMe wrote an analysis of them and how they tie into the characters (including the significance of some of the lost Crests!)
  • This is huge! Among other things, it makes sense for Anna to bear Ernest’s Crest as she’s a travelling merchant, while The Fool (who the Crest represents) also goes on a journey for knowledge (Anna would learn stuff too, even if it’s just more ways to make money). Also, Rhea is the High Priestess, which makes it the second time Cherami Leigh has been one of those. I have to wonder if that was intentional. Also, something something best girls.
• Almost all the lines from the teaser trailer survived for the final product. Edelgard’s lines about the mock battle were removed, but she says the same thing with different words before that fight anyway, while her story about the creation of Fodlan was instead given to Rhea, who recites it word for word but with different intonation (which makes sense as of course she would be more reverential of the myth). Everything else survived intact (the “The Crests are to blame” dialogue is rearranged a bit, but is still said as part of the same monologue). Even though Edelgard’s VA changed, it’s impressive that such important parts of the story were already well set in stone even that long ago!
• “Sothis” is the Egyptian name for Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. This gives the allusions to Sirius in the song titles and FEH more meaned. Also, the symbol on the Season Pass is a wolf/ dog and doesn’t appear anywhere in the core experience. Hmm… Credit to TimLugia of Serenes Forest for spotting this!

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DLC Ideas

• Going back to the DLC talk, since the “church route” is in this game alongside backstory for everything and the kitchen sink…what could it be? A fifth route could still be nice; either Byleth doesn’t teach a class this time OR the new characters we’re getting form a new House – maybe one that tackles Those Who Slither directly? (Though I get that adding a new route and making it happier or avoiding the war entirely would cheapen the pain of the other routes.)
• But how about DLC set in the past? That way there’s no need to worry about canon and we could explore one of the many detailed events in Fodlan’s history! I’d love to play as Seiros or Cichol in the War of Liberation for example! And while I think this is another case of “sometimes it’s better to not know”, I still want to know how our precious Flayn was so overworked that she slept for so long D’:
• A story set in the past may also be an ample opportunity for more Agarthan weapons and enemies to fight, but maybe we could get an Agarthan-centric story instead? Hey, if Fire Emblem ever wanted to spin-off entirely into sci-fi, I can’t think of a better starting point! Also, I’d like to know if their work really is magic as others suggest or whether it’s (“just”) technology and everyone’s confusion is a case of simply not understanding other cultures’ science (I mean, warp someone from Fodlan to our world and they’d think we’re all wizards and witches too).
• Five Crests (that you get for free alongside route-specific ones in every NG+) are still unaccounted for: Aubin, Chevalier, Ernest, Noa and Timotheos. Their abilities are repeats of others (for example, Noa is just a copy of Annette’s Dominic) so are likely just here for gameplay reasons, but since we’re getting new characters I wouldn’t be surprised if they had these Crests. Timotheos’ (also called the Dark Dragon Crest) is even engraved on the floor of the Monastery’s terrace on the third floor, while another is featured on Anna’s clothes! Maybe she’s a DLC character too, as in Fates?

My DLC theory

If I had to choose, I’d say the past is the safest bet for a DLC, specifically the War of Liberation. While I’d love to play as Seiros herself for this, chances are we’d play as Cichol or (most likely) the bearer of the Crest of Timotheos. Why that Crest specifically? Well, as mentioned above it adorns the terrace of the Monastery, so at least one of its wielders had to be close enough to Seiros to warrant that honour. And while Rhea may have married your female Byleth, we know she passed her Crest down Edelgard’s bloodline so must have had at least one male partner in the past (of course the jury’s still out on whether she loved this partner or just needed one to continue said bloodline) – what better way to honour this partner than by immortalising their Crest?

And for the question of why no one has Timotheos’ Crest in the present day…simple: no one happened to inherit it. It’s possible that Edelgard’s bloodline has both Timotheos and Seiros’ Crests and that she just happened to inherit the latter (which admittedly does seem to be the more important of the two). Besides, she had nine siblings: TWSITD only cared about infusing one of them with a Major Crest, so who’s to say some of her siblings didn’t have a Minor Crest of Timotheos and simply died before we could see it? (According to the Wiki, this Crest – and Noa’s Crest – is also associated with the Dark Creator Sword that Nemesis wields. Could there be another story there? Perhaps Noa was Timotheos’ friend or sibling – perhaps even the actual protagonist of the DLC?)

Also as mentioned above, Anna’s clothing bears the Crest of Ernest despite it also being a “lost Crest”. Perhaps the past story would also feature her ancestor* (also an Anna, of course) who wields that Crest into battle?

And of course, such a DLC would be a way for us to finally wield the Sword of Seiros, especially if we get to use Seiros in combat (again, fingers crossed that she’s the protagonist). It’d also be a way to see Seteth and Flayn’s transformed forms as well (and Indech and Macuil’s human forms)! Who knows what those two are Lord and Lady of?

Finally, if Nemesis is being backed by TWSITD, that means we get to fight them in their prime, meaning we see and learn more about their sci-fi technology! Maybe we’d also learn precisely how the Monastery is protected from their Javelins: an EMP generator perhaps (it’s not like anyone inside has phones to be disrupted or anything else that’d let them know what’s going on).

Finally, some rapid-fire thoughts about this theory:

• There’d also be some tragic, dramatic irony if we get to meet whoever becomes Aymr down the line, as well as some horror in seeing people early on who are turned into Relics as the story progresses.
• On a lighter note, no one’s said the name “Fire Emblem” yet. What better time to finally get a title drop than the last time the Crest of Flames was relevant?
• There are some hints that Rhea was more unhinged as Seiros (both in the flashback and in Crimson Flower). If the DLC is about Seiros, could we see more of this? Hey, Dimitri’s fall into and rise from insanity made him such a rich character; perhaps the same could happen for her too!

\* But as mentioned above, Anna’s Crest of Ernest may instead be a reference to her role as a travelling merchant and not have anything to do with her powers or ancestry. After all, the Crest is on her clothes, not a part of her (that we know of)!

Edit: As pointed out earlier, the Season Pass shows a wolf, which could be tied to Sirius and thus Sothis – maybe this confirms that the story will be tied to her (or at least her home/ remains)?

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Closing Thoughts

As always, please let me know what you think in the comments of whatever site you found this on! I’ll probably be tweaking and adding to this as I remember stuff I’ve forgotten for now, so stay tuned for those too! I’m more than willing to answer any questions you may have as well. Thank you so much for reading!!

P.S. Not to beat a dead horse, but I’m really glad IS’ writers got their act together after Fates. It goes without saying, but I think these characters and stories are amazing!!

P.P.S. Edelgard is quite a controversial character. Is it because those who play Crimson Flower first have a different first impression of her than those who don’t?