What are your thoughts on Edelgard? *SPOILERS*

[Rayhaku808]

She actually resembles modern Cao Cao. Koei Tecmo has been writing him this way as of Dynasty Warriors 8 and 9. She's forcing progression in her own way, not exactly how I'd prefer but it's fair to see it as "the fastest way" to change the land.

[Eryon]

In regards to the continent directed by a sect of dragons, I'll point out that the series has repeatedly shown dragons as more than not less twisted than humans are. Indeed, even back Marth's game the current war was invited by human depravity. Let alone humans starting the Scouring, unleashing the demon king, helping awaken the goddess, creating Grima.

[Spatha]

4 hours ago, Rayhaku808 said:

She actually resembles modern Cao Cao. Koei Tecmo has been writing him this way as of Dynasty Warriors 8 and 9. She's forcing progression in her own way, not exactly how I'd prefer but it's fair to see it as "the fastest way" to change the land.

At least Cao Cao had a justification. China is divided by petty warlords after Dong Zhuo's defeat. He at least managed to restore order by beating every warlord and barbarian and united northern china.

Edelgard decided to unleash a war that saw many people dead by her actions despite having many options to avoid or reduce collateral damage in her goal to overthrow the Church

Edited August 8, 2019 by Spatha

[Moonlit Knight]

8 hours ago, wissenschaft said:

No you don't, Edelgard's route is criminally short. They easily could have added 3 or 4 more missions where you finish off the those who slither in the dark.

It would be criminal if they DID add in a fight at the end with TWSITD at the end of her route.

1. It would cheapen all the other routes (taking care of TWSITD better fits in with the prime objectives of the GD route (uncovering secrets and opening Fodlan up to the outside world) and the Church Route (trying to stop Fodlan’s vicious cycle); BL suddenly becomes the  only route where you don’t directly take them on)

2. It would cheapen Edelgard’s route itself - taking care of Seiros/the crests is very clearly Edelgard’s prime objective and is a very satisfying emotional climax and conclusion to her route

3. Minor point, but they might have to change the game mechanics somewhat if you do battle them after the crests are removed

4. If they add chapters, it should be before the final battle with Dimitri so that difficulty spike isn’t as jarring

[MrPerson0]

20 hours ago, Moonlit Knight said:

Spoiler

Seiros didn’t even create the crests in the first place, so why would they be connected to her death? 

 

She was fed lies by her father/TWSitD

Spoiler

Apparently the latter were the ones who experimented on her and her siblings, so it's safe to say they basically groomed her to conquer Fodlan. They likely didn't even tell her that they were the ones who created the crests, and led Edelgard to believe that Rhea created the crest system when, in reality, she hates it.

 

[wissenschaft]

1 hour ago, Moonlit Knight said:

It would be criminal if they DID add in a fight at the end with TWSITD at the end of her route.

1. It would cheapen all the other routes (taking care of TWSITD better fits in with the prime objectives of the GD route (uncovering secrets and opening Fodlan up to the outside world) and the Church Route (trying to stop Fodlan’s vicious cycle); BL suddenly becomes the  only route where you don’t directly take them on)

2. It would cheapen Edelgard’s route itself - taking care of Seiros/the crests is very clearly Edelgard’s prime objective and is a very satisfying emotional climax and conclusion to her route

3. Minor point, but they might have to change the game mechanics somewhat if you do battle them after the crests are removed

4. If they add chapters, it should be before the final battle with Dimitri so that difficulty spike isn’t as jarring

Whatever gets me more chapters with Edelgard. This is the conquest storyline we deserve. FOR NOHR! 😛

Edited August 8, 2019 by wissenschaft

[Rose482]

So I just finished her route, and I find there to be some funny irony that the female lord ended up with the shortest route in the game <3

Edited August 8, 2019 by Rose482

[dragonlordsd]

22 minutes ago, Rose482 said:

So I just finished her route, and I find there to be some funny irony that the female lord ended up with the shortest route in the game ❤️

Yeah, probably because of the split route. Black eagles is technically the longest, but Edie is the shortest. Too bad, but there it is.

[Strullemia]

35 minutes ago, Rose482 said:

So I just finished her route, and I find there to be some funny irony that the female lord ended up with the shortest route in the game ❤️

It's because she's the shortest lord.

[Troykv]

1 hour ago, Hekselka said:

It's because she's the shortest lord.

This actually makes me wonder how tall she is compared with other FE Lords xD.

None of them are smaller than 155 cm at face value thought

[Tharne]

I just finished BE (Edel).

I didn't know that my already low respect for Edelgard could go lower. Color me impressed, they did a good job. 
I don't hate her (There is only one (fictional at that) person that I felt real hate toward in all my life...Looking at you Griffith from Berserk which is I think a huge accomplishment). I just think she's a sad, manipulative and misguided human being who was shape by TWSITD with horrible experimentation and false information, in the end she ended up being their perfect tool.

A shame that she didn't find the strength to scale the walls between her and the others, to reach her hand to Dimitri (especially) or Claude before starting this war.

Onward to BL (then Church) now and I will do a very long post after them.
 

[Strullemia]

53 minutes ago, Troykv said:

This actually makes me wonder how tall she is compared with other FE Lords xD.

None of them are smaller than 155 cm at face value thought

Quite amusing when you take into account the actions the tiny girl commits in her story.

[Spirit in Black]

Edelgard is a great character. She simply had to start a war to follow her own vision of how the world should be, Hitler did the same so I don't see what the big deal is.

[Timlugia]

22 hours ago, MrPerson0 said:

She was fed lies by her father/TWSitD

  Hide contents

Apparently the latter were the ones who experimented on her and her siblings, so it's safe to say they basically groomed her to conquer Fodlan. They likely didn't even tell her that they were the ones who created the crests, and led Edelgard to believe that Rhea created the crest system when, in reality, she hates it.

 

 

Spoiler

They also told her completely different story about Sothis

 In all routes (less extend in her path) she rambles accusations of Sothis being a twist and evil god tat hates human. Despite’s this is absolutely untrue based on Sothis we actually know in the game.

 

Edited August 9, 2019 by Timlugia

[Hunter Nightblood]

1 hour ago, Spirit in Black said:

Hitler did the same so I don't see what the big deal is.

I can't tell if you're joking and that makes me nervous.

[pradian]

Just finished BE road (Edelgard) and I find it quite a great story overall.

Points of contention raised by other members:

Attempting Diplomacy - Edelgard have major trust issues - due to her past (Uncle betrayed her etc). I can see why she would not even bother to confide in Dmitri and Claude. Survivor guilt also plays a part in that she feels like she must do something so as to ensure that her siblings did not die in vain.

Bystander to TWSITD - The same group who experimented on her and possessed sophisticated weaponry like being able to nuke a fucking city and even send blyeth into another dimension. How are you gonna "negotiate" or even "interfere" with people who could actually dispose of you so easily. Later on - she is fighting against the Alliance, Church and the Kingdom - she needs all the allies she can get, but lets face it - TWSITD having nuclear weapons means they are not to be underestimated.

Personally I think people should play her route to understand her reasoning and circumstances instead of shitting on her without getting the full picture.

Edited August 9, 2019 by pradian

[MrPerson0]

1 hour ago, pradian said:

Edelgard have major trust issues - due to her past (Uncle betrayed her etc). I can see why she would not even bother to confide in Dmitri and Claude.

So this makes it ok

Spoiler

to hire bandits to kill Dimitri, Claude, and other nobles in the beginning of the game who don't even know about her plans? Doesn't seem like TWSitD had anything to do with that, and that's pure evil in my book.

 

3 hours ago, Timlugia said:

Spoiler

They also told her completely different story about Sothis

 

Just curious,

Spoiler

I have heard that Rhea/Sothis apparently decimated Almyra because they tried to go up against Sothis with their advanced weaponry, and this is how TWSitD formed (angry descendants). Is this true, if so, who did it?

 

Edited August 9, 2019 by MrPerson0

[Spirit in Black]

2 hours ago, Hunter Nightblood said:

I can't tell if you're joking and that makes me nervous.

Marely poking fun at the people saying Edelgard isn't vile. 

Quote

Personally I think people should play her route to understand her reasoning and circumstances instead of shitting on her without getting the full picture.

Oh but I did, and she's still a vile, nefarious woman.  You're doing some serious mental gymnastics to justify her actions. Hell, the fact she sided with the very people responsible for all her misery simply because their goals were somewhat aligned and is willing to go on a crusade against the world, killing everyone who dares oppose her,  not only paints her as a dictator but as a wicked one.  

Bear in my mind that I do not dislike her character, in fact I find it very entertaining to side with the villains for a change. 

Edited August 9, 2019 by Spirit in Black

[starmouse]

I played Blue Lions first, so... nuff said. That was honestly a mistake on my part -- I should have left it for last, because it's very hard to play the other routes knowing what happens in them, once you've (I've) already developed an emotional investment in the BL arc.

I think Edelgard's an interesting character, and from what I know of her story in the other routes, I can see how she's more sympathetic in them, but I still think she's misguided and that some of her actions (even in BE route) are very hard to defend.

I am curious how my thoughts would differ if I'd played BE first, but I suspect I'd still have a preference for the other lords.

[genagi]

As a character, I found her personality adorable and interesting. But overall I think BE route is written poorly and both the ending and her ideology is weak and flawed.

Spoiler

In the BE ending, the writer tries to persuade the player that Fodlan is a better place after everything she does. And she does a lot of reformation. But all the reformation are concised in 3 or 4 lines scripts and mentioned at the very last. The reformation she does is served more as a background rather than a focus. In the game, what we actually got is that she sends assassins to attack the heir of two main countries, cooperating with people who are experimenting on innocent students and villagers(and, ironically,  herself), invading other countries with an army which includes the crest beast. Then the story tells you that yeah a centrist, powerful, authoritative regime with a ruler like her would be a good place to live in. Personally I am not persuaded. In real history some conquerors is celebrated because they did other things along with the war. But the story does not really show us that Edelgard has any talents and strong abilities in ruling a country and she would be a capable ruler. At least from the story she seems lack any essential diplomatic ability. And the only consultant she has in the story are... Hubert. Knowledge in law, agriculture and economics? None or little (just something like ”she likes books”). Ability to communicate with different people? Ability to deal with political nuances? (To be fair, the other two lords have some similar problems but I am only discussing her here. ) Does someone really wants that kind of ruler to rule the country they live in? I doubt.

To be honest, everything she does is justifiable only becuase it has a good ending in the story. But I have to say this good ending is a more like a fairy tale to me. I found it is hard to imagine that extinguishing the main religion in a region along with a independent kingdom which has over 300 years history completely within five years by violence and war could lead to a peaceful society without any conflicts.  Does anything like that ever happened in human history and sounds like a good idea? I wonder if everything just goes wrong and ended up in complete disaster(which is very possible in reality if someone with her power wants to do the same thing like her) , and Fodlan becomes worse, how many people would still found her method is justifiable. 

 

[Strullemia]

5 hours ago, Spirit in Black said:

Edelgard is a great character. She simply had to start a war to follow her own vision of how the world should be, Hitler did the same so I don't see what the big deal is.

Even if you're saying this to poke fun at people it sounds absolutely absurd.

Edelgard wants a world without crests and one where there's no discrimination based on whether you're a noble or not. She even succeeds in her ending in creating a better world.

[Tenzen12]

She doesn't create democracy though, even in her ending where she abdicate Empire got singular authorative leader and its obvious she didn't stripped nobles working with her position either. Saying that discrimination based on status disappeared only because crests are gone is bull. Already fact that Edie believes removing crests is way to make social change shows she does not understand how to deal with issue in first place . 

Her endings basically says,: Edelgard did everything to make disfunction country and despite all her effort and professional approach she failed and everyone were happy....Well until Fire nation attacked and conquered whole Empire because it had no defense against technologicaly advenced foe. 

Edited August 9, 2019 by Tenzen12

[Nihilem]

Regardless of the discussion if Edelgard is evil or not, if her actions were really necessary ..... can we at least agree that she is a really well written villain? When we define "Villain" with "A person who does evil things primarly aimed at people that do not deserve them"?

Because seeing the discussion here and in other forums if the actions of her are actual justified or not and the community beeing split between her beeing the main villain and a necessary anti-hero give quite a good impression of the dilemma the people of Fodlan had when she started her rebellion. Sure they dont have all that knowledge we have and had to rely on what the church or Edelgard claimed was the truth, but they probably put out the same arguments to either support or oppose her. Which makes it quite believable why the whole Continent was split in half with that question and war escalated.

 

(In regards to the "ending": I think you can see the narrated text as how a history book would summarized the period - meaning the winning faction of your path would make entirely sure that their continued reign is pictured as almost perfect, without any discrimination or conflict or whatever. And of course much much better then before. And all the bad parts of their rule would just not be spoken about .... so I wouldnt take what is said in there at undeniable truth .....)

 

 

[Strullemia]

@Tenzen12

"Fodland was finally one unified nation, under the rule of emperor Edelgard and the Adrestian empire. Embracing her newfound power, Edelgard could at last set about destroying Fodland entrenched system of nobility and rebuild a world free from the tyranny of crests and status."

It's right there. And yeah obviously she hasn't "solved" discrimination. Even in our current day there are still a ton of people who love do nothing more then to discriminate against others, some of those people even having a ton of power at their fingertips. The points is that she improved the system.

Yeah and I get it, you think the ending is full of plot conveniences and I frankly don't.

The ending wasn't even my point. My point was that comparing someone who is in one of the worst, most evil and disgusting human beings to ever live on this earth 3 to Edelgard is absurd. She wasn't anywhere as evil as people like Mao, Stalin, Hitler or Leopold.

Edited August 9, 2019 by Hekselka

[Nihilem]

2 minutes ago, Hekselka said:

@Tenzen12

"Fodland was finally one unified nation, under the rule of emperor Edelgard and the Adrestian empire. Embracing her newfound power, Edelgard could at last set about destroying Fodland entrenched system of nobility and rebuild a world free from the tyranny of crests and status."

Funnily enough the actually never mention if she succeds in that 😅. Like she is also fighting TWSITD but it is unclear if she manages to beat them or if they can hide insinde her new empire setting roots for further generations to come.

 

But as mentioned before, I think those ending text are written by the victories factions and therefore should be taken with a grain of salt. They are not lying obviously but words can be interpreted in various ways, downsides not be mentioned, etc etc