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FE: Three Houses, Is it worth/ What are the differences between the 3 houses


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Hello,

So for a while now, I am playing FE 3 Houses. I finished my first run with the Blue Lions, and I am starting over with the Black eagles.

As I've read, the story is mainly the same, but with some other details and dialogs.

Therefore, is it worth it playing it a 3rd time with the Leicster Alliance house?

Are there any ways to make the game faster the third time?

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Generally, I think you should only do Golden Deer if you're really interested in their characters or the lore of Fodlan, since their route delves the deepest into it. Otherwise, as someone who loves Three Houses, the game (particularly the monastery sections) can feel increasingly tedious on repeat playthroughs because of the overlap in story/maps. Spoiling this in case you haven't heard but,

Spoiler

there is a route split in the Black Eagles. One route is arguably the most unique in the game while the other is nigh-identical to the Golden Deer's, even moreso than other routes because the only differences in terms of the main story is a different final level and an omission of the big "class reunion" from the E3 2019 trailer. 

New Game+ is the biggest way to make the game faster since you can skip the monastery grind. Otherwise, you should focus on raising your professor level while you are in the monastery. That means prioritizing things like fishing, gardening and meals over faculty training or tea time.

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Spoiler

You do have to take some specific actions to unlock the option between the two, otherwise you're forced to do the one that's Golden Deer-lite. That being said, they're not particularly hard: you just have to make sure to get at least a full C support with Edelgard (you'll know when you get because she will reveal something major to you that has gameplay implications), and then in chapter 11 you have to choose to Explore on a free weekend, talk to her, and go with her to Enbarr. That will give you an option at the end of chapter 11's mission between the two. Word of advice: the game will say that the decision to go with Edelgard will change the game's story, but all it does is unlock the option of the route split. 

You're welcome! I hope you have fun with your playthrough. 

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34 minutes ago, ATrashInTheWorld said:

So the NG+ actually makes the game faster. Ok, I think I will give it a shot after my run with the Black Eagle.

Also:

  Hide contents

For the split route, is it part of the story, or are there some specific actions I have to do in order to be part of it?

Thanks!

pro tip: only go for the route split if you want to play the evil campaign, if you don't, like me, don't even bother

Edited by darkblade2814
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@ OP: For what it's worth, Crimson Flower does have you skip one of the worst chapters in the game in general (the reunion chapter that the other routes get as the first chapter post-timeskip). In case you don't like that chapter, which is understandable.

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I'm gonna add that the first half for each house is homogenous.  Chapters 1-11 for Blue Lions is basically the exact same as Chapters 1-11 for Black Eagles and Chapters 1-11 for Golden Deer.  There are some slight differences, mainly in the discourse with the house leaders (Claude will be trying to dig into the history of Fodlan, Dimitri gradually divulges his history with Edelgard and the Tragedy of Duscar, and both Edelgard and Hubert will obviously have some... interesting things to say as well as some special interactions with some of the antagonists), but all the chapter battles are the same except the mock battles which have you fighting against different teams obviously.

The real tedium is in repeating those first dozen chapters three or four times.  Even if you use NG+, it may still feel tedious - perhaps even moreso, because you'll just have more grinding tools at your disposal.  Though it really depends on your playstyle - whether you're the type to grind or not.  You may well just decide you want to get the first part over as quickly as possible, in which case NG+ will probably benefit you more than it'll hinder you.

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Trust me when I say this, if you have to skip any of the routes, skip the Church route and just do Golden Deers. There's only one piece of important information that the Church route reveals that the Golden Deer route doesn't reveal. Other than that, you lose literally nothing from not doing the Church route aside from not being able to S Support Rhea.

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I would recommend taking a break before starting a new route. Playing them back to back right away will make them feel even more repetitive. 

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2 hours ago, Ertrick36 said:

I'm gonna add that the first half for each house is homogenous.  Chapters 1-11 for Blue Lions is basically the exact same as Chapters 1-11 for Black Eagles and Chapters 1-11 for Golden Deer.  There are some slight differences, mainly in the discourse with the house leaders (Claude will be trying to dig into the history of Fodlan, Dimitri gradually divulges his history with Edelgard and the Tragedy of Duscar, and both Edelgard and Hubert will obviously have some... interesting things to say as well as some special interactions with some of the antagonists), but all the chapter battles are the same except the mock battles which have you fighting against different teams obviously.

The real tedium is in repeating those first dozen chapters three or four times.  Even if you use NG+, it may still feel tedious - perhaps even moreso, because you'll just have more grinding tools at your disposal.  Though it really depends on your playstyle - whether you're the type to grind or not.  You may well just decide you want to get the first part over as quickly as possible, in which case NG+ will probably benefit you more than it'll hinder you.

A good way to get around this problem (and speed up a route), is to make an extra save for BE, right before the route split (end of Chapter 11).  That way, you can put Church route on the backburner (by restarting and following this extra save), if you ever decide that you are up for it. It saves you the tedium of having to go through chapter 1-11 yet again for BE. 

Regardless of which path you decide to follow in BE, make sure to always talk to Edelgard and go to that special event (Ch 11 explore). As long as you go to this event, you will activate the ability to choose between the route split. 

Edited by MessengerIris
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37 minutes ago, MessengerIris said:

A good way to get around this problem (and speed up a route), is to make an extra save for BE, right before the route split (end of Chapter 11).  That way, you can put Church route on the backburner (by restarting and following this extra save), if you ever decide that you are up for it. It saves you the tedium of having to go through chapter 1-11 yet again for BE. 

Regardless of which path you decide to follow in BE, make sure to always talk to Edelgard and go to that special event (Ch 11 explore). As long as you go to this event, you will activate the ability to choose between the route split. 

I should also note that the route split chance is right after the battle in chapter 11 (you'll get another prompt stating that this decision will drastically change the story then). Also of note, if you're leading the Black Eagles, you must recruit Ashe to access his and Catherine's paralogue, as the latter is unrecruitable.

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Imo there's enough difference between the three routes that they're all worth playing. Of course, the largest difference is mainly post timeskip. If you want to make the game faster on your third playthrough, all I can suggest is playing on the easiest difficulty and skipping scenes for Part 1. You won't miss much and if you're playing on the easiest mode, the game will be a breeze. Just don't spend so much time in the Monastery. I'm still astounded though as to how some people manage to play a route for so long.

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On 4/12/2020 at 8:58 PM, SSbardock84 said:

Imo there's enough difference between the three routes that they're all worth playing. Of course, the largest difference is mainly post timeskip. If you want to make the game faster on your third playthrough, all I can suggest is playing on the easiest difficulty and skipping scenes for Part 1. You won't miss much and if you're playing on the easiest mode, the game will be a breeze. Just don't spend so much time in the Monastery. I'm still astounded though as to how some people manage to play a route for so long.

The main mission in each chapter doesn't take that long (usually 30 minutes to an hour), but between manually teaching the students, grinding, doing some monastery activities, etc. the playtime for each chapter ends up being doubled / tripled.

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On 4/12/2020 at 11:20 AM, darkblade2814 said:

pro tip: only go for the route split if you want to play the evil campaign, if you don't, like me, don't even bother

Imagine dumbing down the game's conflict like this, this is why we can't have actual intricate FE stories.

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26 minutes ago, Book Bro said:

 

  Hide contents

 

Imagine dumbing down the game's conflict like this, this is why we can't have actual intricate FE stories.

 

 

to me the side you help you make a MERITOCRACY, like Edelgard, the second worst type of government, losing only to anarchy (no government at all)  and fascism (the worst form), is the evil path

Edited by darkblade2814
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51 minutes ago, darkblade2814 said:

to me the side you help you make a MERITOCRACY, like Edelgard, the second worst type of government, losing only to anarchy  and fascism, is the evil path

You are still pushing your own values unnecessarily in a topic where it doesn't belong, you should just allow a player who hasn't finished that routw to form their own opinion instead of pushing yours, like it was objective fact. Also, I would argue that most of the Western world is meritocratic in nature, as capitalism operates according to the very same principle, that is compensating people based on their value to society (at least that is the ideal, doesn't really work that way in practice, but I have seen plenty worse systems of government). Whatever you think of meritocracy. I can't understand why you don't see that it is still a step up from feudalism where no upward mobility is possible

I would say all three houses are worth playing, I have done every path except the church route as of yet. They grant completely different perspectives on the war, it is always interesting to see events from another point of view. (Crimson flower especially is quite unique and different from the other paths in the game, and no it is not an evil route, at least not objectively speaking, I would suggest at least giving Edelgard a chance before making up your mind)

Edited by Darkmoon6789
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46 minutes ago, darkblade2814 said:

to me the side you help you make a MERITOCRACY, like Edelgard, the second worst type of government, losing only to anarchy (no government at all)  and fascism (the worst form), is the evil path

Must you tout your opinion as though it was objective fact? Especially in a thread where it doesn't belong. I'm not big on politics, so I won't say much more, other than let the OP form his own opinion.

Edited by Shadow Mir
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41 minutes ago, Shadow Mir said:

Must you tout your opinion as though it was objective fact? Especially in a thread where it doesn't belong. I'm not big on politics, so I won't say much more, other than let the OP form his own opinion.

 

okay I got a bit overboard and we did side track, but still it begun when I gave my opinion on Crimson flower (being the game's evil route) okay Maybe I should have worded it better but I still stand by my opinion

 

edit: at least evil by comparison 

Edited by darkblade2814
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3 minutes ago, darkblade2814 said:

 

okay I got a bit overboard and we did side track, but still it begun when I gave my opinion on Crimson flower (being the game's evil route) okay Maybe I should have worded it better but I still stand by my opinion

 

edit: at least evil by comparison 

It is almost entirely subjective, in my opinion Crimson flower has has the best ending with the only possible competition being verdant wind. But every single route have Fodlan become better than it was at the beginning of the game, this game doesn't have an evil route. It is okay to have an opinion, yes, but not everyone shares it.

But part of me kind of wish it did as a route where you join those who slither in the dark, commits genocide on the entire population of the surface world and restore Agartha would be quite interesting. Not that I am sure what they would do with the world. Once they won. But that would be an evil route. 

So other than it being evil, what is your opinion on Crimson flower in terms of writing? I think it is worth experiencing regardless as without it, there is a perspective view just don't get exposed to and therefore the game's narrative is incomplete.

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7 minutes ago, Darkmoon6789 said:

It is almost entirely subjective, in my opinion Crimson flower has has the best ending with the only possible competition being verdant wind. But every single route have Fodlan become better than it was at the beginning of the game, this game doesn't have an evil route. It is okay to have an opinion, yes, but not everyone shares it.

But part of me kind of wish it did as a route where you join those who slither in the dark, commits genocide on the entire population of the surface world and restore Agartha would be quite interesting. Not that I am sure what they would do with the world. Once they won. But that would be an evil route. 

So other than it being evil, what is your opinion on Crimson flower in terms of writing? I think it is worth experiencing regardless as without it, there is a perspective view just don't get exposed to and therefore the game's narrative is incomplete.

I know that, but still it will be like Conquest, I will play it once never touch in it again and, out of spite, not train edelgard and hubert, but still my favorite route is golden deer, which is the closest thing to a (no pun intended) golden ending

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3 minutes ago, darkblade2814 said:

I know that, but still it will be like Conquest, I will play it once never touch in it again and, out of spite, not train edelgard and hubert, but still my favorite route is golden deer, which is the closest thing to a (no pun intended) golden ending

Which is funny from my point of view as I consider the ending of that to route and Crimson Flower to be quite similar, that is because Claude's goals aren't actually that different from Edelgard, the reforms that actually matter are done in both endings, the main difference being that Claude creates a more global society. While Edelgard keeps her reforms to Fodlan. While Edelgard does express a desire for diplomatic relations with other nations, she has no interest in expanding further. In contrast, it seems like Claude wants to break down borders entirely. 

Are you sure you have given Edelgard proper consideration? Your views of her is so different from mine. I wonder if we even saw the same story. I personally think that the society Edelgard wants to create would benefit the vast majority of people, to liberate the commoners and create a society where your rank isn't determined by your birthright is her goal, I see literally nothing evil about this. The only thing that makes this even a question is if it is worth the war. (Granted, the war happens anyway, so a huge number of casualties is a drawback that exist for every single route)

It is kind of strange that my second favourite route, the Blue Lions is also have my least favourite ending, I mean, it is still better than how the continent was before the game started, but keeping around the church and the nobility system, which is a huge drawback in my mind, even if the church is under better management. It is a well written story, but I do not think it is what is best for Fodlan. Which is either a victory for Edelgard or Claude. 

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8 minutes ago, Darkmoon6789 said:

Which is funny from my point of view as I consider the ending of that to route and Crimson Flower to be quite similar, that is because Claude's goals aren't actually that different from Edelgard, the reforms that actually matter are done in both endings, the main difference being that Claude creates a more global society. While Edelgard keeps her reforms to Fodlan. While Edelgard does express a desire for diplomatic relations with other nations, she has no interest in expanding further. In contrast, it seems like Claude wants to break down borders entirely. 

Are you sure you have given Edelgard proper consideration? Your views of her is so different from mine. I wonder if we even saw the same story. I personally think that the society Edelgard wants to create would benefit the vast majority of people, to liberate the commoners and create a society where your rank isn't determined by your birthright is her goal, I see literally nothing evil about this. The only thing that makes this even a question is if it is worth the war. (Granted, the war happens anyway, so a huge number of casualties is a drawback that exist for every single route)

It is kind of strange that my second favourite route, the Blue Lions is also have my least favourite ending, I mean, it is still better than how the continent was before the game started, but keeping around the church and the nobility system, which is a huge drawback in my mind, even if the church is under better management. It is a well written story, but I do not think it is what is best for Fodlan. Which is either a victory for Edelgard or Claude. 

 

my country has a fascist as president, so I may be projecting that SOB on her, so I'll chalk it of as bad timing on Nintendo's part and try to move on, to me Edelgard is a Good, well-written character, but I hate her as a person, and everything she stands for, also I like Claude more because he is the cleanest lord, and the only one who does not commit a war crime on screen, also I agree with his methods more, I prefer the Marth-type lords (the martial pacifists)

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1 hour ago, darkblade2814 said:

 

my country has a fascist as president, so I may be projecting that SOB on her, so I'll chalk it of as bad timing on Nintendo's part and try to move on, to me Edelgard is a Good, well-written character, but I hate her as a person, and everything she stands for, also I like Claude more because he is the cleanest lord, and the only one who does not commit a war crime on screen, also I agree with his methods more, I prefer the Marth-type lords (the martial pacifists)

Ironically, Claude is my least favourite Lord because I deem him to clean, I do still consider him a great and likeable character, the problem is that he stands in direct comparison to characters like Dimitri, Edelgard or Rhea. You know how difficult it is for me to feel sympathy for a religious fanatic who kills anyone who opposes her faith? This game somehow did that. I think Claude would need some more major flaw to compete with the rest when it comes to being compelling. I don't actually consider being a schemer to be a character flaw. 

I guess we are all affected by our experiences, I would be no exception. The politicians of Sweden are well known for being spineless when it comes to dealing with the actual issues of this country, they squabble with each other instead of trying to deal with our issues and I don't believe a single one of them genuinely believe in ideology except furthering their own career. As such, I have an admiration for decisive leaders like Edelgard, who sees a problem and does her best to fix it, she is genuinely someone who believe in what she's doing and her ideology. She conquers not for personal power, but because she believes what she is doing will help the world. If Sweden had even a single politician who are willing to actually do something and had people's best interest at heart. I would vote for them in a heartbeat. However nice a guy Claude is, his reluctance to take action reminds me too much of the spinelessness of our politicians. I do not think that slow, incremental change is necessarily always works out, sometimes that allows injustice to be tolerated in the name of peace for longer than it should. 

What does this Edelgard stand for in your mind? In mind, she stands for equal opportunity, enlightenment, unity, secularism and a better future. I bet your list is altogether different

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