Which route should I try next if I enjoyed Crimson Flower? (spoilers ahoy!)

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It's been a long journey filled with many surprises, challenges and unforgettable moments, but my first Crimson Flower run is now coming to an end. Only the final map is left and I can't wait to see the Black Eagles finally confront Rhea and get their well-earned happy ending. I'd like to take this chance to thank everyone in this wonderful community for their support! This was my first time ever playing FE and all your help has been very much appreciated! Crimson Flower was so much fun and I loved every moment of it, from the beautifully written story and characters to all the little things like music and NPC dialogue that really bring the world to life! I look forward to Cindered Shadows and of course my second CF playthrough on NG+. And I've also been thinking of trying another route alongside CF this time around (also on NG+ if that's possible). But I'm not sure which one though, Azure Moon or Verdant Wind.

I've already ignored Silver Snow because there's really no way I'd start a Black Eagles run and not choose Crimson Flower. Willingly siding with Rhea is something I just won't do. And from hearing others' opinions on SS, it doesn't seem like I'll be missing out on much either.

But between Azure Moon and Verdant Wind, which do you think I'd enjoy more? I know that just like Dimitri, El is killed off in every route besides her own. So I'm fully prepared to be hit in the feels by her death scene (Dimitri's on CF was sad to watch too, even without knowing as much about him. Especially his final words to Dedue and El's reaction afterwards.) But from the sounds of it, she gets a more "peaceful" ending on VW than on AM where she desperately pops a crest pill and goes Demonic Beast like Dedue on CF. I also know that VW has a huge focus on Rhea though, which doesn't sound appealing at all. AM on the other hand has Rhea completely disappear from the plot (and the monastery I'm assuming?) after the timeskip. And she only gets a passing mention in the ending cards. So maybe AM would be a better second route? I do like Dimitri more than Claude, tbh. It would be interesting to play his route and get to know his story better.

Does this seem like a good choice? Or do you think VW would be better?

[LoneStar]

AM is a good next route to play considering you won't be playing SS. It has the dynamic of Edelgard being the big bad guy since Dimitri hates her so much, but there will be some character development on his end. VM's focus on Rhea doesn't really come until the last few chapters, so otherwise in both routes you will just have to hear about her a few times.

[Dark Holy Elf]

You can't go wrong either way, both AM and VW are worth playing IMO.

Of the two I personally prefer AM. I think Dimitri is a very compelling character with a very emotionally resonant character arc. Additionally, playing his route right after CF makes a lot of sense because of some of the parallels between them. Dimitri and Edelgard have an interesting relationship which AM sheds quite a bit of light on, and you'll get to see Dimitri make the case for how he would do things differently from her (and even if you end up agreeing with her more, it's worth considering).

Play VW if you're curious to know what was up with Claude's behaviour in Chapter 14 of Crimson Flower (especially if you spared him and saw the scene after), since he's only properly explained on his own route. In general I think Claude is also an excellent character, but VW doesn't really centre on him and his ideals as much as CF and AM do on their lord. Also, VW has more of a direct confrontation with Those Who Slither, if seeing that is a priority for you (it definitely wasn't for me).

[lenticular]

For my money, Azure Moon is better in terms of characters and characterisation but Verdant Wind is better in terms of lore and world building. If you have a strong preference for either of those two strands of storytelling, then I would let that guide your choice.

[Silver-Haired Maiden]

Azure Moon is definitely my favorite route so I'd recommend you play it next if you're dead set against playing through Silver Snow. However, I feel I must advise against not playing Silver Snow, especially if it's based purely on not siding with Edelgard as all 3 other routes involve siding with Rhea and the other lords against her. While SS isn't the best route and can be very samey when put directly next to Verdant Wind, by not playing SS you'll be missing out on a good chunk of lore and world building, not just about Rhea but about Seteth and Flayn and also Byleth. Also it has one of the best ending themes out there. Seriously, that song doesn't get enough credit.

If you're still up in the air about it, try playing Verdant Wind next that way if you do change your mind and decide to try out Silver Snow you won't suffer from as much burnout with Azure Moon in between.

[Anathaco]

2 minutes ago, Silver-Haired Maiden said:

Azure Moon is definitely my favorite route so I'd recommend you play it next if you're dead set against playing through Silver Snow. However, I feel I must advise against not playing Silver Snow, especially if it's based purely on not siding with Edelgard as all 3 other routes involve siding with Rhea and the other lords against her. While SS isn't the best route and can be very samey when put directly next to Verdant Wind, by not playing SS you'll be missing out on a good chunk of lore and world building, not just about Rhea but about Seteth and Flayn and also Byleth. Also it has one of the best ending themes out there. Seriously, that song doesn't get enough credit.

If you're still up in the air about it, try playing Verdant Wind next that way if you do change your mind and decide to try out Silver Snow you won't suffer from as much burnout with Azure Moon in between.

This is basically my thoughts as well. Like, everything said in this post I agree with.

It sounds like your mind is basically set on AM next anyway, which I'd have to agree with.

[Ika Musume]

If you liked Crimson Flower, stop playing. The game can never make you happy again. Just look up the stories of the other paths, playing them is too hard. Your heart will shatter even trying to touch another route. That's my take anyway

[Gregster101]

Anything but Silver Snow

But in all seriousness, it probably makes sense to do Azure Moon next, and then finish with Verdant Wind.

[Owns]

I agree with doing Azure Moon next. I just did the same thing myself, played CF first and just completed AM recently. For me it just made a lot of sense considering these can be thought of as two sides of the same coin. It's interesting to see how the story and characters develop when the tables are turned with Byleth joining the Kingdom instead of the Empire.

[haarhaarhaar]

CF was my first run and I played VW straight after, and am now playing AM straight after my second CF run. I'd agree that AM is a better follow-up to CF than VW, but there isn't much in it. I personally found some things confusing after my first CF run because I was trying to avoid spoilers etc. (like the conversation before Fhirdiad) and all of that gets explained clearly in VW. But as people here have said, AM gives you the flip side of the coin in Dimitri's journey, and is probably the best route in terms of characterisation.

In my opinion, AM also has the best all-round treatment of the lords - you learn things about Edelgard that are unique to AM and Dimitri's perspective, and spend a little more time on Claude than either of the BE routes do. In comparison, Dimitri in VW will make no sense without having played AM, Edelgard in VW is a serviceable antagonist but it will feel like opportunities have been missed (because VW Edelgard is an inferior version of SS Edelgard), and Claude's character arc in VW felt thinner to me than Dimitri's in AM. 

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12 hours ago, Dark Holy Elf said:

You can't go wrong either way, both AM and VW are worth playing IMO.

Of the two I personally prefer AM. I think Dimitri is a very compelling character with a very emotionally resonant character arc. Additionally, playing his route right after CF makes a lot of sense because of some of the parallels between them. Dimitri and Edelgard have an interesting relationship which AM sheds quite a bit of light on, and you'll get to see Dimitri make the case for how he would do things differently from her (and even if you end up agreeing with her more, it's worth considering).

 

9 hours ago, Owns said:

I agree with doing Azure Moon next. I just did the same thing myself, played CF first and just completed AM recently. For me it just made a lot of sense considering these can be thought of as two sides of the same coin. It's interesting to see how the story and characters develop when the tables are turned with Byleth joining the Kingdom instead of the Empire.

You both bring up a really interesting point. AM and CF do seem very much like two sides of the same coin. One of my favorite parts of CF was Edelgard's character arc, learning about her past and her goals as Emperor. Seeing her develop and come into her own as a leader while remaining true to herself as a friend to Byleth and her fellow Black Eagles. It would be nice to experience Dimitri's character arc alongside Edelgard's this time as a way of seeing the story from both their points of view, even if I personally agree with Edelgard's more. It'll add some more depth to the Edelgard/Dimitri conflict, since I have a feeling I'm gonna love them both :)

11 hours ago, Ika Musume said:

If you liked Crimson Flower, stop playing. The game can never make you happy again. Just look up the stories of the other paths, playing them is too hard. Your heart will shatter even trying to touch another route. That's my take anyway

I'm guessing you say this because El dies on the other routes? I mean, that's just how the story works. It's war, the two lords you don't choose (except Claude) are gonna be killed. Someone who started with AM would have to see Dimitri die if they decided to try any of the other routes, and it's the same with El. And yeah it'll be a sad scene to watch, just like it was with Dimitri on CF. But I don't think a route like AM that explores the other side of the war is worth ignoring just because of that. If anything it would make me appreciate both El and Dimitri even more as characters.

12 hours ago, Silver-Haired Maiden said:

Azure Moon is definitely my favorite route so I'd recommend you play it next if you're dead set against playing through Silver Snow. However, I feel I must advise against not playing Silver Snow, especially if it's based purely on not siding with Edelgard as all 3 other routes involve siding with Rhea and the other lords against her. While SS isn't the best route and can be very samey when put directly next to Verdant Wind, by not playing SS you'll be missing out on a good chunk of lore and world building, not just about Rhea but about Seteth and Flayn and also Byleth. Also it has one of the best ending themes out there. Seriously, that song doesn't get enough credit.

If you're still up in the air about it, try playing Verdant Wind next that way if you do change your mind and decide to try out Silver Snow you won't suffer from as much burnout with Azure Moon in between.

I see your point about SS, but for me it's not so much about siding against El as it's about siding with Rhea. Yes, you're on the same side as her on the other routes but not in the same way. Like on CF when Hubert mentions that they're still temporarily allied with Thales, it never feels like you're actually fighting for TWSITD or playing the "Thales route". TWSITD is just kinda there in the background and they get killed off in the ending. Same thing with AM and Rhea. She's forgotten about as a character as soon as the timeskip hits and she's even removed from power and replaced with Byleth in the ending. You're never following Rhea on AM, only Dimitri.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts! I think I'll go for AM next and maybe try VW later on.

[lenticular]

Honestly, I feel that Rhea is a better mirror for Edelgard than Dimitri is. The two of them have a whole lot in common -- deeply traumatic childhoods leading to power grabs, good intentions for what to do with their power but end up deploying some deeply questionable methods, very naive moralities that see everyone as either for them or against them and brook no disagreement, etc.

Yes, on a surface level, Dimitri and Edelgard have a history together, but the shared history turned them into very different people with very different motivations and character arcs. On the other hand, Edelgard and Rhea both end up walking the same tragic path, and I think that seeing both of their stories helps me appreciate  both of them a lot more.

[Ika Musume]

I just feel wrong playing any other path. I've played every Fire Emblem, but Three Houses was just unberable for me outside of CF. Everything outside of it just felt wrong. Am I just dumb?

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55 minutes ago, Ika Musume said:

I just feel wrong playing any other path. I've played every Fire Emblem, but Three Houses was just unberable for me outside of CF. Everything outside of it just felt wrong. Am I just dumb?

You're not dumb lol It just seems a bit closed-minded to dismiss the other routes though. It's okay to have a favorite lord/route. Trust me, Edelgard and CF may always be my favorites. But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the others too. The only reason to flat out ignore a route imo is if you know enough about the lord to say that you really don't like them (like me with Rhea, since she's technically the "lord" of SS). But otherwise I'd say give the other routes a chance. It doesn't mean you like CF any less, it's just another side of the story. And one you might enjoy :)

[Ika Musume]

The other routes were fun and interesting when I tried them but I just felt way too conflicted for it being just a game and didn't want to finish. I like the other routes, but just can't play them. I know, weird. I don't mind watching them and reading about them though. It's funny because I didn't have problems with doing other Fates paths or any other games with multiple paths lol. Also I'm not the biggest fan of Dimitri but he has his moments so eh

[Silver-Haired Maiden]

4 hours ago, RainbowMoon said:

 

You both bring up a really interesting point. AM and CF do seem very much like two sides of the same coin. One of my favorite parts of CF was Edelgard's character arc, learning about her past and her goals as Emperor. Seeing her develop and come into her own as a leader while remaining true to herself as a friend to Byleth and her fellow Black Eagles. It would be nice to experience Dimitri's character arc alongside Edelgard's this time as a way of seeing the story from both their points of view, even if I personally agree with Edelgard's more. It'll add some more depth to the Edelgard/Dimitri conflict, since I have a feeling I'm gonna love them both 🙂

I'm guessing you say this because El dies on the other routes? I mean, that's just how the story works. It's war, the two lords you don't choose (except Claude) are gonna be killed. Someone who started with AM would have to see Dimitri die if they decided to try any of the other routes, and it's the same with El. And yeah it'll be a sad scene to watch, just like it was with Dimitri on CF. But I don't think a route like AM that explores the other side of the war is worth ignoring just because of that. If anything it would make me appreciate both El and Dimitri even more as characters.

I see your point about SS, but for me it's not so much about siding against El as it's about siding with Rhea. Yes, you're on the same side as her on the other routes but not in the same way. Like on CF when Hubert mentions that they're still temporarily allied with Thales, it never feels like you're actually fighting for TWSITD or playing the "Thales route". TWSITD is just kinda there in the background and they get killed off in the ending. Same thing with AM and Rhea. She's forgotten about as a character as soon as the timeskip hits and she's even removed from power and replaced with Byleth in the ending. You're never following Rhea on AM, only Dimitri.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts! I think I'll go for AM next and maybe try VW later on.

Ah well in that case allow me to ease your mind. Rhea is absolutely not the lord of SS. In fact she disappears in that one just like the other 2 (AM and VW). She only shows up at the end for about the same amount of time as she does in VW and gives you a bit of extra information than she does in VW. You mostly fight alongside Seteth and Flayn.

[Owns]

3 hours ago, lenticular said:

Honestly, I feel that Rhea is a better mirror for Edelgard than Dimitri is. The two of them have a whole lot in common -- deeply traumatic childhoods leading to power grabs, good intentions for what to do with their power but end up deploying some deeply questionable methods, very naive moralities that see everyone as either for them or against them and brook no disagreement, etc.

Yes, on a surface level, Dimitri and Edelgard have a history together, but the shared history turned them into very different people with very different motivations and character arcs. On the other hand, Edelgard and Rhea both end up walking the same tragic path, and I think that seeing both of their stories helps me appreciate  both of them a lot more.

This is an interesting take. Do you get this from the SS path? I haven't tried that route yet and feel like I still don't know much about Rhea and her motives having completed CF and AM. I never got a high support with her either, so maybe i'm missing out on those conversations.

3 hours ago, Ika Musume said:

I just feel wrong playing any other path. I've played every Fire Emblem, but Three Houses was just unberable for me outside of CF. Everything outside of it just felt wrong. Am I just dumb?

Sounds to me like you just got very attached to the characters, i get it. Personally I enjoy looking at things from different perspectives and am willing to detach even if temporarily to allow myself that experience. I think if you do so you can come to more objective opinions in the end. Having completed both CF and AM now, i personally still prefer CF's conclusion but part 2 of AM was done far more better imo. Just in terms of plot/character development and battles. CF's part 2 felt like an afterthought, a streamlined and very linear experience with little to no complications. They should've added more content that deals with TWSITD rather than have Hubert and Edie go after them in the closing notes of the game.

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2 hours ago, Silver-Haired Maiden said:

Ah well in that case allow me to ease your mind. Rhea is absolutely not the lord of SS. In fact she disappears in that one just like the other 2 (AM and VW). She only shows up at the end for about the same amount of time as she does in VW and gives you a bit of extra information than she does in VW. You mostly fight alongside Seteth and Flayn.

In the other routes though, the lord is the leader of your chosen faction. Edelgard's the Emperor of Adrestia, Dimirti's the King of Faerghus and Claude's the leader of the Leicester Alliance. There's nobody else in your group calling the shots, they're in charge. In SS, the Church is your group. Rhea's the Archbishop of the Church. Seteth and Flayn have no power over her. So even if she's not there in person until the end, SS is still the route where you're directly working for Rhea.

[SirErrant]

SS is definitely the most awkward route in terms of lord / leader. You are technically working for Rhea, but she's still gone for more than half of the route. The lord character in SS is more a cross between Seteth and Byleth, neither of who really have enough charisma on their own to propel the story forward. 

I'd personally go with AM and then do VW. VW and SS are similar enough that you're not really missing out on anything except Rhea lore, which I'm guessing you're not too interested about, and Byleth's origins, which you can basically look up. AM was my first route, and it was basically the only one that felt like the Academy students were like a family. It definitely has the most interesting Part 1, since most events are directly linked to Blue Lions students, so you get to see them going through a lot even before the war begins. Dimitri's also a pretty charismatic and interesting character, and (although they're right, Rhea's a better parallel to Edelgard) it's interesting to compare how Dimitri breaks down completely in CF when Byleth's not there for him and Edelgard breaks down completely in AM when Byleth's not there for her. Kinda makes you wish you could clone yourself...

[lenticular]

2 hours ago, Owns said:

This is an interesting take. Do you get this from the SS path? I haven't tried that route yet and feel like I still don't know much about Rhea and her motives having completed CF and AM. I never got a high support with her either, so maybe i'm missing out on those conversations.

I honestly can't remember exactly where all the different parts are from. I have completed all four routes, obsessively talked to everyone in the monastery on every month  in all four routes, and S supported with Rhea, so it could come from anywhere. I don't have the time to write a fully-sourced argument, nor do I want to derail this thread too much, but I'll expand a little bit. (Big spoilers for all routes, especially for the characters of Edelgard and Rhea.)

Spoiler

Traumatic childhoods: Rhea was witness to genoicde against her race and murder of her family. Edelgard was imprisoned and experimented on and also saw most of her family murdered. In both cases, the murders of their families was in the pursuit of power: Rhea's family's bones were turned into weapons, whereas Edelgard's family died as part of crest-implantation experiments. (I don't think it's ever exactly stated how old Rhea was at the time, although it's also not exactly clear what counts as "childhood" for a Nabatean. Regardless, it was an early and formative part of Rhea's life.)

Power grabs: Both characters were born to power. Rhea by virtue of her species and Edelgard by virtue of her ancestry. Both were able to use that to their advantage and were able -- after a large war in both cases -- to consolidate power as the overall rulers of all Fódlan. Compare the two of them to other characters who had equally as awful childhoods like Lysithea, as a for instance. At no point did Lysithea think "I should become ruler of all Fódlan to stop this from ever happening to anyone else"; instead, she just wants to live long enough and accomplish enough to make sure her parents can live out the rest of their lives in peace. This isn't because she isn't ambitious or because she doesn't care about others being put through the same thing that she was. She just never had any realistic opportunity to try to grab power in the way that both Rhea and Edelgard did.

Good intentions: I feel that Edelgard and Rhea are both fundamentally decent people. Both are kind and personable; both inspire loyalty born of love and respect rather than out of fear. They both believe that they can use their power to do genuine good and to stop the atrocities and injustices that they have born and witnessed. Rhea sees her problems as being caused by human hubris, over-ambition and division and so she tries to create a simple society, not reliant on technology, and with a unified belief system. Edelgard sees the continent's problems as being born from the system of crests and nobility, and so tries to create a world without those particular problems.

Questionable methods: Edelgard works with TWSITD, uses demonic beasts in her army despite knowing where they come from, stands idly by through many of the events of Part I which she had the power to stop or at least warn others about (Remire, Flayn's kidnapping, Jeralt's murder, etc.), engaged in literal grave robbing, and started a continent-spanning war to consolidate her power. Yikes. Rhea fabricated Fódlan's history, suppressed technologies, experimented on humans to try to resurect Sothis, and set a town full of her own people on fire. Also yikes.

Similar (naive) moralities: Both seem to have an end-justifies-the-means approach to their more heinous actions because both are, after all, acting with good intentions. Both want their power to be absolute, and see others in a "with me or against me" sort of manner. Rhea cracks down on potential schism within the church of Seiros and orders the execution of the heretics and insurrectionists. Edelgard starts a war because she wants her ideas and ideology to apply everywhere and not just the half of a continent she alredy rules over.

Basically, I don't think that Rhea vs Edelgard should be seen as a conflict of good versus evil (regardless of which side is portrayed as good and which as evil). Rather, I think the story is a tragedy. Two fundamentally good people, more alike than either would care to admit, driven to conflict and acts of evil, not because of their fundamental natures, but because of the outside forces upon them.

(This is not intended to attack or belittle people who interepret the story in a different way. I genuinely believe that there is no such thing as the one true correct way to interpret any story, and Three Houses certainly has many possible interpretations. This one is mine, and I hope people find it interesting and persuasive, but have no problem with others having different interpretations.)

And that's as far as I'm willing to go here, as I don't want to derail this thread. If anyone wants to discuss further, this should go to its own thread.

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I definitely see what you mean about Edelgard and Rhea, but I find that there's one key difference that separates Rhea from Edelgard and Dimitri. And I know that it's very much my opinion. But Edelgard and Dimitri are both good, selfless people deep down. Yes, they both do some morally questionable things over the course of the story. But their intentions are never to do evil. They both feel they must do what needs to be done for the good of Fódlan, even if it means going to war over their ideals. The actions they take are simply "neccesary evils" that can't be avoided no matter what they do. Sadly, not everything can be achieved through clean pretty decision making where there's a clear "right" and "wrong" choice. El and Dimitri need to make some very difficult calls throughout the story. And what I enjoy so much about them is seeing how these decisions weigh on them, showing us that not even they have a rose-tinted view of what they're doing. Neither one of them is clearly right or wrong, even if I agree with El more. They're just human, they're two very similar people on opposite sides. Red and blue, quite literally.

Rhea's a villain. I'm sorry, but that's just how I see her. A tragic villain, but still a villain. That's not to say she isn't another interesting character to explore, there are no "flat" characters in this game except Kronya. But I can't put her on equal moral ground with El and Dimitri. She lies about her identity, she lies about Fódlan's history (and erases any bit of it that could threaten her rule) and she lies about the nature of crests and relics all just to keep herself in a seat of absolute power forever. She created a caste system that directly ruins peoples lives and refuses to do anything to stop it even when she has people in her own monastery who've been affected by it (El, Lysithea, Dorothea, Marianne, Sylvain, etc.). She tried to use Byleth as a vessel to revive her mother (which would've erased Byleth's mind and replaced it with Sothis) even after seeing that Byleth is her own person and not just an empty mindless shell. And again, I'm sorry. I'm sure there's many people who enjoy Rhea as a character and I'm not trying to change their minds or hurt their opinions. If there's one thing to say about FETH it's that it did a damn good job creating a fleshed-out world with so many compelling, human (or dragon in Rhea's case haha) characters, Edelgard, Dimitri and Rhea included.

[lenticular]

Bringing this back on topic, you've formed your opinion based on only having played Crimson Flower, which is the route that portrays Edelgard at her most sympathetic and Rhea at her most villainous. Crimson Flower was the first route that I played as well, and my perception of the story and characters changed a lot as I played the other three routes. Of course, you should play the game in whatever way will be most fun and satisfying to you, but I feel there's a lot of benefit in playing all the routes to get as complete a version of the story as possible. If nothing else, if you play all four routes and still feel that Rhea is an irredeemable villain, then you'll be able to do so with increased authority and conviction.

(Even with all of that said, though, I still wouldn't recommend Silver Snow as your second route, since it has the same set of students, and the other houses should have a chance to shine.)

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Well to be perfectly fair, all the stuff I mentioned happens before or during White Clouds, regardless of route. I didn't bring up anything specific to CF like her freakout or the burning of Fhirdiad. Some of the things I said are actually revealed in SS if I'm not mistaken. I agree with playing all the routes to get the most complete version of the story, but seeing as I have no interest in actually playing SS isn't it enough that I've read up on the lore it provides about Rhea before forming an opinion of her? It's not like I'm dismissing her based on CF alone. I know about the things Rhea did and that's where my opinion of her comes from. It doesn't matter which route I played first or if I only decide to play three, Rhea's worst actions happen on all four.

But like you said, it's not really worth derailing the topic to discuss this further. After all, I'm not trying to convert anyone, just explaining my reasoning. We've both said what we came to say so this looks like a good place to end. Have a nice day :)

[SirErrant]

4 hours ago, RainbowMoon said:

Rhea's a villain. I'm sorry, but that's just how I see her. A tragic villain, but still a villain

Wow, it's really interesting how the first route a person decides really shapes their ideas about the morality of the main villain of that route, in this case, Rhea. Heck, that's exactly how I see Edelgard, which is probably because I played Azure Moon first and saw her at her lowest. To me, Edelgard's a fantastic tragic villain and one of the best-written villains in the series, but she's not the best protagonist, mainly because a lot of her actions just don't make sense - at least, to me.

Spoiler

For example, I'll never get why she hired someone to assassinate Dimitri and Claude, and... herself... when she could have, at the very least, done it herself as the Flame Emperor.

I'm not trying to change anyone's opinion, either, I just find it really interesting how you view Rhea the same way I view Edelgard. It might also be because I value slow change and diplomatic solutions over revolutions and war, so I find it hard to justify what Edelgard does in good faith. Rhea's definitely messed up, but at least to me (and from AM Byleth's perspective) she's the lesser of two evils. She seems somewhat more like a good person who made a lot - a whole lot - of mistakes than Edelgard, who is driven by hubris, an "ends justify the means" mentality, and a hardcore savior complex. Of course, the same could be said for Rhea... yeah, Rhea's pretty messed up. I don't disagree with anything you've said above, but I just see Edelgard as a more threatening villain because Azure Moon.

I'd tell you to play Silver Snow because of your opinion on Rhea, but it's such a boring route I honestly can't recommend it to anyone but Azure Moon is better, so go play that. Either route might change your opinion on Rhea, or they might not, and they don't have to. The beauty of a well-crafted piece of art is that there are multiple different and equally correct interpretations.

[Book Bro]

Azure Moon for sure. It has amazing development for Dimitri and Edelgard and adds a lot of important background to the overall story. Dimitri is a great subversion to the typical FE goody two shoes lords and goes through a pretty awesome and unique arc. While it is tough to go through as an Edelgard fan because part 2 is basically "let's blame everything on Edelgard and then hate on her some more", I will say it only made me more sympathetic to her, even if we do see her at her most desperate by the end.

I love Claude but his route is the worst of the 3 lords'. It's the only one that directly addresses TWSITD so it's worth playing through, but AM/CF are much more impactful both as great character development for the main lord and for the overall effect they have on your understanding of the story.