There are four different routes in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. They have different characters, plots, and important things to note. This is a review with some handy advice on all the routes and important choices to make along the way. This article will contain some spoilers regarding the routes! This is your warning.

1. Crimson Flower

Edelgard will stop at nothing to accomplish her goals. Are you with her or against her?

Crimson Flower is the name of Part II if you choose the Black Eagles and Edelgard. However, I’ll be using the Part II name for all of the routes just to keep everything clear. Now, note I said choose Black Eagles AND Edelgard. There is an option to choose Black Eagles and not Edelgard, which results in the Silver Snow route. 

I personally love the Crimson Flower route. Using the Black Eagles and watching them interact is always a good time. While you can recruit most of them, you cannot use Edelgard and Hubert. 

Following Edelgard into war is a worthwhile adventure, especially since we play as Byleth. Since the two share a crest, they have a bond that is different from the other house leaders. Getting to know her and her perspective on the current state of Fódlan is important to continue to play the game. If you play other routes, you’ll wonder why or what kind of person she is. Having the background knowledge of Crimson Flower helps you in that respect. 

This is also the only route to have no overlap with the other routes. Crimson Flower is great when you want an original story, especially if you’ve already played one or two of the other routes. 

The most important piece of advice I can give you if you’re interested in the Crimson Flower route is to spend a lot of time with Edelgard. You must be at C+ support with her before chapter 11 and attend her coronation. If you do not, you will be locked out of the Crimson Flower route.

I would also suggest that you recruit both Mercedes and Lysithea. Not only are they strong units, but they have valuable supports with other characters in the Black Eagles. You won’t regret it!

You will also be losing Flayn on your Crimson Flower run through. The only church members you can take with you are Alois and Shamir. They are worth recruiting if they interest you. The other Knights of Seiros will not be on your side in Part II. 

Choose Crimson Flower if...

• You believe in Edelgard’s vision of the future of Fódlan. This is the only route that you get to learn about her past and why she starts a war. 
• You like strong women. Edelgard is a strong axe user, especially with her Heroes’ Relic in hand. She can solo a battlefield if needed.
• You like Hubert. You cannot recruit or use Hubert if you choose any other route. You don’t want him as an enemy, do you?
• You’re interested in learning more about Jeritza. He is awfully suspicious in the first half of the game! Crimson Flower gives you access to use him as a unit and gain supports with him. 
• You want a complex story while playing as the powerful Empirical army. 

Crimson Flower details: 

• This route has only 18 chapters, making it the shortest of the four routes. 
• It has a unique story, while the other routes have some overlap. 
• Crimson Flower is the most difficult route to follow, as there are unspoken steps to get it.
• This is the only route where you are against the church. The other routes have you fighting for it.

2. Azure Moon

Only you can help Dimitri regain his humanity.

The Azure Moon route is what you go on if you choose to teach the Blue Lions. It focuses on conflicts in the Kingdom of Fearghus and a desire for revenge. 

The Azure Moon route is incredibly strong as it follows Dimitri and his character arc, as well as the truth about the Tragedy of Duscur and how it impacts Dimitri. I was genuinely sucked into the story and didn’t want to stop playing! I played for hours at a time, barely even taking breaks to eat. 

All of the characters are more traditional to a Fire Emblem game with clear-cut roles. That’s not to say the characters are boring—Not at all! The Blue Lions may start off more reserved than the other houses, but they are fun nonetheless. They have a great dynamic and a common goal. They can be much easier to advise and rally together than the other houses! 

This is a great route if you want to play a game with a cohesive story and have fun in the battles. However, it’s important to note that Azure Moon does not allow you to learn more about the world of Fódlan, while you do learn about the realities behind the Tragedy of Duscur and why people, namely Ingrid and Felix, hate Dedue. 

For some fun supports, I would recommend recruiting Marianne, as well as Yuri and Hapi if you have the DLC. 

Choose Azure Moon if... 

• You want to see Dimitri live. The Azure Moon route is the only route you can see him live. Two routes even give him an off-screen death. Rude!
• You want to use Dimitri! Due to his crest, he has incredible strength, making him a beast, or a boar as Felix will tell you, on the battlefield. Plus, you can date him if you choose female Byleth.
• You want a character-driven story as opposed to a more lore-filled one. Azure Moon focuses heavily on Dimitri’s mental state and desire for revenge as opposed to focusing on the war itself. 
• You want a more traditional Fire Emblem story. This route is reminiscent of other FE games if you are coming from playing those!

Azure Moon details: 

• Great cast of characters and a character-driven story.
• The only route Dimitri lives.
• A traditional route for previous Fire Emblem fans.

3. Verdant Wind

How much can you accomplish with Claude?

If you choose the Golden Deer from the Leicester Alliance, you will be set for your adventure on the Verdant Wind route!

Verdant Wind has a lot of good and a lot of bad when it comes to comparing the routes. The most notable thing about this route is that it dives into the lore of Fódlan. We come into this world as players with so many questions that we want answered. Why is Sothis in our brain? Why can we yield the Sword of the Creator? What are the Heroes’ Relics and crests? The Verdant Wind route helps you out and gives you the answers to those questions. 

Claude isn’t only charming and attractive, but he’s curious and always asks questions. That’s why he dives deep into the world and helps us learn more about it. Claude is also an outsider, as one of his level-up quotes says. Because of this, we also learn about Almyra and end the route with a bright future ahead of Leicester Alliance with open borders. 

However, Verdant Wind does not focus so much on the characters themselves. They are there, yes, and you can use them, but if you’re hoping to have a character-driven story, Verdant Wind is not the route for you. Lastly, Verdant Wind shares a lot with Silver Snow. It is a bit disappointing to have two routes be so similar.

Ferdinand and Linhardt are interesting to recruit because they have post-timeskip paralogues with other Golden Deer. Plus, if you have the DLC, I would recommend recruiting Balthus. He is from Leicester originally, so he has fun supports with the characters! 

The other note of advice I can best give you is not to play this route back to back with Silver Snow. Have something else in between to give you a bit of a cleanser so you do not see so many similarities so quickly!

Choose Verdant Wind if...

• You want to learn about the lore of Fódlan. This is the route that does a deep dive into everything!
• You want to play the game one time. Since you have your questions answered, you might be satisfied with putting it down.
• You’re drawn to Claude. You only get to get close to him now! 

Verdant Wind details:

• Very similar route to Silver Snow.
• Fills you with lore and knowledge.

4. Silver Snow

Student turned greatest enemy...

If you choose the Black Eagles and follow Rhea over Edelgard, you will be on the Silver Snow route.

The Silver Snow route is okay. It has a surprise boss battle at the end which I genuinely had not expected during my playthrough. The most notable thing about the Silver Snow route is that you get access to all of the Knights of Seiros and Cyril without wasting time and energy recruiting them. They have some powerful units and powerful weapons, notably Catherine’s Heroes’ Relic Thunderbrand! 

Silver Snow shares a lot of scenes with Verdant Wind, which is a downside for both of them. They are nearly identical routes, making it difficult to want to play through one when you just played through the other. However, you get the Black Eagles characters, which I am a huge fan of. They are strong and fun and make Silver Snow worth it, in my opinion. Seeing characters like Ferdinand, whose entire being was based on being a strong name in the Adrestian Empire, come crashing down is fascinating as you realize how much has changed. 

Silver Snow has the exact same Part I as Crimson Flower. Instead, you choose Rhea and the church over Edelgard when she reveals herself for who she really is. 

Since you will lose them in the Silver Snow route, I would suggest holding off on using Edelgard and Hubert and instead focus on leveling up other units. There are missions where you are required to deploy Edelgard, but keep her toward the back so as not to waste your time leveling her up. 

If you are interested in playing through both Crimson Flower and Silver Snow, consider making a separate save before the final mission in chapter 11, so rather than restarting the entire route on your next playthrough, you can start from choosing Rhea or Edelgard. This is merely a suggestion if you don’t mind building your characters the same. 

Choose Silver Snow if... 

• You adore Rhea and the Church of Seiros. After all, you will be siding with Rhea and the Church over Edelgard. 
• You want to see the Black Eagles facing difficult situations. After all, do you really love a character if you don’t want to see them at their worst?
• You want to use the Knights of Seiros and Flayn. If you choose Silver Snow, you can use your resources trying to recruit other units you’d like instead. 

Silver Snow details: 

• Part I is exactly the same as Crimson Flower with the same characters and the same supports.
• If you do not follow the steps needed to get Crimson Flower, you will be locked into the Silver Snow route. 

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