“*Yawn* My my, how did you end up here?” These are the first words spoken to the player by the mysterious deity Sothis in Fire Emblem Three Houses. 

After waking up from a strange dream, the player character, Byleth, finds themself a teaching position at Garreg Mach Monastery. This development comes with an important choice to make; will the player choose to teach the Golden Deer, Blue Lions, or the Black Eagles? In this article, we will argue as to which house is the superior experience.

In The Golden Deer route, the player meets Claude, a devilishly handsome archer with a noble dream in mind: to open the borders of Fodlan, the secluded country the player calls home. Also to incentivize trade and relations between Fodlan and its neighbors in hopes of changing the views of its people to not be so judgemental of outsiders. Hailing from the Leicester Alliance, the easternmost part of Fodlan, Claude and the rest of the Golden Deer house are highly loyal and are some of the best military units in the game. 

The Golden Deer house has many advantages including the best characters,, and above all, the Golden Deer route answers all-if-not most of the questions left from the other routes. Simply put, choosing the Golden Deer will leave the player more fulfilled. 

The members of the house include; Hilda, the ax-wielding damage dealer, Marianne, the soft and shy healer. Lysinthia, the young mage prodigy. Raphiel the strong and beefy tank. Leonie, the critical-calvary god, and Lorenz the nobel lance user. And that’s it, no one else. 

“The Golden Deer are some of the most endearing characters I’ve ever met pun intended,” said senior Sam Ohlert.

In the Blue Lions route, the player meets Dimitri, the crown prince of Farghus; a kingdom that focuses on the idea of chivalry and knighthood. Early on during one of the first missions, Dimitri explains to the player of a tragedy that befell Farghus which claimed the lives of many people, including those of both his father and stepmother leaving him as the only survivor. Due to the lack of evidence on who planned the assault, the people of Farghus decide to attack one of the kingdom’s allies, Duscur. This led to the Tragedy of Duscur, a brutal one-sided slaughter. Due to Dimitri still being young at the time, he could not do anything, feeling responsible for what happened, Dimitri wants to prove Duscur’s innocence and uncover the truth of what happened on that tragic day.

The Blue Lions focus primarily on world-building, and less on the overall mystery behind the protagonist’s origins. This acts as both a flaw and a benefit, on the one hand, some questions may be left unanswered by the end, on the other hand, this allows for a more complete story giving the player just enough information to fill in the blanks and motivate them to keep playing. 

Compared to other houses, the Blue Lions focus primarily on pure strength, and the primary weapon most students use is a lance. Nearly all of the students have some connection to one another making the house feel more united. The members include Dimitri, the lance wielding prince, Dedue, the tank of the group, Dimitri’s retainer, and the only survivor of the massacre in Duscur, Sylvain, a flirtatious cavalier unit, Felix, the edgy swordsman dedicated to training, Ingrid, a girl who wishes to be a knight, Mercedes, a devoted healer, Annette, a fun-loving mage, and Ashe, a kind-hearted archer.

During the game, various events wind up having a connection to the Blue Lions. For example, in chapter three the player is tasked with quelling a rebellion; the person leading the rebellion is lord Lonato, Ashe’s adoptive father. Moments like this continue where in chapter five, the player needs to fight Sylvain’s brother, and then the reveal of Mercedes brother being the villainous death knight takes place. This leads to where the route really diverges focusing more on Dimitri’s growth as a character. 

“Overall the Blue Lions route is really diverse, and the route does a good job exploring the character’s thoughts and feelings,” said senior Emmie Do.

“Your heart has made its choice, then. All I ask is that you guide these open minds with virtue, care, and sincerity,” said the school’s headmaster Rhea after the player has made the choice of which house to lead. 

Whether you choose to support the charming Golden Deer, the prideful Blue lions,or the strict Black eagles, Fire Emblem Three Houses is an amazing game for both newcomers to the franchise, and oldtime fans. Though the player can always choose to play all routes, the first route is always bound to leave an impression. Though no matter how good a route is, personal preference always has an effect on this decision.