The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Your first house choice determines the story route you begin, but it does not produce only three endings. Blue Lions leads to Azure Moon, Golden Deer leads to Verdant Wind, and Black Eagles can lead to either Crimson Flower or Silver Snow. Crimson Flower requires the Edelgard branch to be completed before the time skip; if you miss it, the Black Eagles file follows Silver Snow instead.
After finishing any route, New Game Plus (NG+) lets you start another file with selected progression advantages. It preserves Renown, hired battalions, shop progress and saint-statue levels, while the Journal lets you repurchase Professor Level, skills, supports, class masteries and Crest items. Your house and route decisions still have to be made again.
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The four main routes at a glance
Fire Emblem: Three Houses has three starting houses but four principal campaigns. The houses represent the three major powers of Fódlan: the Adrestian Empire, Leicester Alliance and Holy Kingdom of Faerghus.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11| Starting house | Route | Primary viewpoint | What the route emphasizes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Lions | Azure Moon | Dimitri and the Kingdom | A character-focused war story built around Dimitri’s personal arc. |
| Golden Deer | Verdant Wind | Claude and the Alliance | Claude’s perspective, Fódlan’s history and broader world-building. |
| Black Eagles | Crimson Flower | Edelgard and the Empire | An Edelgard-aligned campaign that is shorter than the other main routes and requires a special branch. |
| Black Eagles | Silver Snow | Byleth and the Church | The Church-aligned branch when the Edelgard route conditions are not completed. |
Crimson Flower and Silver Snow are not separate starting-house choices. Both begin with Black Eagles; the branch is decided by actions taken before and around the time skip.
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What your first house choice actually changes
Blue Lions: Azure Moon
Select Blue Lions if you want Dimitri’s perspective and the Kingdom’s storyline. Azure Moon concentrates on the people and consequences surrounding Dimitri, making it the clearest choice for a player primarily interested in his character arc and the Kingdom’s side of the war.
Golden Deer: Verdant Wind
Select Golden Deer if Claude’s viewpoint and the history of Fódlan are your priorities. Verdant Wind is the route to choose when you want more broad explanations about the setting and the forces shaping the continent, rather than a campaign centered mainly on one leader’s personal crisis.
Black Eagles: two possible campaigns
Black Eagles is the only house with two story branches. It is therefore the right choice if you specifically want to make the Edelgard-versus-Church decision yourself. It is also the route that demands the most planning, because choosing Black Eagles alone does not guarantee Crimson Flower.
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Crimson Flower is the Edelgard-aligned Black Eagles route. Before the time skip, you need to complete the required Edelgard-related support and chapter decision steps. The game presents a point at which your allegiance determines whether the story follows Edelgard or the Church.
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Preparation before the time skip
- Choose the Black Eagles house at the start of the game.
- Build your support relationship with Edelgard during the academy portion. Do not leave this until the final possible opportunity.
- When the relevant chapter decision appears before the time skip, speak with Edelgard and make the choice that sides with her.
- Keep a separate save before the decision if you want to protect the branch. That makes it possible to recover if you selected the wrong response or want to see the alternative route without replaying the entire academy section.
The exact availability of the support conversation and decision is tied to the pre-time-skip chapters. Treat the support requirement and the chapter choice as two parts of the same task: complete the relationship preparation, then make the allegiance decision when the game asks for it.
What happens if you miss the requirements
If you choose Black Eagles but fail to complete the Edelgard branch requirements, the game does not silently convert the file into Crimson Flower later. The campaign proceeds to Silver Snow, the Church-aligned route. This is why Black Eagles is a risky first blind run for anyone who has a specific goal of playing Edelgard’s route.
Which route should you play first?
There is no universally correct order. The best choice depends on the perspective and information you want first.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches- Choose Blue Lions first if Dimitri’s personal story is the main attraction.
- Choose Golden Deer first if you want Claude’s perspective and more answers about Fódlan’s history.
- Choose Black Eagles first if the Edelgard-versus-Church decision is the reason you bought the game and you are willing to plan around the missable branch.
For a blind first playthrough, Blue Lions or Golden Deer avoids the special branch condition attached to Black Eagles. That is an ease-of-entry recommendation, not a claim that either route is better. Black Eagles remains the natural choice when you want to experience the central political split directly.
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How route length and lore coverage differ
The routes do not simply retell the same campaign with different units. Each one changes whose motives are foregrounded and which questions receive the most attention.
| What to compare | Blue Lions / Azure Moon | Golden Deer / Verdant Wind | Black Eagles routes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Narrative focus | Dimitri and the Kingdom | Claude and the Alliance | Edelgard’s Imperial campaign or the Church and Byleth |
| Best fit for | Players who want a personal character arc | Players who want world-building and historical context | Players who want the ideological conflict and a consequential branch |
| Branching risk | No special pre-time-skip branch described | No special pre-time-skip branch described | Crimson Flower can be missed; Silver Snow is the fallback |
| Relative length note | Not stated | Not stated | Crimson Flower is described as shorter than the other main routes |
Because the routes reveal different perspectives, playing more than one is the best way to understand the conflict. New Game Plus reduces the repetitive work between runs, but it does not merge the campaigns into one story or unlock every route automatically.
What New Game Plus is in Three Houses
NG+ is a new-file option that uses data from a completed route. After clearing a campaign, create or load the cleared-game data when starting the next file. Completed-game and NG+ saves are marked with a Sothis icon. The in-game description says: “You can carry your end-game data over into a New Game +. End-game saves and New Game + saves are indicated with a Sothis Mark.”
NG+ is a progression shortcut, not a continuation in which your old army simply appears at the start. You begin the new story, choose a house again and make the route decisions again. The advantage is that several long-term systems and currencies remain available.
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What carries over into NG+
| Carryover | How it works in the new file |
|---|---|
| Renown | Retained and spendable through NG+ systems. Nintendo’s version 1.0.2 update notes also documented 10,000 Renown for each cleared path when selecting NG+, with a 50,000-point maximum for that clear bonus in that version. |
| Hired battalions | Previously hired battalions remain available, subject to the new file’s normal deployment and gameplay requirements. |
| Shop progress | Shop-related progress is retained, reducing the amount of economy setup needed on a later route. |
| Saint-statue levels | Statue upgrades persist, so their gameplay benefits remain part of the new file. |
| Journal unlocks | Renown can be used to restore Professor Level, Skill Levels, Support Levels, Class Masteries and Crest items achieved previously. |
The 10,000-Renown figure is version-specific documentation from Nintendo’s version 1.0.2 update notes. It means 10,000 for each cleared path counted by that system, with a 50,000-point ceiling for the clear bonus described in those notes; it does not mean every asset in the old save is copied without limits.
What does not simply carry over
Your units do not begin the new campaign with their previous levels and inventories automatically. NG+ gives you ways to buy back selected progression, but you still decide where to spend Renown and which characters to train. A new route therefore retains the structure of a fresh campaign while removing much of the slowest setup work.
Most importantly, NG+ does not choose a route for you. You must select Blue Lions, Golden Deer or Black Eagles again. If you choose Black Eagles, you must still complete the Edelgard branch steps to obtain Crimson Flower; otherwise the file follows Silver Snow.
How to use the Journal efficiently
- Restore Professor Level early if activity is your bottleneck. Higher Professor Level provides more activity points and greater instruction capacity, which helps you develop a new roster sooner.
- Check statue upgrades before spending elsewhere. Statue levels persist from the previous run, so spend first-run Renown carefully on upgrades you expect to benefit from across multiple routes.
- Repurchase only useful skill and class progress. A new route may favor different roles, so do not buy every previous mastery automatically.
- Restore supports selectively. Buy back support progress when it directly helps the characters or conversations you intend to use on the new route.
- Use Crest items with a plan. They are available through the Journal category, but their value depends on the weapons, units and build choices in the new campaign.
This approach preserves Renown for decisions that affect the route you are actually playing instead of reproducing an entire old roster.
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A practical NG+ plan for seeing another house
Before starting the next file
- Finish the route and keep the cleared save marked with the Sothis icon.
- Decide which perspective you have not seen: Dimitri, Claude, Edelgard or the Church and Byleth.
- Make a short Renown budget for Professor Level, skills, supports and class masteries rather than spending everything immediately.
At the beginning of the new route
- Load the cleared data when the game offers the NG+ option.
- Choose the new house; the previous house is not forced on you.
- Use the Journal to restore Professor Level if you want faster instruction and more monastery activity capacity.
- Rebuild only the skills, classes and supports that serve the new route’s roster.
When replaying Black Eagles
If the goal is Crimson Flower, treat the Edelgard support and pre-time-skip chapter decision as a checklist item, not an assumption. If the goal is Silver Snow, do not complete the Edelgard branch that would redirect the story. NG+ saves time, but it does not remove this route-specific decision.
Is the DLC a fifth route?
No. Nintendo describes the Ashen Wolves side story, along with its additional characters and locations, as downloadable content. It is optional and separate from the four main routes. You do not need the DLC to understand the base-game route structure or its New Game Plus systems, so it should be treated as an additional story rather than a fifth main campaign.
Common route and NG+ mistakes
“I chose Black Eagles, so I will automatically get Crimson Flower.”
Black Eagles only establishes the starting house. You must complete the Edelgard-related support and make the required pre-time-skip allegiance decision. Missing those steps sends the file to Silver Snow.
“NG+ means my old units and inventories appear unchanged.”
They do not simply transfer at their old levels and with their old inventories. Use Renown and the Journal to restore selected progress instead.
“I can decide the route after the time skip.”
The decisive Black Eagles branch must be prepared before the time skip. Keep a save before the relevant decision if you want a safety net.
“The Renown clear bonus is unlimited.”
Nintendo’s version 1.0.2 notes specify 10,000 Renown per cleared path and a 50,000-point maximum for that bonus. Treat those figures as version-specific, not as a promise that every form of progression is unlimited.
“The Ashen Wolves story changes the four main routes.”
The Ashen Wolves content is optional DLC with its own side story, characters and locations. It does not replace or add to the four principal route identities listed above.
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