When you first start playing Fire Emblem: Three Houses, it can feel overwhelming when trying to decide what house to join. You could research all the houses and try to pick a house based on which students seem the strongest or most interesting. You could pick a house at random. Or you could try to figure out which house aligns with the “correct” or “canon” story of Three Houses.
However, there is no correct or canon route or order of routes. The main plot of Three Houses remains consistent no matter what house you pick. It’s definitely a game that begs to be played more than once since every house gives you the opportunity to experience the story through a different perspective (for example, in one route you may fight against a certain enemy, while in another route you’re fighting alongside that same enemy).
The beauty of Three Houses is that every decision you make affects the story, but no choice is considered “wrong” or “right”. Freedom lies in the player's hands.
Despite this freedom, it can feel a little stressful when you’re first starting out. If you’re really overwhelmed by the number of orders and possibilities, do not fear! Here is the route order we recommend in order to maximize the story information and keep you engrossed through all playthroughs:
The Blue Lions House
Start off by joining the Blue Lions. If you’re a Fire Emblem fan, this route is pretty similar to other storylines in the franchise; but if you’re new to FE this route is still extremely easy to follow. Though this route tells a complete story, it doesn’t offer too much information regarding your character’s mysterious backstory and history. Which will lead you perfectly into the next route we recommend.
The Golden Deer House
Next off, join the Golden Deer. You’ll get a lot of questions from the BL route answered, specifically about your character and their backstory. Plus, the general plot is extremely similar to the BL route, it’s just from a different perspective. It’s also a pretty feel-good route overall.
The Black Eagles House
Following that, play again and join the Black Eagles. However, it’s important to note that this route actually contains a secret route that will branch off at the end of Part 1. This secret route contains a pretty big spoiler that we won’t spoil - but all you need to know is that at the end of Part 1 you’ll be faced with the choice of whether to side with the Church of Seiros or the enemy you’ve fought during the last two playthroughs. If you’re worried about missing this decision, don’t worry. The game makes it very clear when this crucial decision takes place, complete with ominous music and text stating “This decision will drastically change the story” at the top of your screen.
It'll be pretty hard to miss this.
For your third playthrough, we recommend siding with the Church of Seiros. The route and the information you’ll gather from it coincides nicely with the GD route. But one major difference is that it offers slightly more information regarding the enemy you face in all other routes, which is a great setup for the last route.
Finally, go back and play through the Black Eagles again. When it comes to the drastic decision, side with the enemy this time. This time, you’ll play the story as the enemy that you faced off in the last three playthroughs. In this route, you’ll learn more about the enemy and their backstory. This route is also significantly shorter than the other routes.
Again, no route order is considered correct or canon, so if there’s a house that’s really calling your name - go for it! But we definitely recommend playing through all the routes, at least once, to fully understand the incredible story that is Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
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