Fire Emblem: Three Houses has one of its most important decisions presented to players within the first half hour of play - what house should they join? Although the game is explicitly designed to have replay value and strongly encourages fans to go through each of the house’s storylines, that’s reportedly going to take them something in the ballpark of 200 hours of gameplay to do. For people who have a gaming backlog and other responsibilities, that might sound nice but could never materialize as a realistic pursuit, meaning choosing a house in Fire Emblem will be even more crucial.
It’s a good idea to get it right the first time around, too - there’s no going back once someone’s chosen a house in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Once they’re locked in, they’re along for the journey, for better or worse. Given that Fire Emblem: Three Houses is the future of the franchise, and restarting a game that’s a few hours in is a total pain, Screen Rant has put together a guide on what fans can expect from each house. Fire Emblem has three houses to choose from - hence the rather obvious title of the game - and each of them have strengths, weaknesses, and a different cast of characters to interact with. Although the game’s intro does a decent job establishing the key member and stance of each of the Black Eagles, Golden Deer, and Blue Lions, having extra info certainly doesn’t hurt.
With that in mind, here’s what to expect when picking up Fire Emblem and deciding which house to choose.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer
In Fire Emblem: Three Houses, the Golden Deer are comprised of students from the Leicester Alliance, which is actually a democracy that’s led by a council of nobility rather than a monarchy. The Leicester Alliance is viewed as the shrewdest of the three kingdoms, one that is more at home making savvy political decisions behind the scenes rather than leading armies onto battlefields at center stage. As a result, the Golden Deer prefer to avoid battle using schemes and other tactics, and only fight when it’s unavoidable.
The Golden Deer are led by Claude, next-in-line for the Leicester Alliance’s ruling house. He’s an archer who always has something witty to say, and is the most distrusting of the three potential leaders players will ally themselves with. On the surface, Claude is carefree, extremely friendly, and often flirty, which makes him the most outwardly likable of the three options. However, he’s got a dark side just like the rest of them, as noted by an early point in the game that suggests his eyes never truly match his smile.
The rest of the Golden Deer are primarily comprised of archers, which is the house’s specialty. Players who enjoy long range combat with the potential for massive criticals and an easier time dealing with Pegasus Knights will love the unit composition they get early. The students are chiefly nobility but, unlike many of the students in the other two houses, they don’t feel too much attachment to Claude, preferring to be loyal to their own families and pursuits.
Overall, the Golden Deer house is Fire Emblem: Three Houses’ premier choice for players who don’t like getting up-close and personal with their opponents. Archers get better in numbers, too, so having a decent number of them early can help swing battlefields in the player’s favor. With that said, though, archers are much easier to take down when they end up trapped in tight quarters, and players who don’t want to stress over unit placement will likely find this house more difficult to manage than most.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles
Fire Emblem: Three Houses’ Black Eagles house is made up of students who hail from the southern region of Fódlan, an area that’s ruled by the Adrestrian Empire. Whereas the Golden Deer are generally fairly carefree and tend to prioritize making alliances to avoid fighting, the Black Eagles are somber, heavily prioritize justice, and will make as many sacrifices as necessary if it means they achieve their goals - which usually involve the well-being of the entire continent rather than personal gain. Most of the Black Eagles are nobles, and they’re generally opposed to the Blue Lions in a mostly-friendly rivalry while at Garreg Mach.
The Black Eagles are led by Edelgard, the future emperor of the Adrestrian Empire. She prizes talent in her friends above all else, and as a result can come off pretty cool to those she doesn’t consider worthy. She also takes a lot of time to open up, so players looking to form a quick bond with the leader of their chosen house might be better suited looking elsewhere. As a trade-off, getting to know Edelgard is an enjoyable pursuit in-game that unravels a few tantalizing Fire Emblem: Three Houses secrets that other playthroughs don’t get to see.
The rest of the Black Eagles are nobles who tend to specialize in magic. In fact, there’s only one commoner in their ranks - Dorothea - and the rest come from the noble houses of the Adrestrian Empire. Their storylines tend towards some of the heavier ones among the Fire Emblem: Three Houses cast, although each house has plenty of depth to it. The Black Eagles also have some of the most outwardly cold personalities in the form of Hubert, a vicious strategist, Linhardt, a lazy and bored scholar, and Petra, a foreigner who currently doesn’t speak Fódlan’s language very well and thus tends to keep conversation short. Anyone choosing this house needs to be willing to do some digging.
In terms of playstyle, the Black Eagles are good for those who want talented magic users early. Magic is extremely powerful in Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and most characters who specialize in either Reason or Faith tend to do well with its counterpart, meaning they’ll have access to both offensive and healing spells. Black Eagles players will find they have more flexibility with their character roster while still focusing a bit more on distance than melee combat, though Edelgard is one of the better naturally-gifted axe users in the game and does well on the frontlines. The Black Eagles are a good fit for anyone who wants to put time into the relationship side of Fire Emblem: Three Houses while keeping their characters safe during battle.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions
Finally, the Fire Emblem: Three Houses’ Blue Lions house is a collective of students from the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus in Northern Fódlan. They come into conflict with the Black Eagles a lot because of that house’s perceived ruthlessness, which clashes with the Blue Lions’ desire for a more faith-driven, respectful authority. They’re essentially a Church state, comprised mostly of nobles, and early Crusader vibes are warranted based on the zealotry of a few members of the house.
The Blue Lions are led by Dmitri, the next in line to become Holy King of Faerghus. Dmitri is the most outwardly stoic and polite of the three leaders and will always attempt to maintain his composure in dire situations. He’s based on the old-school mentality of a knight, attempting to be both pious and committed to his cause, but he’s also got a dark streak hidden beneath the surface that drastically changes over the course of the game. Dmitri is the classic example of what someone sees not being what they get, and he comes highly recommended as a choice due to the depth of his story - and the way the time skip alters his appearance.
The rest of the Blue Lions specialize in close-range combat, in particular with lances. As a result of Dmitri’s influence, many of them also aspire to be knight-like in their behavior. As teenagers, though, that doesn’t always work out, and the storylines that pepper the interactions with the Blue Lions in Fire Emblem: Three Houses are often related to students discovering how to be true to themselves. The house has the most outwardly archetypal collection of JRPG tropes but there’s also some added depth thanks to the game’s fantastic storytelling. While it’s hard to go wrong with the houses based on story alone, the Blue Lions have some great side narratives.
The biggest drawback of the Blue Lions for many will be that they’re mostly combat-oriented as a playstyle, which leads to much less flexibility overall. That’s easily fixed, of course - no character is stuck in one specific role in Fire Emblem: Three Houses - but the Blue Lions house will tend to have a lot of characters who grow faster as melee units. Lance-wielding units tend to progress into some of the most mobile and well-rounded in the game, though, so early struggles to keep units alive will likely be rewarded with a stronger late-game. That being said, in a game with permadeath as an option, playing the Blue Lions will be the most stressful endeavor of the game, especially for fans who are new to the series.
While there’s really no wrong choice in Fire Emblem: Three Houses when it comes to which side to choose, each of them offers a unique spin on the game’s formula. Carefully weighing these options - especially those pertaining to playstyle - will inevitably help in the long run. Whoever fans choose, Fire Emblem: Three Houses is an incredible JRPG that is sure to eat up plenty of their time in the best way possible - and makes a strong case for actually sinking in the many hours needed for multiple playthroughs.
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