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Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave is an odd game when it comes to the structure given there’s the customizable main character Eshmel that is the star of Part 3 and the four Flame Lords who are the protagonists in Part 1 and 2 routes, which may leave someone wondering which person to play as first when they start. It’s a lot! I already recommend you eventually play all four of those Heroic Games storylines. But when it comes to your first playthrough, I have some opinions on who might be best.
Editor’s Note: There will be no story spoilers in the guide going over which one of the Part 1 Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave main characters you should play as first when you start.
My main recommendation is to pick the Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave Flame Lord character whose appearance, class, allies, and story interests interests you most when you start to play the game, as I found that first playthrough will be the longest of the four. This is due to the quality of life features that carry over things like some side quest renown and money progress, unlocked map information, and things like EXP boosts and shop discounts from Karmic Shards from one run to another. The first time you play, you’ll spend a lot of time traveling the map to unlock nodes and carriage fast travel spots.
For more specific recommendations when it comes to Cai, Dietrich, Leda, and Theodora, here’s what I’ve noticed:
- Cai: His story feels like a very newcomer-friendly route. Your initial party has him (a strong mounted unit), Tialla (a fantastic Support Magic mage), Peter (a wonderful archer), and Ultand (a good Attack Magic mage). It’s pretty balanced and feels like a beginner route in terms of the story due to its focus on Dagda and the gods.
- Dietrich: If you’re coming in from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, this is the route with major lore connections and insights to that. It’s also a very combat-heavy storyline, given his Answerer mechanic of summoning enemies on the world map. Incidentally, I also found him the best for recruiting the most characters, since he can see every Paralogue, and ended up being rich in my route.
- Leda: Leda’s is very good story-wise for getting a more detailed idea of what’s going on behind-the-scenes in Dagda. It’s also fantastic for filling out the world map, as her personal series of side quests sends her performing in different cities around the region. She has a pretty solid team too, with Buccar filling an armored warrior role, her as an archer and dancer, Sirocco as a Attack Magic mage, Olympia as a Support Magic mage, and Mu as an all-rounder who will excel at any job.
- Theodora: Theodora is interesting in that she gets access to things others wouldn’t. In Hightown, she’s able to enter an area limited to royalty. She can sail on ships. When searching on the map, you can also get more items than usual by assigning a battalion to do so. (This also ties in to her exclusive supply sending element.) Her backstory also offers insight into the region of Dagda and she plays a very prominent part in the story as a whole.
Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave is available on the Switch 2.
