Introduction
One of the major draws of Fire Emblem: Three Houses is, of course, the titular three houses. Said houses are the Black Eagle, the Blue Lions, and the Golden Deer, and they all have their pros and cons in terms of character and plot.
If you have been fussing over which house is the best house, whether for a new player, or for your next playthrough, or just in general, I can provide a few points of guidance. I will not delve too deeply or spoil too much, but I would at the very least like to give you a good overview of what you’re going to see along each path. To start, I will profile the Black Eagles from both a character and plot perspective.
Overview
The Black Eagles is the house representing the Adrestian Empire, led by its princess, Edelgard. The House features a good mix of character play styles from mages to knights, rendering each character fairly adaptable.
The Students
One thing that grabbed me right away about the Black Eagles was the mix of personalities. From go-getter with gusto Caspar, to nap addict Linhardt, to elusive hermit Bernadetta, there’s a pleasant balance of character types in the Black Eagles. I admit to having something of a bias for the Black Eagles students because their gimmicks are the kinds I like and I find them a lot of fun from both a narrative and a gameplay standpoint.
In terms of specific students, Caspar’s energy alone makes him a character I’m fond of, and he holds a special significance to me for essentially punching out the Silver Snow route’s final boss by himself. At first, he seems a bit oddly clunky to use when you’ve got other units dishing out damage without issue, but if you keep him with gauntlets for a while, you’ll find that he becomes vastly more useful. The brawler and grappler classes are perfect for him, and he’ll eventually pick up a delightful combat art called Healing Focus, which essentially restores half his HP on demand. It’s great stuff.
Dorothea is another star from the Black Eagles. Aside from being a compelling mage in terms of stat spread and spell list, she’s famous for having high charm and being a natural choice for the Dancer class. On the magic end, she can do it all, from sniping enemies with Thoron, to distance healing with Physic. Her strength is so-so, but I suppose it’s there if you really need her to use a sword. I’ve seen recommendations to put her in the Trickster class since it plays well with her sword and magic use. At the very least, the fact that she tops the “most deployed” charts consistently isn’t for no reason.
The Plot
Let’s just say that going into the Black Eagles House immediately makes Byleth a mover and shaker. You’re in with an influential class of influential people and you and Byleth are going to be thrown right into the core of major machinations. Edelgard, in particular, pays great attention to Byleth, even extending an offer of directly working with her in her endeavors.
However, here’s where things get trickier than expected: you must pay careful attention to Edelgard. If you haven’t been supporting with her regularly, and you don’t go with her to a certain place when she asks, you will automatically be put on the Silver Snow route instead of the Crimson Flower route.
Choosing the Black Eagles House will put you in a battle involving the Church of Seiros, but which side you’re on depends on the above conditions. It can be disappointing to accidentally get Silver Snow when you were aiming for Crimson Flower, so tread carefully.
Conclusion
Without spoiling too much, the Black Eagles is the best house in Fire Emblem: Three Houses if you’re willing to engage in a bit of controversy and enjoy some freedom in sculpting your team. Said controversy can extend to meta contexts at times, so take care when discussing the Black Eagles routes in some circles. (No fights in the comment section, please!) Fire Emblem fans are nothing if not passionate, and it seems that most fans of Three Houses take up a cause eventually.
Why not share your Black Eagles experience? Who were your MVPs in your playthroughs? And, of course, the juicy question: did you end up marrying anyone from the Black Eagles on any playthrough?
See you next time, when I’ll be giving an overview of the Blue Lions house and why it might be the best house for you!
Credits
| Program | MGN Writers team |
| Author | Sami Miller |
| YouTuber | GameXplain |
| Publisher | MGN TV |
| Game | Fire Emblem: Three Houses |