Fire Emblem Three Houses is launching on the Switch this week, and as you might’ve guessed from the title, there are three Houses of students to choose from: Black Eagles, Golden Deer, and Blue Lions. If you’re wondering which House you should choose for your first run, we’re here to help you make a decision.
First off, a bit of a disclaimer: you really can’t go wrong with any of these Houses, as they all have some variety in terms of character classes. While one House might lean more towards a particular weapon type, you don’t have to be worried about being locked into that type, as you’ll always have other units with strengths in other areas, and it’s possible to recruit students from other Houses.
Black Eagles
House Leader: Edelgard
Un-recruitable: Hubert
Members: Petra, Dorothea, Bernadetta, Caspar, Ferdinand, Linhardt
The Black Eagles are a little more focused on magic users, with Hubert, Dorothea, and Linhardt starting out with heavy magic loadouts. Hubert excels in the Reason stat, making him a natural Dark Mage who can eventually become a Warlock, while Linhardt is your resident healer, who will make a good Bishop.
Dorothea, on the other hand, starts out with an affinity for Reason and swords, which would make her a good fit for the Mortal Savant Master Class. However, we’ve also had success with training her Faith stat, allowing her to become a Gremory in the end game stages, where she was proficient with both dark and white magic.
As for the rest, Petra is a sword user who can do well as an Assassin or Swordmaster. Bernadetta is your archer, Caspar’s your axe-wielder, while Ferdinand serves as your cavalry/mounted unit. Edelgard herself has an affinity for axes, and she becomes rather powerful in the second act.
The Black Eagles are part of the Adrestian Empire, where Edelgard is set to take over as emperor. She believes that Crests are an outdated concept, and she seeks to reunite the continent of Fodlan in an effort to built a meritocratic society.
