Choosing your starting character in Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is a significant decision, as each of the four Flame Lords presents a distinct path with unique storylines, mechanics, and even exclusive classes. Fortunately, there's no single 'wrong' choice, and players can experience the first act of each hero's journey before committing to a full playthrough. The best starting point depends entirely on the kind of experience you desire.
Cai's Path
Cai's route is designed for players new to the Fire Emblem series. The initial chapters are notably less challenging, offering a gradual introduction to the game's mechanics. While Cai and his companions are initially fragile, focusing on skill development and recruiting stronger units will be key. Cai's special ability, his Blaze Art, is a powerful area-of-effect attack that can also hinder enemy movement. A unique mechanic for Cai is the ability to tame animals, granting special bonuses to their riders, such as increased movement or combat stats. Cai's exploration is also limited, but he can cultivate vegetables on specific map tiles, which can then be traded for valuable weapons and items. Additionally, Cai's path features 'Kindness Quests,' more involved side quests that reward players with money and renown, aiding in recruitment. This route provides a solid understanding of Dagda's history and current events, though it omits details about the main antagonists and certain divine aspects.
Dietrich's Path
For those seeking a more demanding experience and a heavy emphasis on combat, Dietrich's path is the ideal choice. Battles are challenging from the outset, often featuring varied map objectives beyond simple enemy elimination. Dietrich's personal skill boosts his critical hit rate after non-critical hits, and his Blaze Art enhances his movement range, making him a potent offensive force. Building a large party can be more difficult on this route, though Dietrich can generate renown through world map combat encounters and headhunter bounties. These bounties also reward him with new combat arts, which can be learned by other party members after significant investment. Dietrich's route delves deeply into Agarthan politics and its relationship with the Nabateans, offering more insight into the game's primary villains and providing connections to Fire Emblem: Three Houses. This path offers a less conventional storytelling approach.
Theodora's Path
Theodora's campaign offers a distinct experience focused on armored units and strategic gambits, with a difficulty comparable to Dietrich's. Her unique ability allows her to hurl rocks at enemies, a powerful and engaging mechanic. Theodora can deploy troops for resource gathering and recruit villagers to form gambit squads, a feature exclusive to her route. These gambits can provide healing, offensive magic, and status effects, similar to those found in Three Houses. She also gains increased resources from gathering nodes, facilitating trade with merchants. The advanced classes available on her path, such as the Cataphract, Guardian, and Dragoon, are all high-defense melee specialists. Theodora's story explores the history of Saramis, a kingdom within the Dagdan Empire, revealing a dark past tied to the empire's fate and offering insights into the character Troy.
Leda's Path
Leda's path is suited for players who enjoy darker, personality-driven narratives and robust support capabilities. As a traveling bard seeking revenge, Leda can perform at taverns for money and uncover hidden resource locations. Her battle prowess lies in her spellsongs, which buff allies within range. Her starting party is exceptionally well-rounded, featuring characters like Sirocco, who excels in magic and melee with self-healing capabilities, and Buccar, who mitigates damage. Mu, a unique unit, boasts high growth rates, reminiscent of trainee units from Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, often becoming the most lethal member of the army. Olympia provides excellent healing and specializes in the Nosferatu spell. Leda's route is the only way to unlock the Dancer class, which grants allies an additional action, a highly valuable support ability available across all paths afterward. This route also unlocks the Ranger and Troubadour classes. Leda's personal story focuses on the political conflicts of a smaller kingdom within the Dagdan Empire, offering a crucial perspective missing from other narratives.
Eshmel's Path
For the most challenging experience, players can bypass the initial four routes entirely and head directly to the final confrontation with Balor. This option becomes available after completing the prologue. Choosing to proceed skips the ability to recruit the four main characters and several other key allies, leaving players to face the lord of the underworld with a significantly reduced army. This path is explicitly for those who enjoy extreme difficulty.