Burn Keepsake: Three Houses is i of the biggest exclusives in Nintendo Switch'southward repertoire. It's easy to run into why, too: with its deep, engaging tactical gameplay tempered past its accessible and varied style, information technology appeals to long-time franchise fans as well as those who have never ventured into the series earlier.

One of the game'due south best qualities is the sheer liberty it gives players. They're free to customize their students to adopt any office they similar, and for the chief game and standard difficulty level, that'll work just fine. They can even recruit members of other houses to their crusade past bonding with them (houses leaders and a few others are locked to their own houses) and having the prerequisite stat values. Which students do nosotros recommend you lot charm over to your cause, and which do we call up aren't worth the trouble? We're glad you asked!

x RECRUIT: Petra (Black Eagles)

Petra Macneary of the Blackness Eagles is the first student nosotros highly recommend trying to recruit. While her dialogue is super endearing and highly entertaining (she'due south a native of Brigid, and her grasp of Fódlan's language leaves much to be desired), that'southward only the showtime of Petra's entreatment.

Her natural strengths are speed, swordsmanship, and archery. With loftier dexterity, she's a great fit for classes like Assassin and Thief, with her ability to dodge many attacks helping to offset her lacking defenses. Her Personal Skill, Hunter's Boon, is also a huge asset. When battling an opponent with half HP or less, she gets a large boost to her crit chance. There'southward nobody meliorate at cleaning up weakened enemies.

nine DON'T WORRY About: Felix (Blue Lions)

Felix Fraldarius is a bit of a tough grapheme to judge. Like Bernadetta, he's quite isolated and likes to operate alone, but he lacks a lot of the amuse and the lovable nature of his fellow introvert. In terms of personality, he's a little on the forgettable side compared to some of the more than entertaining characters.

On the battlefield, too, he's a mixed pocketbook. His stat growth lends itself more to existence purely offensive, meaning that he tin can deal tremendous damage just will also probably take serious punishment in return. His Personal Skill, Lone Wolf, increases his damage by v is he has no Battalion, merely that'southward a double-edged sword: later Battalions offer better bonuses.

8 RECRUIT: Mercedes (Blue Lions)

As we've already mentioned, there really isn't a wrong choice when it comes to how you use your students. For the main game, you can tweak stats and classes however y'all like. With that said, though, some students are clearly meliorate suited to some roles than others. Mercedes, for instance, was built-in to be a dandy healer.

A swell all-around mage, she has admission to some fantastic Faith magic, allowing her to heal opponents near and far. One of her biggest advantages is Live To Serve, a Personal Skill that sees Mercedes heal herself for the aforementioned amount she heals allies. The ability to heal herself and her friends simultaneously sets her autonomously from other healers and makes her a summit pick.

vii DON'T WORRY ABOUT: Cyril (Whatsoever House)

Now, we can appreciate Cyril, we really tin. The little guy but wants to repay Rhea's kindness and work super, super hard for the Monastery. He'southward 100% committed. The trouble is, compared to the students of individual houses, he's quite banal. You can recruit him, merely you'll likely accept bonded much more than with the members of your/other houses because they're much more prominent.

He doesn't accept a particular advantage or speciality to set up him apart from other possible recruits. If you've already divers roles for everybody else, he'll be a pace backside (especially if you're playing a sure route and gained access to him subsequently) and is just too vanilla for some tastes.

6 RECRUIT: Lysithea (Golden Deer)

Lysithea von Cordelia is a name that most dedicated Fire Emblem: Iii Housesplayers will be super familiar with. She's well known as an absolute powerhouse, a grapheme that nearly non-Golden Deer players volition be in a blitz to recruit to their own cause.

When it comes to super strong, super frail characters, Lysithea is the best in the game. She's the most potent mage effectually, with access to excellent spells in both the Reason and Faith disciplines. She's very express physically and in terms of taking hits, but her ability is so great that this inappreciably matters. Keep her safe and well-equipped and watch the carnage unfold. Mastermind is also a great Personal Skill, giving her twice the skill experience.

5 DON'T WORRY ABOUT: Ferdinand (Black Eagles)

As with the rest of the students on the negative side of this list, Ferdinand von Aegir isn't a bad unit at all. He has a character arc that's quite interesting to sentinel unfold (though it's naught stellar), and is a solid mounted warrior who will always make quite a good business relationship of himself when played to his strengths.

That's just the issue, though. The other houses boast units that are very like, largely interchangeable (Sylvain, for instance), and there's little appeal in doubling upwards in this manner. When looking for other students to recruit, you tend to desire somebody who fills a unique function, who rounds out your squad and brings something new to the table. The proud Ferdinand isn't really going to be your human being in that regard.

4 RECRUIT: Raphael (Golden Deer)

Just from one look at Raphael Kirsten, you lot probably remember you know what he's all nearly: a bulky, powerful character, built to don heavy armor and take hits as hands as Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Terminator movies. Either that, or don claws and punch your way straight through the enemy's front line.

Well, y'all're 100% right on both counts. There are, of grade, other characters who are inclined towards brawling (such every bit Caspar of the Black Eagles), simply they lack the HP and raw survivability Raphael offers. Goody Basket works like Leftovers in the Pokémon games, though it'due south reliant on Raphael's Luck stat to actuate.

3 DON'T WORRY Most: Caspar (Black Eagles)

The Black Eagles' Caspar von Bergliez and his weaknesses compared to Raphael warrant a closer expect. Both are naturally inclined towards brawling (though Caspar looks like a little boy wearing his dads' clothes as a Grappler or Warmaster, fifty-fifty post-timeskip) and also good with axes. Beyond that, they're very different.

Statistically, Raphael is much improve suited to frontline combat, which is the role that these sorts of jobs accept. Caspar is squishier merely doesn't take whatsoever real ability reward to make up for the shortcoming. He's a capable enough unit, for sure, but he's not well-nigh to win any best in grade awards.

ii RECRUIT: Leonie (Gilded Deer)

Three Houses is certainly a deep title, one that tin be quite tough to scissure if yous're new to the franchise or genre. With this in mind, you often don't desire to brunt yourself with knowledge of the very best units and very all-time paths through jobs to accept them on. You desire reliable units you can forge into solid performers without min-maxing them to inside an inch of their lives.

The Aureate Deer's Leonie Pinelli is a perfect candidate. Her magical growth is very sub-par, but she's a super balanced concrete attacker who can perform a range of roles very well. One of the most natural Bow Knight candidates in the game, she can perform well at range and close in and slice foes into sorry hunks of defeated pastrami. She's a nifty squad player, also, gaining both crime and defense from her Rivalry Personal Skill when adjacent to a male ally.

1 DON'T WORRY ABOUT: Ashe (Blue Lions)

Ashe is another character who is primarily suited to hit from range. The Blue Lions' resident archer, he'll quickly fold to return attacks and should stick with a hit and run technique to proceed himself alive and contributing to the crusade.

Unfortunately, he too lacks from an offensive indicate of view, making him a tough student to get the best use from. His sunny personality and Lockpick Personal Skill are positive points, just he doesn't actually stand up out in whatsoever other manner.

NEXT: 10 Ways To Level Up Fast In Fire Emblem: Three Houses