Allocating every recruit across four routesMinor spoilers

Split recruitment and training across four routes

Assign units by the lowest Support requirement first to save gifts and meals. When requirements are close, compare recruitment timing and support conversations.

Recruit each of the 46 Part 1 companions on at least one route; the four protagonists are counted separately. Spread training opportunities among different units first. For special Part 2 and 3 recruits, see Hard-to-recruit characters.

Route	Built-in companions	Assigned recruits	Total
Cai	Tialla, Peter, Ultand	Goliath, Ninae, Seteth, Nydine, Peppe, Majide	9
Dietrich	Fabio, Esmeralda, Mikaela	Ursula, Sha Lan, Gaitz, Dante, Jester, Io, Noctula, Yang Jie, Kiroc	12
Theodora	Bonaventure, Tobias, Lilian, Lysander	Simon, Nezha, Halvin, Diego, Loretta, Sofia, Alexandra, Benditz, Zarcone, Nuzzuo	14
Leda	Buccar, Sirocco, Mu, Olympia	Fianna, Ludia, Dadao, Guzran, Catania, Jasmine, Inyoni	11

“Assigned recruits” are the characters to prioritize for gifts, meals, and deployment. You can still recruit someone on multiple routes. Accept each route's tutorial recruit normally, then add favorites from other routes if resources allow. If you only want to clear the current route comfortably, start with recruitment priorities by story.

Save bond investment first, then consider conversations#

Choose assignments by these five priorities, in order:

1. Collect everyone first. Story recruits are already covered, so early gifts on other routes need not go to them first.
2. Spread recruits as evenly as possible across four routes. Repeated meal-and-restart loops can theoretically recruit many people on one route, but deployment slots and training resources make it difficult to use everyone.
3. Prioritize the lowest bond requirement. Renown grows through the main story, side quests, and route-exclusive activities, benefiting the whole team. Bonds require gifts and meals for specific characters, so investing in the wrong target consumes someone else's share.
4. When requirements are close, choose the route where they join earlier. Early recruits get more chapters of use and more time to choose a class path.
5. Then choose by support conversations. Place characters with conversations together where possible, so training also provides story scenes.

These five levels establish the decision order, but this plan sometimes compromises over small Renown differences or fuller supports. For example, Goliath needs 1 less Renown in Dietrich's route, but has conversations with Cai and Ultand, so he goes to Cai.

These groups prioritize lower Support requirements, without fully accounting for negotiation materials or class balance. Check Material and paralogue prerequisites before following the table. Halvin is an exception: she appears early on Cai’s route, but Dates are hard to obtain there, making Theodora more convenient.

Separate collecting everyone from training your core. For a complete Part 3 core roster, you can focus on roughly 12–13 units per route. Recruitment timing, Renown, materials, and prerequisites vary by route, so each route need not bear every cost. Adjust the number to your team and cover roles such as healing and frontlining. List your targets using the groups above, then reserve iron weapons, Pure Water, and required materials so negotiation items do not hold you up after you have enough Support.

Renown alone is insufficient: its growth timing, character appearances, materials, paralogues, and chapter-end deadlines can all block recruitment.

Cai: low bond requirements and conversations#

Bond 1 still requires a first gift. Material-based recruits also need their negotiation items.

Goliath, Ninae, Seteth, and Peppe have conversations with members of this team. Majide is late and troublesome on the other three routes. Nydine needs only Bond Level 1 on Cai’s route, saving gifts. Peppe also requires Bertrand’s 9/17–9/25 paralogue; seeing him early does not make him recruitable.

Character	Requirements here	Why this route
Goliath	Renown 7, bond 3, Giants' Meat 3	Dietrich needs 1 less Renown and has easier access to desert meat. This plan still chooses Cai for conversations with Cai and Ultand. Accept the material and travel costs, and check recruit/hard first.
Ninae	Renown 6, bond 3	Cai and Theodora have similar requirements; she has conversations with Cai and Peter, so she goes to Cai.
Seteth	Renown 6, bond 3	Unavailable to Dietrich and not recommended for Leda. Cai and Theodora are similar; his conversation with Tialla favors Cai.
Nydine	Renown 6, bond 1, Bronze Axe 2	Cai needs no higher bond, but still requires a first gift and 2 Bronze Axes. This plan chooses Cai to save relationship investment. Theodora is an alternative for conversations with Lilian and Bonaventure; check that route's negotiation items separately.
Peppe	Renown 9, bond 1	After Bertrand's paralogue, Cai has almost no bond investment, needing only 1. He has conversations with Ultand and Ninae. The paralogue window is 9/17–9/25.
Majide	Renown 5, bond 2	Later and more difficult on the other three routes; Cai gets him early with only bond 2.

Guzran is this route's tutorial recruit, so use him normally. The table assigns his main training to Leda because bond 1 and Renown 3 also make him easy there, with a better conversation spread.

Dietrich: low requirements and an exclusive recruit#

Io offers relatively early use for Renown 3, bond 2, and 800G. Dante is earlier in Theodora's story, but Dietrich needs only bond 2, and this plan prioritizes saving bond investment. Kiroc has conversations with Esmeralda and low requirements here. Jester's Renown requirements are much higher elsewhere. Ursula needs Renown 7 here versus 10 for Cai and 9 for Theodora, a substantial difference.

Character	Requirements here	Why this route
Ursula	Renown 7, bond 3	Unavailable to Leda. Dietrich requires Renown 7 versus Theodora's 9 and Cai's 10, making him earliest. Talimun's paralogue windows are 9/17–9/19 or 10/1–10/10 here.
Sha Lan	Renown 10, bond 3	Only Dietrich and Leda can recruit her. Dietrich needs Renown 10, Leda 8. The original plan says “Dietrich needs 2 less Renown”, the reverse of the three-site data, which gives Leda the lower requirement. She has C–A supports with Sirocco, so choose Leda if conversations matter.
Gaitz	Renown 10, bond 3	Exclusive to Dietrich, with a prerequisite paralogue available only on 9/17.
Dante	Renown 8, bond 2	His conversations suggest Leda, but recruitment there is late and difficult. Theodora is earliest; Dietrich is easiest, needing only bond 2. This plan prioritizes convenience over timing and chooses Dietrich.
Jester	Renown 6, bond 3	Cai, Theodora, and Leda all need high Renown, while Dietrich needs only 6. He also fits Dietrich's battle-hungry group thematically.
Io	Renown 3, bond 2, 800G	This allocation values Dietrich's low requirements and relatively early availability, though 800G is still required. Leda needs Renown 6 and already has many assigned recruits.
Noctula	Renown 6, bond 1	Almost no investment on all routes except Leda. Few conversations, with Goliath and Jester; assigned to Dietrich to balance numbers.
Yang Jie	Renown 2, bond 1	Dietrich's tutorial recruit and easy for Cai too. The support options are the same on both sides, so Dietrich's smallest party gets him.
Kiroc	Renown 4, bond 1, Pure Water 3	Conversations with Esmeralda and low relationship investment favor Dietrich. Save the Pure Water; see [[page:recruit/by-route	route recommendations]] for differing Renown records.

Gaitz is exclusive to this route. Accept Bertrand's paralogue in Dagsion during the day on 9/17, then wait until Chapter 12 for the story requirement. Do not miss that date while organizing gifts for others.

Theodora: low bond costs and paralogue scheduling#

Sofia joins through this route's recruitment tutorial. Alexandra, Benditz, Nuzzuo, and Zarcone need only bond 1 here. Nezha has the same Renown 6 requirement as Cai's route but needs one less Bond Level. Conversations between Loretta and Tobias, Halvin and Bonaventure, and Simon with Theodora and Lilian determine close calls.

Character	Requirements here	Why this route
Simon	Renown 7, bond 3	Bond 3 and high Renown make every route demanding. Leda is earliest by only a little; conversations with Theodora herself and Lilian favor Theodora.
Nezha	Renown 6, bond 2	Both Cai and Theodora need Renown 6, but Theodora needs only bond 2. He also has a support conversation with her.
Halvin	Renown 7, bond 3	Cai is earliest, but obtaining the 10 Dates is much harder there. Dietrich offers the best supports but high Renown. Between Theodora and Leda, her conversation with Bonaventure favors Theodora.
Diego	Renown 8, bond 2	Orchel's paralogue exists on all four routes, but Theodora needs only bond 2 versus 3 elsewhere, gets him earliest, and has conversations with him alongside Lilian. Remember the 10/18–10/22 paralogue window.
Loretta	Renown 5, bond 3	Neither early nor easy on any route. Theodora/Leda are most efficient at Renown 5; her conversation with Tobias favors Theodora.
Sofia	Renown 2, bond 1	Theodora's tutorial recruit, unlike other routes. Theodora is effectively “Sofia's route.”
Alexandra	Renown 6, bond 1	Theodora needs only bond 1. Cai's bond 2 is also manageable, and she has full C–A supports with him versus only C with Theodora. Convenience takes priority here.
Benditz	Renown 8, bond 1	Not an early recruit. Theodora effectively needs only Renown, with bond 1. He has just one support conversation, insufficient reason to change the assignment.
Zarcone	Renown 4, bond 1, minimum 10G	No higher bond farming needed. Give a first gift, refuse 10000G, 1000G, and 100G in order, then pay 10G. Leda is similar but needs bond 2.
Nuzzuo	Appears 7/1 in Chapter 9; Renown 6, bond 1, Iron Bow 3	The advantage is low Support investment, but you must wait for his appearance. After his 7/1 appearance, give a first gift, meet Renown, and hand over 3 Iron Bows. You must meet all conditions to recruit him even on the day he appears.

Diego’s key prerequisite is Orchel’s paralogue. On this route, accept it during 10/18–10/22 and finish the battle by 10/24. 10/24 is only the battle deadline; you cannot accept the quest after 10/22. This group is relatively large, so move characters with similar requirements to other routes if you have room.

Leda: tutorial recruitment and conversation chains#

Guzran and Catania are easy recruits. Dadao requires Renown 5 and bond 2 in both Theodora's and Leda's stories, with his Buccar conversation favoring Leda. Inyoni also has a support conversation with Dadao, placing them on the same route. Fianna, Jasmine, and Ludia are assigned by both appearance timing and supports within this group.

Character	Requirements here	Why this route
Fianna	Renown 5, bond 3	Earliest in Leda's route and very late in Theodora's. Her supports include Olympia and Lysander; assigned to Leda.
Ludia	Renown 7, bond 3	Too late for Cai and Dietrich. Between Theodora and Leda, her conversation with Buccar favors Leda.
Dadao	Renown 5, bond 2	Identical requirements for Leda and Theodora. His support chain with Buccar favors Leda. Cai and Dietrich are both difficult and late, so avoid recruiting him there.
Guzran	Renown 3, bond 1	Cai's tutorial recruit, but almost as easy for Leda at bond 1 and Renown 3. Most of his support conversations are in Leda's group. You can use him in both.
Catania	Renown 2, bond 1	Leda's tutorial recruit. Almost free later in Dietrich's story too, with a support conversation with him. Both routes work; choose Leda if picking only one.
Jasmine	Renown 4, bond 2, 500G	Cai needs bond 1 but gets her very late. Leda needs bond 2 but gets her much earlier, with conversations involving Buccar and Olympia.
Inyoni	Renown 7, bond 1, 3000G	Has a support conversation with Dadao, already assigned to Leda. Low relationship investment still requires a first gift and 3000G.

If you move Sha Lan here following the correction above, note Anatolia's paralogue window: accept 10/5–10/14, finish by 10/17. Then prepare bond 3, Renown 8, and her answers.

Prepare first gifts and materials for every recruit#

On each route’s list, check off story and tutorial recruits first, then reserve gifts for your assigned targets.

Each route still requires the first gift, Support, paralogues, and materials. A paralogue completed on another route cannot substitute. Confirm recruitment before advancing that protagonist’s War story. In Part 3, choose the base record from versions you recruited. For merging development across routes, see Merge Causality. For all paralogue dates, see Paralogue list.