Which route should you play first?

For less repeated exploration and full carryover, complete all 12 chapters of one protagonist's Part 1, then start the next from Chapter 1. A route already paused midway does not automatically gain full carryover from a later clear. Restart it from Chapter 1 to bring those results in.

If you want to remember the connections between routes, switch at their intersections. When you meet another protagonist, play their route up to the same event to understand both perspectives. Finishing entire routes separately can leave a long gap and make foreshadowing harder to remember. Switching helps story continuity but leaves midway records without full carryover from later clears. Choose for your goal; you need not give up parallel play for efficiency. :::

For a first run, try Cai followed by Theodora. Capturing mounts provides passive effects and growth benefits, while farming saves exploration time spent finding rare plant materials. If you prefer combat, you can start with Dietrich instead. This lets you learn the systems gradually.

One recommendation is Cai → Theodora → Dietrich → Leda. Cai's restricted maps and simpler objectives teach chapters and free time. Theodora then introduces Battalions, Dietrich concentrates on combat and combat arts, and Leda rounds out exploration through performances and secret locations.

Cai's requests make Renown easy to build, his exclusive system is straightforward, and his area attacks give more room for mistakes. Theodora's convenient Gambits make her a possible second choice. There are reasons both to put Cai first and to save him for last.

This suits a first-time player discovering the world with the protagonist. The cost is that Cai cannot immediately use waystations, and farming, capture, and mount raising require scheduling. Players who prefer fast combat may find the pace slow. Another view is that precisely because it is slow, playing it first feels more natural than returning after other routes.

Follow the roadbook's order, or save Cai for last. This walkthrough uses Hard + Casual and follows Cai → Theodora → Dietrich → Leda, making exploration, conversations, and battles easy to check chapter by chapter. It is still being updated. Classic has permanent death, so protect your units yourself when following a Casual walkthrough.

Starting Cai later can leave more time for mount care. His early map is limited and waystations unlock slowly. Open routes with other protagonists first, then complete Cai's own waystation quests to turn saved travel turns into catching animals and farming. Choose this if you want more mount development time. To receive the benefit, fully clear the earlier route, carry over its map progress, then complete Cai's route-specific waystation quests. See the carryover table below.

Another recommended order is Theodora → Dietrich → Cai → Leda, prioritizing Battalions. They strengthen combat, gather materials, and remain useful for Part III exploration; waystations ease long-distance travel. Dietrich's strong combat then trains core units, with Leda's support tools later.

Starting teams offer another reason: Theodora raises Renown easily and begins with 5 units including 2 healers. Dietrich also has a fuller initial fighting force and convenient leveling. Cai starts with 4 and has more troublesome free-time leveling. Leda also starts with 4, has few attackers, and uses support-oriented Blaze Arts, placing her later.

Choose Theodora first to use resource systems early, or save her for later if story reveal order matters more.

Starting with the queen means planning resources and town visits from the first run. Map exploration, military materials, weekly meals, and gifts all consume turns. Combine town preparations and deliveries in the same direction, use early recruit Sofia for sustain, and limit dungeon grinding on your first visit to save time. The benefit is early access to battalions.

This approach suits players willing to manage the schedule. If you want to focus on combat first, the Dietrich-first approach below has different reasons.

Another order is Dietrich → Leda → Theodora → Cai. A strong combat protagonist smooths the first route, then carries unlocked experience and skill blessings to later routes. Leda supports the whole team, Theodora comes later, and Cai's mount development gets concentrated attention at the end.

This approach values an early combat advantage rather than Cai's gradual introduction to systems.

The same order also works for class and turn planning. Dietrich's strong starting combat and less time-consuming exclusive system help open the map, clear ordinary side quests, and unlock Guardian and Blacksmith. Leda then adds map progress, side quests, and Dancer. Leave the more time-intensive Theodora and Cai until carryover frees their schedules. Playing Theodora before Cai also unlocks Cataphract for later routes. Save repeated travel first, then handle exclusive development; you need not retrain every character.

You can also plan around Dietrich first, Leda second, and Cai last. Dietrich's strength and frequent battles raise levels and weapon proficiency quickly, freeing time for paralogues and quests. Leda adds her exclusive class; Cai focuses on crops and captures. Set the third position around your goals.

On Dietrich's route, recruiting a group with mutual supports can also reduce resource pressure. Use Recruitment by route and Full-roster allocation for separate decisions: the current combat team versus experiencing everyone across four routes.

Completed shared side quests finish automatically and award rewards on later routes. Renown level itself does not transfer, so the next route still needs Renown activities.

Leda → Dietrich → Theodora → Cai prepares later resources. Leda's performances take her across the map, opening it along the way. Leda and Dietrich clear shared quests first, reducing repeat errands later. Theodora focuses on dispatch and sea resources, and Cai finishes with mount capture and raising.

This order requires fully progressing all four protagonist routes. Before changing parts, check the Missables checklist and equip items you want to retain on the relevant characters.

After clearing all four protagonists' Parts I and II on Hard, another recommendation is Cai → Dietrich → Leda → Theodora, with the middle two interchangeable. It prioritizes the experience's changing pace. Cai discovers the world alongside you; Dietrich then offers a contrast in strength; Leda adds another viewpoint; Theodora comes last once you understand Dagda's situation, leading more naturally into War.

If you intend to seriously play only one protagonist route, some favor Theodora because they see her as most closely connected to the overall plot. That is a story assessment, separate from which route best teaches systems.

If you play routes in parallel, clearing one does not give the others' midway saves full map and side-quest progress. They must restart from Chapter 1. To use full carryover, finish one route's 12 chapters first.

Element	Rule after changing protagonists	Planning advice
Map, gathering information, unlocked waystations	Carry over after clearing; Cai still needs his own waystation quest	Explore thoroughly on the first route; start later routes from Chapter 1. Gates may still need passing again.
Shared quests	Completed quests automatically finish and grant rewards when they appear later	Clear available shared quests; check paralogues and exclusive quests separately.
Blessing levels	Carry into later routes; the existing explanation includes them among elements imported after clearing and restarting	Perform Divine Service on the first route; see Blessings for usage.
Unlocked classes	Shared even before clearing	Visit the relevant route first if you particularly want a class.
Support	Relationship values can be shared; bringing Part III support back to earlier routes requires starting over	Invite another protagonist and the target to meals on the current route to prepare recruitment.
Boons of Salvation, Notable Deeds	Boon effects and Notable Deeds records are shared	Decide your training approach before selecting boons.
Renown, money, items, character levels	Managed separately on the four Part I routes	Rebuild Renown and recruit again; items entering Parts II and III follow separate carryover rules.

To bring Part III support into an earlier route, restart that protagonist's route from the beginning. Shared support does not mean old chapters update live.

See the chapter list for the full structure and Merge Causality for combining training across routes.