Dietrich’s three-unit opening: favor promoted allies without slowing progress to hold levels downMinor spoilers

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Start with Dietrich, Esmeralda, and Mikaela. Unlock fast travel, accept requests, and find Sacred Gem, then use terrain to stop chariots.

Planning the three-unit team#

This is Hard Classic with only the Rewind Blessing allowed. Permanent recruits are women, while the mandatory Dietrich receives normal training. Use the available allies when the tutorial leaves you short, then replace them once you can. The early core is Dietrich, Esmeralda, and Mikaela.

Esmeralda starts with Ornius Rider and Wing Soldier, then takes Guardian and Shido. Mikaela uses armor early and may switch to a wyvern in Part 3. Keep Nydine in reserve training as Brigand. Ultand heals on arrival, then builds Defense in armor after Olympia takes over, eventually becoming Guardian. Olympia handles healing on arrival, then switches to black magic after recruiting Sofia. Noctula trains gauntlets; Ursula takes Ranger, adding Strength and Defense on another route.

Ursula is especially worth preparing for. She lets nearby allies use the item bag, allowing you to swap matchup charms and adjust Hit and Avoid on the spot. Decide whom to recruit first so your gifts and exploration have a purpose.

Let reclassed companions level first#

Early on, Dietrich can easily kill enemies in one hit. If you want to save more levels for after promotion, let Fabio finish weakened enemies, but do not force every kill onto him. Spending many extra turns just to avoid one level makes battles tedious. I held my level around eight or nine before the first promotion.

After rescuing Esmeralda, give her as much experience as possible. If you do not need precise experience distribution in a tutorial battle, simply skip it. Mikaela joins as a Gladiator while the other two are still unpromoted, so prioritize her in subsequent battles that award experience.

Talk to people before preparing recruits#

Visit every available conversation icon in the hall first so you can fast travel directly to those characters later. Accept every request and complete them along your exploration route. Give gifts early to prospective recruits Ultand, Ursula, Fianna, and Nydine, then keep building support at the inn.

Female recruits become available only after your Renown rises. To fill the team sooner, fight more battles that raise Renown. Holding down levels at the same time naturally delays recruitment by a chapter. I did not grind heavily this time and only added the later recruits in Chapter 7.

Check the map once during the day and again at night. New characters and requests appear at different times. Talk and give gifts now to future team members such as Olympia and Mu, rather than starting from scratch once you have enough Renown.

Find the Sacred Gem while opening the map#

This trip focuses on revealing the map and unlocking stations, rather than rushing into dungeon battles. Money is scarce early, so walk instead of taking transport when possible. Cheap maps of nearby areas sold in villages save repeated scouting trips. Visit stations now so you can use them later.

Sacred Gem is key equipment for Dietrich. Healing from critical hits keeps him fighting continuously. Find its merchant first, then prepare Red Kimbai, Redflicker, and Roca as needed. Unlock the shop selling Advanced License and the route to the royal capital too, so you can return when you have the money.

Once your destinations are checked off, the main story date brings the team back automatically. You do not need to reserve a long stretch to retrace your route. Turn in requests after returning, then spend the last few turns on meals and support conversations. If there is nothing else to do, advance with Auto-earn.

If support is all you need, repeatedly share meals, advance to the following week for another meal, then restart the chapter. Your resources return, while the affection you accumulated remains.

Split up and topple pillars to trap the chariots#

The preliminary match provides allies and healing. Split into two groups to stop four chariots. The pillars on both sides are destructible. Knock them down and use the collapsed terrain to trap the vehicles instead of simply chasing them. Cai can add damage safely with ranged Blaze Arts, while magic handles armored enemies.

Let the front line draw enemies in, then have the rear finish them. Even against enemies with multiple health bars, use durable units to take the first hit. Do not send a fragile unit into range of two Archer units just to secure a kill.

Blaze Arts and certain weapons raise the Blaze gauge. A full gauge triggers a Burst and removes the bonuses; Underworld types also lose maximum HP. Dietrich avoids that maximum-HP penalty, so use Blaze Arts when important battles call for them. Continue prioritizing experience for the two allies, leaving Dietrich to finish enemies when necessary.