Edelgard von Hresvelg - Black Eagles House Leader

[EarlTamm]

You know, given that, I kinda hope there won't be a TH character until next Smash. The last thing we need is this unfortunate incident getting blown even more out of proportion.

I imagine by then it won't even be a problem, as that would be a good while away. By then the patch will have likely come out and it's not even guaranteed Byleth will be a factor for a hypothetical TH character. And it's not like this whole has really escalated in the first place. It happened, there was a confession, Nintendo sent out there ninja's and it's pretty much over. It's not being dragged out or anything.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

I imagine by then it won't even be a problem, as that would be a good while away. By then the patch will have likely come out and it's not even guaranteed Byleth will be a factor for a hypothetical TH character. And it's not like this whole has really escalated in the first place. It happened, there was a confession, Nintendo sent out there ninja's and it's pretty much over. It's not being dragged out or anything.

Well, as long as it just ends up being quickly forgotten by the general public.

Spoiler

It honestly is a shame that the perp had to be high-functioning like me though, that's what I find the most sad in this affair.

By the way, how's the game been treating you so far?

 

[EarlTamm]

By the way, how's the game been treating you so far?

Idk, don't own yet because of my own reasons. Plan on getting it eventually. I am wondering the same thing for the rest of us, as I have heard some rumblings that I know some people here would react to interestingly.

 

[Kotor]

You know, given that, I kinda hope there won't be a TH character until next Smash. The last thing we need is this unfortunate incident getting blown even more out of proportion.

I feel that most sections of the Smash fandom would be more concern that Fire Emblem is getting another fighter than what a, now defunct, VA for Manleth did. They'll throw a fit that FE doesn't deserve 8 reps, and gut the FE roster to just 2 being Marth, and someone from Three Houses or the protagonist of an upcoming FE game. Assuming they pull the relevancy card.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

I feel that most sections of the Smash fandom would be more concern that Fire Emblem is getting another fighter than what a, now defunct, VA for Manleth did. They'll throw a fit that FE doesn't deserve 8 reps, and gut the FE roster to just 2 being Marth, and someone from Three Houses or the protagonist of an upcoming FE game. Assuming they pull the relevancy card.

And yet those same people are afraid that 50% of the roster will be cut next time. Like, is it possible for folks to make up their minds?

As for me, I've never been overly concerned about anything except IS not remotely giving lords the rest of the weapon triangle until now.

 

[meleebrawler]

And yet those same people are afraid that 50% of the roster will be cut next time. Like, is it possible for folks to make up their minds?

As for me, I've never been overly concerned about anything except IS not remotely giving lords the rest of the weapon triangle until now.

What do you mean? Since Blazing Blade we've had Lyn who uses a bow, Ephraim, Chrom and Lucina who use lances, Ike and Hector who can use axes, Robin uses magic, Micaiah has light magic plus staves and Corrin has manakete powers. And that's not getting into reclassing for the games that allow it. The most they do is make more legendary weapons that are swords.

If any of you are curious as to how Edelgard will most likely be portrayed canonically...

Spoiler

Her personal, unique classes are armoured axe knights with an additional specialty in authority (battalions & gambits). Most players report her having impressive strength, too.

Also, I can't believe it took this long for me to make a connection between her and this:

How many Teostras died to make Edelgard's post-skip garb?

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Thing is, every lord that got in Smash defaulted to sword (out of convenience, maybe? Who knows), regardless of whichever weapon they could also wield. Even Lyn uses a sword as an AT.

Robin and Corrin's latent abilities actually makes them stand out gameplay wise. Most other inclusions end up being some permutation of Marth or Ike.

 

[EarlTamm]

Thing is, every lord that got in Smash defaulted to sword (out of convenience, maybe? Who knows), regardless of whichever weapon they could also wield. Even Lyn uses a sword as an AT.

Robin and Corrin's latent abilities actually makes them stand out gameplay wise. Most other inclusions end up being some permutation of Marth or Ike.

But none of them were axe lords, so how much does that really effect things?

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

But none of them were axe lords, so how much does that really effect things?

A fair bit, for anyone who wants Hector in Smash. Edelgard's clung to partially because she uses an axe herself. But I wouldn't be shocked if that gets ignored for Smash anyway...

 

[EarlTamm]

A fair bit, for anyone who wants Hector in Smash. Edelgard's clung to partially because she uses an axe herself. But I wouldn't be shocked if that gets ignored for Smash anyway...

I am sure that wouldn't be ignored, especially with how highlighted it can be. Sakurai also likes diversity in his cast when he has the opportunity.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

I am sure that wouldn't be ignored, especially with how highlighted it can be. Sakurai also likes diversity in his cast when he has the opportunity.

Yeah, though not necessarily with weapons of predilection. Most Hero supporters assumed he'd get the ability to swap out weapons from the games, on top of everything else he actually came with.

But we'll see what happens. We'll have to agree to disagree on this point, seeing as a playable appearance may not happen until years from now.

 

[meleebrawler]

Thing is, every lord that got in Smash defaulted to sword (out of convenience, maybe? Who knows), regardless of whichever weapon they could also wield. Even Lyn uses a sword as an AT.

Robin and Corrin's latent abilities actually makes them stand out gameplay wise. Most other inclusions end up being some permutation of Marth or Ike.

OK, but when you move to Smash it gets a bit muddier trying to paint IS as the cause. What do you expect them to do, avoid swords like the plague just to appease the cries of people who most likely don't play Fire Emblem games anyway?

Yeah, though not necessarily with weapons of predilection. Most Hero supporters assumed he'd get the ability to swap out weapons from the games, on top of everything else he actually came with.

But we'll see what happens. We'll have to agree to disagree on this point, seeing as a playable appearance may not happen until years from now.

With the multiple-characters-as-alts status of Hero, they probably don't really have a choice to default to one weapon they all consistently use. I'd imagine Luminary doesn't really have access to boomerangs like VIII can, for example.

I don't understand all this concern unless you think they'll pick Byleth instead of Edelgard. No material at all shows her anywhere near a sword, legendary or otherwise.

 

[EarlTamm]

OK, but when you move to Smash it gets a bit muddier trying to paint IS as the cause. What do you expect them to do, avoid swords like the plague just to appease the cries of people who most likely don't play Fire Emblem games anyway?



With the multiple-characters-as-alts status of Hero, they probably don't really have a choice to default to one weapon they all consistently use. I'd imagine Luminary doesn't really have access to boomerangs like VIII can, for example.

I don't understand all this concern unless you think they'll pick Byleth instead of Edelgard. No material at all shows her anywhere near a sword, legendary or otherwise.

I agree with most of this, but she can still use a sword and is seen using one in the E3 trailer against Byleth for what seems to be parallels to the intro battle(That is what I am guessing, I don't own the game yet). Axe is still the more noted weapon at her disposal.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

I'm just saying including at least one axe or lance user would be nice, not asking for the moon here. Smash gives off the impression that the weapon triangle isn't a thing in FE.

 

[Kotor]

Edelgard is getting a figma.

From the new Nintendo Switch game "Fire Emblem: Three Houses" a figma of Edelgard von Hresvelg is in the works! Here is a look at the prototype! Stay tuned for more info coming soon!

Gallery: https://t.co/ZWNF7D9LVE#fireemblem #nintendo #fe #wonfes #wf2019s #whl4u30 #goodsmile pic.twitter.com/Pz0vZPPkCa

— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) July 28, 2019

 

[Sari]

My copy of Three Houses arrived today and of course I went with Black Eagles. Haven't gotten too far yet though I've been really enjoying it so far.

During the loading screens there will usually be a ranking of the most used units worldwide. As expected, Edelgard is the most popular of the three leaders as well as the most popular unit in the game overall. I don't remember the rest of the rankings though I know Claude came in 3rd making him more used than Dimitri. If we ever get a S2 wave of DLC I feel like Nintendo/Sakurai will definitely use those statistics as a reference if they decide on a Three Houses rep.

 

[meleebrawler]

I'm just saying including at least one axe or lance user would be nice, not asking for the moon here. Smash gives off the impression that the weapon triangle isn't a thing in FE.

Well, it's not a thing in Three Houses either, so... . And considering part of Radiant Dawn's Lunatic difficulty involves removing it, I'm inclined to believe it's not really as integral to the series as everyone believes; it's moreso just used as an excuse to try and ask for diversity.

I agree with most of this, but she can still use a sword and is seen using one in the E3 trailer against Byleth for what seems to be parallels to the intro battle(That is what I am guessing, I don't own the game yet). Axe is still the more noted weapon at her disposal.

Gah.

At any rate, those seem to be exceptional cases, as though she wanted the fight to be as even as possible. There's pretty much two ways Edelgard can go at this point, either they emphasize the customization aspect of Three Houses with her pre-skip design and a variety of weapon attacks including swords, or they go the more straightforward route of using classes and traits unique to her.

Spoiler

AKA a superheavy armoured axe tank with a tower shield and battalions at her beck and call.

Combat Arts also look to be prime special material.

 

[Guynamednelson]

it's moreso just used as an excuse to try and ask for diversity.

Bows would be better for weapon variety among FE anyway.

 

[Diddy Kong]

I'm just saying including at least one axe or lance user would be nice, not asking for the moon here. Smash gives off the impression that the weapon triangle isn't a thing in FE.

I could be wrong here, but Three Houses doesn’t seem to do the traditional weapon triangle. Neither did Echoes. So in a way, it isn’t much of a thing anymore.

I like Thee Houses thus far. Chose the Blue Lions route, because the animal represented appealed to be most, also the focus on Melee units instead of magic and ranged. I think from all the Lords, Claude appeals to me mostly, but I don’t think his route wasn’t suited for my first play though.

Anyway, I’m not even sure I’m able to play further cause my Switch is “missing” cause I kicked a hole in the door on accident here at home, they told me it’s broken but am not sure. Ironically it’s my birthday, and it isn’t even my worst one yet. So yeah. Kinda sucks.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Something I thought about in bed this morn, could the timeskip outfit be used as an alt? Seeing as only a year passes in-game.

Anyway, I’m not even sure I’m able to play further cause my Switch is “missing” cause I kicked a hole in the door on accident here at home, they told me it’s broken but am not sure. Ironically it’s my birthday, and it isn’t even my worst one yet. So yeah. Kinda sucks.

Well, that's a shame, hopefully your situation will be resolved in no time.

 

[Troykv]

How are you going play the game?

It will be a while before I can actually play Three Houses; so I'm taking the opportunity to learn more about it.

 

[Parallel_Falchion]

Thing is, every lord that got in Smash defaulted to sword (out of convenience, maybe? Who knows), regardless of whichever weapon they could also wield. Even Lyn uses a sword as an AT.

Robin and Corrin's latent abilities actually makes them stand out gameplay wise. Most other inclusions end up being some permutation of Marth or Ike.

That's because every FE character currently in Smash uses swords by default. Marth, Roy, Ike, Lucina, and Chrom can all use only swords in their base class. Marth and Roy never gain another weapon, and Ike only gains a second weapon in Radiant Dawn, not Path of Radiance, the game his moveset was originally based on. Robin has swords and tomes while Corrin has swords and dragonstone, and those were translated to Smash.

Lyn also is swords only in her base class. Black Knight can technically use lances, but the sword he uses, Alondite, is kind of a big deal. And then Tiki.

I'm just saying including at least one axe or lance user would be nice, not asking for the moon here. Smash gives off the impression that the weapon triangle isn't a thing in FE.

As of Three Houses it isn't a thing anymore.

 

[Frizz]

As someone who beat the Black Eagles route and had Byleth S-Support Edelgard, I definitely support. I've gotten too attached to these characters, and I'd really like to see them together in Smash eventually, just like Lucina and Robin.

 

[Diddy Kong]

I am actually not so very sold on the principle that an axe fighter newcomer would be all that much different from a sword character honestly. Functionally, they are much the same. Hit box and movement wise, there’s little difference between an axe, and a broad sword for example. Ike’s way of swinging the Ragnell for example is much how an axe fighter would behave, taken from PoR or RD wouldn’t matter. Ike emphasizes his blows on pure strength, and just look as his F Smash and U Smash, those would’ve easily been able to replicate as attacks with the Urvan; the axe Ike’s father Greil used. The lance part is also quite covered with Corrin’s F Smash and Side B I feel, even if it’s not exactly a lance, it functions like it does. I therefore don’t think it’s all too necessary to have all the weapon triangle represented.

But I get the support for Edelgart however, she is quite an unique case. But can represent so much more than axes alone even if it would be her standard weapon of choice. I haven’t played her part, I chose the Blue Lions and am still at Chapter 4 or so, but it’s clear as day that Edelgart would get her own Prf weapon as an axe.

I think I might do her route next however. Kind of curious because I read some controversial stuff about her path.

 

[meleebrawler]

I am actually not so very sold on the principle that an axe fighter newcomer would be all that much different from a sword character honestly. Functionally, they are much the same. Hit box and movement wise, there’s little difference between an axe, and a broad sword for example. Ike’s way of swinging the Ragnell for example is much how an axe fighter would behave, taken from PoR or RD wouldn’t matter. Ike emphasizes his blows on pure strength, and just look as his F Smash and U Smash, those would’ve easily been able to replicate as attacks with the Urvan; the axe Ike’s father Greil used. The lance part is also quite covered with Corrin’s F Smash and Side B I feel, even if it’s not exactly a lance, it functions like it does. I therefore don’t think it’s all too necessary to have all the weapon triangle represented.

But I get the support for Edelgart however, she is quite an unique case. But can represent so much more than axes alone even if it would be her standard weapon of choice. I haven’t played her part, I chose the Blue Lions and am still at Chapter 4 or so, but it’s clear as day that Edelgart would get her own Prf weapon as an axe.

I think I might do her route next however. Kind of curious because I read some controversial stuff about her path.

Edelgard does have a notable first as far as lords go in capabilities:

Spoiler

She's the first heavily armoured lord in her personal classes to my knowledge. Going this route would basically make her the first Fire Emblem and female superheavy, really slow-moving but with a big shield to block attacks, maybe some super armor and some zoning potential with throwing axes and Three House's battalions.

 

[Perkilator]

I decided to cave in while waiting for a chance to get the game, so don’t click the spoiler tag if you haven’t either beaten the game or reached this point:

Spoiler: Flame Emperor’s TRUE identity

Edelgard was the Flame Emperor all along, and she wouldn’t have gotten away with it if it weren’t for the meddling church. I’m not making this up for the sake of a “Edelgard is the true villain” joke, because she somehow is.

Well, here’s a meme I made about it:

 

[Ridrool64]

I'm going to be frank. I would take Ms. Varley first before Ms. Hresvelg, but any Black Eagles character would be wonderful. I know, MC bonus BUT, Byleth would massively disappoint many people.

Glory to the Black Eagles, friends. Currently playing through, have a bunch of no-context spoilers so I know some things happen but don't know why or when. Still at the school phase, no timeskip.

 

[Frizz]

I'm going to be frank. I would take Ms. Varley first before Ms. Hresvelg, but any Black Eagles character would be wonderful. I know, MC bonus BUT, Byleth would massively disappoint many people.

Glory to the Black Eagles, friends. Currently playing through, have a bunch of no-context spoilers so I know some things happen but don't know why or when. Still at the school phase, no timeskip.

School phrase is pretty long, I'm pretty sure it's longer than the timeskip phrase. I think it should occur around Chapter 13/14, and the end chapter is like 18. It took me 40 hours of pretty much non-stop playing just to finish one route.

 

[Pallex]

I decided to cave in while waiting for a chance to get the game, so don’t click the spoiler tag if you haven’t either beaten the game or reached this point:

Spoiler: Flame Emperor’s TRUE identity

Edelgard was the Flame Emperor all along, and she wouldn’t have gotten away with it if it weren’t for the meddling church. I’m not making this up for the sake of a “Edelgard is the true villain” joke, because she somehow is.

Well, here’s a meme I made about it:

View attachment 232826

Regarding Edelgard as "the true villain" is an utterly bad way of phrasing her character and what ultimately goes on. "Good and Evil" are only perspectives and it is very blurred in what is ultimately a Gray vs Gray morality conflict in Fire Emblem Three Houses.
Someone else has a good write-up regarding Edelgard:
https://www.reddit.com/r/fireemblem...n_of_why_youknowwho_did_youknowwhat/?sort=new

Spoiler: /u/captainflash89 on /r/fireemblem writes

So, this is a great game. The lore is amazingly well-thought out, and the characters are incredibly nuanced. However, one decision that is unfortunate and kinda mystifying is that even on Edelgard's route, the reasons for why she does what she does are not fully explicated (particularly in the Blue Lions route). A lot of the time, she refers to things like taking back power from the gods, or splitting up the Empire, which just sounds like a generic reference to the church's power structure or makes her sound power-hungry. However, it's much more complicated than that. These reasons are really only explained on other routes. I want to quickly outline and explain why Edelgard really had no choice given her circumstances.

1) Fodlan is an inherently broken society. This is directly the Church's fault.
Edelgard's complaint with the church is not just simple revenge for the loss of her family and torture she undergoes. Rhea wasn't directly involved in her situation. Her larger problem is that the church, through Rhea, has made crests the absolute focal point of a human's place in society. Why did Rhea do this? Because [SPOILERS for GD route] Rhea is Seiros, and Seiros committed genocide against a highly advanced civilization [hence the magic rocket silo at the end of the Church route] because they weren't dependent on Sothis, her mother. This turns them into what we see today as TWSITD. After that act, the remnants of that society corrupt the human hero Nemesis and convince him and some other humans [who become the nobility of Fodlan] to take power from the gods. The crests are not a divine gift from Seiros; they were taken from the gods. The problem is that this lie means that individuals who have crests are considered "blessed", directly leading to nobles experimenting on children and eugenics becoming socially condoned. People with crests are innately worth more than those who don't have a crest. This directly leads to ruined lives like Lystheia, Sylvain and his brother, Edelgard and her family, etc. Rhea also does experiment on people with the express goal of creating a person she can kill to bring her mother back, hence Byleth. Other organizations that have tried this in Fire Emblem include such luminaries as the Grimleal and the Loptyr cult.
2) Edelgard does not have the power you would expect from her position.
I would argue that the most clearly evil things that Edelgard doesare her attempted assassination at the beginning of the game and her temporarily allying with TWSITD. Why does she do this? Why all the skulking around? Edelgard's support with Byleth explains that despite being Emperor, her father was completely unable to stop experimentation upon his own family. That is how pervasive the power of crests and church are in Fodlan's society. If any bit of Edelgard's plan for rebellion gets out,>! back to the dungeon she goes. This also explains why she doesn't talk to Dimitri or Claude and try to recruit them. She has no guarantee that they will follow her. The only people she can trust to not go running to the church are the one group that hates the church more than she does.

3) Neither Dimitri or Claude would follow her anyway
There was a narrative that came out with the spoilers that Dimitri and Edelgard are star-crossed lovers because of the BL ending. Dimitri absolutely was and is in love with Edelgard like the Shakespearean prince he is. Edelgard however, knows him well enough to know that they fundamentally disagree on ethics. Dimitri's entire ethical framework is deontological. He believes that one cannot perform what he considers "bad" actions for a "good" reason. Because of his trauma, he divides the world into "good people" and "bad people". "Good" people need to be protected. "Bad" people get their skulls crushed. Edelgard is a consequentialist who believes that people are not just responsible for their actions, but the consequences of those actions. There is no way Dimitri signs up to go rebel against the church given his kingdom's particularly close ties to the religious power structure. Add in Dimitri's paranoia (look at how he blames Edelgard for murdering their mother, which Edelgard had nothing to do with), and this is a non-starter.
Claude is different. Claude's ethical framework is kind of akin to Corrin's in Conquest. He protects those close to him, and doesn't necessarily care about ethical issues as long as the people he cares about are safe. He also has little skin in the game, demonstrated by his peaceing out in basically all routes except his own. If Edelgard goes to Claude, Claude may or may not betray Edelgard to shore up his own shaky political position. He ultimately is the most clearly good of the lords, but he's not good in a traditional FE sense.

4) She doesn't have time for a more peaceful solution
Like another character, Edelgard's lifespan is drastically shortened due to the crest experimentation. She does not have 20-30 years to peacefully advocate for society to change, and it's unlikely she would be allowed to do so anyways given the reasons outlined above.

5) She does not want power for traditional reasons
There have been comparisons made between Edelgard and traditional emperors/villains in FE like Hardin and Arvis. This isn't really a fair comparison. She institutes her class-based reforms than immediately gives up her position to a successor she feels is worthy. Ashnard isn't doing that at all. Conquering the other kingdoms is a means to unify humanity so that the church cannot have a foothold in the political framework like they do currently, particularly in Faergus. She correctly recognizes that the only way reform could possibly occur is if Fodlan is united in opposition to the church and crests. Her point is that the splitting of the Empire makes the church the defacto rulers of Fodlan. Even if an individual leader or country decides to reform the crest system, the church will have the other two countries to step in to bring them back in line. Combine that with the ongoing campaign of misinformation that the church is conducting with the general populace, and good luck trying to reform the church or nobility in any meaningful way.

6) Play GoTHW and Thracia
This game is very much a callback to the SNES games. Beyond the clear callback between>! Julius/Loptyr and Byleth/Sothis!<, both of these games were very explicit about the human cost of war and rebellion. Even when a rebellion is clearly justified as in the case of both Lief and Seliph's conflicts, innocent people will die. Ishtar is a good person who morally opposes the child hunts, and her life is completely destroyed by the actions of Seliph's army. Many of the enemy generals in Thracia were punch-clock soldiers who had little idea why they were fighting or dying. The most unrealistic thing about many past FE games is that wars can be fought against evil death cults led by motiveless sociopaths like Gharnef or Validar without anyone else getting caught in the crossfire except a single sympathetic Camus. To Edelgard, the war is necessary and justified, and she is at least willing to confront the human costs of her actions, in stark contrast to previous FE games where war is treated like a summer camp.

Does this excuse any/all of Edelgard's actions? No, I'm not arguing that. She is absolutely a grey character. However, labeling her the "villain" is a dramatic oversimplification of what is going on.

 

[meleebrawler]

Regarding Edelgard as "the true villain" is an utterly bad way of phrasing her character and what ultimately goes on. "Good and Evil" are only perspectives and it is very blurred in what is ultimately a Gray vs Gray morality conflict in Fire Emblem Three Houses.
Someone else has a good write-up regarding Edelgard:
https://www.reddit.com/r/fireemblem...n_of_why_youknowwho_did_youknowwhat/?sort=new

Spoiler: /u/captainflash89 on /r/fireemblem writes

So, this is a great game. The lore is amazingly well-thought out, and the characters are incredibly nuanced. However, one decision that is unfortunate and kinda mystifying is that even on Edelgard's route, the reasons for why she does what she does are not fully explicated (particularly in the Blue Lions route). A lot of the time, she refers to things like taking back power from the gods, or splitting up the Empire, which just sounds like a generic reference to the church's power structure or makes her sound power-hungry. However, it's much more complicated than that. These reasons are really only explained on other routes. I want to quickly outline and explain why Edelgard really had no choice given her circumstances.

1) Fodlan is an inherently broken society. This is directly the Church's fault.
Edelgard's complaint with the church is not just simple revenge for the loss of her family and torture she undergoes. Rhea wasn't directly involved in her situation. Her larger problem is that the church, through Rhea, has made crests the absolute focal point of a human's place in society. Why did Rhea do this? Because [SPOILERS for GD route] Rhea is Seiros, and Seiros committed genocide against a highly advanced civilization [hence the magic rocket silo at the end of the Church route] because they weren't dependent on Sothis, her mother. This turns them into what we see today as TWSITD. After that act, the remnants of that society corrupt the human hero Nemesis and convince him and some other humans [who become the nobility of Fodlan] to take power from the gods. The crests are not a divine gift from Seiros; they were taken from the gods. The problem is that this lie means that individuals who have crests are considered "blessed", directly leading to nobles experimenting on children and eugenics becoming socially condoned. People with crests are innately worth more than those who don't have a crest. This directly leads to ruined lives like Lystheia, Sylvain and his brother, Edelgard and her family, etc. Rhea also does experiment on people with the express goal of creating a person she can kill to bring her mother back, hence Byleth. Other organizations that have tried this in Fire Emblem include such luminaries as the Grimleal and the Loptyr cult.
2) Edelgard does not have the power you would expect from her position.
I would argue that the most clearly evil things that Edelgard doesare her attempted assassination at the beginning of the game and her temporarily allying with TWSITD. Why does she do this? Why all the skulking around? Edelgard's support with Byleth explains that despite being Emperor, her father was completely unable to stop experimentation upon his own family. That is how pervasive the power of crests and church are in Fodlan's society. If any bit of Edelgard's plan for rebellion gets out,>! back to the dungeon she goes. This also explains why she doesn't talk to Dimitri or Claude and try to recruit them. She has no guarantee that they will follow her. The only people she can trust to not go running to the church are the one group that hates the church more than she does.

3) Neither Dimitri or Claude would follow her anyway
There was a narrative that came out with the spoilers that Dimitri and Edelgard are star-crossed lovers because of the BL ending. Dimitri absolutely was and is in love with Edelgard like the Shakespearean prince he is. Edelgard however, knows him well enough to know that they fundamentally disagree on ethics. Dimitri's entire ethical framework is deontological. He believes that one cannot perform what he considers "bad" actions for a "good" reason. Because of his trauma, he divides the world into "good people" and "bad people". "Good" people need to be protected. "Bad" people get their skulls crushed. Edelgard is a consequentialist who believes that people are not just responsible for their actions, but the consequences of those actions. There is no way Dimitri signs up to go rebel against the church given his kingdom's particularly close ties to the religious power structure. Add in Dimitri's paranoia (look at how he blames Edelgard for murdering their mother, which Edelgard had nothing to do with), and this is a non-starter.
Claude is different. Claude's ethical framework is kind of akin to Corrin's in Conquest. He protects those close to him, and doesn't necessarily care about ethical issues as long as the people he cares about are safe. He also has little skin in the game, demonstrated by his peaceing out in basically all routes except his own. If Edelgard goes to Claude, Claude may or may not betray Edelgard to shore up his own shaky political position. He ultimately is the most clearly good of the lords, but he's not good in a traditional FE sense.

4) She doesn't have time for a more peaceful solution
Like another character, Edelgard's lifespan is drastically shortened due to the crest experimentation. She does not have 20-30 years to peacefully advocate for society to change, and it's unlikely she would be allowed to do so anyways given the reasons outlined above.

5) She does not want power for traditional reasons
There have been comparisons made between Edelgard and traditional emperors/villains in FE like Hardin and Arvis. This isn't really a fair comparison. She institutes her class-based reforms than immediately gives up her position to a successor she feels is worthy. Ashnard isn't doing that at all. Conquering the other kingdoms is a means to unify humanity so that the church cannot have a foothold in the political framework like they do currently, particularly in Faergus. She correctly recognizes that the only way reform could possibly occur is if Fodlan is united in opposition to the church and crests. Her point is that the splitting of the Empire makes the church the defacto rulers of Fodlan. Even if an individual leader or country decides to reform the crest system, the church will have the other two countries to step in to bring them back in line. Combine that with the ongoing campaign of misinformation that the church is conducting with the general populace, and good luck trying to reform the church or nobility in any meaningful way.

6) Play GoTHW and Thracia
This game is very much a callback to the SNES games. Beyond the clear callback between>! Julius/Loptyr and Byleth/Sothis!<, both of these games were very explicit about the human cost of war and rebellion. Even when a rebellion is clearly justified as in the case of both Lief and Seliph's conflicts, innocent people will die. Ishtar is a good person who morally opposes the child hunts, and her life is completely destroyed by the actions of Seliph's army. Many of the enemy generals in Thracia were punch-clock soldiers who had little idea why they were fighting or dying. The most unrealistic thing about many past FE games is that wars can be fought against evil death cults led by motiveless sociopaths like Gharnef or Validar without anyone else getting caught in the crossfire except a single sympathetic Camus. To Edelgard, the war is necessary and justified, and she is at least willing to confront the human costs of her actions, in stark contrast to previous FE games where war is treated like a summer camp.

Does this excuse any/all of Edelgard's actions? No, I'm not arguing that. She is absolutely a grey character. However, labeling her the "villain" is a dramatic oversimplification of what is going on.

Spoiler

I mean, there's a book in the library about Seiros's religious precepts with a passage that basically says "lying, stealing and killing are bad. Unless the Goddess tells you to do it." If that doesn't raise some red flags...

And to be honest, every example of an ostensibly beneficial organization that gets corrupted in media that I can think of tend to be best dealt with by bringing the whole thing down, or at the very least cutting all ties to it with stuff like moles. Best example in my mind is MCU's S.H.I.E.L.D. Sure, it does a lot of good over the course of the Marvel movies, it even has a whole television series chronicling all of that (Agents Of SHIELD). But that still didn't save from having to be dismantled completely come Winter Soldier. Unless you have precognition and/or time travel at your disposal, weeding out the bad eggs peacefully and before they cause too much damage is almost impossible. Especially when said bad eggs are at the top of the chain... maybe a better comparison would be Xenoblade 2's Praetor Amalthus. If people are gonna compare Edelgard to someone like Arvis and label her a villain just for that, I don't see why the same can't be done for Rhea and Amalthus.

The only thing that I see keeping Rhea from possibly being anything more than despicable as a human being is how, in her route, she can eventually let go of her obsession with bringing back her mother... when she basically is secure in the knowledge her progeny will continue her work. Other than, it actually does seem a little muddy on who struck first in that conflict ages ago...

 

[Cabbagehead]

I haven't gotten Three Houses yet, but if my paycheck allows it, I'll get it this weekend. And when I do, I'm gonna do the Black Eagles route first, because Edelgard's stuck out the most to me out of the three lords.

I also would be fine with her in Smash. Add me to the support list, please!

 

[Diddy Kong]

Edelgard does have a notable first as far as lords go in capabilities:

Spoiler

She's the first heavily armoured lord in her personal classes to my knowledge. Going this route would basically make her the first Fire Emblem and female superheavy, really slow-moving but with a big shield to block attacks, maybe some super armor and some zoning potential with throwing axes and Three House's battalions.

My answer:

Spoiler

Well as far as heavy armor Lords go, Hector was a first. On being heavily armored and using axes. And Ike is also on the slower side. I doubt she would appear as armored however as it isn’t her starting class, but who knows? It certainly makes her more unique yes. Planning in doing her story next, or start a new file along with the Blue Lions route.

So far I kinda feel Dimitri is Ephriam 1.5 however.

 

[Icelerate]

Edelgard would be cool as she can use magic and axes. Her character seems very interesting and could possibly become my favourite which is currently Micaiah once I experience the story in full.

So you can add me as a supporter.

 

[Perkilator]

Edelgard would be cool as she can use magic and axes. Her character seems very interesting and could possibly become my favourite which is currently Micaiah once I experience the story in full.

So you can add me as a supporter.

Question is, what kind of moveset would be crafted with axes and magic? More specifically, the magic Edelgard learns?

 

[Kotor]

Edelgard would be cool as she can use magic and axes. Her character seems very interesting and could possibly become my favourite which is currently Micaiah once I experience the story in full.

So you can add me as a supporter.

But anyone can use magic in Three Houses. Edelgard herself doesn't exactly focus on it. She's primarily an axe user.

 

[Fastblade5035]

Edelgard is now my favorite lord in the series, and I desperately need this girl in Smash.
I won't get into the intricacies of her character, obviously that doesn't really matter in Smash, but what does matter - moveset potential - is also of equally high quality with Edelgard.
Without getting too customizable, Edelgard focuses mostly on axes and heavy armor. She also has Combat Arts, her unique Crest, and Battalions to take advantage of. I'd assume she'd use her pre-timeskip design, so she'd likely not be a slow character, but probably around Ike speed if I had to guess on something that doesn't exist.
Her specials I'd imagine would be something like:
Neutral B: - Battalion Charge - Similar to Zelda's Phantom charge, Edelgard can command a Battalion forward to launch an explosive vehicle forward. The longer it's held, the further and more powerful the Battalion is. Without charging, Edelgard can instead send forward soldiers who will drag opponents out like Piplup/Oshawott, though less powerful without having a lot of damage built up.
Down B: Crest of Flames - Edelgard imposes a self-buff effect which allows her to heal half the damage she inflicts on her next attack, (With a cooldown of course) and also functions as a counter while it's being activated. Not only does the 'nullify enemy counterattacks' work as a Counter in Smash, but we all know an FE isn't allowed to not have a counter
Up B: Raging Storm - Edelgard thrusts upward, causes a self-encompasing gale to lift her up. Doesn't send a hitbox below her like Robin or Hero, but instead goes from her body upward, so it can catch opponents trying to hit her from above.
Side B: Armored Blow - Edelgard dashes forward with an overhead strike, having super armor the duration of the attack. Think Bowser Jr. and Ike, except it's a dashing overhead swing that goes less distance but has armor the entire duration. She could use this to recover safely and to punish from afar.

For her normals, I picture some functional similarities to Ike in speed and power, but her axe hitbox should differ the two. While Ike uses long, slow, area-covering slashes, Edelgard would use strikes and slashes more than long swings. So less moves like Ike's forward air and nair, more like his Ftilt and dsmash.

I really, really hope she gets in, whether it's in this fighter pass, or by some miracle, a 2nd fighter pass or even the next Smash game.

 

[EarlTamm]

Here is another Three Houses Princess art piece.

Spoiler: Art

Source:
https://mobile.twitter.com/Armand_Gman/status/1155869624447062016

Anyone beat the game yet?

 

[meleebrawler]

Edelgard is now my favorite lord in the series, and I desperately need this girl in Smash.
I won't get into the intricacies of her character, obviously that doesn't really matter in Smash, but what does matter - moveset potential - is also of equally high quality with Edelgard.
Without getting too customizable, Edelgard focuses mostly on axes and heavy armor. She also has Combat Arts, her unique Crest, and Battalions to take advantage of. I'd assume she'd use her pre-timeskip design, so she'd likely not be a slow character, but probably around Ike speed if I had to guess on something that doesn't exist.
Her specials I'd imagine would be something like:
Neutral B: - Battalion Charge - Similar to Zelda's Phantom charge, Edelgard can command a Battalion forward to launch an explosive vehicle forward. The longer it's held, the further and more powerful the Battalion is. Without charging, Edelgard can instead send forward soldiers who will drag opponents out like Piplup/Oshawott, though less powerful without having a lot of damage built up.
Down B: Crest of Flames - Edelgard imposes a self-buff effect which allows her to heal half the damage she inflicts on her next attack, (With a cooldown of course) and also functions as a counter while it's being activated. Not only does the 'nullify enemy counterattacks' work as a Counter in Smash, but we all know an FE isn't allowed to not have a counter
Up B: Raging Storm - Edelgard thrusts upward, causes a self-encompasing gale to lift her up. Doesn't send a hitbox below her like Robin or Hero, but instead goes from her body upward, so it can catch opponents trying to hit her from above.
Side B: Armored Blow - Edelgard dashes forward with an overhead strike, having super armor the duration of the attack. Think Bowser Jr. and Ike, except it's a dashing overhead swing that goes less distance but has armor the entire duration. She could use this to recover safely and to punish from afar.

For her normals, I picture some functional similarities to Ike in speed and power, but her axe hitbox should differ the two. While Ike uses long, slow, area-covering slashes, Edelgard would use strikes and slashes more than long swings. So less moves like Ike's forward air and nair, more like his Ftilt and dsmash.

I really, really hope she gets in, whether it's in this fighter pass, or by some miracle, a 2nd fighter pass or even the next Smash game.

The issue here is that Smash FE fatigue is a very real thing, and from this point forward the devs have to try real hard to make non-echoes stand apart from their peers. I don't think we want her to just be "axe Ike with an army special", when we can double down on the zoning potential of said battalions and throwing axes, along with her heavy armour and tower shield, to make her into a slow, but veritable fortress that is very hard to breach, damage and KO. Think a playable version of the Black Knight assist. I don't really care if said slowness is an impediment to potential viability.

A few other things: Combat Arts can be worked into normals like smashes too, and her crest doesn't seem like it warrants a move slot, especially when it's something there's no downside to having on anyway. If you must include it, it should just be a passive that randomly procs on any non-battalion hit.

All this is more for post-skip Edelgard, who has the build in her default design to convey her tankiness. If you must use her more petite pre-skip design, however, it may be best to try something different entirely, focussing more on Three House's customization than Edelgard's personal traits. Both are valid options.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

People already showed concern about Hero's standard attacks mostly being recycled from other characters. Just because a swordfighter can be unique doesn't mean they won't end up treading familiar ground in some way.

In any case, if no one from Three Houses shows up this time for restraint reasons, I can see them being added for the next Smash. It helps that Byleth and the three representatives are right on the box.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Question in spoilers :

Spoiler

How do these alternative routes work? Is every house available to rebel against the Church or Seiros or only Edelgard and Claude’s routes? I haven’t yet heard much about this option in the Blue Lions house, can anyone certify this?