Let me be clear from the start: I don't hate Edelgard as a character. But choosing the Black Eagles route, particularly the Crimson Flower path, is the worst decision you can make for your first playthrough of Three Houses. Here's why.
The Shortest Route Problem
Crimson Flower is objectively the shortest route in the game, clocking in at only 18 chapters compared to the 22 chapters of every other route. You're literally getting less game. For a $60 purchase, choosing the path that gives you the least content seems like a poor investment.
But it's not just about quantity. Those missing chapters contain crucial world-building, character development, and plot revelations that you simply don't get on Crimson Flower. The game feels rushed and incomplete because it literally is.
The Protagonist Problem
Three Houses works best when Byleth serves as a moral anchor and guide for their students. On every other route, you're helping your house leader grow, overcome their flaws, and become a better person. You're teaching them.
On Crimson Flower? You're just along for the ride on Edelgard's predetermined path. She's already made her choices before the game begins. Your role as a teacher and mentor becomes secondary to being her weapon and enabler. The player agency that makes the other routes compelling is largely absent here.
Missing the Point
The entire narrative structure of Three Houses is designed to make you question Edelgard's methods. The game wants you to see the cost of her war, the people who suffer, the friends who die. Playing Blue Lions or Verdant Wind first gives you the full picture of what her revolution actually means.
Starting with Crimson Flower means you miss out on that perspective entirely. You don't get to see Dimitri's descent into madness and redemption. You don't get to uncover the truth about Fódlan's history with Claude. You don't get to understand why so many people oppose Edelgard's methods, even if they might agree with some of her goals.
The Character Recruitment Issue
Here's a practical problem: several characters cannot be recruited on Crimson Flower, period. Dimitri, Dedue, Claude, and Gilbert are permanently locked out. If you want to experience their stories, their supports, and their character arcs, you'll need to play a different route anyway.
Additionally, recruiting students to your house feels thematically wrong on Crimson Flower. You're asking them to betray their homelands and join a war of conquest. On other routes, you're offering them refuge or a chance to fight for peace. The narrative dissonance is uncomfortable.
The Church Isn't Actually That Bad
Crimson Flower's entire premise relies on the Church of Seiros being irredeemably corrupt and needing to be destroyed. But if you play the other routes first, you'll realize that while the Church has problems, it's nowhere near as evil as Edelgard claims.
Rhea has made mistakes, certainly. But she's also preserved peace in Fódlan for a thousand years and protected its people from Those Who Slither in the Dark. Destroying the Church doesn't actually solve the problems Edelgard claims it will, and Crimson Flower never adequately addresses this.
You Don't Fight the Real Villains
This is perhaps the most frustrating aspect of Crimson Flower: you never actually deal with Those Who Slither in the Dark. The people who experimented on Edelgard, killed Byleth's father, and are the source of most of the game's conflicts just... get away with it.
The game hand-waves this with a text epilogue saying they're dealt with later, but you never actually see it happen. Every other route gives you the satisfaction of confronting the true antagonists. Crimson Flower leaves that story thread hanging.
The Alternative Perspective
Now, I can already hear the counterarguments. Yes, Crimson Flower offers a unique perspective on the war. Yes, Edelgard's ideals about meritocracy and dismantling corrupt systems have merit. Yes, the route has some genuinely powerful moments.
But here's the thing: all of those points work better as a contrast to the other routes, not as a standalone experience. Crimson Flower is most impactful when you've already played Blue Lions or Golden Deer and can see how the same events look from Edelgard's perspective.
The Recommended Play Order
If you want the best Three Houses experience, here's my recommendation: play Blue Lions first, then Golden Deer, then Silver Snow, and only then play Crimson Flower. This order lets you understand the full scope of the conflict, get to know all the characters, and appreciate what makes Edelgard's path unique.
Playing Crimson Flower first is like reading the last chapter of a book before the rest. Sure, you can do it, but you're robbing yourself of the full experience and the narrative impact the game is designed to deliver.
Final Thoughts
I'm not saying you should never play Crimson Flower. It has value as part of the complete Three Houses experience. But it's the worst choice for a first playthrough, and arguably the weakest route overall in terms of story completeness and thematic coherence.
The Black Eagles house itself is great. The students are compelling, their supports are excellent, and the monastery phase with them is just as good as any other house. But when it comes to the war phase and the route's story? That's where the cracks show.
Choose Blue Lions. Choose Golden Deer. Even choose Silver Snow if you want to stick with the Black Eagles students. Just don't make Crimson Flower your first route. You'll thank me later.