Why Edelgard is an ABSOLUTE GENIUS in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes So Far. (Demo Story Review)

[@Faerghast]

*EDIT: Heads up, I know you're excited about the game but please don't accidentally spoil details revealed in the datamine in the comments. Be a good neighbor!* PHEWWWW I legitimately spent all night preparing this video before Friday! I absolutely love Edelgard so far in Three Hopes. I hope this video helps to convince skeptics and validate fellow SB fans! This is a very chunky video, and it took a lot out of me to finish in time, despite having been home at the farm helping with the chores for the last few days. ANd HUGE thank you to all of you. The channel just hit 96K subcribers and is now only 4000 away from 100k! Literally wild!!! If you are excited about 3 hopes and want to watch me stream the game and want more videos like this. Please consider subscribing and supporting me get to the ultimate goal! Question for you: What is your favorite route so far?

[@ramenbomberdeluxe4958]

I admit that I’m not convinced on any moral level here. While Edelgard is indeed a genius in these early moments, I’m wondering what else will be new besides the same old extreme war, ya know? I want nothing but the best for Edelgard fans in this game when release day comes. She’s got good ideals like the rest of the leaders, Rhea included, I just want her route to be actually full and compelling like the others instead of cutting off in a rush job.

[@Faerghast]

@@ramenbomberdeluxe4958 only time will tell!

[@l.n.3372]

@@ramenbomberdeluxe4958 She's still an imperialist at heart. It seems that didn't change and won't change.

[@l.n.3372]

@@Faerghast I thought you said you were gonna do a video about the good and bad aspects of every route in the demo? Or at least, in your story breakdown you said you wanted to save that for another video? But I guess there's no time left for that video.

[@ramenbomberdeluxe4958]

@@l.n.3372 Well of course, I just don’t wanna fully vilify her or her fans. She’s deluded in my eyes but I won’t exactly see her as evil, just…in need of help like the rest. I’m a Golden Deer through and through, I just don’t want to seem like I’m insulting the Black Eagles among us.

[@mads_in_zero]

I think my favourite Edelgard moment in the demo is when she responds to Beradetta’s hopeful “did you arrest my father too?” with an “I’m afraid not”, followed by her and Hubert later heavily implying they assigned Count Varley to a dangerous, unpopular position on purpose because they hate him and hope he gets assassinated. Such a Hubert way of looking out for your friends - making sure their abusers’ death looks like an accident.

[@shizachan8421]

She secures him a legacy. In life he is useless but if he gets assassinated by the Central Church, he may be forever memorized as the first martyr of the southern church.

[@Eric_Pham]

It should be noted that Monica said "I could tell from his gait, and how he held his staff" which implies that she didn't saw his face directly while being kidnapped and as other pointed out he doesn't want to reveal he's an agarthan and being a friendly trustworth librarian helps lures people

[@gratedshtick]

So Solon was completely fucked if she got out.

[@nuibaba280]

Ahhhh. So Solon was fucked either way.

[@galonski64]

I also assume, Monica be more Lilky to go with Tomas, a friendly librarian from the officer academy, then anyone else mentioned

[@galonski64]

Also also, as Eric said, in 14:10 of this video, you can see Tomas and the Solon pose almost the same way arm cross and staff under

[@Dakress23]

Something cool I noticed is that when Solon returns later in 3hopes, the dude no longer uses his cane. So I guess he did learn his lesson and has no intention of making the same mistake twice.

[@sadeknight9112]

A beautiful comment that I saw perfectly explains the “Blood Smell” tracking ability Jeritza has; the Crest of Lamine gives the holder the ability to sense the pain of others. For Mercedes it lets her know who is in need of help the most and for Jeritza it lets him know where his suffering enemies are. Edit: I wasn’t sure about this so I was looking through Mercedes’s supports and sure enough in her B support with Byleth she claims sensing distress is like second nature and attributes it to her history at the church of Faerghus.

[@nategwright]

God, I love in-universe lore that informs gameplay mechanics. Like how the Crest of Blaiddyd's effect reflects the inhuman strength it gives Dimitri.

[@Growler673]

You are correct, but have you considered; Edelgard told him where to go and "follow the blood smell" was just what his edgy ass came up with to keep them dang kids from blowing his cover. That's a convincing and totally normal thing to say, right?

[@sadeknight9112]

@@Growler673 I would agree but the Death Knight says he can smell blood at Fort Merceus

[@crazycakegamer9672]

That kinda also partially explains her personal ability too, given if she can sense the pain of others healing others would have the effect of relieving some of her own pain

[@sadeknight9112]

@@crazycakegamer9672 we’re going to reach some REALLY edgy places once we draw that line of logic though to Emile! *-Inflicting pain upon my enemies is the only way I may release myself from this eternal suffering, if for but a moment.-*

[@naeshaunedwards7731]

About the Dorothea part, she probably isn’t as impressive as the rest that Edelgard took along (probably), but Edelgard probably took her as well because if you remember, in Three Houses Dorothea told Bernadetta that she had to deal with kidnappers and attempted robbers and people trying to kill her and stuff, so she broke their arms, and in her support with Felix Dorothea already knew how to fight with a sword since she had to deal with bad people back in her opera days (and even Felix was impressed with her skill when he trained with her).

[@xdsmile5359]

What dazzling skills

[@naeshaunedwards7731]

@Nudl she really is. I hope we can fight her father in this game

[@naeshaunedwards7731]

@@xdsmile5359 she really is. Had real experience before even joining the officers academy, and it’s implied that the same people who tried fighting her was the same group in Ingrid’s paralogue, and they’re leader is a notorious horrible person who gets money no matter how

[@OhSnapItzSam]

I 100% agree, I can say that their idea also revolves around having a celebrity of the common man that nobles liked too! It would weaken people’s resolve just like (obvi not to the same degree) as being in the same party as the crown Princess

[@naeshaunedwards7731]

@@OhSnapItzSam that is also a great point. We know that Dorothea is really popular in the empire after becoming part of the opera company, so that helps

[@Enjoysaeli]

I started with El's route, and I audibly was praising her for how her plan fell together. Jeritza being their professor, being rid of Kostas in the beginning, and being able to take the leaps much quicker felt pretty natural, and I was really pleased to see the Black Eagles' response to what she did. It reminds me of what you said in your BIG Edelgard video, how you had wished there had been a moment where the Black Eagles called Edelgard out for her scheming and not telling them what she had been planning, and while not like, the biggest thing, it DID get brought up by the kids left behind and was a good moment. I'm really excited to see where Scarlet Blaze goes from here.

[@l.n.3372]

But ... She still hasn't given the Black Eagles the full details on things here either. She keeps them in the dark for the sake of the plan. She still hasn't really told them who or what the Agarthans are. And she still hasn't asked them how they'd feel about her war - she made that decision obviously without their input.

[@YightLagami]

@@l.n.3372 why would she tell the students? She told Lindhart and Caspar's dads who are the actual nobles in power to help her. Almost everyone else is either corrupt like Bernadetta/Ferdinand's dads or unrelated like Petra/Dorothea. The students do not know about the Agarthans. I doubt Edelgard has a full idea on who they are given that less information is given about them in Part 1 and then the later CF parts of the story. There is not much information about them. I think the main parts that Edelgard explains to them is why she did the Coup'de tat in the first place (which makes 100% sense). Ferdinand still cares about his dad. And the second, why she wants to get rid of the Church from being a main power/why she wants to get rid of crests/reunite Fodland

[@asmrtpop2676]

@@YightLagami He’s more upset he wasn’t made aware. He has a C support with Edelgard where he explains he had already been using his time at the academy to gather evidence to have his father arrested.

[@YightLagami]

@@asmrtpop2676 how would she know that?

[@windwaker407]

I mean, Edelgard not telling the black eagles everything is kinda the obvious move. Think about it, if the fact that she was planning a coup or even a war against the church got leaked to the wrong person, her entire plan could have been ruined. It's hard to control the flow of information if she's telling everyone. She was even given a line with Constance in futures where they oppose eachother where they explain if Edelgard told Constance, Constance wouldn't have kept her secret, prompting Edelgard to matter-of-factly say "And that's why I didn't tell you". Even if you argue the other black eagles are trustworthy and would have allied with her, that's kinda disproved by the very function of the game. Since nearly every student can be recruited against their house leaders in every route, it means that the game mechanics themselves are telling us these characters' allegiances are flimsy at best and if she had informed them of anything prior to the big reveal, the narrative would have to explain why characters you have recruited from the black eagle house either forgot about her plans or refused to inform anyone of them. They would have had to change the mechanics of the story and make black eagles unrecruitable to justify why Edelgard would trust them with that information, considering as it stands, you are expecting her to trust and be upfront with people who can just switch allegiance at any time.

[@kindredtatum2975]

Really loved the video! As for Solon’s colossal mistake, on the Azure Gleam and Golden Wildfire routes Monica makes it sound like Solon wasn’t disguised as Tomas when she was kidnapped. She says “Well, the one who kidnapped me was Tomas the librarian. I’m certain of it. I could tell [it was Tomas] from his gait, and how he held his staff. I suppose he isn’t the simple scholar you think he is.” The biggest point is the second sentence. She’s not describing his appearance, but the way he carries himself. Also a minor note, she calls his cane a staff, which it technically is, but it appears more as a staff when he’s appearing as Solon, versus the cane he uses when disguised as Tomas. It’s strange she gives less of an explanation on Scarlet Blaze, but given what she says on the other routes I’d argue Solon did think it through. Maybe he had become too used to blending in as Tomas that his mannerisms carried over.

[@l.n.3372]

Woah nice catch! I didn't remember she described Solon/Tomas differently depending on the route.

[@nicodalusong149]

Ah, non-verbal cues and the like giving him away huh? Yeah, if Monica has that strong of a memory, she'd possibly be able to recall how a person carries themself as well. Plausible.

[@Faerghast]

Wow. I really hope that's the case! Great catch. I want to be wrong on this hahaha Solon is my fav villain in 3Houses

[@wuvination6939]

@@Faerghast the other possibility I believed when I played was he was using the disguise to trick Monica into trusting him.

[@stevenchoza6391]

I presume she didn’t feel the need to explain it as much in Scarlet Blaze because Edelgard was there to back her, meaning she didn’t need to explain it as much.

[@MarioPokemonShadow]

Edelgard: "And my new friend with glow-in-the-dark Agarthan powers." Shez: "Yep, that's me."

[@Dakress23]

As someone who loved the scheming aspect of Edelgard in CF, her whole plan in 3 Hopes' demo alone was a delight to watch. It's super impressive how well thought out the whole thing is, to the extent you just feel the whole idea in-universe had been in Edelgard's mind for a while already.

[@heavydonkeykong5190]

Edelgard the big brained badass. love to see it.

[@aduboo29]

I had a very different experience with 3H. I thought her plan in 3H seemed haphazard and stupid. Three Hopes Edelgard, however, I'm all aboard for.

[@CosmicToad5000]

@@aduboo29 i think it was pretty impressive how she feigned that the imperial army was marching straight to Fihridad, only to take a detour to Arianrhod as it both a more feasible location to take over and it let her "accidentally" kill Cornelia to massively weaken TWSITD's influence.

[@SyLuX636]

idk it kinda make her look kinda flawless when ALL of her plans turn out perfectly just has she planned scot free.

[@squares4u]

@@aduboo29 I disagree. In 3 houses she recognizes that upending the entire nobility and crest system may not be able to be achieved by diplomacy alone, as does unifying Fódlan. She declares war because she believes she has to. But there are plenty of video essays on KZbin defending and criticizing her, I don’t need to add to them 😅

[@t.b.cont.]

I love how intelligent Edelgard is constantly portrayed to be. She’s always rolling with the punches, and making lemonade with the absolute lemons life gives her. Any other “intelligent” character in media is portrayed by their plans being these 5D chess moves where everything is perfect and they get to psychoanalyze their opponent while doing so, like some sort of magic trick. But Edelgard creates plans that make sense in the moment but can and will go awry when something she didn’t expect happens. But that doesn’t make her stupid, because she’s just able to alter course and adapt to overcome the obstacles in front of her. She’s able to deviate from a charted course based on the opportunities she sees appear or disappear in front of her, and I think that shows both her ability to adapt as well as her cognizance of the world around her It’s a breath of fresh air to see a protagonist/antagonist feel intelligent because of their actual problem solving abilities rather than because the plot says so and they use bigger words then everyone else

[@mihaimercenarul7467]

not really, all her plans turned out flawlessly like every other 5d intelligent character. It wasn't that well made

[@serronserron1320]

@@mihaimercenarul7467 Not really. In three houses she was hoping to overthrow the church and cut off the heads of all the opposing nations in a relatively short amount of time. But instead the war dragged out for roughly 7 years. And she still had yet to break her ties with those who cower in the dirt who had influence over her empire.

[@squares4u]

@@mihaimercenarul7467 You are incorrect

[@mihaimercenarul7467]

@@squares4u and yet I am not

[@xela4854]

@@mihaimercenarul7467 you're not explaining further though

[@drpac9164]

I dont understand how anyone can say Edelgard is out of character. You're absolutely right. It's more about the circumstances that she's able to move so fast. This game has been wild so far, great video

[@l.n.3372]

OMG Kenshin profile picture! I guess I should comment on the topic too tho ... Um, yeah I guess I agree xD it's not so much that she's OOC. It's more "why didn't she take charge and do more of this in 3H too"

[@CosmicToad5000]

literally the very first scene after choosing the Black Eagles makes it abundantly clear that Edelgard is surprised the stars are aligning so perfectly for her and that she needs to seize this chance. We never really get to know the relationship between Edelgard & Jertiza, but it's clear Jertiza isn't part of TWSITD and Edelgard (as the Flame Emperor) in a scene after the Holy Mausoleum map says to Thales that "as for your other request, i assent, the death knight is at your command" so she's the one who originally had authority over him. While it's useful to her to have Solon & Kronya infiltrate the monastery, they're under the command of Thales and as such she doesn't hold my sway over them, whereas she can pretty much order Jertiza to derail class assignments to benefit her, such as rescuing Monica. Byleth stealing Jeritiza's spot as teacher severely limited her options.

[@0axis771]

People were genuinely shocked that Edelgard still started a war despite having gotten rid of the Agarthans from the Empire. But people forget that Edelgard wanted the war not because of them, but because she wants to completely dismantle the status quo. El was going to start a war against them with or without the Agarthans. However, now that they are gone, and El is in a far better space mentally and emotionally, there might be potential for her to propose a ceasefire in the war and make a compromise.

[@0axis771]

@Меѳодїи Blah blah blah. Edelgard discourse, blah blah blah. Yeah, heard it all before.

[@joannechoi8476]

@Меѳодїи Except Edelgard declares war on the Church, not against the Kingdom or the Alliance. Her motive was to reform society to be more egalitarian, not conquest just for the sake of it.

[@BlackMegas]

@@joannechoi8476 she attacked a neutral faction because they don’t stop the bad guys well enough?

[@joannechoi8476]

@@BlackMegas The Church has heavy influence on the politics of Fodlan; I would not call them merely a neutral faction. She attacked the Church because they were using their influence and religious authority to convince people of ideas about crests that uphold an unequal status quo.

[@BlackMegas]

@@joannechoi8476 I don’t remember the church saying they support the system only that crests are gifts from goddess which is technically true. You know the same goddess who fixed the land. THE ‘humans’ ruined.

[@yobin3711]

The Jeritza replacement theory always made more sense to me anyway, because if Edelgard wanted to kill Dimitri and Claude, why didn't she send someone more competent than common bandits? She has the likes of Hubert, the Death Knight, and TWSITD at her disposal and her best bet for killing her two rivals is Kostas? Why didn't she make any further attempts on their lives after Kostas failed? Even when Kronya, a literal assassin, infiltrated Garreg Mach, no moves are made.

[@artistforthefaith9571]

The same exact thing can be said for the professor. Why hire bandits when you could have offed the professor with Hubert or Jeritza? Her plan is still bad.

[@EmperororeZ]

Cuz when you get into the lore and depth of three house you realize that edelgard is really stupid

[@yobin3711]

@@EmperororeZ And is this coming from a fan of Dimitri "If the people want to not be oppressed they will simply not be" Alexandre Blaiddyd, or Claude "I will heal a racial divide by simply ruling both countries and making everyone pretend it doesn't exist" von Riegan?

[@EmperororeZ]

@@yobin3711 well I do have to brush on stuff but both Dimitri and Claude plans are better then that of Edelgard. Plus one makes a knigdom overlooked by the pope, the other made a democracy with equality, and understanding of different in race/belief as key concept for it. The last one has too many actions and traits relateding to fascism along with making a system that is basically the same but with extra steps.

[@joelsasmad]

@@artistforthefaith9571 Wait. What are you talking about here? She doesn't hire bandits to go after the professor.

[@theycallmebad]

Regarding Solon kidnapping Monica as Tomas; this happened (likely) at the monastery, where "Tomas" lured Monica away and he was the last person she saw/remembered before being locked away. As to why he revealed himself, I'll chalk it up as hubris.

[@BIGstonks]

i actually kinda like the smug aura your sothis pfp has anyway i dont have much to add to the theory sorry lol

[@edgarjuarez2241]

Monica was kidnapped near Ochs territory

[@grigori9061]

My reasoning is too fold first Solon is arrogant which is why he did it in person but the second and likely more compelling reason is that the disguises are one use only since they require a Sacrifice to apply. they remain permanent until removed but once removed they cannot be reapplied

[@Ultimabuster92]

I expected a pure spin-off title, to be honest. I thought this game wanted to capitalize on Three Houses' success to boost the warriors franchise, like Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity did. But so far, this game impressed me, in a more than positive way. It doesn't feel like a parasyte and more like a continuation. It's amazing how well the developers understand the lore and the characters and how much they are willing to tell an interesting story. I guess it helped a lot that Koei Tecmo was already involved in the development of Three Houses, so it's reasonable to assume that their hearts are really in this. Either way, i really feel passion in this game and that alone elevates this game for me.

[@SpriteSpriteSprite]

I love FE a lot but if anything it would be KT using the Warriors title to boost Fire Emblem. Warriors prime was in the 2000s but even now it is still a bigger franchise than Fire Emblem has ever been

[@Ultimabuster92]

@@SpriteSpriteSprite I don't know anything about warriors games, neither do any of my friends. We only know about them because of titles like One Piece Pirate Warriors, Hyrule Warriors and Fire Emblem Warriors. The entire warriors franchise, this entire genre of games would've went right over our heads if not for these spin offs of games we love. But i know, that this is just us. Let's face it, both franchises profit from this collaboration. Warriors fans are pointed towards Fire Emblem games and vice versa. And when it comes TO ME, warriors did profit more from Fire Emblem and Zelda than the other way around, because if not for those spin offs, i never would've played a Warriors game. As i said, that doesn't mean, that you're wrong, but there are two sides of this coin. Many people never would've touched a warriors game if not for Fire Emblem Warriors and Hyrule Warriors. So of course these games boosted the Warriors franchise. And let's be real here. How many Warriors fans will play Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, without having played Three Houses just because it is a Warriors game? The other way around however, many people will play this Warriors game because it has Fire Emblem in its title. My assumption, nothing more. I feel like i'm repeating myself over and over, so i'll just stop here for now.

[@SpriteSpriteSprite]

@@Ultimabuster92 Yes, Warriors did take advantage for some of its collab (Zelda, Gundam and One-Piece mainly), but definitely not from FE lol. I’m sorry to break that to you but FE isn’t even on the same level for it to be considered boosting the Warriors sales. For the past 30 years, Fire Emblem has only sold around 16 million copies. On the other hand, Dynasty Warriors alone, already sold 21 millions copies in 20 years. And we are not even counting the other non-collab Warriors titles like Orochi and Samurai. Overall, the Warriors franchise’s sales tripled the number of that of FE despite being a newer franchise by 10 years. And if you need more proof, Warriors is also one of the few Japanese gaming franchises along with Monster Hunters, Resident Evil and Street Fighter that got a live-action movie. Yeah, I also play Three Hopes solely because of FE, but I can guarantee most people that would even give this game a chance do so only cause they see the word ‘Musou’ (Warriors)

[@Ultimabuster92]

@@SpriteSpriteSprite Yes, it did take andvantage of Fire Emblem, even if the name "Fire Emblem" only brought in 1 new player for the Warriors franchise, it is to be considered an advantage. Miniscule, not worth mentioning at all, but still a advantage. Maybe you're right, and Fire Emblem got more from this collab than Warriors, i don't know, and you don't know either, because it is impossible to tell how many gamers will play Three Hopes simply because "Fire Emblem" and not because of "Warriors" Neither of us is right or wrong, it's a matter of definition. You simply compare two gaming franchises by their size, while i simply look at one collaboration and what kind of gamers will play this game. And i stand by this assumption: More people will play this game because of "Fire Emblem" than people who'll play it because of "Warriors". Maybe i'm wrong. We'll never know, but that's the point i tried to make from the beginning. That's all.

[@gamesboy123able]

@@SpriteSpriteSprite Nah Warriors is nothing as a standalone it just uses frachises to boost its popularity. Fire emblem is MUCH more known since ages

[@Thej4589]

I’d argue the reason why Solon kidnapped Monica as Tomas was to be able to lure her out the Monastery, she trusts tomas so it was easier for him to kidnap her as Tomas And jeritza was probably let in on where Monica was at by edelgard in the cutscene right before he heads out Other than that great video

[@Megalo64]

14:05 I would argue solon captured Monica as Tomas as to not reveal agarthans to fodland. As Monica was rescued, which is worst, having your secret identity revealed or your alter ego?

[@astracontritus1209]

I mean true, it’s just funny that he ends up revealing both when he didn’t have to

[@l.n.3372]

@@astracontritus1209 Yeah he absolutely should have just teleported away as Tomas. Then it technically doesn't prove that Edelgard is right about him being Agarthan.

[@viljamiartturi2818]

Maybe they cant drop a disguise and re-disguise back🤔

[@Rogar555]

Yeah, I think that he can't use his full power when disguised so to truly teleport away, he got to stop his disguise magic to go about and teleport.

[@l.n.3372]

@@Rogar555 I hate to be this person but Hubert is able to do it too, and he's obviously not Agarthan. If you choose Rhea for SS, Hubert will teleport himself and Edelgard away from the holy tomb. If a regular human like Hubert can teleport, why not Solon?

[@fleskhjertafan93]

It is nice to see Edelgard and Hubert be themselves since there is no major need to keep secrets.

[@MrGksarathy]

I will be honest, my opinion of Edelgard as a strategist shot way up with this demo because prior to it, I viewed her as an active, yet inflexible planner to a fault, in contrast to Claude's general flexibility and passivity. Now I'm not so sure. Also, I do hope that Claude is able to actively participate in the plot, even with valuable investigation time lost due to no Academy phase.

[@RavenGamingOverLord]

Hi there I just want to say she is way more interesting than Claude

[@MrGksarathy]

@@RavenGamingOverLord Why do you keep stalking me? Seriously, it's getting sad and creepy.

[@RavenGamingOverLord]

@@MrGksarathy So you think I stalking you don’t be silly I like talking to you

[@babaXIII]

The game basically tells you everything you need to understand its logic, and yet I can't have one day without someone calling Edelgard a mary sue, or making some other stupid comment about the game's story. It often feels like half the FE community only played Blue Lion and never anything else, so they somehow think Edelgard is just a power hungry fascist.

[@ZytenEspada]

I actually agree wholeheartedly that this is truly a proper route and Edelgard’s plans definitely seem much more calculated and makes much more sense as opposed to 3H. (For most of the game she’s been cryptic the whole game) I joke the fact that Byleth is actually the true enemy of 3H, but the fact that they aren’t here definitely is something. Plus Shez as a character is much more fun and lively, kinda like an avatar of Ike sort of character, I like the dynamic of you being both students as opposed to being their professor, it falls into the flaw of some avatar’s biggest problem “avatar worship” and especially a little bit of taboo/grooming. Because as the professor the characters are forced to give you respect which definitely doesn’t do any favors, which is why I appreciate Shez more since some characters treat them like normal or worse (Lorenz)

[@MrGksarathy]

Except the problem is that the fellow student dynamic doesn't last long despite how interesting it would have been.

[@BIGstonks]

sometimes i forget that the story in 3 hopes is supposed to show what happens if byleth doesnt get invloved rather than 3 houses showing what happens if shez doesnt survive lol. guess i do kinda like how its easy to see that everything is the same in both until the MC steps into the picture and seeing that is only possible because of three hopes existing

[@RavenGamingOverLord]

@@MrGksarathy I don’t have issues with that

[@MrGksarathy]

@@RavenGamingOverLord I know you don't.

[@StairFacts]

In regards to the whole "Solon outing himself as Tomas before Monica" thing, I personally believe it's most likely that Monica was whisked away by Solon in his Tomas disguise, as it is specifically mentioned she was kidnapped before her graduation, meaning she'd still be on academy grounds. My guess is that under the guise of Tomas, he lured Monica away from prying eyes before revealing himself where he wouldn't cause a stir, then using his magic to teleport the two of them away. This is of course under the assumption that he needs to be in his true form in order to use his magic abilities, which would also explain the scene where he teleports away from the Knights of Seiros. Solon doesn't strike me as the type to unnecessarily reveal his plans, as even in Remire Village he keeps his disguise until the very last possible moment when he needs to kill Byleth and the students.

[@edgarjuarez2241]

she was actually kidnapped near Ochs territory, and as someone else stated in another comment, she knew it was Solon because she recognized his gait, one of her character traits is actually having incredible memory, something Edelgard praises in the demo.

[@StairFacts]

@@edgarjuarez2241 Ah, good point! I forgot about that detail. In that case I guess it makes more sense why she recognized him.

[@TigerBrows]

One possible idea might be that the Agarthans' disguise techniques might have a fatal flaw in that they essentially can't be re-cast; either he'd need the original Tomas around to put his disguise back on without getting something wrong, or the illusion can't be cast again at all. This would explain why a normally very cautious character would take a reckless risk in kidnapping Monica as his Librarian identity (he had no other option without permanently losing that identity), and it makes sense with a lot of Agarthan magic being blood magic- Though it doesn't explain why it was Tomas who had to do it, especially since it meant going very far out of his way to do so.

[@edgarjuarez2241]

@@TigerBrows we see Thales as Thales twice in azure moon before killing him as Arundel

[@TigerBrows]

@@edgarjuarez2241 welp I'm out of ideas lol

[@riggso]

Just with the Solon rant, I’m 100% with you. However I don’t believe Monica’s kidnapping was described in detail. For example the kidnapping could’ve happened at the monastery and Solon would still be disguised as to not bring attention to himself when luring Monica. I think this is where the writers are trying to lead us with her kidnapping, without spelling everything out for us. If I am wrong about not having clear details, feel free to let me know and maybe I happened to miss them.

[@therealjaystone2344]

The only logical way for Monica to be kidnapped is at the outdoors of the monestary and located at the woods.

[@roaringthunder115]

I think this is what happened

[@laughingseagull000]

Monica mentions in SB that she was kidnapped in Ochs territory. Which is weird because it was right before graduation, but that’s what the game says.

[@therealjaystone2344]

@@laughingseagull000 unless she travels there to tell her loved ones about her graduation, she could be on her way until she was kidnapped before reaching them

[@riggso]

@@laughingseagull000 Ah k, maybe I had just forgotten or missed that detail then. Ty for the clarification.

[@superthorc6894]

She gamble big and won big

[@justinianthe1st790]

I think this is true. I just hope people also realize that this sentiment is also true regarding her 3H counterpart. That was also a big gamble too. If you ask me this 3 hopes plan is way less of a gamble. Because pretty much everything that was in her favor was present.

[@therealjaystone2344]

@@justinianthe1st790 And Shez also carried her but unaware Shez’s powers also belong to the argathans

[@justinianthe1st790]

@@therealjaystone2344 That doesnt count because she gets her government back regardless of Shez involvement.

[@spikemoody1757]

Solon didn’t kidnap Monica as Tomas, he did it as himself whilst hiding his identity (probably with a hood), but she knew it was Tomas based on the way he walked and his staff (dialogue from the game)

[@Ryodraco]

I'd argue regarding Solon that he may well have been in his true form when he kidnapped Monica, he just didn't imagine she'd be able to identify him as Tomas. Note that Monica never says the person who took her looked like Tomas, rather she identifies them based on the way they moved and held their staff. Still risky for Solon to do, but less risky than using his disguise. And whether or not Solon could Warp away without transforming, my impression was he transformed in order to use the shock waves from it to keep the knights from interfering with him warping away.

[@legion6211]

I think the knights would of tried to stab him, and given a small dagger can kill a dude who ate a massive rock to the head, It checks out in lore.

[@legacian4039]

I'm sure you will make videos on Dimitri and Claude as well, but I want to point out two very significant things here: First off, Rhea doesn't have the same grievances with Edelgard that she does in 3 Houses, and Rhea is in a far more composed and rational state since she never reunited with Byleth (or was subsequently betrayed by them). While the declaration of war will no doubt ruin Rhea's perception of and feelings towards Edelgard, Edelgard (to the best of our knowledge) never raided the monastery's crypt for crest stones. Additionally, she went the extra mile to sever her connection with the Agarthans before declaring war on the church. Rhea can no longer use that partnership against her. From Rhea's perspective, Byleth is not in the picture (yet). Rhea's entire motivations and outlook changed upon Byleth's return to the monastery; she once again had the rekindled hope that she could restore Sothis. Without that, she may not have the drive to keep fighting against losing odds and may therefore surrender. Alternatively, TWSITD may see this as an opportunity to pincer the church, upon which Edelgard could prove her intentions by siding with Rhea under the condition she formally surrenders once the Agarthans are dealt with. This would devalue any claims that Edelgard strictly had a vendetta against the Nabataeans, something Rhea, Seteth, and Flayn show concern about in 3 Houses (also something Edelgard tries to dispute when she launches her surprise attack on the monastery in her combat dialogue vs Flayn). The second point I'd like to similarly make is about Dimitri. This one is far shorter and is simply that in this timeline, Edelgard is not in the wrong place at the wrong time and therefore Dimitri doesn't project his blame onto her. He also seems to be far more in control of his emotions and actions, as well as not being driven by rage and grief. While I'm certain there will be fighting amongst the three lords + Rhea, I'm genuinely HOPEful that it won't end in bloodshed this time around.

[@ReyaSkyheart]

I have to say the greatest thing I love about this story so far is that things are VERY different from how they ever were before. That was absolutely my biggest hope was that the story would completely divulge from Three Houses to be an all-unique timeline and so far that's exactly what we're getting!!!

[@aubz123456789]

As for the Tomas point, I 100% read it as either Monica was somewhat in on the plan (like Edelgard pulled her aside and told her what to say, though I'm realizing that was just an assumption I made) but also I'd believe that if Solan kidnapped Monica and she was like 'who are you', he'd take a moment to gloat and say he's Tomas. Like she's captured and going to die, so this is just a bit of a victory lap for him. But I do hope they provide some kind of actual answer!

[@joelsasmad]

I've also seen it theorized that she would have placed him from his voice and way of walking.

[@aubz123456789]

@@joelsasmad Also very true. Solan is very Tomas shaped lmao.

[@mattiaberti9160]

So far I have the feeling these new routes are like an improvement of the original timelines. Yet I can't shake the feeling Arval and Shez's existance may bring big and unexpected trouble in future...

[@aduboo29]

I love Arval so far and so I fully expect pain.

[@SzandorQuinn]

@@aduboo29 Arval gives off, well... ME energy, as I can absolutely see myself being as snarky and much of a smart-ass as he is. I personally love Arval.

[@sandrac.8604]

I got that feeling when I found out which characters could be recruited to other houses and which can't. Without spoilers, it's all in character this time.

[@maramba32]

Is it really. It’s just a rush new alternate timeline with the unknown god within shez. A what if scenario

[@Rainshadowable]

Perfect video for her birthday! Great video as always

[@Jamalboseman]

At first I thought Shez was a purple hair Kirito or Luke from tales but I'm glad to see that he's very unique in this game but let's not forget he's friends with side characters plus the house leaders

[@mikethepokemaster2012]

You mean she the male shez voice is terrible

[@tds1428]

@@mikethepokemaster2012 (this is false)

[@Jamalboseman]

@@mikethepokemaster2012 I play the game in Japanese his voice I heard before I like it better

[@noe4354]

She* the male one is nonexistent to me

[@mikethepokemaster2012]

@@Jamalboseman gotcha

[@demi-fiendoftime3825]

It should be noted that her gamble only pays off in two of the three routes in this game in Azure Gleam it all horribly falls apart thanks to Shez siding with Dimitri he can keep the kingdom undercontrol and launch a counter offensive that gives the Agatharians a chance to take control of her and the empire. The fact that it pays off in the two scenarios where she has a masive advantage over the kingdom shows how well thought out a gamble it was

[@worraw3337]

About the tomas/solon reveal, since Monica was abducted during the school year, I imagine Solon was the only one capable of doing the job since he was the only member of twsitd to have infiltrated the monastery. I bet the only reason to have infiltrated the monastery in the first place was to abduct the childrens of influentials nobles. So for me its not weird at all that Solon was the one doing the kidnapping. Tomas was trusted by both the students and the teachers and was in a prime position to kidnap someone. And I dont even think he revealed his Solon form to Monica. He just kidnapped her as Tomas

[@Faerghast]

I come back after a nap and like every comment is about Solon/Monica 😅

[@riv3946]

i think solon captured monica as thomas because he used deception to capture her. using a face monica knew, because after all she has a crest and can use magic to fight, or maybe even teleport just like hubert does ?

[@lilzael]

I love 3hopes Edelgard's story and feel like they fixed all the problems people had with Crimson Flower. I'm hoping you'll make an analysis of Scarlet Blaze's full story.

[@Danmccloud1889]

One thing you forgot to mention is that while Leopold and Waldemar are proven allies of Edelgard now, they did actually participate in the insurrection. So it seems they may have been convinced by Aeiger at first that Ionius was going to ruin their lives but quickly realized they were in the wrong, especially once the experiments started. And their alliance with Edelgard is also a way of atoning for their past actions.

[@sadeknight9112]

I was confused and upset at first why she was appointing Bernadetta’s dad to such a lofty position as Bishop of the Southern Church when he’s such a terrible person. It wasn’t until later when I realized he would get so much backlash from Garreg Mach and the people at large and then I understood that this was his punishment.

[@duskblade1119]

I enjoyed that bit of dialogue between Edelgard and Hubert. "It seems the Bishop of the Southern Church has been the target of multiple assassination attempts." "Really? Couldn't have happened to a nicer person." She made a noose for him, told him it was a medal, and he happily put it around his own neck.

[@sadeknight9112]

@@duskblade1119 if I recall he doesn’t say nicer man, he says better man. It might be more accurate if he said better target.

[@duskblade1119]

@@sadeknight9112 Was trying to bring up the conversation from memory so the quote isn't accurate.

[@sadeknight9112]

@@duskblade1119 well sure but nicer and better have different implications here. Hubert saying nicer might mean he genuinely feels bad for him

[@user_.b]

I love it especially because it specifically turns him into a recluse who fears everything outside of his room. Literally putting him in the position he put bernadetta lol

[@SMAnthonyW]

I love Edelgard's friendship and bond with Dorothea and Petra (and Monica, I guess). And I love Dorothea and Petra's loyalty to Edelgard.

[@johnathanedwards9054]

There is a saying in the military world that I think perfectly explains Edelgard's actions in both games "amateurs study tactics, professionals study logistics, and the best study both". Her end goal hasn't changed, just the path leading up to it.

[@just_another_marvel_dc_gee4004]

11:55 I was under the impression that Kronya needed Monica's blood to maintain her disguise, at least appearance-wise.

[@rilkecadmus5143]

Another thing to note about Tomas and the kidnapping: (Three Houses: Dimitri and Hapi supports spoilers) In Dimitri and Hapi's supports, it is revealed that Cornelia was the one who experimented on Hapi, but she never reveals herself as Cleobulus during that time. I think this lends credence to Solon kidnapping her while masquerading as Tomas. Its a minor thing but maybe it helps support why he did it that way.

[@chrispacheco2514]

Something you maybe overlooking for tomas kidnapping Monica. If your a bad guy walking around as a bad guy you'll never be able to accomplish your goal. If he goes as tomas on a journey then no one would be suspicious of a man from the church going around from town to town.

[@ShadeShepard13]

Hmm it might be a stretch but based on Monica's family location and Tomas being a knowledgeable villan with a hornable disguise. Would have the opportunity to teach or mentor Nobels ment to take over their estates. It didn't start as a instant kidnapping but a long game

[@Bentleyyoyo]

It was very hard for me to side with Edelgard in 3 houses but this is an empire plan I can get behind. Specifically dealing with the Agarthans early. In 3 houses it's like yes I know they killed your father Byleth but don't worry about it they're allies and we'll deal with them later. Never sat right with me when playing as Byleth

[@austinsanders6239]

I think you did such a good job! This was informative and entertaining

[@Faerghast]

Thank you!

[@Scitch-et4vk]

Hyped for the game . Managed to get a limited edition :)

[@wolftamerwolfcorp7465]

17:20 I’d like to add an additional note, we say that it removed all presence of a mole within the church from the perspective of the player but as characters, neither edelgard or hubert can be sure of that, which can be seen as plot convenience. I’d like to argue however that it literally doesn’t matter. See, solon being outed also likely set the church on high alert meaning that if there were additional moles in the church, their range of ability to communicate with other slitherers would prove extremely limited without outing themselves and legitimizing edelgard’s claim against thales. This would in turn give the church just cause to interfere on edelgard’s behalf and greatly increase the fighting force at her disposal while leaving the agarthans with even less info on the happenings inside the church. That’s not to say edelgard’s gambit didn’t have its risks but that wasn’t one of them

[@Ramboldt]

Amazing video! I just finished the Black Eagles part of the demo as well, and this video really helps put things into context.

[@MaybeDaed]

i think the reason why solon kidnapped monica as tomas was just to lure her away, it's true that he's definitely a lot stronger than her and could easily overpower her but her being a crest bearer and basically a graduate from the officers academy meant it would've been difficult for him to subdue her without seriously damaging her, so luring her away would've been a safer option to preserve the crest aswell as keep her mostly intact to be studied for kronya to easily pose as her

[@sebastianriquelme4129]

about solon capturing monica as tomas, and that being dumb, i have a theory, maybe he captured her as solon, but during her imprisonment she might have heard that solon was tomas and when sying she was kidnapped she used the name tomas so that people understand who she is talking about. this might also explain why when she says tomas kidnaped her she frases it as the one who kidnaped me(solon) was surely tomas(conecting what shea heard with what she knows).

[@disclaimin]

Well done video. I agree that Edelgard made brilliant use of the circumstances she was presented with in Three Hopes. However, I think the demo also opened up more avenues for criticism of her character and plan for war. In Three Hopes, we see that Rhea and Seteth were more than willing to cooperate with Edelgard and root out TWSITD - who Edelgard knows full well to be the real villains - while giving her legitimacy in performing the coup and taking the reins of the Empire. They mustn't have even raised much fuss about her recreating the Southern Church, which suggests to me that the Central Church was giving Edelgard's Empire all the latitude in the world for institutional/policy overhaul. So... Edelgard's whole ethos in going to war is built on much faultier pretenses, since she could likely have achieved her overhaul of at least the Empire entirely peacefully. Even Dimitri in AG expresses jealousy of her revolutionary reforms, even if he thinks the exact same pace wouldn't fit Faerghus due to its instability, so the Empire's reforms would naturally have permeated outward and affected the policy direction of their neighbors over time. Ultimately there's just a bit less believability to Edelgard not being able to sit down and talk with Rhea and the Central Church when they're cooperating so readily pre-skip, against a common foe in the Agarthans... who still exist and could still be cooperated against. It makes her feel more power hungry and contemptuous of the gargantuan human cost to her war plans, when there's a path for peaceful and diplomatic means right there, instead of going to war with a cooperative party.

[@Ryodraco]

Specifically, while they oppose the Southern Church (presumably for being a Empire mouthpiece), Seteth and Rhea so far have had nothing to say against Edelgard's reforms. Edelgard is also still spouting the lies that the church wanted to divide Fodlan by creating the Kingdom and the Alliance. Still, I can say that so far I do like Scarlet Blaze more than Crimson Flower. I do hope we get some explanation for why Edelgard is so set on not negotiating at all with the Church, Kingdom or even the Alliance.

[@l.n.3372]

I agree with you. I think the problem is that this new route makes Edelgard a better character but still clearly a villain. Because now we KNOW that she's after more than reform and progress. She's still after war and expansion and imperialism. We know she could have worked with Rhea, because she already did. But when it comes down to it, she wants more than just progression and improvement. She wants domination too.

[@Ryodraco]

@@l.n.3372 well I'd temper that by acknowledging that she likely still sees Rhea and her kin as unjustly lying to and manipulating the continent, and that she believes the only way to change that is to force them out of power. Likewise she may think the only way to make her reforms spread throughout Fodlan quickly and remain in place is to force her own influence onto the other nations. Point being she, just like Rhea, probably doesn't desire power for herself, but rather thinks it is needed to accomplish her self-assigned purpose.

[@l.n.3372]

@@Ryodraco But Edelgard herself is lying to accomplish her goals, as per 3H too. She's basically lying about how the Kingdom and Alliance were founded to act like the church creates division vs the reality of them breaking away for independence. And she lies about the church profiting off it too; we saw that Garreg Mach isn't like overflowing with wealth or anything. It's just a monastery and school. She's doing arguably the same as she accused Rhea of doing. But yes, I can see your point. But at that point, isn't it silly for her to act like she can ask Rhea for help once and then turn against her as the enemy? How much of an enemy is Rhea when she allowed you to invade Enbarr with her help to overthrow the regent and prime minister? Seems like Rhea is quite clearly pro change in that case.

[@joannechoi8476]

@@l.n.3372 Edelgard views the Church as a barrier against social progress, hence why she still opposed Rhea even though Rhea helped her vanquish Arundel. (it's not like Rhea did it purely put of the goodness of her heart, when it's also in her own best interests to hinder the plans of the Agarthians).

[@MutatedAmerican]

I'll be honest... I've never actually completed the Black Eagle's path in 3H, despite reading and watching its plots. After all, I personally saw that, despite the lore and her reasons, I couldn't see myself join her side as I saw her as an antagonist and her methods questionable But now, I think I may want to choose her route first as I don't feel as conflicted as before!

[@VVhirl]

I got 3 hopes for Christmas and I could not BELIEVE how quickly the 3 houses whole like 1st year was resolved in like 3 weeks in hopes. I'm not entirely sure I love it, but I was enjoying feeling like I was freefalling through a plot I thought I knew how it would play out.

[@TheProphet49]

Great video! I think a plausible reason for Solon capturing Monica as Thomas is two-fold. First, as a noble (even a minor house) if she is traveling she is going to be doing so with guards of some kind and a familiar face like Thomas is enough to throw Monica and everyone else off of their game and not suspect any danger from him until it was too late. For all we know, he appeared as Thomas, got Monica into a situation where she was alone and is in a different form at that time but Monica is smart enough to put two and two together that they are both him. Two, the Agarthans rightfully believe that once kidnapped there is almost 0 chance that someone is going to figure out where Monica is being held and attempt a rescue. This point is weaker than above, but between the two I don't find anything wanting for a story on the level of Fire emblem.

[@bolt6572]

I picked Team Edelgard in original game and picked her in three hopes. Never disapointed!

[@TayTayLeFae]

About Tomas, my interpretation was he lured her as Tomas. Didn’t leave a trace because she went willingly with someone she trusted

[@KaitouSaintTailMeimi]

Edelgard is just such an interesting character to me, and I love people giving her the credit she deserves

[@The_OPN]

I'd be willing to bet that Solon didn't look like Tomas upon Monica's capture. Isn't it possible that she simply implicated him to get the church suspicious? They went to arrest him after their own investigation, so plausible deniability is still maintained to an extent, no?

[@bellablossomz]

I really feel that 3 hopes added a lot that you already said but they really did Edelgard well here and covered so many gaps. Edelgard finally goes after the people that hurt her so much, and it’s not mentioned at the end.

[@YingofDarkness]

The way I thought about it is that shapeshifting itself is a magic spell. So they would have to run two or more magic spells at the same time, and the only people we see kind of do that are crest bearers who can activate the magic of their crests and then whatever spell they were going to do intially. Shapeshifting might just be too powerful of a spell for them to combine with teleporting.

[@sadeknight9112]

The game makes a point of Monica’s photographic memory. She could’ve been chosen as a target for this ability and it’s probable that Solon wasn’t disguised when he kidnapped her. He was pretending to be Tomas for her entire year at the Academy so her recognizing his gait and mannerisms isn’t out of the question.

[@Zuyuri]

I actually enjoyed Edelgard here far more than in 3Houses because her character was able to shine far brighter.

[@solidskullz5736]

Looks like the writers learned from their crimson flower mistakes. Let’s hope it stays that way

[@l.n.3372]

Did they? They only learned from a few mistakes. They seemingly didn't from others. Like how CF lacked proper criticism for Edelgard, and now they've made Monica just an Edelgard simp at times. The war is still the same imperialist doctrine. It's just without the Agarthans now.

[@lambtoken2708]

@@l.n.3372 Honestly it baffles me how Monica isn't hated at all compared to Cyril and they're basically the same

[@Dakress23]

@@l.n.3372 If you wanna see some criticism against Edelgard then you must watch her C support with Shez. I promise you it will not disappoint.

[@justinianthe1st790]

@@Dakress23 I did see that. It was actually kinda pleasant to see. It took 3 years but there was actually a relatively mild critique against her in her own route.

[@justinianthe1st790]

@@l.n.3372 I think they did for the most part. While yes they unfortunately made a yes man incarnate character, I wouldn't call her imperialistic warmongering a mistake writing wise. That's just who she is. We all should want an Edelgard who doesnt care for conventional morality and an Edelgard who isnt given a free pass by her stans bc she's morally grey but also isnt cause she didnt do a single thing wrong. They actually have to own her character's actions now. That's the most refreshing they they've done with Edelgards character tbh.

[@rustkarl]

3 Hopes first few chapters certainly has piqued my interest. And I’m actually interested in where all three of the plot lines are heading at the moment. The Imperial war against the Church, the internal politics of the Kingdom and the ramifications for siding with the Church and the Alliance and especially Claude/Khalid contending with Almyra.

[@An_Ian]

My theory on Solen kidnaping as Tomas The corps disguise magic used to conceal him will be lost once he takes it off. Meaning if he tried to take off the Tomas suit to kidnap Monica he would need a new flesh suit for infiltrating the monastery

[@monocle_mage9273]

Personally, I don’t think we know enough of the details about Monicas capture for the whole Solon-Tomas thing to bother me. Generally it could just have been easier to do the whole thing as Tomas, with Monica being unsuspecting. I don’t think its overly stupid or arrogant not to plan for the eventuallity of her being rescued as it would have seemed very unlikely.

[@lpfan4491]

Shez:*exists* Edelgard:*Death Note-opening 1* It's really amazing how entertaining they made her planning behind the scenes. And they actually made her a character who could be seen as a villain with a point much more convincingly to boot. Besides the Tomas-thing being a bit contrived and them skipping the academy phase outright, I really like the plot and writing for this game so far. Now's just to hope that it will continue like that in the full game.

[@diegocorral8787]

I'm glad Edels character has improved, however I am not so pleased with Scarlet Blaze so far. It's the same story so far with the only changes having the Agarthans being outed sooner and Monica alive. I hope the story improves, though Edelgard focusing against the church first than TWSITD I'm still skeptic about.

[@goroadachi9489]

Spoiler Warning… I was also a bit pissed that she put Ferdinand’s father in jail but somehow let Bernadetta’s father into a position of power.

[@therealjaystone2344]

@@goroadachi9489 don’t worry, Bernie’s dad had a much worse fate than jail

[@thevioletbee5879]

@@goroadachi9489 She put him in that position of power as a form of torture, as she lacked the legal means to take a more direct approach. He’s very likely to be assassinated.

[@gamester512]

@@goroadachi9489 She did that specifically so that Varley's life would be in constant jeopardy. It's explicitly stated that there have already been several assassination attempts against Varley. Edelgard literally put him into a position where it's extremely likely that he will be assassinated sooner or later, and if that happens she can just "spin" his assassination as a way to galvanize her people into getting "revenge" for the assassination of a high-ranking Imperial official, while also having the other benefit that Varley can never harm Bernadetta again. And Varley literally had no choice but to accept the position due to Edelgard having officially become Emperor, so she could just force him to take the position even if he tried to turn it down. It's basically Edelgard's way of subtly saying "screw you" to Varley while disguising it as a promotion to the general public.

[@goroadachi9489]

I guess that’s fair. I just hope they write Edelgard better than in CF. I can see potential though.

[@Obileo346]

I know this won't happen till three hopes has been out for a while, but I really can't wait for the fanfics that combine the Three Houses and Three Hopes timelines into an AU. A combined timeline that has the best story and character arcs present in both games. That would be amazing, though tbh, it might not even be possible. Maybe in that case, Manuela would opt out of leading a house since she is already the nurse, or maybe Hanneman would opt out in order to focus more on his research. Either way the final teacher lineup would be Byleth, Jeritza, and Hanneman/Manuela. Jeritza can still get Shez's house and then Byleth and either Hanneman or Manuela would divide up the other two houses. There is also another option where both mercenaries end up as students in separate houses, Jeritza leads either Shez's house due to his personal interest in him/her, and Hanneman and Manuela divide the other two houses between each other. This is all just speculation and idea spouting for now. Maybe I'll give it a go once I've beaten all routes in both games. I've already beaten all four Three Houses routes at least once each, but I need to do a run of each where I'm not rushing through the story. I'm going to start Three Hopes with Golden Deer just like I did with Three Houses, but it will likely be a hard choice between which to do next between Blue Lions and Black Eagles, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. My Three houses completion was Verdant Wind(4 runs), Crimson Flower(1 run), Silver Snow(2 runs), Azure Moon(1 run).

[@Ace-2048]

The thing about the idea that Edelgard set up the bandit attack to get Jeritza as her professor that confuses me is that there was a chance that Jeritza could have been assigned as professor to one of the other two houses (which happens on the other routes in Three Hopes), so she only had a 1/3 chance that she would have been able to work with him.

[@YingofDarkness]

I think that is explained by how Manuel and Hanneman treated Byleth in Three Houses though. Neither of them actually care what house they get, so they let the new guy choose and as he is from the Empire it makes sense for him to want to teach the future Emperor in both their eyes.

[@grigori9061]

My theory for why Monica wasn’t killed immediately and why Solon kidnapped her as Thomas is Because while the Agarth disguise Magic is functionally perfect and does not wear off unless consciously removed it cannot be reapplied meaning you only get one shot. It would explain why Monica wasn’t immediately killed because a situation could pop up or cranium would have to appear as kronya and not Monica and why Thomas didn’t kidnap Monica as Solon because he’s the skies are already applied and he couldn’t remove it without losing it entirely

[@themaskedswordmaster2714]

Honestly Solon probably kidnapped Monica as Tomas was so he could slip in past guards easily as well as give Monica a false sense of security and was willing to take the risk of exposure

[@MrsSetsuna101]

Wait, I thought the purpose of Kostas' attack in the beginning was to scare off the unnamed professor so that Jeritza could take his place 🤔 Of course, this didn't exactly go as planned in the original 3 houses timeline as Rhea decided that Byleth would be the better replacement. I'm pretty sure that, even in the 3 hopes demo, Manuala and Hanneman comment on how there was a last-minute change in staff, implying that without Byleth, Edelgard's plans worked flawlessly EDIT-nevermind, commented too early lol

[@luniasta]

I'm thinking Solen used the Tomas disguise to lure Monica away and that is why he used it. She trusted him, it saved him a struggle, it's clean and simple

[@regulusking4299]

I think the Solon taking Monica as Tomas. It could’ve been a kidnapping as Tomas to seem trustworthy to lure Monica, or maybe Monica found out somehow (maybe we could see it in a support in the full game) that she connected Tomas and Solon. So it would be less Solon being dumb and more Monica being smart

[@Edward-hq8ct]

That’s roughly what I was thinking. Tomas would need to do that to get at her, sure he could try and just nab her on her lonesome but from what little I’ve seen it seems like she’d be around people to much for it to be worth the risk Also Tomas’ and Solon’s voices are naturally the same, and since she would’ve been around them she would’ve clocked that they sounded similar. Couple that with the potential that she could have overhead them being shapeshifters, and even if Solon would’ve kidnapped her as Solon, she way have put 2 and 2 together.

[@rythmjc3]

Your video makes me more excited for the full game to come out, can't wait

[@plooomb_]

This is just a thought, but regarding why Solon would kindnap Monica in the form of Tomas could be to get her to cooperate easier? its got nothing to back it up and its highly unlikely, but Solon could be under the impression that if he acts like someone she knows it would give him a better chance

[@knowledgeseeker4614]

Have you ever considered making a follow up to this video?

[@Ninjaananas]

I have another explanation as for why Solon abducted Monica as Tomas. Just think of how he even managed to abduct a student of the Officer's Academy in the first place. At that time, he did not have the highly skilled Jeritza to do the job like with Flayn and Garreg Mach is probably highly secure. I think he had to somehow lure her out of safety as Tomas to make the abduction possible, likely gaining her trust over the academy year beforehand. Though I would also say that Solon is not the smartest. He just dropped his cover in Remire for no good apparent reason.

[@alexdavid878]

As for Solon I thought it was odd how quickly the church was ready to lock him up and how quickly he dropped the guise to peace out. However, sitting on it, and thinking about his plans and actions in three houses. I am starting to wonder if Solon wasn't always looking for an excuse to get out of there. I also thought it was odd in three houses he just chilling in the village, most likely, knowing full well the knights were coming to investigate with Byleth's class, he still stays and when recognize goes instantly into evil mode. Either hubris is getting the better of him or he just didn't want to be Thomas anymore. I loved three houses but I am really excited to see how much more room characters have to breath and behave in three hopes. As much as I fondly remember the events and the story they choose to tell in FE:TH, dropping Byleth so the lords aren't constantly flickering between teaching them basic strategy as apart of the game and leading their respective countries off screen. To utter fascination with them to the point they loose their own agency whenever Byleth around asking them to make decisions the leaders have no problem doing otherwise, especially when Byleth wasn't their teacher. Sorry for that mini rant, but Byleth running around acting like a master tactician touting "whats my strategy" when every group had a capable strategist in it. So happy to be playing as some random schmuck in FEW:TH and other characters have room to let their skills shine.

[@atino7169]

I'm confused as to how in 3 Houses she is so thoroughly convinced she NEEDS the agarthans help to defeat the church, which makes sense due to the provision of Demonic Beasts, and yet without them she still thinks she can take down the church.

[@zwillscoopchannel9689]

This is my guess in this game she saw the mc’s transformation rite away. When in 3 houses it happened to late plans with twsid wore already in motion

[@YightLagami]

Edelgard knows Byleth's power and they are strong enough to win against her in every non CF route. Byleth has the sword of the creator and literal god powers. Yes, she does need the Demonic beasts and still loses to Byleth. In CF, she is surprised Byleth sided with her and probably the route where she does not use Demonic beasts atleast on screen.

[@8elementallords]

I never really got that impression, honestly. Especially since Hubert pretty much says the only reason she even decided to tolerate them (I believe it was in his paralogue) is because he convinced her it wasn't the best idea to wage a war within the shadows against the Agarthans, while at the same time waging a traditional one against the Church of Seiros and whoever might ally with them. I mean, on Crimson Flower the Slithers are pretty much completely sidelined by Edelgard and she does just fine forcing the Church into without their help, and has mostly been winning the war against Faerghus up until it suddenly stalled right before Byleth comes back.

[@azentra7560]

Keep in mind in three hopes she spends 2 years as the Emperor planning the entire war and rebuilding the southern church to limit Rhea/Garret Mach's power and influence over her people. She doesn't have that luxury in Three Houses since she's still a student and the possible return of Sothis happens in the same month that she becomes Emperor, making it more of a 'it's now or never' type of scenario

[@atino7169]

@@azentra7560 There’s no explanation that I can recall that required her to become Emperor and immediately declare war on the church in House's, she did similar preparation and could have waited a bit longer. The demonic beasts are acknowledged as what are essentially highly mobile siege engines. Without them the empire loses a massive advantage that they were able to press early on. I also don't see why she would have a moral issue with using them seeing as how in 3 Houses they are used in every route that isn't her own, and it could still be considered implied that they are in use as Hubert's paralogue is an experiment on the beasts, meaning resources were still going into maintaining and expanding them. You wouldn't do that if you didn't need or want to use them. That paralogue also makes it clear that the Agarthans are fully willing to sacrifice their own men and beasts in an attempt to teach Edel her place even when they're allied. Since they're no longer allied, nothing is stopping them from releasing a few into the woods or against caravans to attack supply chains with mysterious "accidents."

[@artisticcannibalism1350]

In regards to Solon kidnapping Monica while still disguised as Tomas, I think there's a third option that you're missing. As others have already pointed out Tomas was someone that Monica you and therefore wouldn't have a reason to be guarded against especially since the man had a very good reputation in the academy. Let's be completely honest, most people wouldn't think it's very strange to run into an old professor especially if it was one they got along with. Most people if they had the time would be more than happy to accompany that Professor for a little bit, that's who Tomas was too many students.

[@edgarjuarez2241]

I'd argue it would be suspicious if said professor is a really old librarian walking around by himself near your house.

[@artisticcannibalism1350]

@@edgarjuarez2241 Sure it's strange if you think about it but the vast majority of people won't unless they have a reason to be suspicious. Most people are just going to see a friendly face before walking over to say hello, why would Monica be any different?

[@edgarjuarez2241]

@@artisticcannibalism1350 because why would the really old librarian that needs a cane to get around be walking around by himself near the edge of the continent near my house.

[@artisticcannibalism1350]

@@edgarjuarez2241 and with your first reaction data keep your distance or call the guards when you have no reason to think that this man is anything more than a friendly old librarian that you knew from back at the Academy? Keep in mind that you don't have any reason to be suspicious of him beyond the fact that you did not expect to see him here.

[@edgarjuarez2241]

@@artisticcannibalism1350 as a noble, I'm pretty sure they're taught to be extremely cautious when something feels suspicious or out of place, such as finding someone in a place where they shouldn't really be, much less by themselves, but whatever the case, Solon wasn't in disguise when he kidnapped her because she only recognized him from his gait and the way he held his staff not his appearance.

[@kcsupersonic1]

It's actually weird to me to hear some people have major problems with Scarlet Blaze. To me, it was actually the route that made the most sense to me precisely because of how much changed from the beginning of Three Houses to the beginning of Three Hopes. Edelgard in Three Hopes is essentially pressing the advantage she gained by outing both Solon and Kronya. She is not giving, Those Who Slither in the Dark a chance to mobilize against her. She manipulates Rhea into having the church back her attack on her "uncle," and keeps her ultimate goals on a need to know basis. The fact that Shez is a student and not a teacher makes it so much easier for her to act as well because not only is Jeritza now their professor, Shez being a member of the Black Eagle house means that they kind of just have to go along for the ride. Shez is not in a position of authority over Edelgard like Byleth was and as a student is subordinate to any official mission given to his class by the church. Byleth was initially an impediment to Edelgard's plans as she could not be certain they were trustworthy until many months later while Shez is much more of an readily usable asset.

[@ramenbomberdeluxe4958]

I just hope this genius doesn’t get used to further glorify her beyond reason. Many a morally dubious person had been a genius or did genius things in their own right, and honestly? Edelgard deserves better than to be glorified as “the one true good guy” a second time in this fandom, ya feel me?

[@shinigamimiroku3723]

Exactly. TBF she never actually felt like a "good guy" in 3H but rather a desperate woman trying to use her wits and connections to "right the wrongs" done to her by consolidating all power under her. She might have good intentions, but autocracy is never the solution.

[@l.n.3372]

She's not really a genius, tho. If she was, none of this would have been an issue on the original game either. There were things she could have done in 3H to be more similar to this as well.

[@ramenbomberdeluxe4958]

@@shinigamimiroku3723 Yeah, Edelgard means just as well as the rest, she just happened to take the final extreme jump and cause herself to become an effective asshole to many people as a result.

[@ramenbomberdeluxe4958]

@@l.n.3372 True enough, you have a point.

[@justinianthe1st790]

Same man. My main issue is more imperialist apologists/apologia. Just because Edelgard is a great character (and so far a much better character in this game) doesnt mean she's correct. Especially as the "one true good person". If your definition of a good person is Edelgard, I wanna know who you consider bad. Oh and can we all agree it was omega refreshing to FINALLY have a character criticize Edelgard? In Shez and Edelgard c support. It took THREE years but we finally got mild criticism against her. I'll take it tbh.

[@dantefilsdesparda]

Very interesting ! What I hope for the full game is that Byleth has interactions with the lords, and not just Shez. I hope they won't be a "side quest" that has nothing to do with the war.

[@MrSuperbrawler]

Regarding Tomas revealing himself to Monica, I see as him using his librarian persona to lure Monica rather than just straight up kidnap her. Considering Monica is a noble, she would have guards making kidnapping a difficult task. Using Tomas as his disguise, Solon could lure Monica away and kidnap her. I believe Tomas would assume she never gets rescued which in Three houses she never does. It was only because of the change of circumstances and Edelgard's change in plan that she is rescued. In Three Houses he is never punished for his kidnapping, but in Three Hopes he is. At least that's what I think.

[@wrestlerboy500]

Ok I’m gonna bite, and maybe it’ll be explained in the full game, but Edelgard making two enemies at the same time still doesn’t make sense to me. I understand that she doesn’t like the Agarthans, but every move that she’s made makes her their enemy, and since none of them are dead or apprehended, she knows next to nothing about them and they’re at full strength. She doesn’t know where they are, what tools they have or what they’re willing to do for revenge. Declaring war on the church without the Agarthans backing her is one thing, but doing it after actively making an enemy of them feels like an entirely different disaster waiting to happen. I know you mentioned plausible deniability, but does she really have plausible deniability when the only person who knew that Arundel = Thales is Edelgard? Without Solon’s capture there’s no way that anyone else could’ve told Rhea, nor could she herself have known already. And considering that Edelgard killing Cornelia was met with extreme retaliation despite “plausible deniability,” I can’t believe that Edelgard is not an enemy of the Agarthans after completely stripping Thales of his power and kicking him to the side. Idk, without keeping the Agarthans, at least, within her sights I can’t see how she can formulate a plan against an enemy that she has no knowledge of or eyes on while she’s occupied with her war against the church. Maybe we’ll see her plan for dealing with them in the full game.

[@wolftamerwolfcorp7465]

I’m in total agreement that it’s stupid for edelgard to make an enemy of the church while still not having wiped out TWSITD, even though the two forces are unlikely to ever make a united stand against her, it’s still war against two powerful factions at the same time, one of which she has little intel on as far as we’re aware. That being said I think you’re missing a couple of points. The rescue of Monica was done under plausible deniability but the confrontation against thales wasn’t. The goal of rescuing Monica was another extremely loyal pawn on the table where ousting Thales was the goal of confronting him, the former can be done without being perceived as an insurrection against thales, hence why plausible deniability mattered, the latter can’t, hence why it didn’t.

[@YightLagami]

I'm going to assume Edelgard does not know of TWSITD full civilization. I think she only knows of parts of the espionage and only assumed that they were hiding in abandoned structures. Edelgard's main plan was to capture/kill Thales/Arundel which was one of the main risky plays. It is a risky play which is why Hubert is against Edelgard regaining the empire so quickly. I do know that Edelgard makes quick work of most of the traitors of the empire fairly quickly so only infiltrators inside the Farghest Kingdom and Alliance were there. Also, if it were that easy for Thales to retaliate, he would have been able to get more soldiers before Edelgard had arrived.

[@YingofDarkness]

This is kind of my issue from this video as well. I'm not going to get the game (no money), but I war wondering why she declared was on the central church even though Thales ran away. I'm guessing she underestimated them, but it kind of sets the stage for them to go into hiding for another 1000 years again. I know they aren't. They are probably going to nuke something for some bs reason and Hubert will track them down but it is weird to me at the moment. I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt though as this whole demo seems better planned then her route.

[@YightLagami]

@@YingofDarkness she still has a shortened lifespan like in 3 houses but also she still waited 2 years before actually declaring on the Church after reforming Adrestria

[@YingofDarkness]

@@YightLagami What does that have to do with my point though? Yes, she has a shortened lifespan but I don't see any reason for her to go to war with the church even though she knows the Agarthans are still trouble. The Church isn't doing anything to her or stopping her reforms. Instead of making two enemies it is better to continue to work with them, and take down the Agarthans for good then focus on backstabbing the Church in the name of imperialism

[@rodrigovasquez9322]

I like Edelgard as an Antagonist as a protagonist Crimson Flower didn't convinced me. So let's see how Scarlet Blaze handles it. BTW my first and main route was Verdant wind so I may be bias, hoping Golden Wildfire has a really good story with Claude.

[@MrWanton16]

As a Deer fan first and foremost I'm just pleased their storyline actually seems to be focusing on Claude and his homeland instead of just being a slightly retweaked Church Route. Really did him very little favours. What I played from the demo I'm optimistic.

[@justinianthe1st790]

Upon replaying GD. Claude is a much better character than I gave him credit for. He's really cool.

[@calgumbo5193]

14:46 The only thing I can think of is that in 1179 Tomas (on one of his many expeditions outside the church) decided to invite Monica along for extra training. Considering that the Staff can teach and provide seminars. Maybe he was inviting Monica under the guise of teaching her new magic that compliments her crest. And during that time he kidnapped her

[@v.emiltheii-nd.8094]

If I ever get the game I'm gonna have a fun time naming Byleth to Teetz and Shez to Azz.

[@NatyaVT]

The way I see it, Solon definitely never kidnapped Monica as Tomas, she *said* he did, but as a close aide of Edelgard we can't discount the possibility that she may have been *aware* of his true nature from the outset and merely said what she said in order to spur the Knights of Seiros into scrutinizing his history while he's away. Edelgard's faction can do that because they know Tomas (and therefore Solon) is not presently at the monastery, and presumably that he's the sole infiltrator since Kronya hasn't taken her place yet, meaning they know there aren't any co-conspirators positioned to cover his ass while he's being investigated. That's my take anyway.

[@josephscroggs5988]

My only complaint is the dissonance between Edelgard's stance towards the church and Houses with dialogue that has her referring to Sothis as a false goddess and her dialogue against Rhea in the final chapter of Crimson Flower saying she never believed in Sothis or Seiros.

[@BioMatic2]

actually that last part is a lie from Edelgard, her voice in jp sound really hurted like someone speaking to one that let them down. there is ground to belive that Edelgard was faithfull until her torture in hands of the argathans. i dont remember in wich conversation was but she spoke about " those whose prayers go unlistened" like someone who knows that situation first hand

[@kellyjohana516]

False. Edelgard believes in the Goddess. It is proven with the fact that she prayed when she was being experimented on and also in her support with Dorothea. Her beef is with the nobles who use the Goddess as an excuse to validate their horrible behavior, which they can only do by proclaiming themselves as allies of the Church which is the symbol that supports their power.

[@sarapinkdiamond]

um I am sorry but why does it matter if she believes in the goddess or not? not everybody has to be religious

[@Anthony-dy2cv]

I feel like this is how they wanted to write her, but they simply didn't get it fully right the first time. Thankfully they learned from the flaws in the original story and worked to fix them. Honestly, never thought I would play a Warriors style game FOR THE PLOT xD

[@lpfan4491]

Meanwhile me who enjoyed both the gameplay and the story of Hyrule Warriors(And later Fate/Extella. Not officially a warriorsgame because it's not made by Koei, but it pretty much is.) and was in complete shock and awe at just how terrible the story of FEW turned out to be. With like, the Fates-characters being the only part that is written decently with everything else sucking.

[@wingedbluj1674]

Perhaps maintaining the disguise is a one-time thing, where dropping it means having to manually reapply it.

[@Videogamer80]

Honestly, yeah, playing through the Black Eagle's route in Three Hopes is what sold me to the game. I was never a huge Warriors fan, but I was always interested to see how the story would shake up, and seeing that route really impressed and hyped me up for how the rest of the story and game would go!

[@espada9000]

Love Edelgard for having such a great lore about her life and great designs of her.

[@titanlegends5646]

Solon also did reveal himself unnecessarily in the original gameso the idea that he is arrogant isn't too far off, after all monica wasn't going to tell anyway if she was dead....

[@thefinalstair]

Fun dilemma with “Tomas” doing the kidnap. Arrogance is a good pitch, the only thing I can think of besides that would be “Tomas” can get to places the others can’t and all the others being either tied up or having a more important assignment. A stretch to be sure but a church scholar of his rank would probably have carte blanche to go where he pleases in a small dutchy given the Church’s sway.