Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave gives you an unusual amount of freedom when deciding whose story to follow first. Rather than forcing you through one protagonist’s campaign from beginning to end, the game eventually lets you move between the four main heroes through the Obelisk Chamber. Nintendo describes the game as four interwoven journeys that ultimately come together, while recent reviews have highlighted how different perspectives contribute to the larger narrative.
That means your first choice is less about permanently locking yourself into a route and more about deciding which perspective you want to use as your introduction to the game.
| Character | Obelisk | Story focus | Recommended position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cai | Fox Obelisk | Growing up, family and discovering the wider world | 1st |
| Leda | Eagle Obelisk | Revenge and a personal quest for justice | 2nd |
| Dietrich | Lion Obelisk | Adventure, combat and an outsider’s perspective | 3rd |
| Theodora | Wolf Obelisk | Royal politics, war, family and lore | 4th |
1. Cai is the easiest starting point for a first playthrough
Cai, the hero of the Fox Obelisk, is the strongest choice if you want your first hours with Fortune’s Weave to gradually introduce you to its world.
His story begins in Ribeira, where he lives with his father. A temple knight eventually arrives to tell his father that he must answer for crimes committed before Cai was born. Cai then leaves with his childhood friends and heads toward the imperial capital of Dagsion in search of answers.
That setup makes Cai particularly useful as a viewpoint character because he is learning about the wider world at roughly the same time you are.
His story also has a more grounded beginning compared with some of the other protagonists. Instead of immediately throwing you into the politics surrounding an established ruler or the complicated history of a legendary warrior, Cai starts from a much more personal situation.
2. Leda makes a strong second story
Leda, known as the Siren of the Six-String, brings a much darker personal motivation to the Heroic Games.
Her story revolves around revenge. Leda is hunting those named on a list left behind by her mentor Mahdel, and she enters the Heroic Games after discovering that the man responsible for her father’s death is still alive.
That gives her route an immediate emotional hook, but it also makes it feel considerably different from Cai’s introduction.
Leda’s introductory material presents her as a character driven by a very specific goal, making her story easier to understand once you’ve already become familiar with the game’s broader setting.
3. Dietrich is the wild-card choice
Dietrich, the Ravishing Shadow of the Lion Obelisk, is arguably the biggest departure from Cai’s grounded introduction.
His story begins with him being shipwrecked in Dagda after an encounter with a huge sea creature. He carries the Hero’s Relic Answerer and eventually heads toward Dagsion because of his desire to enter the Heroic Games.
Dietrich’s position as an outsider means you can discover parts of the world alongside him rather than relying on him to explain everything from a position of authority.
Instead, Dietrich works particularly well once you already understand the basic structure of Fortune’s Weave. His route can then feel like a deliberate change of pace rather than having to learn everything about the setting and a more unusual protagonist simultaneously.
4. Theodora is worth saving for later
Theodora, the Breaker of Armies from the Wolf Obelisk, has arguably the most immediately political setup of the four.
She returns to the royal capital of Megaira after spending years on duty at Fort Zanbar, only to find that an assassin has killed her father and taken her right arm. With the future of Saramis at stake, Theodora is forced to search for a way forward.
Her storyline deals heavily with royalty, military affairs, family, history and the larger political situation, so there is considerably more context to absorb.
That is why saving Theodora for later can make sense if you’re approaching Fortune’s Weave for the first time. By the time you reach her story, you’ll already have a better understanding of the setting and can appreciate information that might otherwise feel like a lore dump.
Which Fortune’s Weave character should you pick first?
For a first-time player who wants the story to gradually introduce its world, Cai is the natural starting point. His personal circumstances make it easier to discover the setting without immediately having to understand its deepest political and historical conflicts.
If you want a straightforward spoiler-free route through the four protagonists, the suggested order is:
| Order | Character | Why play at this point? |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cai | Establishes the world through an inexperienced protagonist |
| 2 | Leda | Introduces a darker revenge-driven perspective |
| 3 | Dietrich | Expands the world through an outsider and battle-focused story |
| 4 | Theodora | Gives you more context for the political and historical elements |
This order should be viewed as a narrative suggestion only. Fortune’s Weave is specifically built around multiple protagonists, and the Obelisk Chamber lets you move between their stories. Recent reviews have emphasized that the game expects players to engage with multiple routes rather than simply treating them as four completely separate campaigns.
The game also has a much larger overall structure than a typical single-route Fire Emblem. One review estimated that seeing the complete experience can take well over 100 hours, while another highlighted how the four campaigns eventually contribute to a larger unified narrative.
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