Which hero to play first

Any order works, and nothing locks you out. But the paths differ a lot in difficulty and in how much they ask you to manage, and the order decides which classes and Boons your later paths start with. Every guide agrees on two things: start with Cai, and finish each path before beginning the next.

	Cai	Dietrich	Theodora	Leda
Feel	Gentle, introductory	Combat-first	Political, dense	Personal, intrigue
Difficulty	Easiest	Hardest	Middle	A step above Cai
To manage	Farms, mounts, lessons	Extra skirmishes, art upgrades	Battalions, a ship	Performances, drinks
Map access	Most restricted	Broad	All water routes	Broad
Paralogues	4	8	7	4
Ends	11/27	11/27	10/24	11/27

Suggested orders

Order	Reasoning
Cai, Theodora, Dietrich, Leda	Lightest systems first; Leda's map quests are easier once you know the map
Cai, Theodora, Leda, Dietrich	Difficulty rises steadily and story reveals land in a sensible order

Cai teaches the gods, the city and its laws through tutorial-style quests. His starting team is the weakest, which matters less on a first path.
Theodora is effectively the lead of Part II. Knowing her story first makes that part land.
Dietrich suits Three Houses players and anyone wanting a harder run. His path also reaches eight of the nine paralogues, so do not skip it before Part III.
Leda's story is the most self-contained, and her team may be the strongest.

When to play Part II

Play it once, ideally after your first or second path and with Theodora's story fresh. For the remaining heroes, skip it unless they need the experience.

How many paths before the finale

Part III can be entered very early, but guides suggest at least two finished paths, three for a comfortable finale and all four for the full roster.

Suggested orders

When to play Part II

How many paths before the finale

Keep going in the app