When planning Edelgard’s class progression in Fire Emblem Three Houses, many players face the decision between choosing Brigand or Armored Knight as her intermediate class. Edelgard is a powerful unit with strong base stats, excellent growth in strength and defense, and unique access to the Emperor class. Choosing the right intermediate class can significantly impact her effectiveness in both early and late-game battles. This topic explores the differences between Brigand and Armored Knight, focusing on growth rates, abilities, long-term utility, and the overall best path for optimizing Edelgard’s build.
Understanding Edelgard’s Strengths and Class Role
Edelgard starts the game with high strength, solid defense, and decent HP. Her growth rates support her role as a frontline physical unit, capable of dealing and absorbing damage. She also gains access to axes and authority early, making her a natural fit for axe-wielding classes with strong offensive skills.
Given her strengths, Edelgard is best suited to physically oriented classes. She can perform well as a tank or a damage dealer, depending on the player’s strategic needs. However, her limited mobility in armor-heavy classes can be a disadvantage on large maps. Choosing an intermediate class that complements her stats and skill proficiencies is key to developing her full potential.
Option 1 Brigand – Offensive Powerhouse
Benefits of Choosing Brigand
Brigand is often recommended for Edelgard due to its offensive focus. It requires an axe rank and has favorable strength growth bonuses. Most importantly, Brigand grants the player access to the powerful class mastery ability, Death Blow.
- Death Blow+6 strength when initiating combat. This skill stacks with Edelgard’s natural strength and turns her into a hard-hitting unit for most of the game.
- Growth RatesBrigand adds a +10% strength growth, which aligns perfectly with her stat profile.
- Ease of AccessEdelgard starts with proficiency in axes, so qualifying for Brigand is straightforward.
Brigand Class Stats and Growth Bonuses
- HP Bonus+1
- Strength Growth Bonus+10%
- Speed Growth Bonus0%
- Defense Growth Bonus0%
While Brigand does not offer much in the way of defense or speed, its focus on offense makes it ideal for players who want Edelgard to be a high-damage unit. When combined with her future class promotions, this early investment in raw power pays off in one-rounding enemies consistently.
Option 2 Armored Knight – Defensive Stability
Benefits of Choosing Armored Knight
Armored Knight is a more defensive intermediate class, with significant bonuses to protection and survivability. This class suits players who want Edelgard to take on a tank role, absorbing enemy attacks and holding choke points.
- Defense Focus+4 base defense and a +15% defense growth boost helps Edelgard withstand physical attacks with ease.
- Weight -3 SkillReduces the weight of equipped items by 3, helping her maintain some mobility and avoid speed penalties.
- Stat BoostsHP and defense increase immediately upon class change.
Armored Knight Class Stats and Growth Bonuses
- HP Bonus+2
- Strength Growth Bonus0%
- Defense Growth Bonus+15%
- Speed Growth Bonus-10%
While Armored Knight significantly boosts defense, it comes at the cost of speed and mobility. Edelgard can tank better but may struggle to double enemies or keep up with mobile units like cavalry or fliers. The negative speed growth can lead to long-term issues in enemy phase performance if not addressed later.
Class Mastery Skills Comparison
Brigand – Death Blow
Death Blow is widely considered one of the best offensive class mastery skills. It triggers when Edelgard initiates combat and adds +6 strength to every attack, which stacks with combat arts. This makes Edelgard a monster during the player phase and allows her to eliminate enemies before they can retaliate.
Armored Knight – Weight -3
Weight -3 is useful for mitigating the speed penalties of heavy weapons or armor. However, it is often less impactful than Death Blow since it doesn’t directly increase damage or survivability in most combat situations. Its benefits are more niche, especially if Edelgard later moves into classes where speed and movement are limited regardless.
Synergy with Advanced and Unique Classes
Brigand Path Synergy
If Edelgard goes Brigand, she can easily transition into Warrior, Wyvern Rider, or her exclusive Lord/Emperor classes. These all use axes and benefit from her high strength. The Death Blow skill continues to add value through every phase of the game, and her offense snowballs quickly.
Armored Knight Path Synergy
The logical follow-up to Armored Knight is Fortress Knight. However, Fortress Knight suffers from extremely low movement and makes Edelgard less flexible on the battlefield. While she becomes very durable, her limited range can make her a less optimal choice on maps with dynamic objectives. Her exclusive Emperor class offers better movement than Fortress Knight, but not enough to outweigh the drawbacks of early speed loss.
Final Comparison Which One Should You Choose?
Choose Brigand if
- You want Edelgard to deal high damage consistently.
- You prefer a player-phase focused unit who eliminates threats before they act.
- You want a skill (Death Blow) that remains relevant throughout the game.
- You plan to use Edelgard’s Lord or Emperor classes later and want to maximize offensive growth.
Choose Armored Knight if
- You want Edelgard to tank physical attacks early on.
- You’re playing a defensive campaign that relies on chokepoints and frontline walls.
- You’re focused on early survivability rather than long-term offensive potential.
- You plan to use Fortress Knight for roleplaying or theme-based runs.
Ultimately, Brigand is the more versatile and widely recommended choice for Edelgard’s intermediate class. Death Blow is simply too powerful to pass up, and it synergizes with her natural strengths, growth rates, and late-game roles. While Armored Knight provides useful defense early, its drawbacks in mobility and speed make it a less optimal path for long-term success. If you want to make the most of Edelgard’s strength as a fearsome frontline leader, Brigand offers the best balance of power, growth, and future flexibility in Fire Emblem Three Houses.