Fire Emblem Three Houses Ferdinand – Definitive Guide

Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a tactical role-playing game made by industry veteran developers Intelligent Systems and Koei Tecmo. It was released for the Nintendo Switch in 2019, and is the 16th game in the Fire Emblem series. The game takes place on the fictional continent of Fodlan. Fodlan is currently ruled by three distinct powers. 

These powers are connected through a Monastery known as the Garreg Mach Monastery. As a result, the Monastery has a church and officer’s school that trains students from each nation. One of the major characters in Fire Emblem Three Houses is Ferdinand von Aegir, of the Adrestian Empire.

The player assumes the role of Byleth, an ex-mercenary that takes the job of a professor in the Monastery. Therefore, the player is tasked with training students and leading them through a series of battles. 

Ferdinand also has a minor role in the hack-and-slash spinoff title Fire Emblem: Three Hopes.

Personality

Fire Emblem Three Houses Ferdinand is a strong, confident and proud noble with a severe dislike for losing. Extremely competitive, especially against Edelgard, Ferdinand always strives to be the best among all his peers, as he believes that this will prove him worthy of being a magnificent Prime Minister who will help her ruling as Emperor.

However, Ferdinand eventually comes to terms with the fact that Edelgard will always be better than him, no matter the amount of hard work he puts into his duties and responsibilities. Despite his frustration over this fact, he does not let it get to his head and continues working hard and making himself even better.

Ferdinand von Aegir has a troubled relationship with his father, Ludwig. He disagrees with many of his father’s opinions, considering them to be embarrassing, especially for a noble. Despite this, he still respects the hard work and effort his father has put in. This is shown by his disagreement with his father being stripped of his titles.

He is also shown to be empathetic to the disenfranchised. In a conversation with Lorenz, he states that they should move out of their bubble and see life from a common person’s perspective, as the nobility and the proletariat have warped views of each other. Despite his troubled relationship with his father, he feels saddened at his death and mourns his decision making.

Ferdinand von Aegir consistently displays attributes of self-reflection and self-awareness. In situations where other people point out flaws in his character, he is always quick to understand his own wrongdoings and work on improving them.

This is evidenced by his interactions with Dorothea, who has a hostile opinion of the nobility due to her previous bad experiences with the noble class, and considers Ferdinand no differently. However, rather than take offence at her mistrust, he makes efforts to figure out the reason for her enmity with him and strives to improve their understanding of each other.

Ferdinand is a dutiful, intelligent and communicative person. Being the future Prime Minister, he does not hesitate in telling Edelgard whatever is on his mind and what he feels is the best course of action for any given scenario. Moreover, he is constantly challenging her to become the best possible version of herself.

This ideology, however, causes frequent clashes with Hubert; Hubert believes that Edelgard power is unquestionable and her decisions are always correct, no matter the sacrifice. Despite their frequent conflicts, they still have much respect for each other.

Being a noble and a descendant of a highly powerful noble lineage, Ferdinand von Aegir gives off signs of vainity and self-centeredness. He can also be somewhat aloof, as evidenced by Linhardt’s taunts going over his head, and him taking them quite literally. He is also unable to empathize with and understand the situation of nobles that disown their own nobility, for example Marianne, and this leads to sometimes awkward and difficult situations.

As with Dorothea, however, Fire Emblem Three Houses Ferdinand always displays a willingness to learn and understand the situation, and always makes an effort to solve the conflict. He also does not fret from apologizing when he is wrong.

Ferdinand also tries not to use contractions, possibly due to his understanding of how nobles speak. He likes animals, children, heights, being noble, justice, tea and horseback riding. He dislikes lazy people and noble people who are not noble.

Who is Fire Emblem Three Houses Ferdinand?

Ferdinand von Aegir was born on the 30th of the Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1162. He is the eldest son and the heir to the House Aegir. House Aegir holds the rank of duke and is perhaps among the most powerful family in the Adrestian Empire, with only House Hresvelg surpassing it in influence. As a result, House Aegir holds considerable power in the continent. This is further supported by a head of the house holding the position of Prime Minister at one point in time.

Ludwig, Ferdinand’s father, seized power in the Insurrection of the Seven when Ferdinand was 9, resulting in the political impotence of Emperor Ionius IX. Ferdinand is very proud of his family’s history of noble lineage, but has frequent conflicts with his father due to differing opinions about the true rights and responsibilities that come with being in the nobility.

At some point during his childhood, Ferdinand’s family thought about marrying him and another noblewoman, but he refused on the grounds that the noblewomen did not greet him and rumors about using dolls to curse enemies. That noblewoman shows up later in the game as his classmate, Bernadetta.

Academy Phase Arc

Like many of the other major characters in the game, Ferdinand von Aegir attends the Garreg Mach Monastery Officers Academy in 1180 and is a member of the Black Eagles. Garreg Mach Monastery is a very important location in Fire Emblem: Three houses, and much of the game takes place here.

Garreg Mach Monastery is located in the middle of Fodlan between mountains and consists of two individual sections called the Church of Seiros and the Officers Academy. Due to its religious and academic importance, the Monastery is sovereign and thus, neutral territory that cannot be influenced by any of the three major nations of Fodlan. Moreover, the Monastery is the home of an elite guild of Knights.

Once Ferdinand graduates from Garreg Mach Monastery, he joins the Imperial Army as a general. Meanwhile, his father loses the title of Duke and the dukedom is forfeited to the Empire.

If the player chooses not to teach the Black Eagles and recruits Ferdinand to either the Golden Deer or the Blue Lions, Fire Emblem Three Houses Ferdinand will escape the Empire with many of his companions and become a nomad for many years. Afterwards, he will either return to the Kingdom or the Alliance armies at Garreg Mach Monastery in the Imperial Year 1185.

Crimson Flower Arc

Assuming the player chooses the Black Eagles route, Ferdinand stays with his companions, as he has the belief that only he is strong and smart enough to guide Edelgard. After Edelgard’s coronation, Edelgard removes Ferdinand’s father, Ludwig, from his post and forces him into house arrest. Following these events, Ferdinand von Aegir becomes the new Duke Aegir, and as per custom, the new Prime Minister.

Despite being bestoyed with these great honors, however, Fire Emblem Three Houses Ferdinand is under considerable duress. Despite his differences with his father, Ferdinand still believes that Ludwig has done much favor to the Empire, and is reconsidering trusting Edelgard.

Azure Moon/Verdant Wind Arc

If the player chooses either the Golden Deer or the Blue Lions route, and does not recruit Ferdinand into their class during the Academy Phase Arc, Ferdinand is killed during the defence of the Great Bridge of Myrddin with Ladislava. If Ferdinand battles the player, he informs them that Edelgard was infatuated with Byleth, leading Ferdinand to be jealous. He also expresses his intention of impressing Edelgard with his fighting.

Assuming Ferdinand fights Dorothea, she questions where his loyalties lie, questioning how he was against Edelgard for so long. Ferdinand replies to her suspicions by informing her that there is no time for arguments and that he hopes that she will understand.

If Ferdinand battles Constance, he will express sadness at them having to battle as enemies despite being friends for so many years, and it being a sad ending to their journey together. Constance replies that it was bound to happen eventually, and is apologetic at the situation and expresses sorrow that things turned out the way that they did. Ferdinand and Constance battle, and both him and Ladislava die in the fight.

The story can take two routes depending on who dies first. If Ferdinand dies first, he tells Ladislava to fall back and infrom Edelgard, as well as to defend the bridge until her very last breath. If Ladislava dies first, Ferdinand takes her place and defends the bridge for his country until his death.

If the player recruits Ferdinand, he will assist the player in destroying the Empire. His motivation for this is that Edelgard has taken everything from his house Aegir.

Silver Snow Arc

Once Edelgard’s true identity as the Flame Emperor is revealed, Fire Emblem Three Houses Ferdinand establishes that she must be killed for the greater good of the Fodlan continent. He joins the Resistance Army.

Paralogue Arc

If Byleth has recruited Ferdinand into their army along with Lysithea before the Crimson Flower route, the combined Paralogue of both is now playable. After either the Alliance, the Kingdom or the Church of Seiros attacks and takes over the Great Bridge of Myrddin, a Knight of Seiros will give him the information of the whereabouts and fate of his father, who was last seen in Hrym.

At the time, Hrym was controlled by Lord Arundel by proxy through Ludwig after Edelgard’s succession to the throne. Ferdinand will travel to Hrym with Byleth and Lysithea to reconnoiter the situation. At this point Ferdinand will tragically learn that his father has been killed by ruffians during rioting.

Fire Emblem Three Houses Ferdinand Recruitment

Ferdinand is recruited automatically assuming Byleth chooses the Black Eagles house in chapter 1. If the player chooses to teach any of the other houses, Ferdinand can still join their class if Byleth’s Dexterity and Heavy Armor proficiency is high enough.

Ferdinand Gameplay

Ferdinand functions as the main battle cavalry for the Black Eagles, similar to Sylvain and Leonie. However, his base attributes are somewhat lower than those two. This makes him difficult to use early in the game, and the player will need to focus around Ferdinand’s low health and keep him at maximum health whenever possible. However, his defense does grow exceptionally strong when he completes certain classes, but his resistance growth remains fairly weak regardless.

Ferdinand is a character with far more strengths than weaknesses, which allows him to excel in most classes except for the magical classes. On a theoretical level, Ferdinand works best as a Great Knight class, as this class not only makes the best use of his strengths but is also very easily attainable. Despite these positives, however, the class does suffer from low Speed and an increased vulnerability to anti-armor and anti-cavalry attacks.

Assuming the player has invested in high defense, Ferdinand will be able to tank most of these attacks. However, in reality, the player may be served better going for the Paladin class, which works better practically and is also even simpler to achieve.

Ferdinand also works well when temporarily made into a Brigand due to Death Blow, a skill with huge offensive capability. Moreover, due to his susceptibility to mages, Paladin is also a great choice as it allows the usage of Aegis.

Following this, the player can class him into a Fortress Knight for the Pavise skill, which greatly enhances his tanking potential. At any rate, Fire Emblem Three Houses Ferdinand von Aegir works best as a Paladin if the player prefers him to be a Cavalry class, as the Great Knight is significantly weaker in Three Houses.

Ferdinand also works exceptionally in the Wyvern Lord class, utilizing both evasion and the ability to tank damage through Avoid boosts gained from Confidence, Avo +10, Alert Stance+, Lance Prowess, an Evasion ring and an appropriate Battalion. His results can be augmented even further if he utilizes swords and wins the White Heron Cup, which gives him the Sword Dance and Sword Avoid +20 combat arts.

Going further, if the player has Sword Prowess 5, Sword Avoid +20, Alert Stance + and Avo + 10, they can have a total of +80 Avoid. If the player also has Confidence, an Evasion Ring and a Battalion that gives +15 Avoid, Ferdinand essentially boasts +120 Avoid. 

There are more ways to do this. Fire Emblem Three Houses Ferdinand can achieve +70 Avoid if he uses Gauntlet weapons, Alert Stance+, Brawling Prowess 5, War Monk and Brawl Avoid +20. This style has benefits over the above one since Gauntlet style allows Ferdinand to be less weak to enemies with Swordbreaker, as there exists no skill to counteract Gauntlets. In either case, the player can swap Alert Stance+ for Duelist’s Blow from the Trickster Class, which makes Ferdinand a much more proactive character at the cost of lower Avoid.

Ferdinand’s Budding Talent allows him access of Seal Speed, which can be used together with Seal Defense by mastering the Wyvern Rider class to make Ferdinand a more support-oriented character, in which enemies that Ferdinand has damaged are more susceptible to both himself and his teammates.

As a result, developing Fire Emblem Three Houses Ferdinand’s Budding Talent is a good investment regardless of whether the player wants to use a Heavy Armor class nor not. Moreover, the player could master Dark Knight which would grant them access to Seal Resistance, making enemies very vulnerable to mage teammates.

With the two strategies above used in tandem, Ferdinand becomes a fantastic bait Unit. Using the Wyvern Lord class along with Sword Avoid +20, Sword Prowess 5, Alert Stance+, Seal Defense and Seal Speed, he can lure in enemies and set them up for other teammates to make short work of them.

The player could also go for a Gauntlet version of the build, which sacrifices a little bit of Avoid for much less vulnerability to bows and Swordbreaker.

Overall, Ferdinand is a jack-of-all-trades character, who can do much of every role and work well with every single build except for magic classes. 

Ferdinand Gift List

• Whetstone – Favorite – A stone used to sharpen the blades of swords or lances. Appreciated by those who enjoy weapon maintenance.
• Owl Feather – Favorite – A feather from a messenger owl that can be used in a variety of ways. Appreciated by everyone.
• Riding Boots – Favorite – Boots specially made for mastering the equestrian arts. Appreciated by those who enjoy horseback riding.
• Blue Cheese – Dislike – A pungent cheese with a very distinctive taste. Appreciated by lovers of food and drink.
• Coffee Beans – Dislike – Beans meant to be ground and boiled into a hot beverage. Appreciated by those who enjoy bitter flavors.

Share a Meal List

• Grilled Herring – Favorite – Herring caught off the coast of Albinea, shredded and grilled in an earthenware pot with sliced turnips.
• Saghert and Cream – Favorite – A baked confection coated with Noa fruit cream and a currant reduction, often enjoyed as a dessert at family gatherings.
• Vegetable Pasta Salad – Favorite – Pasta with a blend of fresh vegetables from various regions of Fódlan. This popular dish sells out almost instantly.
• Onion Gratin Soup – Favorite – Onions stewed with white trout and baked with a layer of cheese on top. Will warm you up from the inside out.
• Sweet Bun Trio – Favorite – Traditional pastries from Faerghus, known for their subtle sweetness. The dough is made with eggs and sugar.
• Fruit and Herring Tart – Favorite – A baked tart with stewed herring and Noa fruit mixed into the batter. Popular in Enbarr, the Imperial Capital.
• Fisherman’s Bounty – Favorite – Freshly-caught fish are cut into chunks and stewed together to make this hearty dish.
• Pheasant Roast with Berry Sauce – Favorite – Well-roasted Fódlan pheasant drizzled with a berry reduction sauce.
• Fish Sandwich – Favorite – A simple dish. Airmid pike is pickled in vinegar and served with cabbage between two slices of bread.
• Daphnel Stew – Favorite – Minced poultry and onions boiled with salt. The simple recipe lets high-quality ingredients speak for themselves.
• Sautéed Pheasant and Eggs – Favorite – Thin slices of bird meat and shredded cabbage, mixed with scrambled eggs and sautéed with spices. Invention of a certain noble.
• Vegetable Stir-Fry – Favorite – A dish of dried tomatoes, cabbage, chickpeas, and other vegetables, stir-fried with eggs. Nutritious and very filling.
• Bourgeois Pike – Favorite – A gourmet fish dish with Airmid pike, vegetables, and a sprinkle of expensive spices. Popular among nobles.
• Garreg Mach Meat Pie – Dislike – A crispy-brown pie packed with tomatoes, cheese, and tender chunks of meat.
• Cheesy Verona Stew – Dislike – A rich dish consisting of verona and sautéed Teutates loach. These ingredients are boiled and served with two kinds of melted cheese.
• Pickled Seafood and Vegetables – Dislike – A Dagdan dish of raw fish and turnips pickled in a vinegar-based seasoning liquid. Rarely eaten in Fódlan.
• Gautier Cheese Gratin – Dislike – A gratin of bird meat topped with heaps of Gautier cheese, which is famous for its low fat content. It has a unique flavor.
• Cabbage and Herring Stew – Dislike – Cabbage and Albinean herring stewed whole. The fish guts lend this hearty dish a superbly bitter kick.

Lost Items List

• Maintenance Oil – A jar containing oil for weapon maintenance. It probably belongs to someone who collects weapons.
• Agricultural Survey – An old paper with writings about harvesting and taxation. It probably belongs to a young noble who owns territory.
• Bag of Tea Leaves – A small bag containing a mixed variety of tea leaves. It probably belongs to someone who is interested in tea.