Fire Emblem: Three Houses is known well by players for having three main routes, as well as one secret route. One of the main routes, Crimson Flower, requires the player to teach the Black Eagles house and also side with Edelgard (and against Rhea) during the battle at the Holy Tomb.
Though the Black Eagles' class does have some excellent magic users and other types of fighters to use during Crimson Flower, many players found themselves in need of recruiting other classmates to help even out the battlefield. Some simply recruited them because they didn't want to kill those classmates in the later post-timeskip half of the game, or due to relationship-oriented reasons with their support conversations.
10 Felix's Swordsmanship Is A Must-Have For The Black Eagles
Felix comes from the Blue Lions, and he's an excellent swordsman to have on the battlefield. He can also become a decent bowman or brawler if his skills are developed enough, but he's best used as a swordsman than the other two options, due to his swordsmanship stat being the highest and fastest to grow in the entirety of the game.
His strength, speed, and dexterity make him an agile, nimble fighter and will be a great help to the Black Eagles in battle. His ability, Lone Wolf, boosts his damage-dealing by five points if he doesn't have a battalion attached as well. This can help him become a great heavy-hitting fighter later on in the game and makes him worthy for recruiting as soon as possible.
9 Mercedes' Healing Abilities & Bond With Jeritza Give Her Huge Priority For Recruiting
Mercedes from the Blue Lions class is a handy healer, due to her higher faith stats when compared to her classmates. Even though the Black Eagles class does have magic users, most of their abilities are best suited for offensive tactics rather than defense and healing. Recruiting Mercedes will be a helpful boon to the class in the long run.
Additionally, she's also the sister of Jeritza, who is revealed to be the Death Knight mid-game. If players want to guarantee these siblings' reunion and see supports revolving around their bond as siblings, Mercedes is a unit one should recruit as soon as possible.
8 Shamir's Archery Is Near-Peerless
Considering that siding with the Black Eagles automatically means the players will fight Claude, who's also an excellent archer, recruiting Shamir should be a priority to get the one-up on him in battle. Shamir can be recruited in any of the routes midway through the pre-time skip phase, but having her as part of the Black Eagles class will be an immediate boon to them as an archer.
Her experience and accuracy make her a perfect go-to archer in general, and any side would be happy to have her. Many fans immediately grabbed Shamir for their team as soon as they could.
7 Marianne Is An Excellent Healer
Marianne comes from the Golden Deer class. Despite her avoidant nature, due to the curse brought upon her from her Crest, she's a handy person to have on the battlefield. Much like Mercedes, Marianne's magical abilities focus on defense and healing allies. Considering all the rough battles the Black Eagles fight together, it never hurts to have someone backing them up as a healer.
Additionally, her gentle nature helps her get along in supports with Black Eagles classmates such as Ferdinand and Linhardt. If players are unable to grab Mercedes before the time skip, Marianne's healing abilities are equally useful.
6 Lysithea Is A Magical Powerhouse Worthy Of Recruiting
Even though the Black Eagles have a few powerful magic users, Lysithea is still worth having on the player's side. Her double Crests are a boon to her in battle, and she's a fairly strong magic-user overall. It never hurts to add to the roster of magical users the Black Eagles already have, and Lysithea is a worthy addition to their ranks.
Additionally, recruiting Lysithea and her having a paired ending with Edelgard guarantees that both of them find a way to restore their lives. Fans of the Black Eagles adored this support because it led to both of them living long and happy lives in the end.
5 Ignatz Makes For A Great Archer In The Long Run
Though Bernadetta is a great archer for the Black Eagles, Ignatz from the Golden Deer also makes for a great archer. His base stats at the beginning already set him up to be a great archer. However, he can also be a swordsman since his swordsmanship stat is is one of his second-highest stats as well.
He additionally is quite likable, sharing some wonderful support conversations with Petra. If one chooses not to grab Shamir, or maybe just wants some additional archers in general, Ignatz is handy as an archer.
4 Raphael Is A Great Brawler For Any Situation
Raphael from the Golden Deer has a lot of heart, but also a lot of muscle. He's a perfect tanking-type of fighter, perfect for brawling opponents and taking a lot of hits for the team. It's hard to find a unit that can power their way through the same way Raphael can with their brute strength.
Additionally, even though he lacks in speed compared to other characters, he has very high HP, defense, and attack stats. These can be great for taking down enemies in a flash. If the Black Eagles need another brawler, they should definitely seek out Raphael to join them.
3 Sylvain Makes For A Flexible Soldier On The Battlefield
Sylvain, despite his skirt-chasing tendencies, can grow into a rather adept fighter overall. He's more suited for being a cavalier or sword-oriented class in the long run than magic, due to his stats focusing more on lances, axes, and riding from the beginning.
He may be one of the weaker units to use in the beginning, but he can be more versatile with weapons over time as he grows. Once he gets on horseback, the payoff will be worth it in the late game as he takes down all sorts of enemies. Fans also appreciated his support conversation with Bernadetta and other Black Eagles members as well, which helped support their decisions to recruit him.
2 Annette Can Grow Into Either A Powerful Magic-User Or Be Adept At Axes
Annette from the Blue Lions might seem like a strange choice to recruit, for some fans, but her base stats give her the ability to either become a powerful magic user or be adept at axes. This is because her stats for axes and reason are higher than her other stats at the beginning of the game.
If the player recruits her late in the game, she'll be better suited for magic-using purposes due to how she develops, but if she's recruited quickly, the player can guide her into becoming adept with axes instead. This potential versatility to use her for either pathway of classes makes her perfect for recruiting.
1 Lorenz, Like Annette, Can Either Go The Magic Route Or Grow Into A Fighter
Lorenz from the Golden Deer might be another strange choice to recruit, for some fans. However, if he's recruited early enough in the pre-time skip phase like Annette, he can grow into a powerful fighter with spears and riding, or become a great offensive magic-user. This is because his stats for the spear and reason abilities are higher than the other stats at the beginning of the game. If he's recruited later in the game or the pre-time skip phase, he's more suited to be a cavalier-type fighter like Sylvain, so recruiting him early on gives him more flexibility.