The Golden Deer House, led by Claude of leading house Riegan, is one of the three available houses to choose from in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. You likely picked this house because Claude winked at you and that was it right there. Don't worry, it happened to all of us.
The Golden Deer House is filled with a varied and interesting selection of students that you'll be teaching over the course of your playthrough. Today, we’re going to be taking a look at each of these students, and ranking them. Without any further ado, let’s make some fictional characters feel bad about themselves.
8 Lorenz
Lorenz is certainly the bottom of the barrel when it comes to the Golden Deer, despite what he may think of himself. Some of his tendencies that are a bit less desirable include harassing most of the girls in order to find a suitable mate, and generally thinking that he’s better than others as he is a noble.
While these things are already not great on their own, he’s not a very good fighter. He can’t do much on the battlefield, and he can’t keep himself alive either. Across the board, Lorenz simply can’t hold a candle to the other Golden Deer students.
7 Ignatz
Ignatz's personality is... fine. He can be insufferably meek at times, yes, but some of his later support conversations as he grows closer to his classmates are incredibly heartwarming. So while his personality is a bit of a mixed bag, there is one thing about him that is definite. His incredible battling skill.
Sorry, we meant to say incredible lack of battling skill. He's just terrible in battle. He's by far the worst that the Golden Deer has to offer, and is one that can easily be dropped and replaced with a recruit. However... that makes his great support conversations much harder to obtain. Decisions decisions...
6 Leonie
Leonie's incessant rambling about Jeralt can get to be a bit much at times, but overall she is a strong fighter and an endearing character. The village that she hails from has never been a particularly wealthy one, and thus she is keen on paying back the money they accrued to send her to the Officer's Academy.
This also instills a very resourceful nature inside of her, making sure that anything that still has use will not be put to waste. She cares deeply for the people around her, but will absolutely call them out if need be. Do yourself a favor and grow her relationship with Sylvain to watch that disaster unfold.
5 Hilda
Hilda is... to put it lightly, a manipulative monster. She doesn't like doing things... at all (same), and thus will attempt to get just about anyone to do her chores and other activities for her. She'll even go so far as to have others battle in her stead. She's not all bad though.
When someone is in need of help, she pushes her usual tendencies aside to make sure that they're taken care of right away. Besides that, she usually is kind to the people that do her bidding... usually. When she is forced to fight, she is an absolute monster on the battlefield, and will quickly rise the ranks as one of your most powerful units.
4 Raphael
Raphael is a giant teddy bear that loves food and everyone around him. He isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he makes up for it in spades by overcompensating with his huge muscles. He considers everyone at the Academy a dear friend and will give his all to protect them.
His entire being is devoted to becoming a knight and making sure that his little sister back home is supported. Many of his supports center squarely on his love for her, which is incredibly sweet. He spends a good portion of his time eating and training, which in turns make him a tanky and powerful unit that you'll want to have out on the battlefield at all times.
3 Lysithea
Lysithea is a lot. But not like Lorenz a lot, a good a lot. Lysithea (for spoilerish reasons that we won't get into here) is someone who wants to be as efficient as possible in about every aspect of her life, making her easily one of the most driven characters in the entire game. However, this means that (both knowingly and unknowingly) she can sometimes be a bit of a bully to the other characters that might not look at the world the same way as her.
While she might not have as big of an arc as some of the other Golden Deer students, she does grow in a variety of ways throughout the story, which is incredibly gratifying to be able to spectate. Oh, and if you can make sure that she is properly supported, she can steamroll just about any and all enemies on the battlefield. Death Knight who? Don't know him.
2 Claude
House leader Claude is an admirable, compassionate, quippy and driven heir to the Leicester Alliance. He pours his heart and soul into everything he does. While he is the first to tease his fellow students and even the faculty, he cares about the people around him incredibly deeply.
His support conversations are some of the most entertaining to watch (his voice acting is some of the most expressive in the game), he's an absolute beast on the battlefield, as he is a powerhouse that is unrivaled by any unit other than Byleth. Claude is one of the best Golden Deer students there is, and he is an all-around fantastic and well-deserved leader of the Alliance.
1 Marianne
For Marianne, let's get her battling out of the way first. She's great! She's a solid healer and can deal a good amount of damage if she's forced into such a position that requires it. Where Marianne really shines is her growth throughout the story. Marianne starts out as a horribly shy and distant person who will do anything to stay as secluded as possible. She believes that she is essentially worthless to everyone around her. As the plot of Three Houses progresses, you slowly see Marianne start to change.
Through her support conversations and the five-year time jump, you witness Marianne become a new person. Marianne becomes someone that truly cares about her friends, someone who is far more confident in themselves than they once were. Marianne's development is truly one of the most fleshed out and powerful in the entire game. One of the best parts of choosing the Golden Deer House is watching Marianne slowly progress into a completely different person than who she once was.