Imperial Knights route planner

Use this page as a decision tree next to the game. The full essay is the route guide. The room order for the default path is the walkthrough. If the guild fee prompt is already up, do not scroll social media — pick a bullet here.

Save in the Ashley manor first.

Question A — Guild fee

A1. Prepare the money yourself

You are on Route 1.

Next clicks: used dress at home → sell at weapon shop → guild certificate → shop Repair Kits → North Road → rescue Lysithea.

Play this on a new Steam file. It teaches combat and unlocks Ether Knight in a readable way.

Stop reading this planner until Seikuri unless you are lost. Go to the walkthrough.

A2. Let Sting cover the fee

You are in the Route 2/3 funnel. West road ambush → hideout. Winning the ambush does not skip the cage.

Go to Question B.

Question B — Hideout (only if you answered A2)

You must recover equipment and leave.

B1. Fail escape three or more times or fight Butts and lose

You are on Route 2.

Expect facility maps, Tania segments, Bio Worm’s delayed wipe, Jupiter Mountain, a meaner Seikuri. Designed as New Game+. If this is file one and Butts flattened you, that was the design.

B2. Escape cleanly or fight Butts and win

You are on Route 3.

Expect Machant, mines / Ellis, elf woods, Hertzots casino, volcano, Fortress Eraser. Butts is a NG+ trophy. Escape-without-boss is the first-file way if you insist on Route 3 early (not recommended).

Question C — What did you actually want?

Goal	Pick
Ether Knight trailer fantasy, Tear, church healer	A1 (Route 1)
See the empire’s underside, Tania, facilities	A2 then B1 (Route 2), preferably NG+
Mercenary frontier, Ellis, casino, fortress	A2 then B2 (Route 3), preferably NG+
All galleries	All three files + checklist
Clean first-file Diana	A1 only
Fight Butts for sport	NG+ then A2 then win B2

Question D — Already locked in?

• North Road forest with Lysithea rescue → you are Route 1. This planner is done.
• Naked hideout stealth → you answered A2. Count your failed escapes before you fight Butts.
• Machant merchant jobs → Route 3. Do not look for Protea’s grandmother.
• Slave facility as the main dungeon (not the small Route 1 sewer visit) → Route 2.

If none of those match, you are still in Maldonia. Return to Question A.

Party reminders at the split

• Route 1 default: Diana / Lysithea / later Tear. Party list.
• Route 2 default: whoever the hideout left you with, then Tania. Hire Lysithea on NG+ if she is on the board.
• Route 3 default: Ellis as soon as the mine spits her out. Casino lives on tools.

Do not import a Protea herbal-medicine note into Route 3. Do not import Ellis-in-the-wall into Route 1’s first week.

NG+ order we recommend

1. Route 1 normal or crest ending.
2. Route 3 (win Butts or escape with stats).
3. Route 2 (you already know how ugly it is).
4. DLC hard jobs per route (DLC).

Reverse that order only if you like facility stealth more than knights. The review will not save you from a first-file Route 2.

Printable stub

• Manor save created
• A1 or A2 chosen on purpose
• If A2: B1 or B2 chosen on purpose
• Repair Kits in bag
• Next page: walkthrough (R1) or route essay (R2/R3)

That is the whole planner. It is short because the game’s split is short. The campaigns after the split are not.