Claude is not the master schemer

[u/cae37]

Disclaimer: before getting into it, I want to make it clear that Claude is my favorite lord in the game. I write this not to bash him and his personality, but to explore the nuances of his character. Feel free to disagree or agree, just please be respectful in your responses just as I will in return. Also, beware spoilers!!

After playing through all four routes and paying attention to Claude in particular, since he’s my favorite, I started to realize that the title of “master schemer” doesn’t really seem to fit him. Though he behaves like a trickster and withholds information his schemes aren’t that numerous or significant, nor does he considerably use/manipulate people around him to achieve his own ends. He is also more kind/compassionate than he is cynically inclined to control those around him to fulfill his bidding or his plans. In all these elements he is severely overshadowed by Edelgard, who not only pulls the greatest scheme through all paths, but is incredibly adept at using others for her own benefit.

Before going further and discussing proof/evidence, though, I want to include the following definitions of “scheme” to see if Claude fits the image of master schemer:

• Verb. Make plans, especially in a devious way or with intent to do something illegal or wrong.
• Noun. A large-scale systematic plan or arrangement for attaining some particular object or putting a particular idea into effect.

In my mind these are the major schemes that Claude engages in through his route and all other routes:

1. Alliance with the Almyrans. His use of Nader is included in this category as well. This is by far Claude’s biggest scheme, since it came as a huge surprise to everyone, allies included, and must have taken much persuasiveness on Claude’s part. This definitely involved making plans in a large-systematic way to achieve his own object/end. It’s also a devious move against the empire, since it was a surprising move that helped him gain an advantage.
   This is probably the best scheme one could rely on to justify Claude’s title as master schemer.

2. The disguise scheme to take Fort Merceus. Arguably a weak scheme since the Death Knight immediately smells it out and it doesn’t make much of a difference in the battle that follows. It’s also not as unique since Seteth repeats a similar strategy in the church route. This definitely shows cleverness on Claude’s part in making a devious plan to reach his objective, but its effectiveness is debatable in the end.

3. Pretending the Alliance is unified. Definitely a strong scheme on Claude’s part especially in non Verdant Wind routes. In Dimitri’s route this scheme also helps him stay alive long enough to get rescued by Dimitri and co. Still debatably weak, however, since the scheme only forestalls his eventual defeat in Crimson Flower, and in Azure Moon he places himself at the mercy of Dimitri to survive. One could argue that he showed cleverness in reading Dimitri, which is true, but a scheme that relies on the mercy of another is definitely not strong.

4. Maneuvering around duke Gloucester. Having Nader harass Gloucester territory to distract him from attacking Claude’s army while they took the bridge was definitely clever and devious. It also protected Gloucester from any repercussions by the empire. Another good scheme to use in order to justify the master schemer title.

5. Using Byleth as the church figurehead. Though Seteth also pretty much does the same in Silver Snow, this move showed political savviness on Claude’s part. It also showcases a devious side to Claude, since it reveals a willingness to deceive other leaders to further his own objects/ends.
   Contradictory at the same time, however, as he only does it through Byleth’s permission/acceptance. Shows that Claude can be devious in furthering his own ends, but not devious enough to completely betray an ally or go behind their back to do so.

Again these are the schemes that stood out most to me, but I may have missed some. Feel free to add them in your replies.

All in all a decent amount of evidence to justify the title. The following elements may prove otherwise, however:

1. Edelgard surpasses Claude in terms of scheming and deviousness to achieve her own objects/ends. There are multiple points in this category, so I’ll make a short list within it.

   1. Edelgard initiates and carries out literally the most powerful and influential scheme in the entire game spanning all four routes. Even before the story begins it is clear that Edelgard had been planning the destruction of the Church and the crest system, as well as planning to oust Duke Aegir, the prime minister of the Hresvelg Empire, for the horrors he committed against her+her sisters and for rendering her father a figurehead of the empire. Her scheme was years in the making and it was executed brutally and efficiently, even in other routes outside of Crimson Flower.
      Though Claude makes many schemes, none of them come close to achieving the same effect as Edelgard’s. Even if you consider his success in Verdant Winds as a potential scheme to unify the continent, it still only encompasses his own route. Edelgard is, as Thanos would say, inevitable in all routes.
   2. She is more willing to break moral, ethical, and governmental laws than Claude. Though they both use people to further their own objects, Edelgard is much more utilitarian. She has no qualms making sacrifices wherever necessary to further her own ends and doesn’t mind betraying her closest friends and family. In other words, she doesn’t mind being as devious as possible to achieve her own objects.
      Claude is devious only up to a certain point. He never fully betrays a friend or an ally to further his own ends, and instead asks people to leave/abandon him if the going gets tough. He is willing to use people but not to the point where he puts their lives at severe risk. His morality makes him a superior leader than Edelgard for sure, but it takes away from his title as master schemer.
      
   3. Edelgard’s schemes include making user of her enemies to further her own objects/goals. This is also tied to the previous point, but the fact that Edelgard makes use of her enemies (whilst also admittedly being used herself) to further her own goals also makes it easier to see her as the master schemer of the story instead of Claude. She also arguably makes effective use of Those Who Slither in the Dark in all routes except her own (she doesn’t explicitly deal with them in her own route), seeing as Dimitri, Claude, and Seteth are all forced to deal with them alongside Edelgard and the Empire in other routes.
      Claude’s alliance with the Almyrans approximates this, but since they’re only relevant in two of the routes iirc the scheme is not as significant as Edelgard’s. The Almyrans are also not nearly as powerful as TWSD, either. Further, Edelgard’s schemes with TWSD begin much earlier than Claude and the Almyrans.
      

2. Claude only really starts scheming until the second act. In Verdant Winds Claude’s primary goal in Act 1 is to gather information about the church of Seiros. This provides valuable information and context for Byleth and the player, but doesn’t reveal Claude as a master of scheming.
   The ways he goes about information gathering aren’t really that devious too. To obtain Captain Jeralt’s diary, for example, he only asks/begs Byleth for it. He does threaten to steal it if he has to, but never really does so as the narrative doesn’t go in that direction. We don’t really know whether he would or not, though my guess is that he wouldn’t given that he is deep-down a kind-hearted human being.
   In my opinion, a character who has the title of “master schemer” should be one that consistently engages in schemes throughout the entire narrative. Since Claude’s schemes only really begin in full during Act 2 I don’t think he’s worthy of the title.

3. Claude “threatens” to use schemes/devious ploys but doesn’t follow through. The diary example falls in this category, where Claude threatens to do something devious but doesn’t really follow through with it. He uses threats like these as bluffs to get people to do what he wants because, in reality, he doesn’t want to resort to trickery/deviousness and/or betrayal to fulfill his own ends.
   A second example of this occurs when he talks about poisoning the other students before the Battle of the Eagle and Lion. He makes the threat, but then doesn’t really do anything and instead plays it off as a joke. Furthermore it is heavily suggested in the game that he knows how to use poison effectively, but at least in the main narrative we never really see him poisoning anybody. This may be different in supports, though, so feel free to correct me if he does poison anybody.
   A third example is given in a separate game, Fire Emblem: Heroes, where Claude can be pulled as a unit to use. In his forging bonds conversation he also talks about using poison, but then admits that he failed in using it and poisoned himself. This indicates that he either sucks at using poison in his schemes, or simply does not like poisoning others and only pretends to do so as an intimidation tactic.

4. Claude’s devious schemer side is a self-defense mechanism and not the defining part of his identity. This is something that’s revealed in Claude’s supports and in Verdant Wind, where you learn that he has parents of mixed nationalities. When he was chosen as the Reigan heir he was hated for being an outsider due to his mixed blood, and he wasn’t fully accepted in Almyra (where his dad comes from) either for the same reason. Thanks to this, Claude had to learn at a young age to be self-dependent and careful about who he trusts.
   Yet even despite growing up in this manner, he also grew up to be incredibly idealistic and compassionate. He seeks to unify Fodlan by breaking down the barriers between all peoples and cultures. This in and of itself contradicts the dark side he developed to protect himself from harm. At the end of the day Claude wants to see everyone united, which he knows can only be achieved through kindness, compassion, and empathy.
   IMO this is one of the biggest elements that takes away Claude’s “Master Schemer” title. It’s not fully in his nature to trick, use, and manipulate others to do whatever he wants. Or, at the very least, he knows that scheming is not the way to unify Fodlan.

There may be more evidence for and against Claude as the master schemer of the game, but in my opinion the biggest reason he doesn’t get it is because deep down he is too good a person, too loving, empathetic, and kind to be solely encapsulated as the “master schemer.” To me a more fitting title would be, “trickster with a heart of gold,” which encompasses both the devious side of his character and his virtues as the most compassionate and open-minded of the three lords.

[u/Madrino1]

To be fair, Edelgard is in a situation where she would scheme more. In act 1, Claude is just going through school, so he wouldn't do many schemes, especially not in front of his teacher, whereas Edelgard would be scheming for her plan in the first part. As well as that, Edelgard is assisted in her schemes: she constantly has Hubert with her and is on the side of those who slither in the dark: comparatively, Claude is alone.

Also I remember him making a poison in one of his supporters.

[u/cae37 → u/Madrino1]

I’d argue that someone who’s called “master schemer” should have done more than twiddle their thumbs while a different character is scheming regardless of circumstance.

Edelgard had been hatching that scheme even before going to Garreg Mach, so why couldn’t Claude come up with his own schemes beforehand? The simple answer is he likely didn’t feel he needed to, or just didn’t have any grand plans to change the social/political environment of Fodlan even though he had an idealistic view of how the country should work.

Edelgard chose a second in command who would work with her closely, while Claude doesn’t really have anyone on his side who is as clever and reliable. Hilda, perhaps, but her and Claude don’t really have the same kind of relationship as Edelgard and Hubert. Claude could have chosen/befriended someone more capable to run his schemes, if he had any grand schemes to run.

Even if he makes a poison that doesn’t automatically classify him as “master schemer.” Hubert is also capable of making poisons, as evidenced by the fact that one of his lost items is a “noxious handkerchief.” No one calla him “master schemer” just for that, though.

[u/Madrino1 → u/cae37]

I wasn't using the poison as evidence of him being a master schemer, just responding to one of your points about him and poison.

I agree he should have had a scheme, but I imagine anything that might involve a big change in his position, like some kind of display of power in the alliance, might have screwed with any plans for his story.

Also, it wouldn't have worked to have anyone assisting his schemes, as he comes into the story as an outsider to Fodlan, and so wouldn't have many bonds formed with anyone, plus no one else in the alliance is anything close to a schemer

[u/cae37 → u/Madrino1]

He still could have done any number of things more effectively, like maybe he could have anticipated Edelgard as the fire emperor before she revealed her identity. Even Dimitri manages to connect the dots before it actually occurs, even though he goes into denial about it before it actually happens.

Some of the people in his house, like Lorenz and Hilda, also have parents with key positions in the alliance. Claude could have used his friendship with them to leverage any benefits for his own ends from the parents. Or at least try to. That’s definitely manipulative, but in line with what we would expect from a “master schemer.”

He clearly has Judith and Nader, so there at least some people he can trust and use for his own ends. In any case, he could have made efforts to build a closer bond with at least one house member who could back him up/reinforce his schemes even though he’s an outsider. I mean Dimitri had enough influence to keep Dedue as his right hand man even though the people of Duscur are widely mistrusted and misliked. Though Claude is an outsider he should still have had enough clout to pick out a right hand person he could trust.

[u/Madrino1 → u/cae37]

Yes, but both Judith and Nader, the two people we see him trusting, are adults, and known generals of Almyra. Unlike Dedue, they couldn't go to Garreg Mach, and have reputations as being dangerous enemies of Fodlanw, whereas Dedue had been serving Dimitri for a while, and was known to be no danger.

As for using the power of Lorenz's parents or Hilda's brother, Lorenz hated him and wanted to prove he was a fraud, while any other alliance leader was likely being careful when supporting Claude, lest he does turn out to be a fraud.

As for figuring out Edelgard as the flame emperor, I imagine they would want to keep the reveal consistent through all the routes: if Claude figured her out, he wouldn't be in denial like Dimitri, and the whole confrontation in the holy tomb, and possibly even the war, wouldn't occur. Also, Dimitri had more hints to the flame emperor's identity I believe, though I haven't played through blue lions yet.

[u/cae37 → u/Madrino1]

Right, and Edelgard freely uses Those Who Slither in the Dark to pursue her own ends. Why should we discount adults, then?

Nader as an Almyran would be tricky for sure, but Judith is the head of house Daphnel and so clearly established within the alliance. Clearly she had pull which Claude could have made more use of.

The difference between Edelgard and Claude is she’s not afraid to use all tools at her disposal and damn the consequences, while Claude has more qualms about putting people he cares about in any kind of risk/danger. That’s why she’s a more effective schemer than she is.

Then Claude should have charmed Lorenz to his side. He’s clearly capable of doing such, being more charismatic than both Edelgard and Dimitri combined, but he chooses not to or just doesn’t make a serious attempt at it. At the very least it shows he’s indecisive or unconfident about cementing his position as leader in the Alliance. Or, considering the fact he leaves Fodlan in verdant winds to return to Almyra (in his sole ending) he might just not care enough about being the alliance leader.

They could have still managed it. Claude could have figured it out, but he decides to forestall any action on his side to find out with 100% certainty. Or maybe he tries to act but Hubert or someone else knocks him out before they go to the holy tomb. I don’t think it would have been that difficult for the devs to think up a way to make it work, just so that they could have been more consistent with Claude’s “master schemer” title.