EPISODE 1 CHOICES

Episode 1 All Choices Guide - Perfect Tutorial Start | Dispatch 2025

Complete breakdown of all 5 critical choices in Episode 1 "Dispatch". Set up your entire playthrough correctly from the beginning with optimal leadership, trust building, and romance setup!

📖 Episode 1 Context

Episode 1 "Dispatch" is the tutorial episode where you learn the fundamentals and meet the Z-Team. While it's forgiving compared to later episodes, your choices here establish trust foundations that affect your entire playthrough.

🎯Goal: Build 70%+ trust with primary romance target
💣Major Event: Mecha Man suit is destroyed by a bomb (plot twist revealed in Episode 7)
⚠️Impact: Sets leadership style and romance interest flags

📊 Community Choice Statistics

73%

Choose collaborative leadership style

68%

Send Blonde Blazer on first mission

81%

Choose investigation response after explosion

59%

Set up Blonde Blazer romance path

1

Leadership Style Introduction

📍 When: First team meeting, ~5 minutes into Episode 1
🎯 Impact: Affects all hero trust levels and leadership perception

The Scenario

You're the new dispatcher for Valhalla's Z-Team. The heroes are assembled for your first official meeting. How do you introduce yourself and establish your leadership style?

✓ BEST CHOICE (73% pick this)

"I'm here to support the team's success"

+10 Trust (All Heroes)+5 Team Unity

Immediate Effects:

  • Heroes feel valued and supported
  • Establishes collaborative leadership tone
  • Opens future team-focused dialogue options

Long-term Impact:

  • Easier to build trust in Episodes 2-3
  • Team Unity path becomes available in Episode 6
  • Heroes more receptive to your suggestions
Best for: Team Unity endings, balanced playthroughs, first-time players
○ NEUTRAL

"Let's focus on mission efficiency"

+5 Trust (All Heroes)0 Team Unity

Immediate Effects:

  • Professional but distant relationship
  • Heroes respect competence
  • Pragmatic leadership style

Long-term Impact:

  • Slightly harder to build deep relationships
  • Professional path more natural
  • Still possible to pivot to romance in Episode 2-3
Best for: Professional endings, efficiency-focused players
✗ BAD CHOICE

"I'm in charge now, follow my lead"

-5 Trust (All Heroes)-5 Team Unity

Immediate Effects:

  • Heroes feel disrespected and micromanaged
  • Authoritarian reputation established
  • Dialogue becomes more confrontational

Long-term Impact:

  • Much harder to build trust in later episodes
  • Romance paths require extra effort
  • Team Unity ending becomes very difficult
⚠️ Avoid unless: Intentionally pursuing conflict-heavy playthrough
2

First Mission Assignment

📍 When: ~15 minutes in, first dispatch decision
🎯 Impact: Mission success + specific hero trust

The Scenario

🏦 Bank robbery in progress. Armed suspects inside. Requires STRENGTH-based hero. Who do you dispatch?

Mission Requirements: STR 70+, Low Fatigue
✓ BEST CHOICE (68% pick this)

Send Blonde Blazer

STR: 85INT: 60Fatigue: 0%
Mission Success+15 Trust (Blazer)

Why This Works:

  • Perfect stat match (STR 85 vs requirement 70)
  • Blazer appreciates your confidence in her abilities
  • Romance Setup: Shows you trust her as team leader

Blazer's Response:

"Thanks for trusting me with this. I won't let you down."

Best for: Blonde Blazer romance path, optimal mission success
○ RISKY BUT WORKS

Send Invisigal

STR: 55 ⚠️INT: 95Fatigue: 0%
Mission Partial Success+10 Trust (Invisigal)

What Happens:

  • Mission succeeds but with complications
  • Invisigal uses INT-based stealth approach instead
  • More property damage, longer mission time

Long-term Impact:

  • Sets up Invisigal romance interest
  • Shows you see creative solutions
  • Blazer feels slightly overlooked (-5 Trust)
Best for: Invisigal romance path (accept the complications)
✗ MISSION FAILURE

Send Low-STR Hero (Waterboy, etc.)

Mission Failure-10 Trust (Assigned Hero)-5 Team Morale

What Happens:

  • Hero is overwhelmed by armed suspects
  • Backup required, embarrassing situation
  • Team questions your judgment

Recovery:

Possible to recover, but sets bad precedent. Heroes will doubt future assignments.

⚠️ Avoid: Always check mission requirements vs hero stats!
💡 Pro Tip: This choice teaches you the core dispatch mechanic. Always match hero strengths to mission requirements. Strength missions need STR heroes, Stealth missions need INT heroes.
3

Response to Mecha Man Explosion

📍 When: ~30 minutes in, after suit destruction
🎯 Impact: Team Unity, leadership perception, investigation setup

💣 THE CRITICAL EVENT

Your Mecha Man powered suit is destroyed by a bomb during a routine patrol. This is NOT an accident - someone planted it deliberately.

⚠️ Major Spoiler: The bomb was planted by Invisigal (revealed in Episode 7). But you don't know this yet!

The team is shaken. Everyone's looking to you for guidance. How do you respond?

✓ BEST CHOICE (81% pick this)

"We need to investigate who did this"

+10 Team Unity+5 Trust (All Heroes)

Immediate Effects:

  • Shows leadership under pressure
  • Team rallies around common goal
  • Investigation subplot begins

Long-term Impact:

  • Sets up Episode 7 revelation properly
  • Heroes respect your calm rationality
  • Investigation clues appear in Episodes 2-6

Episode 7 Connection:

This choice makes Invisigal's confession in Episode 7 hit harder emotionally. You've been investigating for 6 episodes!

Best for: All playthroughs, maximum story impact
○ NEUTRAL

"I'm okay, let's continue operations"

+5 Trust (All Heroes)0 Team Unity

Immediate Effects:

  • Professional, stoic response
  • Heroes admire your resilience
  • Investigation subplot minimized

Long-term Impact:

  • Less emotional weight in Episode 7 reveal
  • Fewer investigation clues appear
  • Focus stays on romance/missions
Best for: Players who want less subplot complexity
✗ BAD CHOICE

"This is someone's fault on the team"

-15 Team Unity-10 Trust (All Heroes)

Immediate Effects:

  • Heroes feel accused and defensive
  • Team morale plummets
  • Invisigal becomes especially distant (guilt)

Long-term Impact:

  • Team Unity ending nearly impossible
  • Much harder to build trust in Episodes 2-6
  • Episode 7 confession creates MORE team conflict
⚠️ Major Drawback: Poisoning team relationships this early is very hard to recover from
4

First Personal Conversation

📍 When: Evening after the explosion, ~45 minutes in
🎯 Impact: Major romance setup, vulnerability vs professionalism

The Scenario

It's after hours. Blonde Blazer approaches you privately in the dispatch office. She's concerned about the explosion and wants to check if you're really okay.

Emotional Tone: Genuine concern, slightly vulnerable moment for both of you
✓ ROMANCE SETUP (59% pick this)

"I appreciate you checking on me"

+20 Trust (Blazer)Romance Interest Flag

Immediate Effects:

  • Warm, personal moment between you
  • Blazer opens up about her own fears
  • Conversation lasts 5 more minutes (extended scene)

Romance Path Impact:

  • Critical for Blazer romance: Sets interest flag
  • Episode 2 personal conversations become available
  • Episode 3 romance choice becomes natural progression

Blazer's Response:

"I'm glad you're okay. I... I was worried. We need you here."

REQUIRED for: Blonde Blazer romance path
○ PROFESSIONAL

"I'm fine, thanks for asking"

+5 Trust (Blazer)

Immediate Effects:

  • Polite but distant
  • Conversation ends quickly
  • Professional relationship maintained

Romance Path Impact:

  • Romance still POSSIBLE but harder
  • Requires extra trust building in Episode 2
  • Episode 3 romance choice less natural
Best for: Professional ending, or Invisigal romance instead
✗ CLOSES ROMANCE

"I don't need anyone's concern"

-10 Trust (Blazer)Romance Flag Blocked

Immediate Effects:

  • Blazer feels hurt and rejected
  • She withdraws emotionally
  • Becomes much more professional/distant

Romance Path Impact:

  • Blazer romance effectively closed
  • Very difficult to recover even in Episode 2-3
  • She'll remember this rejection
⚠️ Only choose if: You definitely want Professional or Invisigal path
💕 Romance Tip: This is your FIRST major romance fork. If you want Blonde Blazer romance, you must choose the warm/appreciative option here. The professional response leaves romance possible but much harder.
5

End of Episode Reflection

📍 When: Final scene of Episode 1
🎯 Impact: Episode 2 starting trust, personal goals

The Scenario

Alone in your apartment after your first day. You reflect on what happened and what matters most to you going forward.

✓ BALANCED

"I want to protect the team and city"

+5 Trust (All Heroes)Balanced Path
Best for: Keeping all options open for Episode 2
○ ROMANCE FOCUS

"I want to build something meaningful here"

+10 Trust (Romance Target)Romance Focus
Best for: Players committed to romance path
○ MISSION FOCUS

"I need to find who planted that bomb"

Investigation BoostProfessional Path
Best for: Professional ending, mystery focus

🌟 Optimal Episode 1 Choices Path

For Perfect Blonde Blazer Romance Setup:

1

"I'm here to support the team's success" (+10 All)

2

Send Blonde Blazer on first mission (+15 Blazer)

3

"We need to investigate who did this" (+10 Unity)

4

"I appreciate you checking on me" (+20 Blazer, Romance Flag) ⭐ CRITICAL

5

"I want to build something meaningful here"

Result: 70+ Trust with Blazer, Romance Interest established, All future romance options unlocked

For Team Unity / Balanced Path:

1

"I'm here to support the team's success" (+10 All)

2

Send Blonde Blazer (best stats match)

3

"We need to investigate who did this" (+10 Unity) ⭐ CRITICAL

4

"I'm fine, thanks for asking" (Professional)

5

"I want to protect the team and city"

Result: Balanced trust across all heroes, Team Unity path available, Professional ending possible

📖 Episode Choice Guides Series

Episode 1 is the foundation. See how your choices evolve:

💡 Pro Tip: Episode 1 is forgiving - you can recover from minor mistakes in Episode 2. But choices #2 (mission success) and #4 (romance setup) have the biggest long-term impact. Episode 3 is where choices become PERMANENT.

🛠️ Essential Tools for Episode 1

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