Who should live and take the secret message in Rise of the Ronin?

Very early in Rise of the Ronin, you’re forced to choose between your two custom Blade Twins. At the end of the tutorial mission, only one of them can live and take the secret message. Which of the two should you choose, though?

When the Blue Demon presents you with the choice, the consequences are laid out plain as day. Whoever you choose to live and take the secret message will become the main protagonist of Rise of the Ronin and the other Blade Twin will be lost as a playable character. That wording is very particular, though, so some players are wondering what will really happen to the Blade Twin that they don’t choose.

Which Blade Twin Should Take the Secret Message in Rise of the Ronin?

Put simply, you should choose the Blade Twin that you want to play as. While you customize both of them during the character creation process, only one of them can be the protagonist of the game. Just choose your favorite between the two or the one you spent the most time customizing. Their playstyles are exactly the same and you’ll have access to the same weapons, equipment, and skills no matter what.

The other Blade Twin isn’t lost forever, though. Notice how the warning only says “lose as a playable character.” The Blade Twin that you don’t choose still has a role to play in Rise of the Ronin’s story, but we’ll let you find out more details on your own. Just know that your time wasn’t wasted if you spent hours poring over every detail of both characters in the character creator.

If you end up regretting your decision later on, then there is technically a way to swap to the other Blade Twin down the line. Once you unlock the Longhouse where you can transmog your gear and change your appearance, you can return to the character creator and customize both Blade Twins for free.

Once you’re back in the customization menu, select Options and then Save/Load Settings. This will let you save your characters’ appearance data. Just save both Twins’ appearances and then Load your desired look onto the playable one. It’s definitely not an intended feature, but this workaround is great if you want to play as the other Blade Twin for a while.