Io can be recruited on all four Flame Lord paths, with different Support, Renown and gold requirements. Dietrich has the lowest listed Renown threshold and hiring price. For his combat role, keep the connection between cavalry, attacking first and his special mount Rocinan in view rather than treating every class change as an equivalent option.
Compare recruitment costs first
Game8's Io guide gives the route-specific requirements below. Fire Emblem Wiki's table agrees on the Support and Renown thresholds. The gold figures come from Game8's explicit hiring-price table and should be checked alongside those level requirements.
| Route | Support | Renown | Gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cai | 3 | 10 | 4,000 |
| Dietrich | 2 | 3 | 800 |
| Theodora | 3 | 10 | 4,000 |
| Leda | 1 | 6 | 1,500 |
This makes Dietrich the least demanding route in Renown and money, but not the lowest Support requirement. Leda's listed Support threshold is lower while her Renown and gold requirements are higher. Use the route-specific requirements above and the route overview to plan around your actual path, rather than applying the cheapest table row to every save.
Why cavalry suits Io
Io's personal ability, With My Steed, is conditional on being cavalry and attacking first. Game8 lists Shield plus three and Dodge plus thirty during that combat. IGN's character recommendations describe the same cavalry-and-initiation condition when explaining his appeal.
Those conditions are as important as the bonus values. Moving him into a different unit type means that this personal ability no longer supplies the same benefit, and waiting for an enemy to initiate does not satisfy its attack-first requirement. Read the forecast and enemy ranges instead of interpreting a cavalry bonus as protection in every exchange.
His later Mounted Push ability also rewards initiating as cavalry. Game8 lists Hit plus ten at level twenty, with the upgraded version adding attack at level thirty-five. The shared direction is a mounted unit who starts combat, not an unrestricted defensive bonus that activates whenever he is targeted.
Choose a class path deliberately
Game8 recommends Gladiator, Light Cavalry, Bardinger and Orichaldia as a class progression. Its Gladiator suggestion is an early Strength-development choice before leaning into the cavalry path. Io's skill boons in Spears, Axes and Riding support the mounted physical direction.
The same source lists White Magic and Flying as banes. That does not establish that every alternative is impossible, but it gives a reason to compare the training investment before changing direction. Review the class hub if you want to adapt the recommendation to a role your current party lacks.
IGN separately suggests Cataphract as a durable option on Theodora's path. That is a role-based recommendation rather than proof that one class is best in all routes and at every stage. Choose between a more armored role and the other cavalry progression according to what you need Io to do.
Keep Rocinan in the plan
Rocinan is part of Io's distinctive mounted setup. Game8 describes him arriving with the mount when placed into a cavalry class, while IGN notes that Io can obtain mount-related benefits beyond the ordinary options available outside Cai's path. That is why evaluating his visible stats without considering the steed can miss part of the character's utility.
Cai's route changes the comparison because it provides broader animal-capture options. Game8's mount list treats Rocinan as locked to Io on other routes and compares it with the alternatives Cai can capture. Use those alternatives as a route-specific choice, not a reason to assume every Io can equip any horse immediately.
Recruitment is only the beginning
After hiring him, develop the skills that support the class direction you chose. Build Support with units you expect to deploy beside him rather than continuing to buy gifts solely because recruitment began with a relationship requirement. The Support guide explains that next stage.
If you are still working toward his requirements, separate the three tasks clearly. Raise the required Support, reach the route's Renown threshold and reserve the hiring gold. The Support guide and Renown guide explain the first two preparations without obscuring the final payment.