It bugs me that you can’t play a fully virtuous/honorable Henry without missing some quests. I mean there are plenty of quests which want you to do something either illegal or morally questionable and there is no alternative way to solve the quest. Of course you can say no I’m not doing that but that’s the same as refusing the quest which is just a waste. I would love to do those quests but I want to be able to solve it differently. Besides as someone who wants to play a reputable Henry I often come across obstacles which question my attitude. On the other hand it’s also hard to play a mischievous/devious Henry since there are just as many quests which require you to be upright. So I always feel like I don’t really know the identity of my Henry although I know what I want him to be. I think it’s problematic that Henry’s actions and attitude are so inconsistent because it’s quite immersion breaking. What do you guys think? Did you have the same experience while trying to play a righteous or more wicked Henry?
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… erm, just don’t do the quest.
I actually prefer it that way. I hate games that call themselves, “open world”, where you actually have to do virtually every single quest in the game. If the quest involves stealing stuff or murdering, and you want to be virtuous, just don’t do it. In fact, that’s what gives the game “replay-ability”. If you have to do every single quest every play-through, there’s no reason to go back and do it again in a different style.
To that end, I was thinking of starting a new game and either playing a fully virtuous Henry (so not even looting bodies or poaching), which would be extremely difficult (how are you going to make money?), or a real scum-bag Henry, that murdered and robbed and stole at every chance. It might be difficult, but it would be fun.
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The only problem I have is that if you want to play a criminal type character it has no effect on the main quests. Main quests you seem to be always having to do the right thing more or less. I could kill a whole town amd radzig would still want me in his squad. It would have been good to see the main story play out a little differently if i became an outlaw of bohemia
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That’s what I’m talking about. I want to play a virtuous Henry but I had to steal the ring to pay off the debt at the begininng and I had to do poaching because there are so many quests which require it and I had to loot every body because that’s pretty much all of my income. It’s kinda forced on to you. Of course I can ignore those quests but that can’t really be their purpose right? I’d rather be able to do the quest but with different solutions so that I can choose a different outcome in another playthrough.
I really think it’s okay to ignore quests (and I don’t even know which ring you stole). I wanted to play virtuous, and ran around with nothing for a good portion at the start, eating mushrooms in the forest and stuff and living pretty much like the other refugees. I actually sold all my clothes to pay off the debts!
Things turned around a bit when I got “enlisted” into Sir Ratzig’s service, and they gave me a batton and some armour. I started killing bandits and selling their equipment (which doesn’t get marked as “stolen” when you get it). When i discovered hunting, I shot a heaps of things and collectd the meat without realizing it was “poaching”. So the full virtuious path was out the window and I went semi-virtuous instead, which basicaly meant I could poach and loot “bad guys” corpses. Once I started doing just that much, it was a fast-track to being ultra-wealthy.
Im actually testing some quests myself to see if there are hidden alternatives.
One i found when sabotaging the executions for the rattay executioner you can warn his rival of the sabotage if you want. If you sabotage his items then warn you can even get a good amount of coin per item you warn him about. The game doesnt mention that or hint at all.
I feel there are a good amount of quests like that which you shouldn’t always take at face value. I say accept all quests but try to finish them your way, maybe you can unlock a route no one knows
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You dont have to steal the ring. You can make money picking herbs and selling. Once you have 50 you can tell the miller hey i just want to pay you. Another 50 and you can pay off the doctor as well.
Picking herbs is annoying but legal for your next game.
As for corpse looting no decent Christian should do that 
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I think playing full on golden-boy virtuous is just very hard. Not impossible. And of course it’s limiting. It’s limiting just like it would be in real life.
What annoys me on that front, is that you can’t control all the stuff Henry says and does. For example, at the start, if I could have chosen I just would have done everything Lord Capon told me to do without question. Not be a smart-arse and get in a punch-up with him, etc. True, he’s a bit of an annoying twat, but he’s still a noble and lord. If you did that stuff in real life back then, you’d probably be getting executed for treason.
The game is “semi” open world. Definitely better than most RPGs. But it’s still not as open as lots of the reviews and stuff I read before I bought it claimed. I was looking forwards to a totally open, unscripted game. The truth is that it really isn’t that far ahead of other RPGs when it comes to stuff being scripted and out of your control.
I found that out later, but then again I had to get the ring since I wanted to unlock the millers as merchants. I also found out that you can just talk to the executioner and buy the ring from him but I didn’t try that since Peshek told me not to speak with him about it. So in the end I had to knock him out from behind because my lockpicking skill sucks and I just I hope he didn’t remember me. 
Since I did that and also do poaching, looting and selling stolen stuff I guess I can’t call my Henry righteous after all…
Lol fair enough.
Oh, just in case you restart. You dont even need to steal the armor or horse in the prologue. You can just fall down between the chains on the draw bridge. Never steal Henry is really hard.
I knew that! But I thought I’m breaking the law anyway if I escape so I might as well equip myself properly. Besides I had the gate guard’s and Lady Stephanie’s approval so I guess it was ok. And to be honest I didn’t want to go on the dangerous path to Skalitz without any armor.
… I didn’t even know you could do those things. I just leapt off the bridge and ran.
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Really? First thing I did was trying to get out through the gate. The guard stopped me and said he would be willing to let me through if I were disguised. I thought this was the way more obvious path than finding the spot at the bridge where you could jump off. Also if I remember correctly the game even tells you to get a horse.
I stole a horse from one of the Cumans trying to rape Theresa (?) which was also distraction enough to “save” her. Didn’t get to keep it though. 
I suppose maybe the “most obedient” thing to do would be to follow orders of your liege, stay there and let your parents rot. I wonder what would happen then? Just wander around the fort until you starve, I guess…
Edit: oh that rape save thing was later, wasn’t it? Can’t quite remember how it played out for me. I do remember I just did a runner though, with nothing. Haha.
What you say would require much more time and effort, and this game was already being rushed to get out of the door. It could’ve happened, but then you would’ve complained it took too long.
Yeah well the horse you take after rescuing Theresa will wait for you in the Talmberg stables, in the courtyard. Once you reach Rowna you lose it though. And yeah the whole escaping thing thing was quite irrelevant since when you return to Talmberg later nobody cares that you were away and disobeyed your lord. That was quite disappointing…
But that is the point of this game, just like life, no one is completely good, or completely bad. And sometimes you have to choose the grey area.
So you are telling me if you were an actual refugee living in a hostile environment and you were starving you would not kill a rabbit if you had the chance, or loot a dead body you discovered…you are a better person than I.
Sure it may have been nice to have the main quest reflect your actions more but that would have been extremely difficult. I think they did a good job of giving you options.
Don’t get me wrong. Of course I like having more grey than black and white within the characters but the way Henry presents himself and the answers he gives just feel inappropriate sometimes. For example I just accepted the quest from one farmer in Sasau who wants me to steal money from his colleague. Now Henry can either decline saying “No I’m not that kind of person” or he accepts and says “Yes, I’m the right person for that!”. So there is not much grey area here right?
“if you were an actual refugee living in a hostile environment” That’s the point. Henry has a high ranking job and is quite wealthy compared to his neighbors. So he basically has no need to become criminal but he does it anyway because he gets the quest from the refugees.
well you don’t start out with your good job. So that is were the grey area comes in, would you die for your convictions, ie not stealing to eat. And after you get your good job you can decide to play it straight or line your pockets on the side or steal from everyone, or no one.
Sometime decisions are binary, steal or don’t, sometimes there is no other way to achieve the goal.
I think over the years of playing games we have been taught that all quests need to be completed, but that is not the case especially here.
Well maybe it’s just me but I want to complete all quests.