How does one raise house relations?

[Charles]

I've noticed house relations are really easy to decrease but rather hard to increase. A lot of actions that really should increase them just don't. Any ideas on what you are supposed to do to raise them?

[Forblaze]

Becoming friends with them is usually how I do it. Costs nothing and is easy.

[Charles]

Originally posted by Forblaze:

Becoming friends with them is usually how I do it. Costs nothing and is easy.

Fair enough, but doesn't that only work on house heads?

[Half-lidded Bruiser]

Send gifts of money or artifacts. Form alliances when you can. And yeah, I think it's only house head-house head interactions that improve relations.
The Chad strategy is, of course. pissing off everyone. Then, you play in hard mode as 30 feuding houses are constantly trying to assassinate you, your family, your staff, your vassals, your dog, your mailman, your neighbors, your parents (who are already dead), and even themselves when the aggression overheats.

[Charles]

Originally posted by Half-lidded Bruiser:

Send gifts of money or artifacts. Form alliances when you can. And yeah, I think it's only house head-house head interactions that improve relations.
The Chad strategy is, of course. pissing off everyone. Then, you play in hard mode as 30 feuding houses are constantly trying to assassinate you, your family, your staff, your vassals, your dog, your mailman, your neighbors, your parents (who are already dead), and even themselves when the aggression overheats.

That sounds like an absolute riot! Does the whole artifact thing have a cooldown? So could I just send a dude like 30 artifacts and make their house adore mine?

[Half-lidded Bruiser]

Artifact-gifting has a cooldown. Unfortunately, you'll have to accept that you can't be best friends with everyone.

[Devil_JCS]

Originally posted by Charles:

Originally posted by Forblaze:

Becoming friends with them is usually how I do it. Costs nothing and is easy.

Fair enough, but doesn't that only work on house heads?

No, giving gifts only works on house heads (sometimes not even then; I've given gifts to Charles the Bald with no effect, despite him being the house head for the Karlings in 867). Befrending always improves it, no matter if it's the house head or their family. Marrying their family also improves it but ideally, before you go that route, use one of the other options since that will upgrade it to cordial if it's the first house interaction.

[Charles]

Originally posted by Half-lidded Bruiser:

Artifact-gifting has a cooldown. Unfortunately, you'll have to accept that you can't be best friends with everyone.

Perfect, thanks!

I just noticed that the way it works is rather weird and am trying to understand it. For instance if a house member revokes a title it gives a relations hit, but granting titles does nothing. The scheme ingratiate house also does nothing. It's all just very odd and I am trying to understand it.

Taking a house member prisoner causes a reduction, releasing them for free pretty much refunds said reduction. This makes sense to me, and I don't see that give and take elsewhere.

[Charles]

Originally posted by Devil_JCS:

Originally posted by Charles:

Fair enough, but doesn't that only work on house heads?

No, giving gifts only works on house heads (sometimes not even then; I've given gifts to Charles the Bald with no effect, despite him being the house head for the Karlings in 867). Befrending always improves it, no matter if it's the house head or their family. Marrying their family also improves it but ideally, before you go that route, use one of the other options since that will upgrade it to cordial if it's the first house interaction.

I coulda sworn I tried it on a normal house member and got nothing for it. Maybe it has a house cooldown?

[Devil_JCS]

Originally posted by Charles:

Originally posted by Devil_JCS:

No, giving gifts only works on house heads (sometimes not even then; I've given gifts to Charles the Bald with no effect, despite him being the house head for the Karlings in 867). Befrending always improves it, no matter if it's the house head or their family. Marrying their family also improves it but ideally, before you go that route, use one of the other options since that will upgrade it to cordial if it's the first house interaction.

I coulda sworn I tried it on a normal house member and got nothing for it. Maybe it has a house cooldown?

Hard to say. I would say that they maybe have to be close family to the house head, but I've already seen a friendship with distant family cause house relations to improve, so... That can't be it. Maybe you only got closer to a friendship and not an actual friendship? That's the only thing I can think of.

[Charles]

Originally posted by Devil_JCS:

Originally posted by Charles:

I coulda sworn I tried it on a normal house member and got nothing for it. Maybe it has a house cooldown?

Hard to say. I would say that they maybe have to be close family to the house head, but I've already seen a friendship with distant family cause house relations to improve, so... That can't be it. Maybe you only got closer to a friendship and not an actual friendship? That's the only thing I can think of.

That's entirely possible, last time I played 1 befriend scheme was all it really took. It seems like that might have changed.

[Devil_JCS]

Originally posted by Charles:

That's entirely possible, last time I played 1 befriend scheme was all it really took. It seems like that might have changed.

Sometimes it's a "half success". As in, instead of a friendship, you end up with a potential friend. More or less halfway there and you'll need another befriend scheme or some other method (event, befriend intent at a feast, your potential friend learns your language and sends you a letter, etc). Needless to say it doesn't count if that happens.

[Nettingman]

So this is my seconds playthrough in Japan, and I think I only ever saw one house Quarreling with me, ALL the others are neutral. I have houses with 7-8 entries of +15% and they stay Neutral on 0 points. Am I missing something or is this a bug?

[Devil_JCS]

Originally posted by Nettingman:

So this is my seconds playthrough in Japan, and I think I only ever saw one house Quarreling with me, ALL the others are neutral. I have houses with 7-8 entries of +15% and they stay Neutral on 0 points. Am I missing something or is this a bug?

They changed the system a bit. It used to be the first interaction changed relations unless it was a marriage. Like, a gift would start you out at cordial, where occasionally raiding someone would instantly start you out at quarreling.

That has changed now. The only time it jumps to another level right away is if you break a grand wedding promise (instantly starts a house feud, which is the lowest relation). You now have to get a certain amount of progress for the house relations to change. It'll take several friendships and gifts to landed house members for it to go up a level now.