A Tribute to the beautiful Queen Galfrey

[Buyung Kilat]

Every now and then I would look at threads talking about the Queen and generally (at times rightfully) opinions about her veer mostly negative. Finally, in my fifth playthrough, I get to play a PC that romances her and it was a wonderful immersive experience. So here's a festive cheer to my beautiful Queen.

I'll be honest, I prepped my PC a lot more thoroughly for this latest playthrough. Because this one was going to be an Angel, supposedly the best mythic path in the game. Yes, he turns out to be pretty badass in combat but the overall experience of following this path has been dull and disappointing. Probably the worst I've done so far. It's not the mythic path itself I suppose. Maybe I'm just an anomaly, or maybe it was my realization by the time I got to act 3 that the LG alignment is one of my least favorite. I've always hated the Hand of the Inheritor, but his boss, that joyless windbag of a goddess was someone I wish I could just kill. I had to keep kissing her ass because she was my patron and I intended to finish the Angel path from the beginning. Seriously, I hate her more than Baphomet now.

Two things kept me going, romancing the Queen, and doing right by that adorably flossy Angel, Targona. I could watch her strut around the abyss all day.

But yeah, in my previous four playthroughs, I had the Queenturned into an old prune, zombified her, or straight out killed her sadistically in front of everyone.This time, I was finally able to play a character who sets aside any grudges and just stand beside her no matter the consequences. I loved her romance scenes, except for those campylove letter dialogues.It was like dark fairy tale about the virtuous but prideful Queen and her forbearing and loyal Commander.

It took me two months to finish this playthrough, at times slogging along but getting excited as I near my reunions with the Queen. For romance, so far I've done Lann, Sosiel, Wenduag, and ugh, Camellia. Queen Galfrey is my favorite by far. I'm doing Demon --> Gold Dragon next with the intent to romance Ulbrig. Saving Daeran and Arueshalae for later because I heard they are absolute fire. Let's see if they can live up to my romance with the Queen.

[Shahadem]

I really cannot stand Galfrey now.

I liked her well enough UNTIL the end of Act 3 when the writers decide to make her be a massive ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ for no reason other than to make her be a massive ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ for no reason.

[Super Cosmic Space Magnet]

I think you're going to absolutely adore Daeran.

As for the Queen, I really like her character arc. The end of Act 3 is such a turning point, and I remember in my first playthrough being completely blown away by her decision. It hadn't been spoiled for me, so the illusion of Galfrey as some unshakable and unbreakable leader was shattered. It makes her fallible, and the way she tries to reinstate you as commander when you meet her again in Iz is a pathetic effort to remedy her mistake.

I think I like it best as Azata, though. Whether you're a carefree Azata who ultimately humbles her with magnanimous forgiveness, or a Callistran Azata of vengeance who comes all the way back from the Abyss just to sink your thumbs into her eyesockets, it creates a fulfilling arc.

Galfrey is a cool character to me. She does exactly what a character in this sort of game should: Present the player with a problem or ethical question with no obviously right or wrong answers.

[Necessary]

Thank you for your opinion, I really like Galfrey myself. Although my favorite playthrough was on Trikster Mythic Path, and my favorite romance is Daeran.

[Schlumpsha]

All hail Queen Raisins!

Or not.

[Raikon]

I like that galfry has a lot of flaws in this game. I think owlcat did a good job in translating her over in my opinion. Ironically Daeran and I had the exact same response at basically the same time on the aoen path regarding galfry.

[Cutlass Jack]

Originally posted by Necessary:

Thank you for your opinion, I really like Galfrey myself. Although my favorite playthrough was on Trikster Mythic Path, and my favorite romance is Daeran.

Trickster is the best. Daeran is also the best, though I never romance him. But he makes every scene better just by being there. Especially the Diplomacy Council where he's the perfect counter to the terrible diplomat sent to be in charge.

Galfrey I do like. I wish her romance was open to Tricksters though. My Trickster Cavalier got along swimmingly with her.

[Moo]

When I first met Daeran, he really rubbed me the wrong way. But he has really grown on me over time.

[Prowl]

Originally posted by jeem1972:

When I first met Daeran, he really rubbed me the wrong way. But he has really grown on me over time.

Same for me, though he will occasionally throw out a ♥♥♥♥ move. I still can't get over how he talks about Terendelev to Hal when Hal just spoke about how he nursed her back into her right mind.
Or when I'm trying to deceive cultists in the Ivory sanctum and he just straight up tells them I bluffed em and they should fight me. I've killed NPC's for less

[Gracey Face]

Originally posted by Shahadem:

I really cannot stand Galfrey now.

I liked her well enough UNTIL the end of Act 3 when the writers decide to make her be a massive ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ for no reason other than to make her be a massive ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ for no reason.

Yeah how forced her betrayal was completely took me out of the game personally. Especially since her reason doesn't even make sense. She's upset that you're doing better than she did and are getting more popular than she is. Why is she not taking credit for my actions? That's always been normal throughout history. She could just do that and it would accomplish her goals more effectively than marching herself and the entire army into a woodchipper. And the only justification for it is that she might not be socially/politically competent enough to take credit for what you yourself are doing, except in that case she'd have never gotten popular in the first place.

[Buyung Kilat]

Like everyone else, I was aghast at what she did at the end of act 3, the first time I played this game. I was playing an LN Aeon so I had to stay in character. That means being pragmatic and dispassionate. But personally, I kept wondering how I could get back at her. When I finally met her at Iz, I gave her her just dessert, and it was done. In my second run as a Lich,I turned her into an undead andshe started a tirade about her patron Goddess betraying her. That's when I developed a new perspective about who she is. Of course, she became even more transparent in my latest run while playing an Angel and romancing her.

You see it is all Iomedae's fault, every single bit of Galfrey's flaws. It is no wonder then that Daeran keeps belittling this insipid Goddess. Because everything he says about her is true. Regill has similar points but directed less at her because she is still part of the Godclaw's dogma.

Iomedae is an idiot Goddess who does not deserve her pedestal, virtue signalling to hide her injudiciousness. She put all this incredible weight on Galfrey's shoulder but failed in guiding the Queen and the Crusaders due to having tunnel vision in countering the demon invasion. When Galfrey meets your PC, she's probably thinking what her Goddess is thinking, that the PC does not fit the narrative of what righteousness is all about. In my Lich playthrough, Galfrey came into a sad realization of her Goddess' fallacies and it was quite painful to read.

I kind of tested for a bit on how things would go if my Angel PC actually followed that idiotic Goddess' advice and give it all up at the start of act 5 (she was my patron after all and I have been JUST to a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ T to prove my worth). Mostly I wanted to know what happens to my favorite Angel, Targona. It was disastrous.I travelled to Pulura's fall in search of her and met her and her gang just outside the area. They were a mess. She was deflated, and demoralized. The corruption is overtaking her and she was probably dying. The others will no longer continue the fight for various reasons, including her brother who would rather stay by her side to comfort her. The culmination of decades of following their Goddess and that ♥♥♥♥♥ let them down without so much as a second thought.

Romanced Galfrey is my favorite version of Galfrey, especially when my Angel PC defied his own Goddess and continued on the path that was meant to be hers to give.In the end, this version of Galfrey stood up to the Goddess in defense of the PC, effectively choosing him over her deity.If anything, I'm so glad to have finally played an Angel because now I have seen all possible aspects of this beautiful Queen.

[Silamon]

I liked Galfrey in general. She was stubborn and prideful, and made terrible mistakes befitting of someone with those traits.

But she did genuinely care about what happens to you even when giving you that ridiculous mission at the end of act 3.