Picts or Northumbrians?

[Big Blue Dude]

1st playthrough, being peaceful and negotiating. Get burning and pillaging is fun and all but wanted to try being nice for the first run. It's starting to sound like I HAVE to side with one of the kingdoms and piss off the other though. Any way around this? Even if I don't get as much support from both of them? Or do I really have to choose a side in the war and tank my reputation with one of them?

[Nova]

If you amass enough power you can gather an army in orkney and piss off both.

[Cutlass Jack]

If you go the trade route (max Prosperity) you can just get in good with both sides up to the point you have to pick one, and just stay out of their conflict entirely. That will leave your rep intact for both.

You don't need to do that quest to complete the game.

[Big Blue Dude]

Originally posted by Cutlass Jack:

If you go the trade route (max Prosperity) you can just get in good with both sides up to the point you have to pick one, and just stay out of their conflict entirely. That will leave your rep intact for both.

You don't need to do that quest to complete the game.

Ah okay thank you. My guy just wants to build up his home and trade, not make enemies. If I can become a hero to all the kingdoms without aiding in their wars that works great for me.

[dwarfpcfan]

I gotta give props to the game designers on this situation. They did a good job making all paths equally viable and equally morally ambiguous. You'd expect the story to make obvious that one side is more right then the other, but the game carefully avoids this.

Neither of the two british isle based factions are presented as really morally better. They are interested in safe guarding their kingdoms and they'll repay fairly you if you do so. And should you desire to, you can just outright invade and take land for your own and again the story doesn't present this aless valid approach. Certainly more morally dubious, but there is a justification for it that makes perfect sense from your character's perspective.

[crazyorse]

Originally posted by Big Blue Dude:

1st playthrough, being peaceful and negotiating. Get burning and pillaging is fun and all but wanted to try being nice for the first run. It's starting to sound like I HAVE to side with one of the kingdoms and piss off the other though. Any way around this? Even if I don't get as much support from both of them? Or do I really have to choose a side in the war and tank my reputation with one of them?

Just avoid the Dun Phris quest and you don't upset anyone