Romances and Romance Achieves: (spoilers, obviously)

[King Banhammer]

All right, doing some fiddling with the new build, and I'm getting a handle on how romances work finally, but I wanted to put what I have out there and see what people thought:


First, to start a romance with a follower, you have to talk with them about a location they find suitable. This seems to vary by follower type. Then once you're there, the appropriate topic of discussion to lock it in -also- seems to vary by follower type.

Grail and Edge followers will go to the Ecdysis club. (I suspect Heart and Moth will, too)

Lantern followers like Streets Strange by Moonlight (as will Knock and Winter)

Forge followers will like Oriflamme's Auction House.

As far as I can tell, you have to talk about a matching desire to lock it in, which means I'm not sure right how how to lock in for Edge/Knock/Winter. I haven't found any non-desire cards that seem to work for the talk part of this.

Once it's locked in, they'll be picked up by the romance verb from time passes. The romance will check for a second love interest (I suspect having two will cause nastiness, but have not checked personally), then offer up a card slot if it doesn't find one. A passion continues things and gives up one of several reward options. Adding dread or funds looks as though it ends the romance (have not tested personally).

With a locked in romance, there will be an interruption to the ascension, asking you to put in a Passion to turn aside and remain mortal with the love interest. Doing so gives you a unique ending for the follower, and the "Ever After: X" achievement for them.

PS: if anyone discovers how to get "Ever After: Me", I'm keen to hear it.

There also appear to be duo ascensions possible (the achievements certainly seem to imply it), but I have not yet discovered how to do them. I've got a hunch it requires a romance and exalt in the same ascenion path you're doing. If anyone's seen them yet, again, would love to hear more.

Anyhow, there's what I have so far. Anyone else noticed anything I haven't, or tested anything I missed?

[Malagate]

Your suspicions about heart and moth are correct, they like the club.

Also it's not always passion that's needed for the romance verb, I know at least Latern romance requires reason instead.

Oh and it's possible to double-time without getting caught out, the romance verb only sometimes produces the look-for-another-lover prompt and so can be avoided (as long as you only stick to two or have very good timing for managing 4 - possibly more if there are some long expeditions).

[King Banhammer]

The punch line is I actually just finished a moth romance and couldn't for the life of me remember where I started it.

Noted on the Romance verb, though. I'm also amused by the idea of you juggling various lovers off to expeditions together when it's about to be the season. "Play nice, kids!"

[eva02soul]

Winter seems to respond to enlightenment desire, or at least Auclair does.

[Feayr]

Dual Ascensions are possible, but the Mansus is not kind to the living or lovers. Sometimes only one but not both, can be permitted.

[eva02soul]

How do you start that? I thought i would be given the option at the end. Perhaps it only works for certain desires.

[King Banhammer]

Originally posted by Feayr:

Dual Ascensions are possible, but the Mansus is not kind to the living or lovers. Sometimes only one but not both, can be permitted.

Well, that's cryptic and in no way helpful to actually doing it. Care to elaborate?

[Quizer]

I suspect it may have something to do with rivals. Maybe you have to make your lover upset so they rebel, and then time your ascension to coincide with theirs? I have not tried what happens when you end a romantic relationship or upset your lover too much, but from what whispers I have heard, it may not make things utterly unsalvageable. Might have to play around with that on a future playthrough.

[Lantantan]

I havn't managed to dual ascend, but here's my thoughts: 1. The achievements saying "we" feature a skeleton picture. 2. We can raise corpses. 3. I sit on the toilet. 4. profit?

[Sheodesu]

So the dialogue windows as shown on previews for the dlc before aren´t actually a thing?

[Lantantan]

So, just won the game again with a grail victory. I used my maxed grail lover from my grail cult and the ritual name did change to The Feast of Hearts Rememberance, instead of the normal one using a non lover maxed grail cultist. This however didnt grant any new achievements or different ending flavor text.

Seems I indeed have to resort to more exotic procedures.

[Quizer]

Originally posted by Lantantan:

I havn't managed to dual ascend, but here's my thoughts: 1. The achievements saying "we" feature a skeleton picture. 2. We can raise corpses. 3. I sit on the toilet. 4. profit?

Yeah, I noticed that the achievement picture looks like a corpse as well. So necrophilia is involved in getting these achievements? I guess that's not that much worse than some of the other crimes against nature you commit in the course of this game... Still no clue how you'd actually go about it, though.

[Lantantan]

I'll try betraying my lover to see if yields a special prisoner. Anyone tried having multiple lovers yet? Do they perhaps murder each other in rivalry?

Wait, are we the bad guys?

[K E N N I]

It's not entirely true that the place and desire depend only on the follower's aspect, they are more individual. I checked that with Edge followers: Rose and Victor respond to the Club, but Elridge will go to Oriflamme's. Their desires are split between sensation and power, but I don't remember exactly how.

[Lantantan]

Okay, betraying (imprisoning) followers keeps their traits, but NOT lover. That bodes ill for my chances of an undead sweetheart. I'll make sure to have her starve to see if she yields a special corpse. The hard part will be not eating her.

[Lantantan]

Nope, No dice, when I raised her corpse, the lover (interested tag) didn't come back. Though her scars did carry over. Furthermore, the risen dead refuse any advances I make on them. Rude.

Also, I found that the alt texts for ascensions was because using (sacrificing) a lover in your ascension ritual lowers the required level from 36 to 27. At least for the grail victory.

I am kinda out of ideas here, maybe multiple lovers makes something happen?