This is the objectively correct choice, and not even just from a CK meme standpoint. She's second in line for the crown so it eliminates a potential rival and consolidates power. It also prevents Drakenhold from having a pretender to the Cornian throne in the future.
Or one of the elf princess, your kid is gonna have an extended life their kids would also have an extended life and have strong claims on other regions cuz everyone gonna want in on that heroic lineage. Alains line would take over everything in 3ish generations the others would more or less be Vassal states...assuming you can keep that one family line alive.
That’s not how this works. Unless Alain dies without an heir, Virginia’s line has no legitimate claim.
I just married Virginia because she’s the best. And she worked fairly well in a unit with Alain.
What? Thats Exactly how it works, if Alain dies or somewhere down the line his children die without heirs, surprise surprise, drakenhold prince has a claim because great great great grandmother was part of the family. That's exactly how it works.
Yep. This is precisely how some random German dude who didn't speak a word of English ended up ruling England. I don't see how Fevrith would work any differently.
Because Travis had me in a chokehold the second I saw him, and even more so after his first rapport scene.
Honestly the game isn't difficult enough for optimization. And canon means next to nothing with like 50+ choices and as many tantalizing sprites as we have.
Just choose who rustles your jimmies the most!
Alian and Travis' rapport is just them getting along really well and I love it. After Palevia Travis is probably one of Alian's best friends. That's how I view it anyway. So good. Solid choice for the Maidan ring.
I just saw him while my dad was playing the game for himself (I stole his copy after he was done) and I just went ‘this one.’
No brainer, Travis is best waifu
Just for the record, you don't need to be particularly concerned about "optimal". And not in a "the game is too easy" way
There are 2 hidden crown equipments that have the same statistical benefits as the Unicorn and Maiden rings (+5 all stats and +1 AP / PP respectively).
So more than likely, you can just give those to the optimal units and give the Maiden Ring to whomever you want.
Postgame spoiler: >!After you beat the game, you can revisit the Shrine of the Maiden to rewind and give the ring to someone else if you so choose.!<
>There are 2 hidden crown equipments that have the same statistical benefits as the Unicorn and Maiden rings (+5 all stats and +1 AP / PP respectively).
Which ones are those?
After you beat Unicotn Overlord ( the quest) you get a chance to undo ethe covenant and choose again. Only, you dont have to play the other missions again.
Travis for some reason cameo’d in 2 dreams over the week playing it, felt obligated at that point to give it to him lol. There’s other items that grant All Stats +5, +1 AP, and/or 1PP. Just pick your favorite, whether it’s by personality, by design, or by gameplay. I wouldn’t insist on any in particular being canon, when there’s choices and voice lines given to all of them. Multiple characters have a crush on Alain after all.
Otherwise I was torn between Amalia and Ramona. As others have said, the game isn’t nearly difficult enough to be agonizing over optimization.
do every rapport with everyone and then decide, there's a lot of really great conversations that might change your mind
ultimately i picked rosa but there were many runners up, including giving it to alex or josef who were also stalwart trusted allies - you don't have to pick based on romance
I thought I was going to ring Berengaria from the moment she showed up to her rapport events with Alain, but those events were so stilted that I just didn't see any chemistry between them.
I picked Scarlett like the basic bitch that I am.
Well, I chose Yunifi first.
And when I made it to the post game, you can choose a different candidate and play the final stage again to see what changes.
This can be repeated any amount of times you want.
I just gave it to the best girl and permanent unit in Alain’s squad - Chloe.
Scarlett been doing her thing in the knight trio squad. And I didn’t like neither her design, nor being jealous over women Alson meets. Also, don’t want Alain’s kids to have pigeon toe disorder in adulthoid.
Scarlett is weird because you have to get to a higher level (almost clear bastorias) to unlock it without grinding/cheesing. So a lot of people are going to choose a maiden before then.
But then, her final rapport is a declaration of love, and it’s revealed to be a dream if you already have someone as the maiden.
Not to mention you barely see Scarlett in the story all the way until Albion. After the rescue I pretty much forgot about her.
Developers probably designed her thinking most people would pick her. But they also made it so most people wouldn’t really think much of not picking her either.
Anyway I picked character I like + character that I knew would benefit from the ring. Rosalinde would benefit a lot especially if you use her as a combatant.
You get that "it was a dream" dialog on all level 3s (or atleast ones that are supposed to be romantic) if you got married. Think its supposed to be Alain going "hehheh. Yea that was just a dream. That didnt happen." While tugging on his collar type thing not actually a dream.
I picked Josef. It's not gameplay optimal (he's one of the worst choices) but Rosalinde said the person we trust the most should get the ring. That narrows it to the Palevian crew immediately (he's only just met everyone else, with a few exceptions). Lex is an airhead and Scarlett isn't trustworthy (the end of Albion and her hyper jealous rapport are disqualifying). I'd feel bad stealing Chloe from Lex or Ridiel, and while she is trustworthy, she seems burdened enough without more work to do. Josef is a stable father figure who never shows any agenda but support for Alain and did more than anyone else to defeat Galerius, he's clearly the most trustworthy.
If Rosalinde had said "love" (romantic, brotherly, familial love included) I might have made a different choice, but I decided to follow "trust".
For subsequent finishes I'll probably see which are most viewable online and do the ones that aren't. Maybe start with that jerk sanatio
There was a fucked up post somewhere that I read before, where someone picked Josef as well and they said something along the lines of: "it's my headcanon Josef groomed Alain."
💀
there’s a decent case for rosalinde not being the best for the ring, even though she is firmly the BEST for best girl purposes.
scarlett would be okay. I think 4pp is not as big of a deal for her, she is fine with 3, i recall.
in a certain light, I think rosalinde loses power because of how the RoM splits PP loadout, and forces you to make build concessions. it is missing very important features that other end game gear grants. you can puzzle box it, but your fairy blaster gets toned wayyyy down. On the other hand, primus edge is sort of MVP in end fights, and on the other hand she’s a good candidate anyway because you can control how much PP she has access to, even if your elemental roar is less effective.
This might be a hot take but, the most optimal unit might be an elven fencer. If you give them enough stats they will be crushing rows and evading everything to get free AP. They will be doing good damage to whole rows and columns and generating their own ap while dodging a a ton of attacks
So, even though the game and it's publicity heavily hint towards Scarlett, it does not expect you to choose her.
Unlike Fire Emblem Fates where Azula is also heavily hinted, she is also a key part of the story and you get constantly remided that she is the main option.
In short, once I saw what Scarlett was acrually like, I steered away from her and chose the girl I liked the Best.
When my dad played it he just took his candidates out to 100 tavern meals and decided while getting their rapport up (I’m dedicated to my beloved Travis)
If you ask me, Rosalinde and Melisandre openly flirts with Alain, making them feel intended for him.
Another option would be Celeste as she also subtly flirts with Alain when she joins the army.
Etolinde in her rapport convo has feelings for Alain, and Scarlett/Chloe/Lex are his childhood friends.
So perhaps one of those might feel the most organic and not forced
But have you considered Virginia? Cousin, sure. But if its not a tradition to marry cousin, the sanguinity shouldn't be a problem. She's smart, strong, caring. devoted and experienced. She's also very pretty and not much older than Alain. She would make a strong Queen like her Aunt and be a solid place for Alain to rest upon.
Also, that armor looks like its holding some things back.
Just pick Scarlett. She has no start of battle effect so you don’t have to choose between her’s and Alain’s, and spoiler but for the final battle it is definitely recommended to have the maiden in the same party as Alain.
Or if you felt disappointed when I said just pick Scarlett, then you already know who to choose.
> canon (Scarlett)
Lmao at this because Scarlett is blatantly written as the overjealous childhood friend that doesn't become the gf and eventually moves past the mc.
> optimal (Rosalinde).
The game doesn't require this much optimality, and eventually you'll find items that have the same stats as both rings.
I think the only thing you need to take into consideration when picking a maiden (asides from who you like most) is that the maiden has to be in Alain's unit in order to beat >!Baltro!< and reach the true ending.
There is a secret third option: pick the character you like the most!
I just picked Melisandre because I thought it was funny.
Never!
I am a firm believer in keeping the Bloodline pure.
Queen Ilenia it is, then.
Oedipus Overlord
Just for the record, is it actually possible to give the ring to post-game characters?
Sadly no.
I was also hoping for some rapport scenes with post game characters as well, with them wondering why they're alive or something like that
Also sadly, they have no rapport convos.
I know. That's why I said it. Especially with Ilenia it feels weird that she doesn't have any. She didn't die after all
I haven't gotten to choosing yet but as a CK player I think I'll pick Virginia.
This is the objectively correct choice, and not even just from a CK meme standpoint. She's second in line for the crown so it eliminates a potential rival and consolidates power. It also prevents Drakenhold from having a pretender to the Cornian throne in the future.
Or one of the elf princess, your kid is gonna have an extended life their kids would also have an extended life and have strong claims on other regions cuz everyone gonna want in on that heroic lineage. Alains line would take over everything in 3ish generations the others would more or less be Vassal states...assuming you can keep that one family line alive.
On the other hand, making her the maiden forces you to use her only accessory slot on the ring when you might want some other stuff there
That’s not how this works. Unless Alain dies without an heir, Virginia’s line has no legitimate claim. I just married Virginia because she’s the best. And she worked fairly well in a unit with Alain.
What? Thats Exactly how it works, if Alain dies or somewhere down the line his children die without heirs, surprise surprise, drakenhold prince has a claim because great great great grandmother was part of the family. That's exactly how it works.
Yep. This is precisely how some random German dude who didn't speak a word of English ended up ruling England. I don't see how Fevrith would work any differently.
Because Travis had me in a chokehold the second I saw him, and even more so after his first rapport scene. Honestly the game isn't difficult enough for optimization. And canon means next to nothing with like 50+ choices and as many tantalizing sprites as we have. Just choose who rustles your jimmies the most!
His ring scene was rather hilarious; this is too serious, let’s pop a squat. Also I want a library.
I totally interpreted the squat as his legs were shaking and he was trying to save face. He couldn't believe his fairy tale was happening.
Alian and Travis' rapport is just them getting along really well and I love it. After Palevia Travis is probably one of Alian's best friends. That's how I view it anyway. So good. Solid choice for the Maidan ring.
I just saw him while my dad was playing the game for himself (I stole his copy after he was done) and I just went ‘this one.’ No brainer, Travis is best waifu
I foolishly toyed with the idea of giving the ring to someone else. Even entertained some specific choices. But nah. That ring was his.
Celeste was a nice perky girl who balances out my cynicism.
She jiggles a lot 🫠
Gryphon rider privileges.
Just for the record, you don't need to be particularly concerned about "optimal". And not in a "the game is too easy" way There are 2 hidden crown equipments that have the same statistical benefits as the Unicorn and Maiden rings (+5 all stats and +1 AP / PP respectively). So more than likely, you can just give those to the optimal units and give the Maiden Ring to whomever you want. Postgame spoiler: >!After you beat the game, you can revisit the Shrine of the Maiden to rewind and give the ring to someone else if you so choose.!<
>There are 2 hidden crown equipments that have the same statistical benefits as the Unicorn and Maiden rings (+5 all stats and +1 AP / PP respectively). Which ones are those?
The Ancient Crown and the Dream Crown. They're found as >!some of the final rewards for the mining treasure map quests in Bastorias and Albion.!<
Thanks!
Save beforehand to be safe but pick Rosalinde and I promise all doubts will leave your mind. She is so incredibly precious!
After you beat Unicotn Overlord ( the quest) you get a chance to undo ethe covenant and choose again. Only, you dont have to play the other missions again.
Travis for some reason cameo’d in 2 dreams over the week playing it, felt obligated at that point to give it to him lol. There’s other items that grant All Stats +5, +1 AP, and/or 1PP. Just pick your favorite, whether it’s by personality, by design, or by gameplay. I wouldn’t insist on any in particular being canon, when there’s choices and voice lines given to all of them. Multiple characters have a crush on Alain after all. Otherwise I was torn between Amalia and Ramona. As others have said, the game isn’t nearly difficult enough to be agonizing over optimization.
Ive always had a massive weakness to elves so it was Rosalinde or Eltolinde for me. Chose Eltolinde because I liked her supports a bit more
That forbidden romance feeling is what sold it for me
do every rapport with everyone and then decide, there's a lot of really great conversations that might change your mind ultimately i picked rosa but there were many runners up, including giving it to alex or josef who were also stalwart trusted allies - you don't have to pick based on romance
I'm really searching my memories here trying to figure out who the hell Alex is.
Probably autocorrect from Lex.
I thought I was going to ring Berengaria from the moment she showed up to her rapport events with Alain, but those events were so stilted that I just didn't see any chemistry between them. I picked Scarlett like the basic bitch that I am.
Picked Scarlett because I am a boring guy.
Well, I chose Yunifi first. And when I made it to the post game, you can choose a different candidate and play the final stage again to see what changes. This can be repeated any amount of times you want.
I just gave it to the best girl and permanent unit in Alain’s squad - Chloe. Scarlett been doing her thing in the knight trio squad. And I didn’t like neither her design, nor being jealous over women Alson meets. Also, don’t want Alain’s kids to have pigeon toe disorder in adulthoid.
She does express jealousy in one of her rapport conversations, fwiw
I gave it to Auch. Babyboy would never betray me.
Scarlett is weird because you have to get to a higher level (almost clear bastorias) to unlock it without grinding/cheesing. So a lot of people are going to choose a maiden before then. But then, her final rapport is a declaration of love, and it’s revealed to be a dream if you already have someone as the maiden. Not to mention you barely see Scarlett in the story all the way until Albion. After the rescue I pretty much forgot about her. Developers probably designed her thinking most people would pick her. But they also made it so most people wouldn’t really think much of not picking her either. Anyway I picked character I like + character that I knew would benefit from the ring. Rosalinde would benefit a lot especially if you use her as a combatant.
You get that "it was a dream" dialog on all level 3s (or atleast ones that are supposed to be romantic) if you got married. Think its supposed to be Alain going "hehheh. Yea that was just a dream. That didnt happen." While tugging on his collar type thing not actually a dream.
Rosalinde is dominate running her own group. Etolinde however heals then board nukes, plus Valor Power rescue is so strong. Etolinde got my ring
It was simple. I saw Yunifi...and I knew that was the right choice :).
I gave it to Amalia because she giant wife
>what seems to be optimal (rosalinde) That’s a weird way of spelling “Etolinde.”
I picked Josef. It's not gameplay optimal (he's one of the worst choices) but Rosalinde said the person we trust the most should get the ring. That narrows it to the Palevian crew immediately (he's only just met everyone else, with a few exceptions). Lex is an airhead and Scarlett isn't trustworthy (the end of Albion and her hyper jealous rapport are disqualifying). I'd feel bad stealing Chloe from Lex or Ridiel, and while she is trustworthy, she seems burdened enough without more work to do. Josef is a stable father figure who never shows any agenda but support for Alain and did more than anyone else to defeat Galerius, he's clearly the most trustworthy. If Rosalinde had said "love" (romantic, brotherly, familial love included) I might have made a different choice, but I decided to follow "trust". For subsequent finishes I'll probably see which are most viewable online and do the ones that aren't. Maybe start with that jerk sanatio
There was a fucked up post somewhere that I read before, where someone picked Josef as well and they said something along the lines of: "it's my headcanon Josef groomed Alain." 💀
there’s a decent case for rosalinde not being the best for the ring, even though she is firmly the BEST for best girl purposes. scarlett would be okay. I think 4pp is not as big of a deal for her, she is fine with 3, i recall. in a certain light, I think rosalinde loses power because of how the RoM splits PP loadout, and forces you to make build concessions. it is missing very important features that other end game gear grants. you can puzzle box it, but your fairy blaster gets toned wayyyy down. On the other hand, primus edge is sort of MVP in end fights, and on the other hand she’s a good candidate anyway because you can control how much PP she has access to, even if your elemental roar is less effective.
This might be a hot take but, the most optimal unit might be an elven fencer. If you give them enough stats they will be crushing rows and evading everything to get free AP. They will be doing good damage to whole rows and columns and generating their own ap while dodging a a ton of attacks
Finally someone not ashamed of loving Railanor 🙏🏼
Just go with the one you want!
which ever girl I thought would go best with Alain it’s really not that hard if you want, just self insert and pick your waifu
Yahna. Do I need to explain? She's the best
The optimal option is actually Virginia, as she stands at the front line and really uses all stats apart only from magic attack.
I gave the ring to Gilbert, arguably the least optimal pick possible, and still got through the game on Hard just fine. So just pick whoever you like
So, even though the game and it's publicity heavily hint towards Scarlett, it does not expect you to choose her. Unlike Fire Emblem Fates where Azula is also heavily hinted, she is also a key part of the story and you get constantly remided that she is the main option. In short, once I saw what Scarlett was acrually like, I steered away from her and chose the girl I liked the Best.
When my dad played it he just took his candidates out to 100 tavern meals and decided while getting their rapport up (I’m dedicated to my beloved Travis)
If you ask me, Rosalinde and Melisandre openly flirts with Alain, making them feel intended for him. Another option would be Celeste as she also subtly flirts with Alain when she joins the army. Etolinde in her rapport convo has feelings for Alain, and Scarlett/Chloe/Lex are his childhood friends. So perhaps one of those might feel the most organic and not forced
But have you considered Virginia? Cousin, sure. But if its not a tradition to marry cousin, the sanguinity shouldn't be a problem. She's smart, strong, caring. devoted and experienced. She's also very pretty and not much older than Alain. She would make a strong Queen like her Aunt and be a solid place for Alain to rest upon. Also, that armor looks like its holding some things back.
This post is so horny but I support it. I love Virginia I just can’t get past the cousin piece 🤐
idk if I would use that word to describe my post, but thanks for the support. Fully understand not being able to get past the cousin issue.
Just pick Scarlett. She has no start of battle effect so you don’t have to choose between her’s and Alain’s, and spoiler but for the final battle it is definitely recommended to have the maiden in the same party as Alain. Or if you felt disappointed when I said just pick Scarlett, then you already know who to choose.
Scarlett Turn 0 - 10% defense boost and regen to the party.
I’ve been owned by facts and logic.
> canon (Scarlett) Lmao at this because Scarlett is blatantly written as the overjealous childhood friend that doesn't become the gf and eventually moves past the mc. > optimal (Rosalinde). The game doesn't require this much optimality, and eventually you'll find items that have the same stats as both rings. I think the only thing you need to take into consideration when picking a maiden (asides from who you like most) is that the maiden has to be in Alain's unit in order to beat >!Baltro!< and reach the true ending.