The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante involves a lot of suffering, not just for the titular character, but for the player with how much information there is to juggle at any given time. This guide will hopefully make sorting through that information and getting achievements a little easier. If it is your first time playing the game, I would highly recommend going ironman (this nets you an achievement upon completion), but keeping the results of your choices visible. Always keep the results of your choices visible unless you’re interested in masochism. The options and their descriptions are often vague and can sometimes mean the exact opposite of what you intend. All of your other runs from that point on should be non-ironman so that they can be reloaded as you please.

You should also make a habit of checking the destiny tab and taking note of what you need to do to get a certain outcome. You won’t be able to do everything in a single run, especially with how high the amount of mutually exclusive achievements is, so pick a few objectives out of what’s available and stick to them. Do not do half-measures, such as trying to get high Unity / keeping Tommas alive / adopting Gloria while gaining reputation to be ennobled. However, you should also pay just enough attention to your Unity so that your family doesn’t fall apart while you focus on other goals. I highly suggest taking notes on your routes and keeping track of what options give which stats, then modifying those routes accordingly if something goes wrong or if you’re off by a single point of something. Otherwise, blindly choosing options can get frustrating fast.

From what I’ve gathered, each Lot is split into two general paths, according to if you seek change in society or not: Empire or Rebel Lotless, Old Faith or New Faith Clergy, Career or Justice Nobleman, each with their own specific branches and mutually exclusive achievements. If you’re looking for getting the most achievements in the least amount of time, you would likely need a total of four saves: One for your ironman run, and one for each of the three Lots you can take. Complete the ironman run, then optimize your stats for each of the Lots. You can then replay the others starting from Chapter 3 or 4 onwards so that you don’t have to keep playing as a child for each new run.

The amount of times you’ll have to replay this game for Chapter 4 achievements specifically is absolutely absurd, and with the amount of dialogue that gets replayed, I suggest clicking through as fast as possible while listening to something in the background. You can also skip any cutscene with the space bar. Get a podcast or audiobook going, otherwise listening to the same in-game music over and over will get painfully boring.

As a final note, this is my first Steam guide, so if you have any suggestions, or if there’s anything I’ve missed that’s important, please let me know!

If you progress normally through the game, regardless of your path and barring you reaching your final death a little early, you will get these achievements.

-Newborn: Begin the Childhood chapter, Chapter 1.

-Juvenile: Begin the Adolescence chapter, Chapter 2.

-Days of Youth: Begin the Youth chapter, Chapter 3.

-Coming of Age: Begin the Peace Time chapter, Chapter 4.

These achievements relate to the nobleman Lot or otherwise appear once you have taken it as your Lot.

-Fencing Lesson: In Chapter 1, take fencing lessons with your father. During the Father’s Sword event, choose to ask father to teach you the basics. This will cost 10 Willpower to do, so mind how much you have as you accrue determination. The event triggers as soon as you have 4 determination.

-Nobleman’s Sacrament: In Chapter 1, kiss the sword during your Sacrament. This will cost 10 Willpower to do, but the option is still available at 0 Willpower.

-Blood Tide: In Chapter 2, join the family’s Blood Tide. This requires that you either kiss the sword during your Sacrament, have a relationship of 2 or higher with Gregor, or have Nobility equal to or higher than 6.

-Nobleman’s Path: During Chapter 3’s The Three Lots event, choose to break through the cordon into the College. This requires 10 or more of either Diplomacy or Valor.

-Victorious: In Chapter 3, win at the Imperial College tournament. Notably requires that you fight for your father.

-Soulmate: Start a relationship with Octavia Milanidas, the love interest of the nobleman Lot. You can get away with not interacting with her during the Chapter 2 event where she drops her handkerchief, so long as you dance with her in Chapter 3, or vice versa. Both provide the ‘remembers you’ status. From there, ask that she treats you as an equal in the Passion event in Chapter 4.

-Defiant: In Chapter 4, refuse to enter a relationship with Octavia when she makes you an offer during the Passion event. This requires your Willpower to be equal to or higher than 0.

-Mind your Own Honor!: In Chapter 4, ban Courts of Honor. This requires making it to the late chapter event Nobleman’s Honor without having betrayed El Borne, alongside having a Justice stat of 6 or higher, and a Diplomacy stat of 15 or higher. This is simple to do if you’re also going for Unchained, as it has no requirement for evidence attached that can cause you to betray El Borne.

-Heir to the House: In Chapter 4, become the Heir to the Brante House. This requires that you get rid of Stephan in some way. Agree to his secret plot to marry Gloria off, succeed in convincing Gloria by any method, then in the event The Gilded Cage, challenge Stephan to a duel. Challenging him requires having participated in the Blood Tide and having not banned the Court of Honor. In the ensuing event To The Death, there are multiple ways to kill Stephan:
-Valor equal to or greater than 18
-Scheming equal to or greater than 12, and a relationship with Stephan equal to or greater than 2
-Valor in between 15 and 18, and Willpower over 10
After killing him, you still need to become ennobled by the Sword in order to trigger the achievement. Try to cushion the -2 unity blow in advance to avoid your family falling apart before you can be ennobled.

-Noble by the Sword: In Chapter 4, choose to become ennobled by the Sword during the A Family Matter event. See Overseer’s Cohort for tips.

-Overseer’s Cohort: In Chapter 4, choose to join the Overseer’s Court during the A Family Matter event. This is the companion achievement to Noble by the Sword in that it requires many of the same things, but is the harder version of the two. It requires a lot of sacrifice to do, such as letting Tommas and your mother die, as well as marrying off your sister Gloria, but it can be done. Contrary to how the achievement says you have to ‘lead’ your family, you do not have to be the Heir of the Brante family to get this.

-Unchained: At the end of Chapter 4, see the rebels take control of Anizotte. This requires a Justice stat of 10. Getting Justice is a little counterintuitive at the start, as El Borne does not lie about needing to take things slow: Choose to increase your Career stat the first chance you get during the First Day of Service event, then choose the Justice option in The Land Dispute event. Your Justice and Career stats should be kept even at this point, as to avoid the consequences of letting one dip to 2. You’ll get more leeway when you can legitimize the Gazette in The Newspaper Case event, which offers +1 to both Justice and Career. From there, you’re able to stack Justice more freely, but be sure to never let your Career go under 2.

-Night of the Serpents: At the end of Chapter 4, let the supporters of Archduke Milanidas take control of the city. This requires 10 Career and you having made a deal with El Verman. The Career is easy enough to get and keep at 10-- it can prove to be more difficult to lower it enough to trigger the Court of Honor result instead. Keep an eye on your unity during this: If your family falls apart, El Verman will deem you worthless and go back on the deal.

-Lessons of Blood: At the end of Chapter 4, burn your case against Dorius Otton. In the following event, A Lesson Writ in Blood, he will kill you, resulting in this achievement.

-Verdict: At the end of Chapter 4, sentence Otton to exile in a court of law. Requires 8 or 9 Justice-- not 10, and not anything beneath that. You can get away with 7 Justice near the end and use Final Preparations to address the people for the sake of wriggle room. Also requires having not betrayed El Borne by making deals with others, and either Protector of the People or Evidence Against Otton-- getting Protector of the People is much easier, but if you have an extra life you feel comfortable throwing around, getting evidence is also feasible. Getting evidence also lowers the Justice requirement by 1.

-Court of Honor: At the end of Chapter 4, deliver Dorius Otton to the Court of Honor. This is a little convoluted: Get your Career stat up to 5. This triggers The Road to The Top. Choose to refuse El Verman, as he will automatically trigger an event at the end of the chapter to ensure your Career stat is at 10 and trigger Night of the Serpents. Getting your Career stat up to 8 triggers An Audience with The Overseer, where you can choose to take the envelope and agree to sentence Otton to the Court of Honor, but I’d recommend against taking the envelope-- this helps keep your Career stat at less than 10 so as to not lock you out, and it isn’t required anyway. Carefully manage your Career stat, betray your prefect by requesting assistance from Overseer Gaius, and you’ll be able to get this.

-Best of the Best: In Chapter 5, kill Dorius Otton in a duel. The continuation of Court of Honor, you need to wait until the event The Prefecture Under Siege occurs. This requires Otton to already be sentenced to the Court of Honor, you not being a rebel, El Borne not being a rebel, and having Nobles at 1 or higher. In the actual duel, there are multiple ways of killing him, similar to how fighting Stephan works:
-20 Valor
-Being a Noble of the Sword, having 16 or more Valor, and a relationship with your grandfather Gregor that is 2 or higher
-Valor in between 16 and 19, and Willpower over 10
You will receive the achievement as soon as you choose a winning option.

-Equal Before the Law: In Chapter 5, condemn Dorius Otton to true death. This also requires waiting until the event The Prefecture Under Siege occurs. You need to have sentenced him to exile (see Verdict) beforehand, not be a Defender of the Empire, and either have Nobles at 1 or Diplomacy at 16 or higher.

-Master of Diplomacy: In Chapter 5, get Otton and El Borne to reconcile their differences. This is a complicated one. During the event The Prefecture Under Siege, you need to meet the following requirements: Don’t be a rebel, have El Borne not be a rebel, have a reputation of 6 or higher, Diplomacy at 20, your relationship with Dorius Otton at 0 or higher (this can be achieved by revealing Sophia’s position in the Chapter 2 event The Fugitive Girl), and have either triggered the revolt via Night of the Serpents or Broken Chains. If you meet all of these, choose the ‘Get Otton and El Borne to reconcile’ option.

-La-Tari Wisdom: In Chapter 5, preserve Ex-Octavia’s wisdom of the La-Tari. During the event A Fading Light, choose to share a final moment with her before she leaves this world. You either need to pass a Theology check of 14 or higher, or have participated in the La-Tari ritual before (take the Keep Their Secret option in the event A Realm Unknown).

These achievements relate to the clergy Lot or otherwise appear once you have taken it as your Lot.

-Revelation: In Chapter 1, play with the ants by yourself. You will not receive the achievement if you let your mother play with you. This requires 4 perception.

-Silver Whisper: In Chapter 2, when visiting the sacred tree for the first time, accept its revelation.

-Clergyman’s Path: During Chapter 3’s The Three Lots event, choose to preach your revelation. This requires 10 or more of either Theology or Eloquence.

-Forbidden Fruit: In Chapter 4, start a relationship with Jeanne, the love interest of the clergyman Lot. During the event A Confession, choose ‘these feelings are real’.

-La-Tari Ritual: In Chapter 4, indulge in the La-Tari ritual. This requires 13 or more Theology, so it’s easier to try it on the clergy path, but it can also be done with the nobleman’s Lot in order to see more of the storyline.

-Right to Bear Arms: In Chapter 4, arm those of the New Faith. In the event Lethal Weapons, which triggers after getting 5 or higher Tolerance of Faiths, choose to support Lennart.

-New Faith’s Fire: In Chapter 4, have the rebellion start via Torch of The New Faith, which triggers when Tolerance of Faiths is equal to 10. You don’t have to mind the Inquisition Power so much when getting this, so you have plenty of wriggle room to get this and even let the inquisition fail if you so choose.

-Heretic on the Loose: In Chapter 4, free Father Mark when given the chance. First, recruit Nathan during the event A Sinner’s Confession. If you can’t, you’ll have to capture Mark in the following event, The Renegade, by giving up a life. After capturing Mark by luring him into a trap, The Sentence event will trigger. Choose to release Mark from captivity. This requires either 15 or higher Theology, or 10 or higher Manipulation.

-His Will Alone: In Chapter 4, end the chapter with 10 Inquisition Power, but do not have Ulrich as your master. Don’t let the low percentage intimidate you, as this is decently simple to achieve: If you died twice before Chapter 4, have Inquisition power at or higher than 5, and trigger the event The Principle of The Will, deny Ulrich. From there, build up Inquisition Power. Be careful to not let late Chapter 4 events like The Denouncement take away some of that power, and you should get this achievement as soon as the event it triggers plays out.

-Gifted Student: In Chapter 4, kill Ulrich. This requires having taken him on as your master during The Principle of The Will. This event triggers if you’re at 2 or lower deaths, and have Inquisition Power at 5 or higher. Agree and have him as your master. Near the end of the chapter, the event The Reflection will trigger at Inquisition Power 7 or higher, and having Ulrich as your master. It automatically adds +3 to Inquisition Power, thus triggering The Triumph of The Will at 10 Inquisition Power. Choose to renounce Ulrich, which requires Valor at 12 or higher, and Willpower at 10 or higher (which should be easy to have with the bonus to Willpower he gives when you accept Willism), and he will die by your hand.

-Willpower: In Chapter 4, follow your Master Ulrich to the very end. When he orders you to kill Jeanne in the event The Triumph of The Will, do so. Notably, the in-game version stipulates a requirement that you have to have died twice or less, but this requirement is only for triggering The Principle of The Will, where you can agree with Ulrich and he kills you once to induct you into Willism. This death will not stop you from getting the achievement.

-Theomachist: In Chapter 4, become the Shadow. This requires 30 Willpower and 20 Theology. Following the events of Willpower, in the event The Judgment of The Twins, choose to stand against them. Keeping your Willpower maxed out is decently easy with Ulrich as your Master, and it helps if you get Ennobled by The Sword. Fun fact, ‘theomachist’ refers to an individual who resists God.

-Tribunal: In Chapter 4, judge Patriarch Cassius. This requires Inquisition Power to be at 7-9, for you to have evidence against Cassius (you can get this either during A Sinner’s Confession or The Sentence), and for the Inquisition to not have collapsed in the meantime. You can manipulate Inquisition Power to stay up at 10 until the very end, where the option to tell the truth in the event The Denouncement can be used to nudge it down by a single point. If you took Ulrich as your master, you can denounce him at the end to also nudge down Inquisition Power and get this to trigger. In the Chapter 4 event The Final Step, choose to denounce Cassius. In the following event, he will be tried and convicted, netting you the achievement.

-Overthrowing the Patriarch: In Chapter 4, overthrow the Patriarch Cassius. Requires Tolerance of Faiths to be between 7-9, for you to have evidence against Cassius, and for The New Faith to not be persecuted.

-Wrath of the Gods: In Chapter 4, allow Patriarch Cassius to remain the Patriarch. In the event The Final Step, choose to wait for the Conclave. There are no prerequisites to choosing this option, so the only labor you have to put in is the time it takes to reach the end of the chapter again.

-Patriarch Lennart: In Chapter 5, have Lennart become the new Patriarch. During the event The March of The New Faith, choose to lead the procession to the temple.

-Jeanne’s New Faith: In Chapter 5, convert Jeanne to the New Faith during the Farewell to Jeanne event. This requires The Rebel destiny, Theology at 20, your relationship with Jeanne to be at 2 or higher, and for her status to be Defeated. Defeating her can be achieved via having Lennart become the new Patriarch in the event previous to Farewell to Jeanne, The March of The New Faith.

-Patriarch Brante: In Chapter 5, become the new Patriarch. In the event The March of The New Faith, choose to stand with Jeanne and drive the procession away. This requires you not being a rebel, having Troops at 1 or higher, Clergy at 2 or higher, and Jeanne’s status to be Righteous, which you can accomplish by stopping her in The Order, Divided event. This results in Lennart’s defeat and you being proclaimed the new Patriarch.

-Nathan the Prophet: In Chapter 5, during the By Their Will event, tell Nathan to seek answers from The Elder himself. You can do this without going on the clergy path via having the Ant Farm Revelation in Chapter 1 go into The Silver Tree revelation in Chapter 2, but it’s generally easier to do it as the clergy. Doing this also unlocks the option for special dialogue with The Elder when he asks you what should be changed about the world.

These achievements relate to the Lotless or otherwise appear once you have taken it as your Lot.

-Trampled: In Chapter 2, save Sophia from getting trampled by horses. This will result in an early lesser death, but it can be good to do even in other runs from the amount of stats you get out of it.

-The Lotless: In Chapter 3’s The Three Lots event, choose to follow the Lotless. Interestingly enough, this is the only choice of Lot that has no prerequisites attached.

-Her One Weakness: Start a relationship with Sophia, the love interest of the Lotless path.

-Sealed Lips: In Chapter 3, during the Recruitment event, choose to outwit Felipe. This requires Manipulation of 13 or higher and leads to The Lotless at Large destiny.

-Stash: In Chapter 4, obtain gunpowder. In the event The Gunpowder Plot, choose to steal the gunpowder (requires Willpower at 0 or higher, and either Scheming at 14 or higher or your relationship with Sophia at 2 or higher), or choose to make a deal with Mayer Egmont (requires having accepted his secret plot, as well as Manipulation at 12 or higher).

-Arsenal: In Chapter 4, obtain arms for The Last Straw. During the event A Dangerous Haul, choose to seize the guns for yourself. This requires having obtained the gunpowder from The Gunpowder Plot, as well as Scheming at 15 or higher.

-Loyal to Felipe: In Chapter 4, prove your loyalty to the Advisor Felipe. This requires the event Trust, which triggers at 2 or higher relationship with Felipe and Spy Network at 5 or higher. Either shake his hand if Sophia is not merciless, or agree if Sophia is merciless. From there, choose to go along with his plan in the A Sleepless Night event.

-Master of Anizotte: In Chapter 4, make a deal with El Verman and hand the city of Anizotte to him. Requires Spy Network at 8 or higher, you having made a deal with El Verman, and Mayer Egmont to be in danger. You can make a deal with El Verman during the event A Chat with The Magistrate, which triggers in 1140. Note that Egmont being ‘in danger’ is considered different to the similar status ‘in jeopardy’ which can be given in the Concerned Citizen event by reporting the conversation. You can put him ‘in danger’ by informing El Verman during the A Dangerous Haul event. Finally, in the event A Sleepless Night, choose to ask El Verman to hide you, and in the following event Masks Off, choose to side with him.

-Free Man: In Chapter 4, become Favored by The Overseer and gain enough influence to be spared the Advisor’s scorn. See Overseer’s Cohort for tips on how to achieve this, but as it specifically relates to the Lotless path, you can get a good amount of wealth by investing in the print shop in the First Steps event, publishing a book of poetry in the Hearts on Fire event (requires you know Gloria’s secret), and profiting from the havoc in the Blast Wave event (requires Scheming at 15 or higher). You can get reputation by reporting the poets to your father in the Hearts on Fire event (requires a 0 or higher relationship with Felipe), and because you’re Lotless in this run, you can avoid Tommas’ plotline which can drain resources better put towards getting ennobled. In the event Masks Off at the end of the chapter, choose to ask your family for help.

-Sovereign City: In Chapter 4, incite a rebellion alongside Mayer Egmont and The Last Straw. This requires agreeing to a secret plot with Egmont, having Unrest at 8 or higher, and having your Spy Network at 6 or lower. Avoid getting close with Sophia so that you don’t mistakenly trigger her ending, The Last Straw, instead. You can start your plot with Egmont in the event Concerned Citizen by choosing to keep the conversation a secret. In the 1144 event A Dangerous Haul, keep Egmont’s secrets safe. Next, in the event A Sleepless Night, choose to ask Egmont to hide you. After that, in the event Masks Off, choose to side with Mayer Egmont. Confusingly, the symbol the game uses for this achievement is of broken chains, which is the same as the Nobleman’s Lot achievement Unchained. On Steam, broken chains only refers to Unchained, while the achievement symbol for Sovereign City is a fire.

-The Last Straw: In Chapter 4, have The Last Straw become an actual revolt. You need to be close with Sophia, have 9-10 Unrest, and have not given your loyalty to Felipe. Near the very end of the chapter, choose to kill Felipe, and the revolt will kick off with this achievement.

-What long arms you have!: In Chapter 4, die to the Secret Chancellery. During the A Sleepless Night event, choose to go into hiding, which requires you having not entered a secret plot with Sophia triggered by 9 or 10 Unrest. In the following event Masks Off, choose to flee the city. This will immediately grant you the achievement, as well as True Death.

-Farewell, Advisor!: In Chapter 4, earn your freedom from Felipe. This requires the Spy Network to be at 8 or higher, and Unrest to be between 3-8.

-For the Empire!: In Chapter 4, stop the Anizotte Revolt dead in its tracks. This requires the same things as Farewell, Advisor! while also needing Felipe to see your loyalty (see Loyal to Felipe) and have a relationship of 2 or higher, Sophia to have the relationship status ‘grown close’, and Power to be at 0 or less. You can meet all but one of these requirements by the halfway mark of the chapter. Don’t worry so much about ‘grown close’, as this triggers much later in the 1143 event The Hard Goodbye. You can get this status either by choosing to remain loyal (requires her being embittered and a relationship of 4 or higher) or by choosing to confess your love (requires her being trusting and a relationship of 3 or higher).
Once you get to 1145, Mutually Beneficial Collaboration triggers at 8 Spy Network and Felipe seeing your loyalty. This crucially knocks Power down by one, which helps with fulfilling the requirements. Clean Hands triggers afterwards, with the same requirements as the previous event, but including Unrest at 3 or higher, and you having ‘grown close’ with Sophia. Choose to kill Sophia. Everything else plays out automatically. You do not play through Chapter 5 with this option.

-Helming the Revolt: In Chapter 5, become the revolt’s leader. This requires getting rid of Sophia, either by letting her get captured or convincing her that violence isn’t the answer. These options require being Sophia’s lover, alongside either 20 Scheming or 20 Manipulation.

-Peacemaker: In Chapter 5, make Sophia have the status Hopeful. This can be accomplished at the same time as Helming the Revolt via the 20 Manipulation option.

-Second Date: In Chapter 5, allow Sophia to be captured by Dorius Otton. This can be accomplished at the same time as Helming the Revolt via the 20 Scheming option.

These achievements relate to your relationship with your family and home’s state of affairs.

-Exalted Family: Reach 10 reputation. You basically have to marry Gloria off for this to work, and you absolutely cannot accept her into the family, or your reputation will take a whopping -10 hit. I would recommend doing this as a noble or a member of the clergy who supports the Old Faith.

-Lavish Lifestyle: Reach 10 wealth. This can be achieved surprisingly easily if you take the Lotless path and invest in the print shop. Be on the lookout for other options that increase your wealth as well, as they are plentiful for the Lotless. I was able to get this even when using some wealth to send Gloria away on vacation.

-We Are Still Family: Ensure that your mother does not die from her illness. This can be achieved by either uniting the family (see Peace in the Family) or by offering your strength to your mother. Offering strength requires 10 Willpower and 8 Unity or higher.

-Gloria Brante: Have Gloria adopted and become a true Brante. Can be accomplished by uniting the family (see Peace in the Family) or engaging in her secret plot.

-Peace in the Family: During the Deathbed event, choose to unite the family. This requires a lot of Unity upkeep at a requirement of 7 or more, so much so that trying to balance it alongside trying to get the family ennobled is basically impossible. Do not try to do this: Uniting the family will automatically have Gloria adopted into it, and doing so will force your reputation straight down to 0, regardless of where it formerly was.

-Favorite Grandson: Get your grandfather’s affection to a maximum of 5. Choose options that please him and avoid options that don’t, though mind that you can get away with sacrificing a life to him during The Intrusion so long as you let him kill you during Agony too. Getting ennobled by the Sword or being favored by the Overseer provides a large boost to your relationship with him, but if you strike him during The Intrusion, you’ll need the +3 boost from being favored by the Overseer to get this as opposed to the mere +2 from being ennobled.

These achievements relate to events that can occur in Chapter 5, The Revolt, regardless of Lot.

-Historical Figure: Do not die your final death during The Revolt.

-Defender of the Empire: Side with the Empire during The Revolt.

-Insurgent: Side with the rebels during The Revolt.

-Family Exodus: Have your family flee Anizotte during The Revolt.

-Family Rescued: Keep your family in Anizotte, and save them when they are threatened.

-Family Lost: Keep your family in Anizotte, and fail to save them when they are threatened.

-The Great Escape: Flee Anizotte by yourself. Can be earned in conjunction with Family Lost.

-Revolt Quelled: As a Defender of The Empire, achieve a military victory against the revolt. Requires The Revolt at 0, Troops at 2 or higher, Nobles at 3, Clergy at 3, Common Folk at 1 or higher, and Power at -1 or lower.

-Complete Surrender: As a Defender of The Empire, achieve a peaceful victory and have the rebellion surrender. Requires The Revolt at 0, Troops at 1 or higher, Nobles at 2 or higher, Clergy at 2 or higher, Common Folk at 2 or higher, and Power to be -3 or -4.

-Humiliated Overseer: As a rebel, win a peaceful victory against the Empire. Requires The Revolt at 6 or higher, Troops at 1 or higher, Common Folk at 3, Clergy at 2 or higher, Nobles at 1 or higher, and Power at +3 or +4.

-Broken Legion: As a rebel, achieve a military victory. Requires The Revolt at 6 or higher, Troops at 2 or higher, and Common Folk at 3.

-Stand Your Ground: As a rebel, hold off the Empire forces without winning a decisive victory. This decision requires 20 Willpower, so get the requirements for a military victory then use the remaining decisions to generate Willpower.

-Massacre: As a rebel, have Sophia continue leading the revolt, and enable the Anizotte Massacre by allowing her to do it, or by joining in yourself. Only requires The Revolt to be at 6 or higher. Note: By having the Massacre happen, this unlocks the option for special dialogue with The Elder when he asks you what should be changed about the world.

-Troubled Times: Fail to achieve a true victory or defeat as either side. Can be easily accomplished by fleeing Anizotte.

These achievements relate to death and/or the evasion thereof.

-True Death: Die four times over the course of a run, or be instantly killed by a poor option. Easy to run into during normal play, but you can get this on purpose by choosing options that result in repeated lesser deaths until you die, or by experiencing final death in many of the options offered in Chapter 5.

-From Birth Till Death: Complete an ironman run, where ‘complete’ in this case means you died four times, or you reached the end of the game. This may also trigger on a non-ironman run where The Twins offer you to live your life again, but you deny it, but I am unsure. Please leave a comment if you got this without playing on ironman.

-Deathless: If you keep the indicator on for whether an option kills you or not, this isn’t the most difficult achievement to get. The main problem is that you get really good stats for sacrificing lives to your grandfather and Sophia early on, which you miss out on if you don’t die for them. Try this on a Lotless run with some of your resources poured into Scheming so that you can flee Anizotte by yourself in Chapter 5. Wait for The Battle for Anizotte event, and choose to flee. I did this while getting the Farewell, Advisor! achievement. You will receive the achievement as soon as you complete the epilogue and enter the True Death screen.

-Peak of the Pillar / Foot of the Pillar: Upon finishing a run, do not choose to live your life again if you are not in an ironman save. Otherwise, complete a run and choose your fate from the perspective of The Twins. Saving your soul gets you Peak of the Pillar, damning it gets you Foot of the Pillar. Note: If you’re on a save that lets you reload, you are perfectly capable of going back and choosing the other option for completion’s sake.

Various achievements that don’t fit into any of the other categories.

-Matters of the Heart: Begin a relationship with any of the love interests. You don’t have to start dating one, just beginning their plot is good enough, such as via returning Octavia’s handkerchief.

-Web of Lies: Swear allegiance to three different people. I got this naturally in a Lotless run, which gives you plenty of opportunities to make deals with/pledge yourself to people such as the Advisor Felipe, Mayer Egmont, and Sophia. I’m unsure if you can get it in other Lots, but it was easiest as a Lotless.

-Parting Ways: In Chapter 3, choose the option to end your friendship with Tommas. You cannot choose this if you are of the noble Lot, regardless of your current friendship status, whether you took the rings or not, etc.

-A Soldier’s New Life: In Chapter 4, keep Tommas alive during his arc. I don’t have any specific insights for this. It’s pretty easy to do if you’re actively trying for it.

I personally had a lot of trouble with certain runs, particularly the nobleman Lot path. In case you were struggling with everything you need to balance too, these are a few lists of choices in order to get a handful of achievements at once. They won’t net you every achievement when put together, but if you’re missing something in particular, it might be here. They can also be tweaked and tinkered with to achieve other goals, though I’d suggest sticking to the Career Nobleman Lot exactly as it is written. The estimated playtime for any given run is 45 minutes to an hour if you click through everything as fast as humanly possible, and 5-6 hours if you read through everything.

Notable Achievements: Exalted Family, Noble of the Sword, Overseer’s Cohort, Favorite Grandson, Night of the Serpents, Master of Diplomacy, Revolt Quelled

Chapter 1
Birth: Smile at the shadow
Hide and Seek: Sit there and wait
The Great Descent: Sing the last line wrong
The Lot of Suffering: Deny your guilt
Gloria’s Rhymes: Complain about your sister
The Newborn’s Cry: Call father for help
Toy Soldiers: Deny your guilt
The Intrusion: Strike grandfather
Father’s Sword: Ask father to teach you the basics
An Illustrious Guest: Greet the Baroness politely
The Kaleidoscope: Take the kaleidoscope apart
The Ant Farm: Keep playing with mother
Sweet Temptation: Tell the truth
The Sacrament: Kiss the sword

Chapter 2
The Boy Down the Street: Come at Tommas and give him a beating
Riders on the Road: Stay where you are
Stephan’s Arrival: Join Gloria in her plight
A Dropped Handkerchief: Give the handkerchief back to Octavia
A Storm of Expectations: Focus on law and history
Sons of the Nobility: Shake Diederik’s hand
The Silver Tree: Leave them and approach the tree
The Shadow of the Past: Distance yourself from Gloria
The Nobleman’s Lot: Follow your brother’s orders
Forbidden Love: Aid Stephan in his cause
Trial of the Assailants: Support father
Agony: Let it all happen as grandfather wishes
Last Respects: Ask for grandfather’s blessing
The Fugitive Girl: Bring Sophia back to Otton
The Last Night: Spend time with Father

Chapter 3
Arrival in the Capital: Meet the noble youths
Luke’s Sermon: Resist him
The City That Never Sleeps: Go to the dueling club
The Girl From Your Past: Refuse
The Three Lots: Break through the cordon into the College
Bonds of Friendship: Keep things as they are
The Ball: Dance with the mysterious lady
Sir El Croix’s Lesson: Lay siege to the palace
The First Case: Find the nobleman
A Great Feast For All: Demand your rights
The Way of The Sword: Dedicate your fight to your father

Chapter 4
Homecoming: Find out how mother is doing
First Day of Service: Ask father for advice
A Reception at The Brante Residence: Talk about your victory in the tournament
A Rock and a Hard Place: Defend Gloria
The Land Dispute: Terminate the rental agreement
A Gift for The Family: Give the jewels to prominent nobles as gifts
The Power of The Law: Side with El Borne
An Old Friend: Have dinner with Tommas
The Newspaper Case: Legitimize the Gazette
The Call of The Ancestors: Side with father
The Vassal and The Lord: Defuse the situation
Passion: Submit to her
Brothers in Misery: Use your authority
The Case of Father Mark: Set him free
A Friend in Need: Decline Tommas’ request
The Case Against Otton: Let Tommas roam freely
The Road to The Top: Agree
The Festival of The Silver Tree: Interrupt Gloria
A Rendezvous with Octavia: Share your revelation
The Search for Evidence: Ask Overseer Gaius for support
Stephan’s Gambit: Agree
An Audience with The Overseer: Take the envelope
A Realm Unknown: Legitimize the circle
Threats and Promises: Put Otton at ease
Nobleman’s Honor: Sentence El Corvio to capital punishment
The Hunt for Tommas: Don’t get involved
El Ferro’s List: Protect the people on the list
Debacle in The Shop: Punish the Steiners
The Rebel: Influence Gloria through mother
Justice for All: Provoke the Arknian
Deathbed: Accept this loss
Transformation: Demand that Octavia be returned to her family
The Gilded Cage: Maintain family ties with Gloria
Repentance: Do not stop Nathan
A Family Matter: Become members of the Overseer’s Entourage
Noble Bloodline: Accompany Stephan as he steps forward
Twilight over Anizotte: Go home

Chapter 5
The Family’s Fate: The El Brantes will oppose the revolt
By Their Will: Walk away without giving Nathan an answer
Mustering The Forces: Unite the nobles
A Fading Light: Hand her over to the Inquisition
Sir El Borne’s Choice: Support El Borne’s plan
The Prefecture Under Siege: Get Otton and El Borne to reconcile
The March of The New Faith: Fend them off with the Champions of Faith
The Rebel Leader: Break up the mob
The Final Hour: Go see El Borne
The Battle for Anizotte: Crush the rebel forces

Notable Achievements: Court of Honor, Best of the Best

Reset the above choices back to Chapter 4. Follow everything from the above guide until you reach The Road to The Top. Your family will collapse, but at least you get to run Otton through with a sword!

The Road to The Top: Refuse and protect your career
The Festival of The Silver Tree: Interrupt Gloria
A Rendezvous with Octavia: Share your revelation
The Search for Evidence: Ask Overseer Gaius for support
Stephan’s Gambit: Agree
A Realm Unknown: Legitimize the circle
Threats and Promises: Put Otton at ease
Nobleman’s Honor: Fine El Corvio
The Hunt for Tommas: Don’t get involved
El Ferro’s List: Conduct investigation
Debacle in The Shop: Punish the Steiners
The Rebel: Influence Gloria through mother
Justice for All: Provoke the Arknian
Friend of The People: Refuse
Deathbed: Accept this loss
An Audience with The Overseer: Decline
Transformation: Demand that Octavia be returned to her family
The Gilded Cage: Maintain family ties with Gloria
Repentance: Do not stop Nathan
A Family Matter: Sever all ties with the family
Final Preparations: Bide your time
The Hour Has Come: Bring Otton to the Court of Honor

Chapter 5
Mustering The Forces: Bide your time
A Fading Light: Hand her over to the Inquisition
Sir El Borne’s Choice: Condemn El Borne
The Prefecture Under Siege: Challenge Otton to a duel
The Duel With Otton: Defeat Otton
You can pick whatever you want from here.

Notable Achievements: Heir to the House

This achievement is going to require a new save / starting from the beginning to accomplish, due to the amount of fiddling necessary.

Chapter 1
Birth: Smile at the shadow
Hide and Seek: Sit there and wait
The Great Descent: Finish the song properly
The Lot of Suffering: Deny your guilt
Gloria’s Rhymes: Offer to write rhymes with her
The Newborn’s Cry: Redirect her anger to yourself
Toy Soldiers: Admit your guilt
The Intrusion: Strike grandfather
The Ant Farm: Keep playing with mother
An Illustrious Guest: Demand that mother be introduced
The Kaleidoscope: Return to your studies
Father’s Sword: Ask father to teach you the basics
Sweet Temptation: Lie
The Sacrament: Kiss the sword

Chapter 2
The Boy Down the Street: Come at Tommas and give him a beating
Riders on the Road: Stay where you are
Stephan’s Arrival: Join Gloria in her plight
A Dropped Handkerchief: Keep the handkerchief as a memento
A Storm of Expectations: Focus on law and history
Sons of the Nobility: Shake Diederik’s hand
The Silver Tree: Leave them and approach the tree
The Shadow of the Past: Distance yourself from Gloria
The Nobleman’s Lot: Follow your brother’s orders
Forbidden Love: Aid Stephan in his cause
Trial of the Assailants: Support father
Agony: Let it all happen as grandfather wishes
Last Respects: Bleed
The Fugitive Girl: Bring Sophia back to Otton
The Last Night: Spend time with Father

Chapter 3
Arrival in the Capital: Listen to Arkwright’s speech
Luke’s Sermon: Resist him
The City That Never Sleeps: Go to the dueling club
The Girl From Your Past: Refuse
The Three Lots: Break through the cordon into the College
Bonds of Friendship: Keep things as they are
The Ball: Dance with the mysterious lady
Sir El Croix’s Lesson: Lay siege to the palace
The First Case: Find the nobleman
A Great Feast For All: Demand your rights
The Way of The Sword: Dedicate your fight to your father

Chapter 4
Homecoming: Find out how mother is doing
First Day of Service: Ask father for advice
A Reception at The Brante Residence: Talk about your victory in the tournament
A Rock and a Hard Place: Defend Gloria
The Land Dispute: Terminate the rental agreement
A Gift for The Family: Decline the gift
The Power of The Law: Side with El Borne
An Old Friend: Have dinner with Tommas
The Newspaper Case: Legitimize the Gazette
The Call of The Ancestors: Side with father
The Vassal and The Lord: Defuse the situation
Passion: Submit to her
Brothers in Misery: Use your authority
The Case of Father Mark: Judge him
Friend of The People: Refuse
A Friend in Need: Decline Tommas’ request
The Case Against Otton: Let Tommas roam freely
The Road to The Top: Agree
The Festival of The Silver Tree: Interrupt Gloria
A Rendezvous with Octavia: Ask for assistance
The Search for Evidence: Don’t waste your time
Stephan’s Gambit: Agree
An Audience with The Overseer: Take the envelope
A Realm Unknown: Legitimize the circle
Threats and Promises: Put Otton at ease
Nobleman’s Honor: Sentence El Corvio to capital punishment
The Hunt for Tommas: Don’t get involved
El Ferro’s List: Protect the people on the list
Debacle in The Shop: Punish the Steiners
The Rebel: Influence Gloria through mother
Justice for All: Provoke the Arknian
Deathbed: Share your strength with mother
Transformation: Demand that Octavia be returned to her family
The Gilded Cage: Challenge Stephan to a duel
To The Death: Parry
Repentance: Do not stop Nathan
A Family Matter: Become Nobles of The Sword
A Noble Bloodline: Step forward as the family heir
You can pick whatever you want from here.

Notable achievements: Right to Bear Arms, We Are Still Family, Peace in the Family, Gloria Brante, New Faith’s Fire, Patriarch Lennart, Jeanne’s New Faith

Chapter 1
Birth: Smile at the shadow
Hide and Seek: Sit there and wait
The Great Descent: Finish the song properly
The Lot of Suffering: Deny your guilt
Gloria’s Rhymes: Leave the room
The Newborn’s Cry: Redirect her anger to yourself
Toy Soldiers: Tell him the truth
The Intrusion: Strike grandfather
Father’s Sword: Ask father to teach you the basics
An Illustrious Guest: Greet the Baroness politely
The Kaleidoscope: Take the kaleidoscope apart
The Ant Farm: Keep playing with mother
Sweet Temptation: Tell the truth
The Sacrament: Raise your head

Chapter 2
The Boy Down The Street: Come at Tommas and give him a beating
Riders on The Road: Shield Sophia from the horses
Stephan’s Arrival: Make small talk over dinner
A Dropped Handkerchief: Keep the handkerchief as a memento
A Storm of Expectations: Study theology
Sons of The Nobility: Turn him over to the teachers
The Silver Tree: Stay with the red-haired pilgrim
The Shadow of The Past: Accept Gloria as your sister
The Nobleman’s Lot: Follow your brother’s orders
Forbidden Love: Aid Stephan in his cause
An Adult Question: Dispel Nathan’s fears
Trial of The Assailants: Convince father to change his mind
Agony: Run away to rescue Nathan and Gloria
Last Respects: Give the dagger back
The Poets: Convince Gloria to leave the society
The Fugitive Girl: Hide alone
The Last Night: Spend the time with mother

Chapter 3
Arrival in the Capital: Visit The Great Temple of The Twins
Luke’s Sermon: Debate him
The City that Never Sleeps: Go to The Markian Society
The Girl from Your Past: Help her
The Three Lots: Preach your revelation
Bonds of Friendship: Keep things as they are
Searching for The Truth: Support Patriarch Luke
The Black Book: Tell no one about Aylis
Matters of Faith: Join the preachers
A Criminal Relationship: Flee the courtroom
The Second Sacrament: Strike with all your might

Chapter 4
Spiritual Guidance: Support Jeanne
Homecoming: Chat with Nathan
The Sacred Conclave: Put the Magrans at ease
A Reception at the Brante Residence: Share news from the capital
A Rock and a Hard Place: Appeal to Nathan
A Gift for The Family: Give the jewels to prominent nobles as gifts
The La-Tari Society: Become a part of the circle
An Old Friend: Walk away
In The Shadow of The Tree: Help Father Lennart
The Call of The Ancestors: Side with father
The Will and The Law: Support Jeanne
The Printed Page: Redact and censor the books
Brothers in Misery: Refuse to help
Lethal Weapons: Support Lennart
The New Sacrament: Defend the New Believers
Miracles and Wonders: Proclaim this occurrence a miracle of The Twins
The Captive: Withdraw the accusations
The Festival of The Silver Tree: Appeal to mother
The Trail of Sorcery: Heal Jeanne
Revelation: Go to Father Lennart
A Confession: These feelings are real
The Patriarch’s Sermon: Rely on The New Believers for support
Evening Prayer: Walk away silently
The Hunt for Tommas: Don’t get involved
A Sinner’s Confession: Guide Nathan to the right path
The Renegade: Make a deal with Mark
Deathbed: Unite the family
Repentance: Call mother
The Denunciation: Tell the truth
A Family Matter: Preserve the family
The Silence of The Gods: Do not stop the fanatics

Chapter 5
The Family’s Fate: Agree with father and protect your home
By Their Will: The revolt is part of their design
Mustering The Forces: Arm The New Believers
The Order, Divided: Convince her to spare the inquisitors
The Prefecture Under Siege: Rouse the mob and encourage them to defend the prefect
The March of The New Faith: Lead the procession to the temple
A Farewell to Jeanne: Convert Jeanne to The New Faith
You can pick whatever you want from here.

Notable achievements: His Will Alone

Reset the above choices back to Chapter 3. Follow everything from the above guide until you reach Searching for The Truth.

Searching for The Truth: Reject the doubt and strengthen your belief
The Black Book: Tell no one about Aylis
Matters of Faith: Join the preachers
A Criminal Relationship: Flee the courtroom
The Second Sacrament: Strike with all your might

Chapter 4
Spiritual Guidance: Support Jeanne
Homecoming: Chat with Nathan
The Sacred Conclave: Accuse the Magrans
A Reception at The Brante Residence: Share news from the capital
A Rock and a Hard Place: Appeal to Nathan
A Gift for The Family: Give the jewels to prominent nobles as gifts
The La-Tari Society: Preach to them
An Old Friend: Walk away
In The Shadow of The Tree: Point out the flaws of The New Faith
The Call of The Ancestors: Side with Father
The Will and The Law: Kill the prisoner
The Printed Page: Redact and censor books
Brothers in Misery: Take them to the inquisition
The Principle of The Will: Disagree
Miracles and Wonders: Subdue Ariadella
Festival of The Silver Tree: Appeal to Mother
The Trail of Sorcery: Chase the mage
Privilege and Authority: Fabricate evidence
Revelation: Go to Father Lennart
Stephan’s Gambit: Agree
A Confession: These feelings are real
The Patriarch’s Sermon: Rely on The New Believers for support
Lethal Weapons: Refuse
The Hunt for Tommas: Turn to your benefactor for aid
The Rebel: Persuade Gloria to accept her fate
A Sinner’s Confession: Guide Nathan to the right path
The Renegade: Lure Mark into a trap
The Sentence: Release Mark from captivity
Deathbed: Accept this loss
The Gilded Cage: Maintain family ties with Gloria
Tommas’ Wedding: Perform the wedding ceremony yourself
Repentance: Protect your brother
The Denunciation: Deny everything
A Family Matter: Preserve the family
You can pick whatever you want from here.

Notable achievements: Loyal to Felipe, We Are Still Family, Peace in the Family, Gloria Brante, For The Empire!

Chapter 1
Birth: Smile at the shadow
Hide and Seek: Sit there and wait
The Great Descent: Finish the song properly
The Lot of Suffering: Deny your guilt
Gloria’s Rhymes: Leave the room
The Newborn’s Cry: Redirect her anger to yourself
Toy Soldiers: Tell him the truth
The Intrusion: Strike grandfather
Father’s Sword: Ask father to teach you the basics
An Illustrious Guest: Greet the Baroness politely
The Kaleidoscope: Take the kaleidoscope apart
The Ant Farm: Keep playing with mother
Sweet Temptation: Tell the truth
The Sacrament: Raise your head

Chapter 2
The Boy Down The Street: Come at Tommas and give him a beating
Riders on The Road: Shield Sophia from the horses
Stephan’s Arrival: Join Gloria in her plight
A Dropped Handkerchief: Keep the handkerchief as a memento
A Storm of Expectations: Study theology
Sons of The Nobility: Turn him over to the teachers
The Silver Tree: Stay with the red-haired pilgrim
The Shadow of The Past: Accept Gloria as your sister
The Nobleman’s Lot: Follow your brother’s orders
Trial of The Assailants: Convince father to change his mind
An Adult Question: Confirm Nathan’s fears
Forbidden Love: Aid Stephan in his cause
The Poets: Keep Gloria’s secret
Agony: Run away to rescue Nathan and Gloria
Last Respects: Give the dagger back
The Fugitive Girl: Try to stop Otton
The Last Night: Spend the time with Gloria

Chapter 3
Arrival in The Capital: Listen to Arkwright’s speech
Luke’s Sermon: Debate him
The City that Never Sleeps: Go to the secret salon
The Girl from Your Past: Help her
The Three Lots: Follow the Lotless
Bonds of Friendship: Keep things as they are
The Lotless: Condemn the Nobles
Before The March: Mobilize the commoners
March of The Collars: Free the captive mages on your own
The Trap Springs: Create a distraction
Recruitment: Betray the remaining Lotless

Chapter 4
Homecoming: Chat with Nathan
First Steps: Hire spies, moles, and crooks
A Reception at the Brante Residence: Purchase a family portrait
A Rock and a Hard Place: Appeal to Nathan
The Last Straw: Agree with Felipe
Hearts on Fire: Report the poets to father
A Gift for The Family: Sell the jewels
Concerned Citizen: Report the conversation
An Old Friend: Walk away
The Gunpowder Plot: Report this to Felipe
Personal Interests: Track down the traitor
The Call of The Ancestors: Side with father
The Errors of Youth: Order everyone to lie low
Trust: Shake his hand
A Chat with The Magistrate: Evade the question
Brothers in Misery: Blackmail the judge
Freedom of Speech: Print and disseminate the book yourself
Blast Wave: Profit from the havoc
The Festival of The Silver Tree: Appeal to mother
An Invitation to Dinner: Invite Sophia to the dinner
The Illegitimate Girl: Refuse Gloria
Getting Even: Agree
The Hard Goodbye: Confess your love for her
The Legion in The City: Denounce the rebellious nobles to Tommas
An Urgent Deal: Take advantage of his sermon to recruit people into The Last Straw
A Dangerous Haul: Report this to Felipe
Deathbed: Unite the family
Tommas’ Wedding: Bid Tommas farewell
Repentance: Call mother
A Family Matter: Preserve the family
Clean Hands: Kill Sophia

While I went through the game myself and made my own observations that I hope will help the English-speaking community, I still was greatly aided by a few previously existing guides.

Andriwa's Russian guide was incredibly helpful for some of the more esoteric achievements:
https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2415445170
I also highly recommend following Unfluffy Kitty's Old Faith Clergy guide for a few achievements that one might have missed on previous runs (it is not in the list of runs at the end of this guide):
https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2454173482
And using Imminent Demise's Statistic Conversion Guide in case the specific conversions slip your mind while you're going for certain stats in Chapters 1 and 2:
https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2418010989
Thank you!