History YMMV / TheLifeAndSufferingOfSirBrante

** More like a Breather Lifepath; some players find the Priest Lot the easiest of three. Firstly, it all but guarantees good relationships with [[TheHeart Lydia and Nathan]] which makes it easier to maintain family unity. Secondly, the Priest very rarely comes under threat of death, and even his most powerful enemies rarely threat to destroy his life completely. Thirdly, there is only one possible [[DealWIthTheDevil Deal with the Devil]], and rejecting it doesn't cost you that much compared to simular deals in other paths. And, last but not least, the Priest can achieve good results in situations where it's flat out impossible in any other path (such as [[spoiler: saving the life of Octavia Milanidas or avoiding the downfall of the Temple]]).

* [[MagnificentBastard Magnificent Bastard]]: Sir Brante can be played as one, taking morally dubious actions to achieve some grand (maybe even benevolent) goal and playing multiple characters and factions for his own ends.
** Felipe El Ferro comes off as this if he has loyal Sir Brante by his side. He concocts an elaborate scheme using multiple parties (both Imperial and anti-Imperial) against one another, while most of them don't even know they're being used. His gambit resolves a major sociopolitical crisis, which in any other path leads to a lot of bloodshed and a possible civil war, in less than a week. Afterwards, Felipe secures a pardon for most people he's used and goes on to become one of the most powerful people in the Empire.

** The New Faith Priest, for its sheer [[HappilyEverAfter Happily Ever After]] potential. On this path, Sir Brante can be played as a powerful combination of [[AllLovingHero All-Loving Hero]], [[GoodShepherd Good Shepherd]] and [[MoralityChain Morality Chain]], with nearly no need for moral compromises or dubious solutions. This path also makes it fairly easy to unite the family, allows you to keep your [[LoveInterest Love Interest]] close and happy, save your best friend from death with minimal effort, save [[spoiler: Octavia Milanidas from suicide]], [[spoiler: completely avert the downfall of the Silver Tree temple, which is unavoidable in almost any other path]] and [[VelvetRevolution win a peaceful victory for the Revolt fairly easily]].

** The Imperial Nobleman is this for fans of the Empire. Firstly, it puts Sir Brante in a position of power where he can not only drastically improve his own fortune, but to shape the state of his homeland however he sees fit. Secondly, it presents far more opportunities to obtain fame and power without resorting to unethical means (quite the opposite, in fact: a nobleman can often obtain fame and power through genuine displays of dignity and bravery). However, the quest for ennoblement and career advancement still puts you in a complicated and intense political game worthy of [[Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire Westeros]] and puts your moral limitations to the test, making it entertainingly challenging if you play Brante as someone who actually gives a damn about honor and noble principles. Last but not least, as in this path you're supposed to be a warrior, it contains some of the coolest action scenes in the game, potentially including [[spoiler: [[TheCavalry a fight against multiple assassins to save your best friend]]]], [[spoiler: [[CainAndAbel a tragic duel with your own elder brother]]]] and [[spoiler: [[FinalBattle an epic mano-a-mano against your sworn enemy in the last chapter]]]].

** The Imperial Nobleman is this for fans of the Empire. Firstly, it puts Sir Brante in a position of power where he can not only drastically improve his own fortune, but to shape the state of his homeland however he sees fit. Secondly, it presents far more opportunities to obtain fame and power without resorting to unethical means (quite the opposite, in fact: a nobleman can often obtain fame and power through genuine displays of dignity and bravery). However, the quest for ennoblement and career advancement still puts you in a complicated and intense political game worthy of [[ASongOfIceAndFire A Song of Ice and Fire]] and puts your moral limitations to the test, making it entertainingly challenging if you play Brante as someone who actually gives a damn about honor and noble principles. Last but not least, as in this path you're supposed to be a warrior, it contains some of the coolest action scenes in the game, potentially including [[spoiler: [[TheCavalry a fight against multiple assassins to save your best friend]]]], [[spoiler: [[CainAndAbel a tragic duel with your own elder brother]]]] and [[spoiler: [[FinalBattle an epic mano-a-mano against your sworn enemy in the last chapter]]]].

* {{BestLeverEver}}: More like "best lifepath ever". Many players find these paths especially satisfying.
** The New Faith Priest, for its sheer [[GoldenPath Golden Path]] potential. On this path, Sir Brante can be played as a powerful combination of [[AllLovingHero All-Loving Hero]], [[GoodShepherd Good Shepherd]] and [[MoralityChain Morality Chain]], with nearly no need for moral compromises or dubious solutions. This path also makes it fairly easy to unite the family, allows you to keep your [[LoveInterest Love Interest]] close and happy, save your best friend from death with minimal effort, save [[spoiler: Octavia Milanidas from suicide]], [[spoiler: completely avert the downfall of the Silver Tree temple, which is unavoidable in almost any other path]] and [[VelvetRevolution win a peaceful victory for the Revolt fairly easily]].
** The Imperial Nobleman is this for fans of the Empire. Firstly, it puts Sir Brante in a position of power where he can not only drastically improve his own fortune, but to shape the state of his homeland however he sees fit. Secondly, it presents far more opportunities to obtain fame and power without resorting to unethical means (quite the opposite, in fact: a nobleman can often obtain fame and power through genuine displays of dignity and bravery). However, the quest for ennoblement and career advancement still puts you in a complicated and intense political game worthy of {{ASongOfIceAndFire Westeros}} and puts your moral limitations to the test, making it entertainingly challenging if you play Brante as someone who actually gives a damn about honor and noble principles. Last but not least, as in this path you're supposed to be a warrior, it contains some of the coolest action scenes in the game, potentially including [[spoiler: [[TheCavalry a fight against multiple assassins to save your best friend]]]], [[spoiler: [[CainAndAbel a tragic duel with your own elder brother]]]] and [[spoiler: [[FinalBattle an epic mano-a-mano against your sworn enemy in the last chapter]]]].

* [[BestLeverEver Best Level Ever]]: More like "best lifepath ever". Many players find these paths especially satisfying.

** The Imperial Nobleman is this for fans of the Empire. Firstly, it puts Sir Brante in a position of power where he can not only drastically improve his own fortune, but to shape the state of his homeland however he sees fit. Secondly, it presents far more opportunities to obtain fame and power without resorting to unethical means (quite the opposite, in fact: a nobleman can often obtain fame and power through genuine displays of dignity and bravery). However, the quest for ennoblement and career advancement still puts you in a complicated and intense political game worthy of [[ASongOfIceAndFire Westeros]] and puts your moral limitations to the test, making it entertainingly challenging if you play Brante as someone who actually gives a damn about honor and noble principles. Last but not least, as in this path you're supposed to be a warrior, it contains some of the coolest action scenes in the game, potentially including [[spoiler: [[TheCavalry a fight against multiple assassins to save your best friend]]]], [[spoiler: [[CainAndAbel a tragic duel with your own elder brother]]]] and [[spoiler: [[FinalBattle an epic mano-a-mano against your sworn enemy in the last chapter]]]].

** For many players, the Noble Lot proves to be much harder than other lifepaths. The Priest is well protected by his position in the Inquisition, and the Lotless path, while tense, can be pretty straightforward once you've decided whose side you are really on. A nobleman, though, is besieged from all sides by dangerous enemies, shady deals and life-or-death situations. Tellingly, while it is possible to play a priest or a commoner and suffer only one or two lesser deaths, it is very difficult to succeed as a nobleman without sacrificing all your "lives" and being one step away from True Death by the endgame. Oh, and if you want to get ennobled, good luck: Wealth and Reputation stats are actually HARDER to obtain for a nobleman, e.g. some options to gain Reputation literally require you to die.

* [[BestLevelEver Best Level Ever]]: The Revolt chapter for an Imperial Nobleman can be the best finale for the game in terms of sheer epicness. Not only can Sir Brante unite his family and noble peers to fight for peace and order, he can also face his hated archenemy in a breathtaking duel to True Death. If he survives that, he does what noble estate is supposed to do best - leads his forces against bloodthirsty crowds and rebel regimens in a valiant battle for his lord and state, all the while tragic and apocalyptic scenes of mayhem and devastation unfold all around him. The possible peaceful outcome, when Sir Brante quells the main forces of the Revolt without a fight, is a great cherry on top.

** Many scenes with Thommas do not have stakes at all, just quiet moments of friendship and camaraderie where almost every choice is beneficial in some way.

* [[MagnificentBastard Magnificent Bastard]]: Sir Brante can be played as one, taking morally dubious actions to achieve some grand (maybe even benevolent) goal and/or playing multiple characters and factions for his own ends.

** Some people go the opposite direction and declare all the Brantes with the exception of Gloria and Nathan "various shades of bad". The Brantes were written as flawed but ultimately decent people, but between Robert's timidity, Lydia's religious fanaticism and Stephan's egotistical pride, some find it too much to bear.
** [[CrusadingLawyer Augustine El Borne]] can be this for some. He was written as an honorable and caring civil servant, the best kind of nobleman the Empire can offer. However, some players either don't care about his idealism at all (aiming for more pragmatic goals) or see him as too incompetent to actually make his noble ideas a reality. Not helping his case is that, without Sir Brante's help (especially in the Noble path), El Borne acts so sloppily and makes so many errors of judgement that it is highly possible for him to die without making any lasting good in the world. There are, consequently, more than a few players who view El Borne as a highly incompetent prefect, or just a fool in general.

* [[CompleteMonster Complete Monster]]: In the ruthless realm that is the Arknian Empire, some beings stand out as not just ruthless, but truly monstrous.
** Dorius Otton. A petulant, sadistic Arknian who sees his Noble Lot as nothing more than an excuse to abuse and kill whomever he pleases. Over the course of the game, Otton [[RapeIsaSpecialKindofEvil rapes a 14-years old girl]], murders his own soldiers for "insults against his honor" (read: the slightest disobedience) and orders to raze whole villages when they are too poor to pay taxes. When the Revolt comes, Otton crucifies the insurgent commoners right on the streets to die an agonising death and potentially butchers the servants of the Prefecture in a mass execution. Merciless, bloodthirsty and dishonorable, Otton represents the worst traits of the Arknian race.
** Father Ulrich, the chief Inquisitor of Magra. At first glance, he is a [[KnightTemplar Knight Templar]] of the worst caliber, ready to torture and execute anyone he deems unfaithul (or not faithul enoough). The reality is even worse: Ulrich is [[spoiler: secretly practicing the doctrine of the Will, seeking to strip humanity of its freedom and believing that only blind obedience can grant people salvation. If sister Jeanne exposes his treachery and he has Sir Brante as a disciple, Ulrich casually orders to choke the pious priestess to death.]] A zealous maniac who forsakes laws and compassion for the sake of power and mastery over others, Ulrich stands out as the vilest member of the Priest Lot.
** [[VillainProtagonist YOU.]] It is totally possible to play Sir Brante as a selfish, heartless, sociopathic human being with no redeeming traits whatsoever. The list of evil deeds you can do includes but is not limited to: allowing [[spoiler: for your mother and siblings to be burnt alive]], betraying and potentially murdering your friends, comrades and relatives, [[spoiler: using your childhood friend for personal gain and then leaving him to die]], killing [[spoiler: your elder brother to usurp his position of the heir]], killing [[spoiler: your [[OneTrueLove One True Love]], usually by using their trust in you to stab them in the back]], torturing and executing several innocent people, and last but not least, [[spoiler: commit [[FinalSolution genocide]] and [[TheEndoftheWorldasWeKnowIt destroy the world.]]]]

** One particular example involved the player beating the Noble path as a loyal Imperial nobleman - and being upset that he "only" got to be the supreme judge of his province and couldn't instead marry the Archduke's daughter. Bear in mind that said daughter is an Arknian, in a world where [[FantasticRacism Fantastic Racism]] is integral to the very social structure of the Empire.

* TearJerker: The game. The "suffering" in the title proves to be painfully accurate no matter which course your life takes. Enough to have its own page.

* [[CompleteMonster Complete Monster]]: In the "ruthless realm" that is the Arknian Empire, some beings stand out as not just ruthless, but truly monstrous.
** Dorius Otton. A petulant, sadistic Arknian who sees his Noble Lot as nothing more than an excuse to abuse and kill whomever he pleases. Over the course of the game, Otton [[RapeIsaSpecialKindofEvil rapes a 14-years old girl]], murders his own soldiers for "insults against his honor" (read: the slightest disobedience) and orders to raze whole villages when they are too poor to pay taxes. When the Revolt comes, Otton crucifies the insurgent commoners right on the streets to die an agonising death and potentially butchers the servants of the Prefecture in a mass execution. Merciless, bloodthirsty and dishonorable, Otton represents the worst traits of the Arknian race.

* [[CatharsisFactor Catharsis Factor]]: Every time Sir Brante triumphs over a particularly powerful and/or despicable enemy is going to feel great. Possible examples include:
** After all the crap Dorius Otton gets you through (possibly including your lesser murder), humiliating and destroying him is immensely satisfying. Especially if you get to punish the bastard personally.
** If you don't like Stephan very much, pushing him out of the family and destroying his smug attitude is pretty cool too.
** Personally killing Father Ulrich by [[spoiler: digging your thumbs into his eyeballs]] and ending his reign of religious terror.
** If you don't like Sophia as the rebel leader, finally silencing this sadistic hateful terrorist and saving your city from her wrath can feel like you've just saved the world.

** [[CrusadingLawyer Augustine El Borne]], for some. He was written as an honorable and caring civil servant, the best kind of nobleman the Empire can offer. However, some players either don't care about his idealism at all (aiming for more pragmatic goals) or see him as too incompetent to actually make his noble ideas a reality. Not helping his case is that, without Sir Brante's help (especially in the Noble path), El Borne acts so sloppily and makes so many errors of judgement that it is highly possible for him to die without making any lasting good in the world. There are, consequently, more than a few players who view El Borne as a highly incompetent prefect, or just a fool in general.

** If you don't like Sophia as the rebel leader, finally silencing this sadistic hateful terrorist and dsving your city from her wrath can feel like you've just saved the world.

** Gloria. Smart, passionate and spirited young woman whose main desire is to be accepted by the people she loves most? Or an insufferable [[SoapBoxSadie Soapbox Sadie]] with [[HolierThanThou Holier Than Thou]] attitude who does not help her family or her social cause in any meaningful way? Or maybe, a well-meaning person who wants to do good but is simply too naive to achieve anything meaningful?

* [[TheyWastedaPerfectlyGoodPlot They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot]]: For some players, the romantic route with Octavia Milanidas in the Noble path is sort of underwhelming. It starts strong, as you make a choice if you should submit to existing social standards and be subservient to Octavia, or defy said standards and become her equal lover (or defy them even more and flat out deny her a romance). No matter what you choose, you get one or two interesting scenes with Octavia, and the bond with her unlocks several beneficial choices later. However, this is the only romantic route in the game where you can't change the general outcome in any way and are [[{{Railroading}} railroaded]] to [[spoiler: lose your beloved to a mystical cult as she turns into an ancient magical creature]]. To add an insult to injury, the La Tari subplot, which takes up a big part of the route, is so far removed from the main conflicts of the Noble path (fight for justice/career doesn't match that well with arcane mysteries of the world) that some feel that the romance itself is largely disconnected from the main plot.

* [[TheyWastedaPerfectlyGoodPlot They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot]]: For some players, the romantic route with Octavia Milanidas in the Noble path is sort of underwhelming. It starts strong, as you make a choice if you should submit to existing social standards and be subservient to Octavia, or defy said standards and become her equal lover (or defy them even more and flat out deny her a romance). No matter what you choose, you get one or two interesting scenes with Octavia, and a bond with her unlocks several beneficial choices later. However, this is the only romantic route in the game where you can't change the general outcome in any way and are [[{{Railroading}} railroaded]] to [[spoiler: lose your beloved to a mystical cult as she turns into an ancient magical creature]]. To add an insult to injury, the La Tari subplot, which takes up a big part of the route, is so far removed from the main conflicts of the Noble path (fight for justice/career doesn't match that well with arcane mysteries of the world) that some feel that the romance itself is largely disconnected from the main plot.

* [[TheyWastedaPerfectlyGoodPlot They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot]]: For some players, the romantic route with Octavia Milanidas in the Noble path is sort of underwhelming. It starts strong, as you make a choice if you should submit to existing social standards and be subservient to Octavia, or defy said standards and become her equal lover (or defy them even more and flat out deny her a romance). No matter what you choose, you get one or two interesting scenes with Octavia, and a bond with her unlocks several beneficial choices later. However, this is the only romantic route in the game where you can't change the general outcome in any way and are [[Railroading railroaded]] to [[spoiler: lose your beloved to a mystical cult as she turns into an ancient magical creature]]. To add an insult to injury, the La Tari subplot, which takes up a big part of the route, is so far removed from the main conflicts of the Noble path (fight for justice/career doesn't match that well with arcane mysteries of the world) that some feel that the romance itself is largely disconnected from the main plot.

* [[RontheDeathEater Ron the Death Eater]]: Gloria. While she is designed as [[TheLoad The Load]] in family's quest for nobility, and while she can act somewhat selfishly and irresponsibly at times, she never does anything purposefully cruel to people around her, protects her friends and relatives from harm and generally just wants to be treated like an equal and do what she loves (write poetry). Yet if you read some fans' opinions on her, she is pictured like either a dumb entitled bitch who ruins everyone's lives because of her sheer stupidity, or a cunning monster who manipulates her relatives into killing the family heir. Arguably, some part of this animosity comes from players who tried to gain nobility without making an active effort to get rid of Gloria, lost because of one particular event and decided to blame Gloria for their failure.
* [[TheyWastedaPerfectlyGoodCharacter They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character]]: For some players, the romantic route with Octavia Milanidas in the Noble path is sort of underwhelming. This is the only romantic route in the game where you can't change the general outcome in any way and are [[Railroading railroaded]] to [[spoiler: lose your beloved to a mystical cult as she turns into an ancient magical creature]]. To add an insult to injury, the La Tari subplot, which takes up a big part of the route, is so far removed from the main conflicts of the Noble path (fight for justice/career doesn't match that well with arcane mysteries of the world) that some feel that the romance itself is largely disconnected from the main plot.

** In the Commoner/Lotless path, killing [[spoiler: Sophia on behalf of Felipe. To do it, you have to treat her with decency and kindness from early adolescence, save her life on several occasions and not only confess your love for her, but promise her protection and support. Then, as she comes back from a long journey and tries to embrace you, you stab her in the gut for "crimes against the Empire". The narration explicitly describes Sophia's face as that of a hurt child.]] Ouch.
* If noble Sir Brante really loves Octavia Milanidas (and not simply uses her patronage to gain power and prestige), their romance is quite tragic. [[spoiler: No matter how much they care for each other, no matter how many times they help each other out, Octavia's desire to escape the mortal realm is too strong. She kills herself in a ritual and is reborn as La Tari, cold and distant creature from realms unknown. She/It then departs the world entirely; the best Sir Brante can hope for is that she/it leaves something behind to remember her by]].

** Nathan's downward spiral. Though born with weak health and a lowly commoner, he tries to make something of himself and become a priest, only to fail miserably because [[spoiler: Gods decided to speak through him at the worst time possible]]. He then falls into despair and alcoholism, wasting his life on pointless hedonism and even suffering a lesser death. Then, he suffer through a horrible crisis of faith, believing he is damned to Hell and doesn't deserve forgiveness. And THEN, he tries to [[spoiler: kill himself]] in a desperate attempt to reconcile with his Gods. And unlike Gloria, whom you can protect and support fairly often, there is no way for you to stop this lengthy period of misery for Nathan.

** Sophia's life in general. She is forced to serve an abusive rapist of a master, betrayed by her own parents, imprisoned by the Inquisition, made a slave of Secret Chancellery and forced to lie, betray and murder innocent people. The narration is eager to remind you that this bloodthirsty terrorist who wants to burn the Empire to the ground is, ultimately, just a scared abused child lashing out at world that betrayed her.
** If noble Sir Brante really loves Octavia Milanidas (and not simply uses her patronage to gain power and prestige), their romance is quite tragic. [[spoiler: No matter how much they care for each other, no matter how many times they help each other out, Octavia's desire to escape the mortal realm is too strong. She kills herself in a ritual and is reborn as La Tari, cold and distant creature from realms unknown. She/It then departs the world entirely; the best Sir Brante can hope for is that she/it leaves something behind to remember her by]].