A detailed guide on how to get the Mad King achievement.
Overview
If you are actually attempting this achievement on your first playthrough, I both respect and fear you.
And we all know how annoying it can be to realize you’ve played half an hour for nothing.
First of all, let’s have a look at the achievement’s requirements :
As you might have noticed, this achievement isn’t going to get you a “world’s best dad” coffee mug but, to be frank, what is a moral compass when you can have some sweet, sweet game completion stats?
Here’s the list in chronological order :
- Kill the Deserter in the prologue
- Kill the radovian bandit
- Kill Sir Jovan
- Marry Asalia to Lord Varid
- Kill the radovian refugees
- Kill Beyran
- Kill the radovian survivors
- Let the queen die with your son during the ritual
And now, let’s review every point one by one.
1 – Kill the deserter in the prologue
No, you swallow back that smile! This is a Mad King playthrough and we have a long list of people to disappoint, starting with that soon-to-be orphan girl.
As you meet Sobik in the prologue, simply choose to slit his filthy deserter throat.
2 – Kill the radovian bandit
Needless to say, you’ll need to have him killed.
3 – Kill Sir Jovan
Invite Lord Friderick to the court, and he will ask you to set a trap for Sir Noaksey The Dragonslayer. At this point, both agreeing to the plan or betraying Friderick will bring you to the needed outcome, but I personally prefer inviting Sir Noaksey and ratting out Friderick’s plan to him, because Friderick’s an assh*le.
Either way, your guards will eventually bring Sir Jovan back to your court and he’ll confess to the murder of his former mentor, outing him as a wife beater and an alcoholic.
He’ll try to bargain for his life by offering an army and a few ressources, but we don’t really need a well-intentioned man as an ally now, do we?
Have him beheaded.
4 – Give your daughter’s hand to Lord Varid
While the two first kings are busy arguing whether or not you should help radovian refugees, Lord Varid will come up with an unexpected bargain : give him your 12 years old daughter’s hand in marriage, and he’ll reward you with his army.
Good parents would argue that twelve years old might be a teeny bit young for a marriage, and that a fifty-something years old man calling a teenager “mature enough” and “energic” might be somewhaaaat inappropriate but you’re not a good parent : you’re the king of Darven, and you would sell your daughter for one corn chip.
You did it once, after all, so why not twice?
Invite Lord Varid and agree to his proposal.
Tip : you can send an invitation to lord Varid on W31, before the summit even happens. This way, he’ll be ready on the very next day to pick up your daughter. Convenient!
5 – Kill the radovian refugees
To be honest, at this point and considering how well you’ve received their previous friends, they’re asking for it a little, aren’t they?
They’ll try telling you they’re innocent and unarmed, but hey, that hasn’t stopped you before.
Have them all killed.
6 – Kill Beyran
He’ll explain to you that the whole war thing was a misunderstanding, that he had come in peace and had never expected you to attack him.
Oh yeah? Damn, sorry about that, I didn’t know putting a knife to my wife’s neck was a love language in your country. I guess I should break the ice and return the favor, then!
Have him beheaded.
7 – Kill the radovian survivors
Well, it’s part of your life, now, isn’t it? Wake up, meet petitioners, hang radovians…
You know what to do.
8 – Let Aurelea die with your son
Botching the ritual is both an easy feat and a sound budgetary decision, as you won’t need to buy any of the required ingredients : the ritual will take place regardless.
To botch the ritual, just go ape sh*t : yell whatever you want at the spirits, don’t fill any of the offering bowls and you’ll be rewarded with a dead wife, a dead son and a shiny new achievement!
Thanks to Laitue Féodale and Rubix for his great guide, all credit to his effort. you can also read the original guide from Steam Community. enjoy the game.