Can you beat the battle as an open theurgist? In my last game I was devout/compassionate and became eclect but I found the winter part too much troublesome so I gave Breden control. I actually had a pretty big band but the army they sent against me was massive (like 600+ soldiers in total) so I had no choice but to run to the woods. Maybe if I’ll be a secret theurgist and not anger the priests they will send a smaller army?
You can win as an open theurge, but it’s not easy: I suggest taking down both the theurges (through a mad plan) and the supply train.
I’d also suggest using the winter to get money while avoiding too much fighting with the priests or aristocrats. If the helots, merchants, or aristos like you enough, each sector will damage the Hegemony force (particularly the aristos - Mikal de Rose can knock a Theurge out of the fight!). Meanwhile, each of the aristocrats, priests, merchants and yeomen can send troops against you - aristos will do so (though if they like you enough, it can be a pretty nominal force), the others only if you’ve cheesed them off. Also, getting enough support means you don’t need to buy intel.
I had decent relations with everyone (and great with the helots/yeomen) but the priests hated me cause I used Theurgy and kept raiding them in the winter. Also I didn’t have money to buy a lot of arms too. Later I tried Zvad as deputy and the game was worse, I only had 1 charisma so Breden was useful in winning these raids without any battle.
Eww. If you don’t have money to buy arms, then I advise running like hell.
And keeping the priests onside is a good idea, at least onside enough that you can give them some scratch to make up for your impious use of theurgy. You’re the Eclect, after all - that does help with your priestly relations but only to a point.
Can you save Linos/Horion by the way? When I let them go it said they got killed on the road later, and when I forced them to stay they got killed by the Plektoi.
No I feel you misunderstood my post, there was no option for me to act like I was becoming interested in her as an a-sexual… which wouldn’t have bothered me if I didn’t just have an option to entertain Breden’s advances at the party.
Honestly I suspect the underlying theme of the game is anti reproduction; it is recurring, and every time the topic is touched upon it is painted in a negative light. If you try to hook up with breden they are not interested in having kids, which is why I endeavored to go after Suzanne in the first place. Yet as an A-sexual I could end up with breden, but get no such options with suzanne.
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Even when playing an open theurge my mc doesn’t need or want the “support” of his former oppressors. 
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No, but it makes little sense to show off how you’re going to be wiping them out in a wave of revolutionary terror. They tend to take that personally and contribute troops when you do that 
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Well like you said the aristo’s will contribute troops no matter what. Still the ones committing the most additional troops on my runs have always been the priests. Didn’t matter though because as a secret theurge and even with Breden undermining combat-readiness, I can still beat them, albeit at the cost of half the forest.
It was hardly “terror”, we raided one paltry estate and ate some horses, big friggin deal. 
The “nobles” are just a bunch of whiny, petulant kids who got their proverbial (and literal) panties in a twist and are throwing a temper tantrum because my mc appropriated some of their toys for the glory of the revolution. 
All because my mc didn’t immediately subordinate himself to the Laconnier pretender like a good little serf.
They’re going to be facing a lot more disappointments during the course of the revolution though as this was only the beginning.
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That is too cruel 
and too much blood 
totally against the idea of a revolution …if both sides are equally blood thirsty , then it will become a choice to fight for the lesser evil If the current regime is competent , they could find someone who is charismatic to swing the support back to them 
Haven’t gotten there yet, but I this play through I am playing as a ruthless combat helot. Is it possible to win if I were choose to fight instead of flee? If so, how would I deal with the theurges?
I tried playing as helot with COM2 and if try dealing with the Theurgies in the finale battle with INT1 depending if you have Kalt/Kala they will sacrifice themselves to save you if you haven’t irritated them too much. But if you have CHA1 and COM2 I noticed my followers decided to save me
It depends.
If you want to employ a burn-everything strategy, Com/Int. Com/Cha allows for a more moderate approach, which nobles are particularly suitable for.
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I have a huge preference on playing a 2 INT noble mainly because you get an great compassionate boost so it can be used to help you during the winter. And also being 2 INT gives you the opportunity to learn Theurgy and if you kept it a secret until the end where you have to choose between fighting, evading in the woods or going back to the helot camps with the band, you get another opportunity to wipe out like 4 or 5 Theurges in one heavy blow with your Theurgy. And about three more situations will come when you have a choice to depend on it.
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Unfortunately, no. From a Watsonian perspective, Horion is a target for assassination, and will be prioritized even if you try to keep him safe. From a Doylist perspective, his death is necessary to keep the story from branching too wildly for the author to account for.
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From the XOR 1 WIP thread by me actually:
I had one game where my helot MC had raided House de Merre causing Horion to not reveal anything worth befriending him over. So my MC held Horion hostage and sent Linos off to deliver the ransom. When it became clear that no ransom would be forthcoming, my MC chose the option to release Horion. I never heard the fate of either of them again that game. If they are supposed to die at that point, the text never showed up for that playthrough.
and by @Havenstone:
Breden can come to the end of the game alive (and your companion for the next chapter, if you choose – like Kalt, Suzane, or Ciels). The only set-in-stone death in this game is (I think) your father’s. As pointed out above by @Norilinde, even Horion can make it to the end of the game without a death notice, with the right timing of his kidnapping and release.
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As Norilinde confirms, on this point (as on so many others!) I make a very poor Doyle.
Edit: Though the Reichenbach Falls represent a particularly apposite comparison in this case.
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How do you save Horion? I was thinking maybe if I go to battle instead of evading, the Plektoi won’t come (since I can kill the theurgists already) but I never tried the battle path so I don’t know. Sending them off while having a friendly relationship with them seemed to always get them killed
how do i meet ganelon tarakatou??
Have INT 2, it’s automatic.
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