MAIN ENDING · MANUMIT FINALE
How to Get The Knyazmaker Ending
To get The Knyazmaker, complete Crake’s Manumit questline, finish Rise at Dawn, continue into Fall Before Dusk, reject Brencis’s final deal and defeat him on Crake’s route. Crake is Marat — the same Manumit leader your quest pages call Marat.
- Final ally
- Crake (Marat)
- Ending quests
- Rise at Dawn → Fall Before Dusk
- Core requirement
- Defeat Brencis on the Manumit route
- Danger choice
- Do not accept Brencis’s deal
Make a manual save before the final Brencis conversation.
Are Crake and Marat the Same Person?
Crake = Marat
Yes. Marat is the Manumit leader also known as Crake. The Knyazmaker achievement says Crake while your quest text and journal say Marat.
Crake is the name the valley knows him by, so early quests, warrants and rumours all use it. His own people and the journal switch to Marat once you are inside the movement.
The moment the game confirms it
“No need to call me Crake anymore. My name is Marat, remember?”
This is a confirmed line from the Manumit questline, which is why this page treats Crake and Marat as one character rather than two.
Why this matters for your playthrough. You are not missing an ally. Everything you do for Crake is progress for Marat, and every Marat outcome — survival, romance, friendship — belongs to the same person the ending is named after.
Crake Questline Required for The Knyazmaker
This route is longer than the others, so it helps to separate the spine from everything optional. Only these eight quests are required.
- The Firebrand
- Shadows in the Woods
- Where Loyalty Lies
- What Hunts the Night
- What Moves the Dead
- Who Pulls the Strings
- Rise at Dawn
- Fall Before Dusk
- THE KNYAZMAKER
Optional
Distant Shadows → A Closer Look
Branches off after Who Pulls the Strings.
Distant Shadows and A Closer Look are the Marat personal route. They carry character, romance and achievement content, but they are not what unlocks the ending.
Other optional Manumit quests such as Under Watchful Eyes and Taking Back What’s Mine add story, rewards or achievements without being required for the core Knyazmaker route.
Do You Need Distant Shadows and A Closer Look for The Knyazmaker?
No — not for the ending itself.
Those two quests are the Marat personal route: romance, character revelation and The Manumit achievement. The ending only needs the spine to reach Fall Before Dusk.
A Closer Look can be missed — that is not the same as failing the ending
It is optional and time-sensitive, so it can close off. Losing it can cost you Marat’s personal and romance outcomes. It does not, by itself, close off The Knyazmaker, because the required progression is elsewhere.
Do You Need The Manumit achievement?
No.
That achievement tracks the optional Crake material. An achievement route is not an ending requirement, and finishing the ending does not automatically award it.
Do You Need to Romance Crake / Marat?
No. The Knyazmaker is tied to his Manumit finale route, not to whether Coen romances him.
Romance runs alongside the route, not through it. Two players can both finish on The Knyazmaker with completely different romance outcomes, so answer those two questions separately.
Is Rise at Dawn The Knyazmaker Ending?
Not yet. Rise at Dawn is the first finale-stage quest on Crake’s route. Completing it moves directly into Fall Before Dusk, where the Brencis confrontation and The Knyazmaker are actually resolved.
The plan on this quest is to seize Eastridge Outpost and let Catalin’s troops in, which opens the way for the Greifberg assault. It does not end the story and it does not by itself lock the ending.
How long does Marat need to prepare?
The journal tells you to come back in a few days, or by morning once Catalin’s troops are ready. That is the whole instruction the game gives you — the objective is a return visit, not a countdown you can misjudge.
What Happens After Rise at Dawn?
The route continues immediately into Fall Before Dusk, the Greifberg assault where The Knyazmaker resolves.
Only the ending-critical beats matter here. The tunnels, the ladder, the Warden, the courtyard and the minibosses all belong to the quest walkthrough.
- 1Infiltrate Greifberg and reach the prison.
- 2Find your family — Brencis uses them as a welcome.
- 3Resolve the throne-room scene with Catalin and Marat.
- 4Find Brencis and defeat him on the Manumit route.
Knyazmaker or Turncoat?
These two endings share the Manumit world, so the split is about which route you commit to rather than one button at the very end.
| Your commitment | Ending |
|---|---|
| Stay on the Manumit route and defeat Brencis with Crake | The Knyazmaker |
| Betray your allies for Brencis | The Turncoat |
Worth knowing before you plan reloads: the betrayal into The Turncoat comes from the ally betrayal routes, not from a conversation inside Fall Before Dusk. Our data shows no Brencis deal offer placed in that finale quest, so this page does not quote one.
The Turncoat route →Can Crake / Marat Die?
Yes. The Fall Before Dusk throne-room scene can end with Marat dead.
The scene branches on a hidden readiness score that has been building through earlier choices, and it does not resolve the same way for every player.
| Your response | Who dies |
|---|---|
| No! Stop! | Neither — the scene reaches Catalin safe. |
| [stay silent] | One of them dies: Marat if the hidden readiness is below the threshold, Catalin if it is at or above it. |
Does Marat Have to Survive for The Knyazmaker?
No. The data does not tie his survival to the ending route, so his death is not treated as a lock here.
The Manumit finale resolves on the route you committed to, and Marat’s death is tracked as its own state that shapes his epilogue and the Valley outcome. All four closings of Fall Before Dusk begin with Brencis defeated — including the two where Marat dies.
How the finale can close
- Brencis defeated. Marat dies saving Catalin, who becomes the next ruler.
- Brencis defeated. Catalin is gone and Marat lives to see the rebellion win.
- Brencis defeated. Catalin is set to rule and Marat lives.
- Brencis defeated, both are gone, and the Valley’s future is left open.
Those four closings are the game’s own journal text for this quest. Notice that every one of them resolves the same main ending and differs in who survives.
Want Marat to live?
Use the throne-room choice. Intervening is the only response that writes neither death in that scene.
Does The Knyazmaker Save Your Family?
The ending can be completed while your family survives, but the rescue state is separate from the condition that unlocks The Knyazmaker.
Two players can both finish on The Knyazmaker and read different family results. Brencis uses your family as a welcome in the castle, so where they end up follows your own timing, not the ending name.
How the 30-day limit works →Can You Get The Knyazmaker and In the Nick of Time Together?
Yes, if you defeat Brencis on the Manumit route and rescue your family before the deadline. They are two separate achievements.
In the Nick of Time is a rescue achievement, not an ending, and this ending does not award it automatically.
Do You Need to Defeat All Three Boyars First?
Not as the defining Knyazmaker condition, but leaving major Boyars alive can make Fall Before Dusk harder and change who appears during the castle assault.
Ambrus, Bakir and Xanthe already appear as objectives inside the finale quest itself, so the honest framing is preparation rather than a gate. Clearing Court Activities first makes the assault cleaner.
Court Activities and Infamy →Can You Still Get The Knyazmaker?
Answer what you know. Nothing is written to your Ending Calculator unless the finale actually resolved on the Manumit route.
Answer the questions to check your save.
Nothing answered yet.
Marat being dead here does not lock the ending by itself. It changes his epilogue and the Valley outcome.
Where Should You Save for The Knyazmaker?
Three saves cover this ending and let one playthrough serve several others.
Save 1 — before Rise at Dawn
Finish any optional Manumit and Marat content you still care about.
Save 2 — before Fall Before Dusk
Preserves the pre-assault world and keeps your other ending options open.
Save 3 — before you commit to a finale route
The Knyazmaker ↔ Turncoat split is a route commitment, so keep this save if you want to collect both.
Which Main Ending Are You Choosing?
The four main endings are easiest to read by who stands beside Coen at the end.
| Nobody beside you | The Folk Hero |
| Lacra beside you | The Patricide |
| The manumits beside you | The Knyazmaker |
| Brencis’s deal | The Turncoat |
What Changes in The Knyazmaker Ending?
Spoiler-light summary first. Expand for the full outcomes.
- Coen defeats Brencis on the Manumit finale route.
- Who survives the throne room decides who leads the rebellion afterwards.
- Family state follows your own rescue timing, not the ending name.
- The Valley epilogue follows the Manumit resolution and Marat’s state.
Show full ending consequences
Characters and world states this ending touches
Marat · Family · Valley · Lacra · Florin
These are the states this ending changes. Other endings can leave them different.
Achievements on This Route
- Ending achievement
- The Knyazmaker
- Defeat Brencis together with Crake.
- Optional Manumit route
- The Manumit
- Tracks the optional Crake material around Distant Shadows and A Closer Look. Not required for the ending.
- Family rescue
- In the Nick of Time
- Rescue your family before the time limit expires.
- Story completion
- The Blood of Dawnwalker
- Finish the story on any main ending.
Only The Knyazmaker is the main ending on this route. The Manumit tracks optional Crake content, In the Nick of Time is a rescue achievement, and The Blood of Dawnwalker is awarded for finishing the story.
The Knyazmaker FAQ
How do you get The Knyazmaker ending?
Complete Crake’s Manumit questline and defeat Brencis through Fall Before Dusk.
Are Crake and Marat the same person?
Yes. Marat is the Manumit leader also known as Crake.
Which quests are required?
The Firebrand through Who Pulls the Strings, then Rise at Dawn and Fall Before Dusk.
Are Distant Shadows and A Closer Look required?
No. They are the Marat personal route, not the ending requirement.
Do you need to romance Marat / Crake?
No. The ending follows his finale route, not the romance.
Is The Manumit achievement required?
No. It tracks optional Crake content.
Is Rise at Dawn the ending?
No — Fall Before Dusk resolves the ending.
What happens if you accept Brencis’s deal?
You land on The Turncoat instead of The Knyazmaker.
Do you fight Brencis with Crake the whole time?
No. The encounter does not keep him beside you all the way through, and the ending still counts.
Do all three Boyars need to be dead?
Recommended preparation, not the defining ending condition.
Can Marat die and you still get The Knyazmaker?
Yes. His death changes his epilogue and the Valley outcome, not the ending route.
Does The Knyazmaker save your family?
It can be completed while your family survives, but family state is separate from the ending condition.
Can you get In the Nick of Time too?
Yes, if you also rescue your family before the deadline.
Where should you save?
Before Rise at Dawn, before Fall Before Dusk, and before committing to a finale route.