Crake Romance: Marat Route Guide

Quick answer

Crake and Marat refer to the same character. Bandai Namco's official profile calls him Marat, while PC Gamer's release guide introduces him as “Crake (or Marat).” To romance him, build enough Infamy to unlock the Manumit storyline, keep him alive, and complete his chain through A Closer Look. At the final private conversation, reassure him that his revelation does not change how Coen sees him, then choose to kiss him back.

The route below contains spoilers about the Manumit rebellion and Crake's personal history.

Crake or Marat: why are there two names?

The official Bandai Namco character directory uses Marat and describes him as the courageous but guarded leader of a rebellion against the vrakhiri. Post-release English guides use Crake during gameplay instructions. PC Gamer explicitly joins the names, and its route switches between Crake and Marat in the same sequence. They are not separate men and do not represent two male romance options.

This page uses Crake to match the search phrase and route text, while retaining Marat wherever the official identity matters.

Requirements before the romance

Method reports that Coen needs roughly one third of the Infamy bar, the Notorious threshold, before Where Loyalty Lies becomes available. Build Infamy through activities connected to Ambrus, Bakir, and Xanthe. This is a quest-unlock condition, not a romance approval meter.

The other essential rule is to keep Crake alive. Method identifies an opportunity to give in to hunger and kill him during the storyline. Doing so makes the romance impossible. Outside of that irreversible outcome, the tested guides allow considerable freedom in how Coen handles earlier Manumit business.

Crake romance quest order

1. The Firebrand — begin this in the prologue by saving Vlad or investigating his Laslea home if he dies. Speak to Mert at the end to start the next lead.
2. Shadows in the Woods — meet Sara, then encounter Crake for the first time.
3. Where Loyalty Lies — join the Manumit rebels. PC Gamer notes that visiting the Svartrau hideout directly can also start this stage, but doing so skips scenes.
4. What Hunts the Night — continue the chain and take the opportunity for a private exchange while hiding in the ruined house.
5. What Moves the Dead — rescue Crake from the Murohn, accompany him back, help remove his armor, and agree to patch him up. This leads toward the essential Distant Shadows investigation.
6. Distant Shadows — follow Askar in Tantari and complete the investigation. The available guides do not require a single stealth outcome.
7. A Closer Look — follow Crake after the report and complete the decisive campfire conversation.

Method also lists Who Pulls the Strings within the prerequisite chain. Because PC Gamer's shorter sequence does not identify it as a separate romance gate, treat it as part of progressing the Manumit storyline rather than inventing a special dialogue requirement.

A Closer Look dialogue choices

Method's tested sequence begins by asking to join Crake and showing concern. Continue asking about what troubles him, identify Askar as his father, and avoid hostile or dismissive answers. The decisive reassurance is “Hey. Nothing you say can change the way I see you.” When he attempts to kiss Coen and Coen initially pulls back, choose “Kiss him back.” That action spends one time notch in Method's guide and completes the romantic scene.

Rude responses or explicitly saying Coen is not interested prevent the scene in that tested path. Make a manual save before the campfire conversation if you want to preserve a non-romantic outcome.

Missable steps

The largest lockout is Crake's death. The next risks are failing to raise enough Infamy for Where Loyalty Lies, abandoning the Manumit chain, or rejecting him during A Closer Look. Handling Askar aggressively or quietly is not documented as a romance lockout by Method.

Does Crake romance affect the ending?

PC Gamer connects Crake's epilogue appearance to completing Rise at Dawn and following the Manumit route into an ending. That is not proof that the romance itself chooses the ending. Keep the relationship scene and the later faction decision separate: romance Crake during A Closer Look, then decide the broader Manumit outcome on its own terms.

Can you romance Crake and the others?

Yes. PC Gamer reports that Coen can pursue Crake/Marat, Anca, and Lacra in one playthrough. No forced exclusivity choice is documented, though each route consumes attention within the game's narrative-time structure.