Recruiting Ravness in Tactics Ogre: Reborn is no small feat. Not only is Dame Loxaerion exclusive to a single story route, but even once you're on the proper path, there's a nonzero chance you'll miss the opportunity.
That would be a shame, because not only is Ravness a fantastic unit to deploy in a version of Tactics Ogre that can at times be tougher than ever; she's also a great character all-around, memorably tied to one of the most iconic narrative decisions in the RPG genre. No worries, though. We're here to help.
How To Recruit Ravness
You won't be able to recruit Ravness until Chapter 3, and then only on the Lawful route, but the process begins at the climax of Chapter 1. This pivotal moment determines whether you'll follow Lawful or Chaos going forward; and whereas Chaos can diverge into Neutral or stay its course, Tactics Ogre: Reborn's Lawful route does not branch again, meaning you're on track to get Ravness no matter what.
This is good, because there are more than enough challenges in doing so as-is. Choose to go along with Leonar's plan at Balmamusa at the end of Chapter 1, which — understandably — distresses Ravness Loxaerion. In the ensuing battle, Ravness is the most threatening enemy unit, but you must defeat every enemy except her, or else she dies here, which will, to no great shock, prevent you from recruiting her later on.
This battle's victory condition claims you must defeat all enemies to win. It's not true. If Ravness is low on health, you'll even want to heal her, to keep her in the action. Don't let her die!
You won't have to wait long once you're in Chapter 2 for the next piece of the puzzle. Consult your Warren Report's 'Talk' after the fight in the Rhea Boum. Here, a news story entitled 'Ravness Loxaerion Captured' can be read. Do so, because, as is the case with several other 'Talk' topics, the associated event will not trigger otherwise.
You will now be able to access Reisan Way on the map. Thanks to Tactics Ogre: Reborn's removal of random battles in favor of opt-in training sessions, it should be a quick trip. At Reisan Way, you must elect to save Ravness in the ensuing conflict. Once again, there's a chance that she'll die; once again, we distinctly do not want this thing to occur.
Now, let's fast-forward to early Chapter 3, specifically after Denam has claimed Brigantys Castle. Following the battle against Hektor, you will be able to recruit Jeunan. The dialogue choice here is reasonably clear, but just in case, you'll want to pick the second one, not the first. (Doing so will lock you out of the opportunity permanently.)
With Jeunan in your crew, you can carry forward to the next part of the Ravness recruiting quest in Tactics Ogre: Reborn.
Don't head to the Bahanna Highlands yet! First, consult the Warren Report again, this time clicking on 'Lord of Coritanae Missing'. Now that you've done so, include Jeunan in your party at Bahanna. You need to make sure the enemy, Roberval, is down to around two-thirds of his HP without killing him. (Then again, with Reborn's buff cards and all, it'd be hard indeed to one-shot the guy.)
You're waiting for a conversation to fire off here. Jeunan and Denam will converse with Roberval. You must wait until Jeunan says the following line: "I am sure by now that his father joins him." Only then can you safely kill Roberval.
Your work isn't quite finished yet. Go through the Reisan Way and Coritanae battles. Once Coritanae falls to Denam, return again to the Bahanna Highlands, triggering...
Optional Battle: Bahanna Highlands
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Enemies |
4x Archer, 3x Knight, 2x Wizard, 2x Cleric, 1x Valkyrie, 1x Warrior |
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Guests |
Ravness |
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Victory Conditions |
Defeat all enemies |
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Difficulty |
★★★☆☆ (3/5) |
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If you've been following along with... well, any battle in Tactics Ogre involving a guest character in need of rescue, you'll know that the biggest hurdle isn't the enemies. It's the guest character's own ineptitude. Sometimes, Ravness will appear to see the proverbial forest for the trees here, retreating toward you. Sometimes, not so much.
That's the crux of the difficulty behind this otherwise-straightforward fight. Rush to Ravness' aid with every unit at your disposal, including Knights to keep her protected and melee/spellcasters to whittle away at your foes. If possible, you will want to form a protective barrier around the selfless Dame the entire time, and for goodness' sake, keep someone with Mending Salves/Essences right next to her.
WIth the skirmish behind you, Ravness will (finally!) join your party. It was a lot of work, but hey, you did massacre an entire town.
While Ravness comes with her default Valkyrie class, she's eligible for the White Knight class that becomes available with the arrival of Gildas and Mirdyn later. You'll receive five White Knight Marks to swap job classes, but neither Denam nor just about anyone else is eligible. Ravness, with her fantastic speed only somewhat diminished by the switch, makes a fantastic pick.