Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War
General FAQ
by deathfisaro, Duneman, & john_h_rand (editor)
depiguard-gamefaqs [at] yahoo.co.kr
john_h_rand [at] hotmail.com
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Table of Contents:
[General Information Q&A]
[Specific Mission Information]
[Control Schemes]
[Creating Your Mercenary]
[The Tavern Menu]
[The Battle Field Menu]
[Squad Types]
[Unit Effectiveness]
[Unit Icons]
[Bladestorm]
[Unit Status Effects]
[Battlefield Loot]
[Default Mission Information]
[Story Missions]
[Request Missions]
[Fame]
[Inventory Management]
[Items]
[General Unit Information]
[Power Leveling Units]
[Getting Across the Map]
[Non-combat Strategy Issues]
[General Combat Advice]
Note:  Copy and paste any of the above, including the brackets, to quickly
jump to your desired section.
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Introduction:
This is just a quick document to get the ball rolling on the GameFAQ's board
and start a collaborative effort to get a comprehensive FAQ done, and I've
attempted to attribute where it's due & individuals who answered my questions
directly on the GameFAQ's board.
deathfisaro contributed his starter faq, and he's the better, more concise
writer, so bear with my 1st attempt.  I found the Q&A format to be helpful in
organizing my thoughts, but it is an ugly organizational style.
Duneman has contributed via the GameFAQ's board to such a degree that I think
the last 1/3rd was his work.
DISCLAIMER:
There is almost no plot related information in this FAQ.  As discussed below,
activate all of the '!' gossip and successfully complete all of the '!'
missions to advance the plot.
Also, the editor *has not* found either the firearm or engineering book, and is
relying on the Gamefaqs Boards for information.
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[General Information Q&A]
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Q.  Is this just like Dynasty Warriors?
A.  No.
(deathfisaro) This game is different from Dynasty/Samurai Warriors or Kessen
series. It's made by Omega Force as well so you will see resemblance but think
of Bladestorm as a brand new franchise with its own play style.
Go check the glossary for the terms I'll be using for this guide. They may not
be official terms, so I don't want to confuse you and hence the glossary.
(john_h_rand) This is more like Dynasty Warriors 'Create-a-Warrior' (CAW) spun
off into a strategy/action RPG focused on rock-paper-scissors style squad based
combat.  The main difference is that Bladestorm does not have *any* fighting
game elements because you hold down the Right-Bumper to enter 'Attack Mode' and
swing once a second or so instead of pressing a button to swing your sword --
the only variation being special attacks that all have a 'cool-down' time of
several seconds; so that makes it a unique game-play mechanic.  The base
capturing mechanic at the core of the mission objectives is straight-up Dynasty
Warriors though (slightly kinder, as losing a 'main-camp' doesn't do anything
except mean you need to swing back & re-take it).
Q.  Do I play as Joan of Arc, Cao-Cao, or other historical figures?
A. No. It's strictly CAW.  I think because the armor obscures your avatar's
head, Koei was a little lazy in providing appearance & voice options.
Q.  I want to support the English/French exclusively; can I avoid fighting for
one side?
A.  Apparently not, as there are certain story battles that will introduce main
characters which must be completed successfully, and if not completed will
prevent later stories from spawning. (Though this hasn't been proven by
experiment.)
Q. Does the game 'end' at the completion of the story arc?
A. No, the side-plots continue afterwards for the misc. characters.  You do get
a 'super-sword' for beating the story mode with one faction or the other:
England: The Sword Excalibur
France: The Sword Durandal.
Q. Does the game get any harder? I've been laying waste to all that I purvey
for hours now.
A. The difficulty increases after you max-out your fame; after the main story
arc is completed, there are 'Red Star' missions, with ten total stars, and
usually 2-4 red stars on the right.  These missions have base-unit levels of
around 75, and base commanders at level 90.  This seems to function as 'Chaos
Mode' for all intents and purposes, and all of the 'story-request' missions are
on these stages after you clear the main story.
Q.  What are the most effective/recommended units?
A.  Honestly, almost any unit except for pikes, knives, & rapiers can tear
through the opposition if they are 10+ levels different & have maxed skills.
As a related note: there is a 'random quest' reward for maxing out swords,
bows, and spears.
The Game-Faq's board favorites seem to be:
-Cavalry: it is the most destructive & difficult to kill unit.  Cavalry
also power-levels very quickly because it can get experience via combo's
though it has difficulty assassinating individual units.
-Sword&Shield & Greatsword: for being able to dispatch cavalry relatively
easily for an infantry unit, and being able to survive most
'disadvantaged' battles through max-skill usage.
-Spear&Shield: as having few weaknesses and similar benefits to swords.
-Double Swords: as all of their actions are offensive in nature.
-Bows: their ability to panic enemy squads, making them run around in
circles while you continue to pepper them with arrows.  They can also
attack much higher level units and survive, which is usually instantly
fatal to melee units.
Q.  Which version, PS3 or Xbox 360 is better?
A.  If you're not a total achievement-hound, the PS3 version is better.  The
PS3 version has the option to load the game to the hard-drive to facilitate
loading times.  The 360 version has two technical issues: a tendency to
randomly crash & has brightness issues without a menu option to change it, as
the morning and nighttime portions can get so dark that your screen is black
when you're staring at a wall looking for a way into a Castle.
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[Specific Mission & Item Information]
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--Marc&George Supply Cart Seek&Destroy Mission--
Capture the base next to the carts to have a place to refill your health and
grab more units. If you are lucky, Marc's forces will be depleted by the time
you return.
--The Spears Tome-
The last page of the 'Spears' book is a quest-related item for killing one of
every unit type.
--The 12 Gems--
The gems seem to be a rare item drop from defeating merc-commanders. 3 Gems are
quest specific:
-The initial gem from the Barkeep
-The one gem is a reward for 'donating' to the bankrupt Merchant three
different times in the Tavern.
-The last gem, late in the game, when you get gossip about a witch and
receive a mission to find her.  The witch turns out to be an Indian girl. After
many gossip sessions, she gives you the stone.  Afterwards, you get a Merchant
discount of 15%, and (unconfirmed) another mission from the barkeep.
--The Aegis Shards & The Blacksmith--
The shards seem to be a very-rare random drop, (possibly from base-loot &
completing the objective within a few minutes) Once all of the shards are
collected, the blacksmith will return with an infantry shield that's +20 vs.
all damage types.
--The 'Cultured Gentleman'--
This quest requires you to sell some large amount of art work.  He eventually
gives you a 'Lucky Rabbit's Foot' detailed under Special Items below.
--Aid John Talbot & the Escape of John Fastolf--
This mission gives you two objectives, Aid John Fastolf's Escape and defend two
2 frontline bases with John Talbot. As soon as the level starts you have La
Hire and Joan of Arc attacking the base, *DO NOT* attack them and defend the
base.  Instead, escort John Fastolf 1st.  Aiding the Escape will take the
entire day.  After he has escaped, complete the Base capture mission normally.
--The Explosives (Firearms) Book-
This is a story-request by Christina, apparently it involves 2 fetch quests and
one commander-escort mission. I've been doing endgame for a long while now, &
haven't had it spawn yet.
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[Control Schemes]
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[Normal Controls]
Left stick - Move
Right stick - Look
'A' Button - select highlighted squad *or* deselect current squad.
'X' Button - weapon specific special attacks
'B' Button - weapon specific special attacks
'Y' Button - weapon specific special attacks
Right Bumper: Attack Mode (Not applicable to Pikes or Bows)
Right Trigger: Zoom/Focus Mini-map
Left Bumper: Activate Penneon Selection Menu - Penneons are mapped to the 'X'
'B' & 'Y' buttons.
Left Bumper: Activate Merc-squad Selection Menu - Squads are mapped to the 'X'
'B' & 'Y' buttons
[Generic Ranged Controls]
Left stick - Move, Looks in Aim-mode.
Right stick - Look, Not used in Aim-mode.
'X' Button - Sets firing stance & enters Aim-Mode. 'X' fires once in Aim Mode.
'Y' Button - Sets firing aim stance - effect varies depending on Unit.
'B' Button - Usually activates a limited time, passive enhancement.
'A' Button - Exit Aim-mode and return to movement mode.
Right Bumper - Not used by ranged squads, replaced by the 'Y' button.
Right Trigger: Zoom/Focus Mini-map
Left Bumper: Activate Penneon Selection Menu - Penneons are mapped to the 'X'
'B' & 'Y' buttons.
Left Bumper: Activate Merc-squad Selection Menu - Squads are mapped to the 'X'
'B' & 'Y' buttons
The Bows & Horsebows squads do not have a default melee attack, and can only
attack using the buttons.  The same applies for Longspears and a number of
more exotic units available later in the game.
Aim-Mode: In the case of bows, your unit is locked in place when you activate
any ranged attack.  To exit aim-mode after a special attack until you press
'A,' after which a second press releases the squad.  Bows are the only
unit where the 'A' press is contextual--allowing movement if you've been locked
down, releasing the squad if you're already in movement mode.
Target Ratio: If the attack allows for aim, a fraction will appear on the top
of the screen informing you how many units are currently targeted.  This can be
helpful to either insure that you're hitting as many of the enemy squad as
possible *or* to know roughly how many arrows you will send into an enemy
commander.  If it reads 0/10(or 30) you can still manually aim a volley to
strike well beyond the auto-targetting range.  This is great for Crossbows.
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[Creating your Mercenary]
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You are a mercenary in the Hundred Years' War period. You can create your
avatar with the options of:
-Male/Female
-8 faces for each gender
-3 voices for each gender
Gender/face/voice doesn't affect gameplay AT ALL.
In the battlefields, you are the commander of small number of troops.
Basic flow of the game is Pub -> Battle Preparation menu -> Battlefield ->
After battle wrap-up -> Repeat
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[The Tavern Menu]
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The Tavern is the place you'll spend most of your time when not in battle.
After any story related cut-scenes automatically play, it has the following
menu options:
Contracts:
The Mission Selection Screen: Rated in difficulty by Stars from 1-15, with 11
and above are unlocked after completing the main story and are marked with a
red star on the right.  For missions types, see below.
Status:
You can change your equipment, flags, and spend SP you acquired for classes and
check your inventory.
Merchant:
You can buy and sell equipment, flags, and items. Sometimes merchant will sell
you interesting things such as a rare item or a book that allows you to control
new troops.  He'll say, "I have something here which might be of interest to
you."  This can also include rare weapons or armor not normally available.
Recruit:
Hire units, so you can have an advantage at the battlefield. Hiring will cost
you and they have limited number of summons, if you use up you'll have to buy
them again.
Gossip:
When there's something interesting going on, "!" mark will appear on top of
talk menu. Usually there is a mini-cutscene and triggers events, quests that
can be completed on any map, or just give you information that will foreshadow
an upcoming mission. Sometimes non-related skits are acted out, to add flavor
to the game, they are limited and will eventually repeat.
Diary:
You can check what's happening during the war, who's involved and such.  It
also contains some gameplay statistics and the lets you view the character
models for the different factions.
System:
Save, Settings, & quit.
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[The Battle Field Menu]
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There is a pre-mission/during mission menu.
Deploy/Objectives:
This option displays the main map and where you select your starting base.  If
you have a request attached to your mission, press the Right Bumper to show the
relevant information for the request, ad map location if marked.
Status:
This is the same as the bar screen.  Pre-mission is the only time you can make
any changes to your equipment or books.  Although you can upgrade units after
each day of fighting.
Unit Info:
Displays the main map and locations all commanders & squads for each faction
(French, English, Mercenary), listing their squad type, level, and location.
Log (during mission only):
A record of all messages displayed during battle & relevant message location.
Retreat:
Ends the Mission with a 50% fame penalty.  You keep any battle field loot &
"story-requests" are still considered completed.
System:
Save, Settings, & Quit.
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[Squad Types]
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There are 17 classes in total. Each class has its own level, support skills and
action skills. You need a book of the class in order to command them, you'll
acquire the books along the way.
There are "Elite Versions" of each squad type that are either plainly named
"Elite" or are otherwise exotic, such as 'South China Spearmen' or 'Rogue
Ninja'.  Elite Units may have the following:
- Better Armor (basic 'Elite' unit)
- Immunity to certain Status Conditions (Look at the name of the ability
and match it to a status effect For Example: "Mind Guard" units
cannot be panicked or charmed).
The list of squad types are as follows:
1.  Short Sword
2.  Rapier
3.  Longsword
4.  Spear
5.  Pike
6.  Cavalry
7.  Halberd
8.  Axe
9.  Mace
10. Bow/Crossbow
11. Cavalry Archer
12. Camel
13. War Elephant
14. Chariot
15. Expolsives
16. Magic
17. Engineer
Books have pages, called 'Tomes' in the manual, which are about units. Each
class has 1 or more units. (For example, in the book of cavalry, there are 4
units -sword, spear, lance, and halberd)
If you have a book with pages missing, you can still command those units that
belong to the page, but you won't be able to level up their action skills.
Support skills are shared by all units of the book. But are independent on each
book.
Also, each unit has to be equipped by weapons and shield separately instead of
shared by the book. All units come with default equipment.
Below is the strength chart. Certain classes are strong against some other, and
weak against some other as well. It's your best interest to remember which
class is strong against which.
The number corresponds to the number listed above
Enemy    1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17
You
1           -   -  XX  XX   O   X  OO   -   -   O   -   X   X   -   O   O   X
2           -   -  XX  XX   -   X   O  OO  OO   O   -   X   X   -   X   O   X
3          OO  OO   -   X   -   X   X   -   -   -   -   X   X   -   -   O   X
4          OO  OO   O   -   -   X   X   X   -   -   -   X   X   -   -   O   X
5           X   -   -   -   -  OO   X   X   -   -  OO   O   O   -   -   O   X
6           O   O   O   O  XX   -   -   O   X  XX   X   X   -   -   -   X   O
7          XX   X   O   O   O   -   -   -   O   X   X   -   X   -   -   O   X
8           -  XX   -   O   O   X   -   -   X   -   -   -   X   O   -   O   X
9           -  XX   -   -   -   O   X   O   -   -   -   -   X   O   -   O   X
10           X   X   -   -   -  OO   O   -   -   -   -   O   O   X   -   X   O
11           -   -   -   -  XX   O   O   -   -   -   -   O   O   X   O   X   O
12           O   O   O   O   X   O   -   -   -   X   X   -   -   -   X   X   O
13           O   O   O   O   X   -   O   O   O   X   X   -   -   -   X   X   O
14           -   -   -   -   -   -   -   X   X   O   O   -   -   -   X   X   O
15           X   O   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   X   O   O   O   -   X   O
16           X   X   X   X   X   O   X   X   X   O   O   O   O   O   O   -   X
17           O   O   O   O   O   X   O   O   O   X   X   X   X   X   X   O   -
OO: Your class is extremely advantageous against the enemy class
O: Your class is advantageous against the enemy class
-: Neither side has any advantage
X: Enemy class is advantageous against your class
XX: Enemy class is extremely advantageous against your class
Note: For the last 5 classes (#12-#17) don't appear in the manual, there's no
way to figure out if it's OO or O, so I just used single O's and X's. You still
get the idea right?
You can also press Select while playing to view the chart for the squad
currently under your command.  Also, unit icons that are greyed out are not
present for the enemy in the current contract.
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[Unit Effectiveness]
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This game seems to have a 'soft' & 'hard' counter system where certain units
can absolutely decimate a small number of units but are destroyed very easily
by most other units. Example: Pike-men are anti-cavalry and nothing else; as
opposed to a sword squad, which can survive some pitched battles with heavy-
armor squads & cavalry if leveled & skilled up.
Also, even if you're a power unit such as cavalry, if you're disadvantaged
against a particular squad, then you have difficulty even hitting them.  This
is why cavalry seem to "magically" run around archers while doing a full
charge, and archers cannot damage a lightly armored woman with a raipier at
point blank range.
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[Unit Icons]
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In battle, French are always indicated by blue, and English are always
indicated by red. Do not confuse the colors as ally/enemy, If you're on French
side blue is ally, if you're on English side blue is enemy.
--Troop Commanders--
All troops have commanders marked with a class icon, and defeating commanders
will cause the any remaining member of that troop to flee.
--Class Icon Information
Class Type: a small graphic representing which book is needed to command the
unit. If there's a shield behind it, defeating them will cause their base
durability to decrease by 1 or 3, if the unit was a named character.
Unit Strength: stars ranging from 1 to 3. It denotes how many
member are in the troop.
*   = 10 or less
**  = 10-20
*** = 20-30.
Unit Level relative to your level:
Red             +10  levels above your level.
Orange        +5-9 levels above your level.
White        +/-4 levels of your level.
Light Blue    -5-9 levels below of your level.
Blue        -10  levels below your level.
--Unit Effectiveness-
Enemy class icons may glow in green or red. If it glows green, it means the
class you're currently commanding is advantageous against them, if it glows
red, it means the enemy class is advantageous against you. See the table for
specific unit information.
--Damage Display--
If the damage display is on, numbers will appear on screen
White: Your troop caused that amount of damage to the enemy unit.
Yellow: Your troop caused that amount of damage and killed the enemy unit.
Pink: Enemy troop caused that amount of damage to your unit.
Red: Enemy troop caused that amount of damage and killed your unit.
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[Bladestorm]
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Killing enemies boost your morale. When morale is filled, you go into
Bladestorm mode. For 30 seconds you become invincible (You won't receive ANY
damage) all your stats (Attack, movement, skill cool-down recovery speed)
double.
-Deer
Sometimes it will seems that your Bladestorm gauge fills at random. This is
caused by deer around the map, when you touch them, they'll grant you 20%
increase to morale (So 5 touches will guarantee bladestorm mode).
-Wine
Also sometimes enemies drop wine. Grab that item and it will fill your morale
to max, immediately activating bladestorm. You can even drink wine during
bladestorm mode to keep it going, if you can find one extra.
-Chalice
A rare drop that completely fills both health and morale.
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[Unit Status Effects]
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Burn: Constantly lose hp, but it won't kill you.
Poison: Cannot attack.
Freeze: Freeze, and receive less damage while kept inside ice.
Faint: Cannot move or attack.
Charm: Start attacking allies.
Rage: When provoked, go towards the troop that provoked.
Evade: Evade enemy attacks by some chance.
Panic: Cannot attack, run around in panic.
Barrier: Block one attack no matter what damage.
Life leech: Transfer part of damage done to own life
Attack up/down: Doubles or halves attack
Defense up/down: Doubles or halves defense
Movement up/down: 50% increase or halves movement speed
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[Battlefield Loot]
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--Items--
Wine: Instant Bladestorm
Bread: Recover some HP
Meat: Recover full HP
Chalice: Full recover HP and Bladestorm
Small silver bar stack: 30 D
Small gold bar stack: 60 D
Normal silver bar stack: 90 D
Normal gold bar stack: 150 D
Large silver bar stack: 210 D
Large gold bar stack: 300 D
(D is currency used in Bladestorm)
--Chests--
There are three variations of chests which contain the following:
1. The old worn chest: low value penneons and vendor items (art work, etc...)
2. The steel-banded chest: higher value penneons ($1,000~ or more) or mid level
artwork.
3. The red-chest with a blue-gem 'lock': Rare items, including weapons&armor,
books, gems, aegis-shards, and The Famous Landscape is the default rare drop
which both adds to fame and can be sold for 3000 D.
--Quest Items--
These items are surrounded by a white glow & floats above the ground, and are
usually marked on your objectives map.
--Glowing Troops--
These units drop stacks of Gold or Silver when killed.
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[Default Mission Information]
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--Default Mission Type--
The default mission type is Capture an opponent's base while defending your
base.  The target bases will be marked with crossed swords, the defending bases
will be marked with a shield.  Note that if your defending base is taken, you
can take it back before the contract expires.
--Mission Length--
All missions that are not main-story will have an expiration period in "days".
Each day is a ten-minute interval.  Some missions will require that you defend
for 'X' amount of time.  These will usually be successful if you also just
complete the mission.  When the day ends at "Nightfall" all combat ceases.
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[Bases]
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Bases are unit spawn points which send a group of squads against specific enemy
bases.  On the Objective Map, a base will point with an arrow to its target
base, and a base who is solely defending will have a semi-circle blocking the
arrow.
Inside each base is a glowing faction icon, Red for English & Blue for France.
This icon serves as the spawn point for the base commander, your loot for
defeating the base, and a Health and Ammunition re-supply for your Mercenary.
--Capturing Bases--
Capturing Bases requires that you 1st spawn then defeat the Base Commander
leading a Sword&Shield squad.
Base commanders can be spawned in two ways:
1. Destroy a number of units around a base with a Shield icon equal to
that base's number on the mini-map (the base 'life bar' is a graphical
representation of the number of shield units currently remaining.  If a
base lacks this bar, it cannot be captured.  These are only found on the
edges of the map)
2. Follow or clear the path of a friendly squad into the enemy base,
which will instantly spawn a Base Commander once they get to the faction
icon that glows on the ground within bases.
If you've destroyed all units within a base and still have not spawned a Base
Commander, there are 2 possible explanations:
1.  The archers on the wall are still alive, these are always base
defense units and impossible to engage in melee combat.
2.    A base defense unit went on the attack, and has not been defeated
yet.  To spawn a new base defense unit pull back a short distance and
wait several seconds. Strategy wise, it's a good idea to follow the
road leading to a base in the hope of finding a base defense unit on
the way.  Use the larger minimap as you leave to look for freshly spawned
columns of troops outside a base, which often contain one defense troop.
--Walled Cities--
The largest bases are actually walled&gated cities which can be breached in one
of two ways. There are "cracks" in the walls which can be demolished with a
catapult, a cannon, or a siege tower. Rams will open a gate after sitting in
front of it for about a 1.5 minutes, or cannons can breach gates if you take
control of them. All of the siege engines will need protection, the only ones
which are not command-able are the ram and siege tower.
--Unit Effectiveness Based on Base Size-- (By Duneman)
The type of stationed defense troops used tend to vary based on the 'size' of
the base(its numerical value on the map).
-Base sizes 3 or 4 tend to be defended by Lady Fencers.
-Base sizes 5, 6, and 7, tend to have a majority of [Weapon] and Shield units.
-Base sizes 8, 9, or 10 tend to have Halberds and Axes, with Cavalry mixed in
for sizes 9 and 10.
Any of the smaller bases, 7 and below, will usually have at least one stationed
squad as a Sword and Shield regardless.
Because the units are predictable, a Spear unit will be effective against bases
sized under 7.  Spears have an advantage over all the typical defending units
and the base commander.
For the largest bases, Lady Fencers actually make a good choice. They are quick
when leveled and make short work of the Halberds and Axes. Simply disengage the
troop and fight solo when confronted with the commander.
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[Story Missions]
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--Story Missions--
There are three types of story missions: those involving the main plot, those
which are 'story-requests' attached to other missions, (both denoted by an
exclamation point on the mission selection screen: '!'), and 'Random Tavern
Encounters' which either spawn at random or are '!' marked gossip and generate
a small cut-scene.
-The story missions will remain in the mission que until you do them, they do
not have requests attached.  These missions will also stay in the que until you
successfully complete them, so a retreat doesn't halt the story-line.  You are
limited to one starting point the 1st day, and the map will usually show you
the path of travel that the commander-units on your side will take.
-The 'story-request' missions can disappear if you do not do them at the 1st
opportunity.  Also, if you don't want to bother with the main mission after
completing the sub-quest, you can retreat and the story will advance.  Save
beforehand though, as a retreat before you complete the mission probably closes
the opportunity.
-Then there are the 'Random Tavern Encounter' mini-cut scenes that can either
play automatically when you enter the tavern or be a result of '!' marked
gossip.  The 'Blacksmith' is an example;  These missions can be a preface for a
story mission which will spawn after you complete your next mission, as only
one story cut-scene will take place in a tavern visit.
- The blacksmith is the best example because you can pick up an Aegis
shard and the scene in the Tavern where he collects it won't play for 20
missions.
- Sometimes there are 'goals' given in gossip encounters, and your
rewards are similarly random as you can do the required action in any
mission (ex. defeat all enemy commanders).
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[Request Missions]
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Note that all squad/unit related objectives will have the unit you need to
interact with labeled as the 'target unit'.  Also, most objectives will be
marked on your map. These missions are not official types, but cover most of
the different scenarios.
--Fetch/Delivery Requests--
-Basic Fetch
You search for an item, usually with a marked point on the map, usually on the
opposite side of the map from the base you need to take.
-Find & Fetch
Either by having multiple potential locations marked on your screen, or having
to sequentially visit locations for clues.
--Delivery (a.k.a. Tag-you're-it requests)
The specified unit is NOT marked one your mini-map prior to the mission. unit
to which you make the delivery will appear on your screen after a minute or so
after the battle begins.  The target unit go on the offense and not be tracked
on the objective map, so you are required to follow the base arrows to find
them.
To make sure that the message/item is delivered, you are required to touch the
unit you are making the delivery to.  The unit will spawn in the same place day
after day, so if you wait a day & the unit is deep within friendly territory,
you can spawn with the target-unit and save yourself a round trip.
--Escort Requests--
These involve getting a unit from point 'A' to point 'B'.
-Escort a Single unit - Guard a single, delicate unit that rushes through
enemy bases & formations.
-Escort a squad under your command
-insuring 1/2 survive.
-achieving a certain kill count.
-Escort a commander - Units will randomly spawn and rush the commander
unit along the path, though the saving grace is that the target unit will
stop for the attack.
-Escort a non-commanded squad: the target squad follows you while
attempting to reach a certain kill-count.  Thankfully commander units
which follow you do not move if you get out of range and give a battle
field message.
--Base Related Requests--
-Capture
Defeat a base within 3 or 4 minutes of starting a battle.
-Defend
Insure that a location isn't captured for some length of time, usually
either  1 Day or the length of the contract whole time.  This is more
easily accomplished by taking all of the surrounding bases which attack
the target village so the enemy isn't marching in units.
-Defend from enemy commanders
Defeat the named commanders to complete the mission.
--Misc. Requests--
-Achieve a certain level of fame at the end of the 1st day.
-Assassinate specified commanders.
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[Fame]
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Fame is a secondary 'over-all' xp. bar which awards you stars after specific
intervals. Until you complete the main story portion of the game and get to 5
stars of fame, you'll be limited in the difficulty of available missions.
--Gaining additional Stars of Fame--
The only way to gain an additional star of game is to complete the story
battles marked with an '!', any time when you can do the same battle with both
sides, your fame will increase.
--Filling the Fame Bar--
Your fame bar fills up very, very slowly, but the major story missions are so
rare that you will usually be sitting on a full bar long before they occur, so
it is a non-priority.
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[Items]
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The basic Items types are:
Armor (Head, Torso, Arms, Legs)
Penneons/Flags
Books&Pages
Loot
Weapons
Shields
--Armor--
Armor is specific to you and provides benefits against the 6 damage types.
--Weapons & Shields--
Shields & weapons apply to the whole unit, though sometimes they do not change
the look of the item the squad is carrying.
Shields & weapons are NOT shared across unit-types, so you need to acquire and
equip a different sword for your Sword squad, Sword&Shield squad, and Sword
Horsemen, even though they can use the same sword type.
--Books&Tomes--
Books&Tomes ('Tome' being one page in a book): These are dropped as base-loot
or appear in the Merchant's shop very frequently after one's star-rating
increases, for the most part.
--Penneons--
Penneons they are the potions of Bladestorm, but since a flag affecting a squad
makes more sense than a potion, they're flags.  You are limited to 9 of each
type.
--Loot & Special Items-
Loot includes random Art & the Gems.
(from deathfisaro, names editted in by Duneman)
The Special Items increase the chances of random drops and cannot be sold.
They are: (*quest related)
-Vase of Dionysus:    Increased Wine Drops
-Gold Plate of Athena:   Increased Meat Drops
-Famous Maiden: Chance for Gold Drops from regular troops.
-*Lucky Rabbit Foot: Increased Rare Items Drops
-*Notes on Battle:   Is the last 'Tome/Page' for spears.
--Vendor Item Availability--
Item availability seems to be tied directly to fame, so that better
armor&weapon selection unlocks as your gauge increases. Items seem to work on a
similar principle, though there is an element of randomness about what
particular item/weapon/armor is available at the moment, so occasionally you
will get the opportunity to purchase something that won't be regularly
available until you've nearly filled your fame meter.
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[Inventory Management]
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--Equipping Items--
- Weapons & Shields: these are equipped un the relevant 'Book&Tome'/page
Note that you need multiple copies of a weapon/shield and equip it for
each squad type.
-Armor & Pennenons: this is changed from your inventory screen.  Select
what you want to change out.  The button mapping for penneons is treated
like an item slot for this purpose.
--Vendor Sell List vs. Inventory--
The Vendor Sell List *will *not* display Special Items after acquisition, their
descriptions must be accessed from the Inventory Menu.  Also, you must keep an
item equipped in a book's Right/Left hand slot at all times, these *will* be
displayed greyed-out, along with armor that is currently equipped.
Q.  Can I change the default weapon when not attached to a squad?  I want to
run around like Guan-Yu with a halberd.
A.  No, the default weapon cannot be changed, so learn how to use your sword.
Q. How do I un-equip my armor? I want to run around helmet-less.
A. You cannot un-equip anything back down to the default starting state, though
you can trade up or down.  This does mean that if you want to sell an uber-
sword, you have to replace it with a down-graded version instead of reverting
to defaults.
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[Power Leveling]
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During the main story, this can be difficult to level quickly because you're
limited to a narrow difficulty range by your fame & your weapons are not maxed
out, so you have a ceiling on quick leveling for any one book & have a harder
time defeating high level units. My recommendation is to spread out your unit
usage, and you can keep several books reasonably even.
As a general rule:
-For levels 1-10, do one star stages.
-For levels 10-20, do two-three star stages.
-For levels 20-30, do four and five star stages.
Etc... until Level 65~, then start looking for red star stages.  Cavalry is the
exception to this rule, because they still get combo-bonuses for 1st level
units.  Most other units chew through the squad commanders too quickly to get
a combo bonus.
-During the main-story, you face roughly the same level of troops because the
difficultly only rises with your fame, so at any one fame level, you start
maxed & you can gain multiple levels with a squad in one mission...  After a
while, you start needing multiple missions, even as you're making 50+ combos
every combat because you've outclassed your opponent.  I'd recommend that you
change unit types (instead of exclusively using on type) so that you can level
the quest units: swords, bows, and spears.
--Approximate Level for 100% Skills--
deathfisaro maxed out research from the beginning (for the most part) and got
these results:
Dagger 48    Rapier 48    Sword 57    Spear 52    Long Spear 48
Horse 52    Halberd 52    Axe 49        Club 52    Bow 53
HorseBow 48    Camel 48    Elephant 50    Chariot 50    Gunpowder 51
Magic 51    Engineering 50
--Power Leveling--
The best place to power level is either at in front of a non-captureable base
or allowing a bridge to funnel units directly in front of you.  If you're power
leveling by facing opponents of a superior level, *do not* join your squad in
melee as the whole point of the bridge is to prevent swarming as your squad is
killed out from underneath you.
Max out both Research & Leadership, while spending spare points on general unit
skills.
-Research is considered a default for the 1st skill to focus most of your
points into, because it allows you, ultimately, to progress faster.
Granted that it almost exclusively eats up the 1st 20 levels of skill
points to max out Research with a few points going to the other squad
attributes  (attack, defense, inventory, etc...), though it could be done
in 19 if you're careful.
-Leadership is the next most important, as a full merc-squad is better at
killing and gives you access to the squad you're trying to level.
-Squad-specific skills should be saved for last because they are
initially expensive & as long as you are in missions where the enemies
are around your level, you'll be able to get defeat all but Red&Violet
units without upgraded skills.
-Swords can be leveled by allowing a unit with greater skill to attack a
commander then quickly releasing them to snag the kill.
Perfect Research Leveling for SP maximization follows this schedule:
(by Final_Cataclysm)
Lv1 Research = Level 1 Unit
Lv2 R = Lvl 3
Lv3 R = Lvl 4
Lv4 R = Lvl 6
Lv5 R = Lvl 7
Lv6 R = Lv 9
Lv7 R = Lv 12
Lv8 R = Lv 14
Lv9 R = Lv 16* (with zero points remaining)
Lv10 R = Lv 19 (with 89 points for other skills)
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[Getting Across the Map]
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To Traveling Quickly, try the following:
-Travel alone. Your individual move speed is as high as any unit in the game,
including non-charging light-cavalry (Sword&Spear, Lady Lancers).
-There are penneons which increase move speed for a duration.
-Activating a Bladestorm will also make you move faster: grab a wine or find a
deer clipping along a wall to activate a Bladestorm.
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[Mercenary Squads]
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Here are the reasons to hire squads, despite the fact you can grab almost any
unit on the battlefield.
1. The first is to avoid having to locate a preferred squad on the
battlefield.
2. The second is to have exactly what you need on hand for a tough
situation, as you will unintentionally lose a squad on occasion in the
more difficult missions.
3. If you've maxed out your leadership, you will generally have a squad
with five more units than you'd find on the battlefield.
-For example: Royal-Lancers, 15 is the max you find on the field &
they are rare, and 20 is the max in your squad and you can get 9
squads for.  If I do non-red star missions, I can blow through any
capture related objective in a day so long as I have some speed
penneons.
4. Exotic units with special properties become fairly common here.  For example
Halberds, which normally have an awesome offense, are weak to ranged units.
But a 'South China Spearman' has the bonus 'Avoid Indirect Attacks', which
greatly lessens this weakness.
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[General Combat Advice] (by Duneman)
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Remember that your squad will close with the enemy with the general attack, and
your character can stay away from a melee-unit you're weak to, and let your
squad get tossed into the grinder, releasing them right as the other squad is
finishing them off while you high-tail it out of there to look for more
lemmings, I mean troops, to follow you into battle... Try taking a base command
squad with lady-fencers to see what I mean here.
This might seem simple but remember to check the glowing icons above enemy
troops heads. There are two classes of disadvantage, and two classes of an
advantage. If the glow is:
Green&White: You have the advantage, plow through them with melee or use a fast
recharging special to keep from slowing down.
Uniformly Off-white: Congratulations, you have targeted the poor fools who have
no chance against you, anything beyond you standing still is sure to kill them.
Violet&Red: You are at a disadvantage, careful management of special attacks
will let you overcome them, but if you aren't careful you'll lose a few troops
in the process.
Uniformly Crimson: Run away, just run away. You'll do 1 damage per normal hit
and the enemy will do up to a 1,000 per hit. You'll see troops dying by the
dozen from every attack.
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(Ed. Note: difficulty is also determined by level.  Anything other than red you
may have a shot, particularly if you are facing are Green&White squad.
Conversely, a lower level Red&Violet squad will can probably still chew through
you unless you're more than 5 levels above them.)
Also, until you get familiar with the game mechanics, stay on the same path as
your allies. You'll need fresh troops as your troops die (hopefully you didn't
die, but its possible, especially if you charge a base without support) and it
also helps to swap out to another unit if too many counter units are lurking
about.
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[Detailed Unit Descriptions&Strategies] (again by Duneman w/Ryozo for Firearms)
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~General Unit Strategies~
Remember that 'auto sustained' attacks like Heavy Blow, Leg Breaker, Mail
Breaker, etc. cause your troops to go into an offensive frenzy until the
duration of the attack wears off. Learn to use this to your advantage, lest it
cause you to lose troops needlessly. Also, remember to press Select to view
your units full strengths and weaknesses.
DAGGERS
These guys tend to be fast in terms of movement and attacks, but generally weak
in regular combat. Especially good against Halberds, avoid Swords and Spears
like the Plague.
Knife - Your basic scout, lives fast and dies fast. Their first line of
offense, coupled with their speed, is Knife Throw. This lets you toss a volley,
run backwards, and rinse and repeat. Viper's Bite is a great boon for them, a
quick thrusting attack that does additional damage and poisons enemies so that
they cannot fight back for a time(a maxed out Knife Throw does this as well).
Lastly they have Uppercut, a weak rising whirl that knocks guys down, and later
sets them on fire. Use it as an escape maneuver. Knife throw --> Viper's Bite -
-> Uppercut and flee.
Double Knives - The fastest foot troops around, yet you don't want to enter
into melee against anything other than units they have the advantage over. They
retain Knife Throw(actually throwing multiple blades at times), but get an
upgraded escape attack in Revolution. At the highest level this can freeze
enemies and allow you to wail away for a few moments. They also get Sprint,
which doubles their move speed to comical levels.
Chakram - A long range dagger unit with a distinctive whirling sound. They have
Kick to stun enemies for a few moments. Follow this up with Soul Eater to allow
them to regain health after being hurt by damaging enemies. Then there is their
distinct attack, Chakram, which functions just like a bow attack, and poisons
enemies when maxed out. Remember that even outside the auto aim distance you
can still 'dead fire' the attack to hit distant targets. They make for a fun
change of pace from traditional units.
RAPIERS
Relatively a bit slower than Daggers, with quick and awkward offensive attacks.
Good for taking down large city defense troops(halberds and axes). They eat
Axes and Clubs for breakfast, but find themselves in the mortuary when
confronted with Spears and Swords.
Rapier and Shield - Lady Fencers are a common sight around smaller bases, and a
nuisance for bow users. They can Charm enemies to trick some units into
attacking their allies. They get Shield Defense which lets you block attacks,
when leveled up you can walk with shields raised and later block cavalry
charges. Then there is Mail Breaker, a powerful thrusting attack that increases
their damage against units in heavy armor. They are most useful when you let
enemies rush your allies while you attack their exposed backsides.
Two Handed Sword - AKA Elite Rapiers can actually hold their own in a fight
thanks to some nifty moves. Their first attack is Flash, a Magic based
thrusting shockwave that cuts enemy attack power in half for a limited time.
Couple this with Mighty Arm to double your own attack power and quickly
overcome your weakened foes. Lastly they also get Mail Breaker for heavy armor.
These guys have an easy time against Halberds thanks to Flash, where the other
Rapiers might take some damage or even die if caught in a special attack.
Double Knives - The first of a series of slightly confusing names that overlap.
These guys are super rare. Combination Slash is a short combination
attack(har!) that stuns enemies. They can also Charm enemies, rounding out with
Mail Breaker, which is really a wasted skill on all Rapiers since they already
chew through Clubs and Axes with ease. Its just a berserker mode with a
slightly different attack animation.
SWORDS
At Mastery these guys have some of the highest offensive abilities in the game,
be especially zealous during a Bladestorm attack as they have no common nemesis
unit and can kill almost anything. Knives and Rapiers fall before your blade
like wheat. Spears and Halberds are a bit pokey though, and you'll suffer