Chapter 17B: Den of Betrayal

You’ll be fighting off twice the number of enemies again in this map. The caltrops scattered in the area can severely reduce your movement and can deal damage to your troops each turn. Fortunately, all units with the Locktouch skill (Kaze, Niles, Shura) won’t be affected by the caltrops and they can even clear the area so your troops can proceed normally. The dragon veins will allow you to block or open the protrusions in the area, making the entire map a maze on its own. There are also two chests in the area, one to the NW and one to the SE. The NW chest contains 5000g and SE chest contains a Master Seal.

Saizo will be an independent allied unit here and he’ll help scouting ahead and clearing the caltrops for you. If you let Shura join your party from the last mission, he can be a valuable ally in this chapter because he’s already an (advanced class) Adventurer, capable of attacking using bow, heal using staves, and unlock chests or doors without the keys. It will be quicker to navigate the map and reach the treasure chests by separating your army into two groups or by moving as one cluster and eliminating all enemies along the way.

Each group should have a royal family member, healer, and a character with locktouch skill. Clearing the caltrops will end the character’s turn so consider that as part of your strategy. Before activating the dragon veins, make sure that you check your troops’ positions to prevent them from getting blocked off and separated from the group, forcing them to take the longer route and potentially leaving them to fend themselves from enemies.

As the start of the fourth turn, reinforcements will arrive in the NW and middle-south paths. Be careful with the positioning of your “soft” units almost all enemy units in this map can attack at least two spaces, allowing them to attack your forces from behind the safety of the walls. Saizo will always move towards the boss and just take care of the traps along the way. At the 11th turn, more reinforcements will from the north and SE. Continue moving forth and toggling the protrusions as you fight your way through a thick layer of enemies.

After eliminating most of the enemy forces, heal up and fight your way to Kotaro's room. Once there, eliminate his guards if you want then take him out to complete the objective. After the battle, you'll obtain a Speedwing as well.