<html><body><pre> ############################################################################### Battle Realms Strategy Guide Copyright 2009 Andrew Villafuerte E-mail add: [email protected] Version 0.31 dP dP dP dP 88 88 88 88 88d888b. .d8888b. d8888P d8888P 88 .d8888b. 88' `88 88' `88 88 88 88 88ooood8 88. .88 88. .88 88 88 88 88. ... 88Y8888' `88888P8 dP dP dP `88888P' dP 88 88d888b. .d8888b. .d8888b. 88 88d8b.d8b. .d8888b. 88' `88 88ooood8 88' `88 88 88'`88'`88 Y8ooooo. 88 88. ... 88. .88 88 88 88 88 88 dP `88888P' `88888P8 dP dP dP dP `88888P' =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Table of Contents =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= INTRO: Introduction KENJO: Kenji's Journey STRAT: Strategies ACKNW: Acknowlegements =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= INTRO: Introduction =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= I have seen that a lot of FAQs posted are good provider of information so I thought of writing a different one. This walkthrough will be more of tips and strategies to beat each mission. No lists of information or whatsoever will be provided so use the other FAQs for that purpose. Hope this helps. Send me an e-mail me if you want to add something or if there are any violent reactions. I want you to know that this startegy guide was written with passion and dedication. The ideas here were not purely mine (since I also have read other people's FAQs before) but I assure you all these information and tactics I write, I did them in the game and they are effective for me. If you are a FAQ writer and you happened to see similar words and ideas as mine, please e-mail me and I'll examine mine with yours. If there is a need to acknowldge, there would be no problem with me. I would humbly do so. Thank you. This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= KENJO: Kenji's Journey =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= There are no titles provided for each mission nor numbers, but for the purpose of convenience, I placed MISN# (mission number) and a title of my own - what I think is fit for the plot. There are parts of this startegy guide where you are to choose between missions. I suggest you read all choices because some tactics are stated there and I don't plan on repeating those again in the next missions. Have fun! ************************************************** MISN1: The Dragon and the Good Samaritan You've got to make a clear choice - kill the peasants or help them. Since we are Good Samaritans, we'll choose helping them (but you can also choose the other one, but those missions will not be discussed here), the Dragon Clan. Just kill all the bandits. Use Kenji's Battle Gear (BG) if you want. ************************************************** MISN2A: Confronting the Old Servant (Left) This one will be easy. Mission: Destroy the enemy's keep. Place the peasant hut to the most strategic position, near the rice field and the pond. Note that you can turn the hut in the position you desire. I suggest that the door should be facing both the field and the pond. Then set up the rally point to the rice field. Make the peasant who build the hut gather water from the pond. Once three peasants are already farming, build a Dojo and set the rally point (RP) of the peasant house there. Set also the RP of the dojo to empty ground above the pond. Place Otomo and Kenji there also. I suggest you group them using Ctrl + (#) for easy navigation. Exclude Kenji in the group. It is recommended that he stays in the "headquarters," so he can guard it. Once there are already eight to nine spearman, head north and attack the enemies. It is highly suggested to attack the enemies first before destroying the buildings, therefore nearby watchtower first before other buildings, and put the peasant hut to your last priority! Once you feel that your army #1 (Ctrl + 1) is weakening, perhaps there are only three spearmen left, command Otomo back to a safe ground and let him "Stand Ground." This would restore his stamina. Command the continuously produced spearmen to head north and meet Otomo. Once with Otomo, assign them again as army #1 (since they are the priority, but you can choose other numbers too, of course), and attack the enemies. This will be the strategy mostly used in the game. And we'll call it the "Batch Attack" startegy. In this mission, the second batch of spearmen could finish the job! Good luck! `````````````````````````````````````````````````` MISN3A: Serpent Tamed (After Left) Head to the southeastern part of the map where there is a field, pond and cliff. This is actually a very strategic place to start your "headquarter" since the cliff assures you no enemy attack from behind. All attacks must be engaged directly in front. Anyway, command both peasants to build a single hut. Once it's done, make one gather some water, the other harvest rice. Set the rally point to the fields. Do the same farming routine (3 farming, 1 gathering water, 1 watering the field). Build a target range first, then a dojo afterwards. Your army #1 should have Otomo, four archers, three spearmen. Set the hut's RP to the dojo so you can research for archer's upgrades once you have enough yin. Note that you should prioritize the "increase in attack" upgrade then, the "increase in range." For the dojo (first set the hut's RP to the target range), the first upgarde should be "increase in attack" then "increase in health." You might want to ask why I did not trained Dragon Warriors. First, they're not needed. Second, it will take a longer time training them. Third, more expenses. Fourth, no upgrades. You can actually finish this mission by the first batch of "army." Head directly to the east and destroy the watchtower, then make Shinja cry! ************************************************** MISN2B: Taking Over (Right) A peasant hut is already provided for you. So do the same farming routine. Train spearmen and head north. Seven spearmen and Otomo would do. Defeat all enemies and destroy all buildings and this mission is over. `````````````````````````````````````````````````` MISN3B: Serpent Tamed (After Right) This is similar to MISN2A. Mission: Destory the enemy's keep and defeat Shinja. This is quite an easy job. Train three spearmen and four archers. Go to the rice fields in the north and do what you ought to do. You need not bother training Dragon Warriors. ************************************************** MISN4: Your Call You have to make another strategic choice here. "Which way should I go?" you might ask yourself and I'll answer you, "It's your call." I'll discuss all three paths/choices anyway. Spoiler: If you choose the middle mission (MISN4B), you'll obtain the hero Garrin who can summon horses. Way to go! Gathering horses is a hard job to do. If you choose the left mission (MISN4A), you'll obtain the hero, Arah who is a powerful archer. Put her on the watchtower and watch her pierce the enemies to death. Three strikes and the enemy is down. If you choose the right mission (MISN4C), you'll be with Shinja for MISN5. This choice is the worst since you'll miss Garrin or Arah. Shinja will always be there anyway. `````````````````````````````````````````````````` MISN4C: The Lotus Clan (Right) This one's pretty harder but there's only one goal: defeat the "boss" (who looks like a Lotus robot) at the northeastern part of the map. It's easy doing that but what makes it harder are the plenty watchtowers and buildings. So first, harvest rice by placing your RP to the field. Once you can make a peasant hut I suggest making one near the pond and field at the center of the map. Ignore the almost destroyed buildings at the south because you'll have a hard time fetching water from the pond to the HQ ("headquarter") at the south. So there do the same farming routine. Transfer you peasants from the south to the new HQ. Assemble an army with 2 archers, 4 spearmen, and 2 dragon warriors. Let Kenji, Otomo, and Shinja join them so that the first batch of army can finish the job! If you also prefer get some horses for the spearmen. There are a lot of them wandering at the south. I suggest you let the heroes walk since their BGs (battle gears) are unavailable if they ride on horses. You'll need those! They are boosts to both your offense and defense. Head north and claim the land. Once the three huts are yours, turn off thier "peasant creation" option so that the hut at your HQ will be the only functional hut. Let army #1 proceed to northeast. Hunt the enemies down. Destroy watchtowers. Ignore the stable and peasant huts. Hunt the "boss" (I do not know what to call) and kill him to finish this mission. Kenji's BG will help. `````````````````````````````````````````````````` MISN4A: The Wolf Clan (Left) This mission is easy to handle. Goal: defeat all enemies and destroy all buildings. First thing first. Help Arah fight the mobs! If you let her killed, you won't get her. After getting Arah, proceed to the southwestern area of the map. Set your HQ there. Then assemble three spearmen, three archers, two dragon warriors, Kenji, Arah, Otomo and Shinja. Let this army #1 proceed to the right. Engage the Wolf clan enemies in their watchtower. Defeat them and proceed to the northwestern area of the map. Defeat all enemies. Here's a tip when one of your men has low health. Make him stand on the ground and be "passive." By doing this, your man won't attack but he'll recover his health as well as stamina. This is a good tactics to save health. By doing this effectively, you won't need a second batch of army. Good luck! `````````````````````````````````````````````````` MISN4B: At the Border (Center) Here's another pretty easy mission. Goal: defeat all enemies and destroy all buildings. You can obtain a hero here, Garrin. He'll help you and his men defeat the Wolf clan at the right side of the map. So first, head north. You'll meet Garrin's men and later on Garrin himself. Set your HQ at the south. Harvest rice and gather water from your well. Train 2 spearmen, 2 archers, and 2 dragon warriors. Bring with them all the heroes. If you want the dragon warriors to ride a horse, you may do so. Once your army #1 is set, attack the wolf clan at the eastern part of the map. This will be a little bit easy. ************************************************** MISN5: The Bathhouse This is the mission where you will realize how powerful Arah is. Her long range and her attacking power is just awesome but I you get her, you'll lose Garrin and his ability to summon horses. Again, your call. To beat this mission, you have to divide your army into two. What I did was to group Kenji and Garrin together and the two archers and of course, a geisha as army #1. Otomo, Arah, dragon warrior, and a geisha as Army #2. I let army #1 defend the back of the bathhouse and army #2 to defend the front. In a minute, this mission will be over. Your goal: Never let the bathhouse be destroyed and kill all enemies including Longtooth. Guard the bathhouse against this "boss" since he throws boomerang from afar. Be sensitive and once you saw him, kill him with Kenji's BG. Here's a tip. Never let your geisha fight one-on-one battles because if you do your waging a losing battle. Let the melee fighters do that job! And when your geisha is low in health and stamina. Let her stand and be passive (click that on the character screen accessed when you select the character alone). This would regain her health and stamina. Remember, geishas, the healers, are the core of your army since they can replace lost health points - an offense- defense strategy. It's like hitting two birds in one stone. ************************************************** MISN6: Getting Too Close This mission is quite long for me. It takes a lot of time and patience to kill all enemies and destroy their HQs. Whew. First, I chose the southwestern area of the map to be my HQ. I didn't want the center area since it is too prone to enemy attacks. So you have two peasants. Let one run near the lake in the center and place a peasant hut there. Choose a good place, facing the pond and away from the "main road." Then let the other peasant build a hut near the fields. You'll need around three peasants gathering water and four to five harvesting rice. As soon as you are capable of constructing a building, please do so. Start with a bathhouse, then town square, then a well. Once you have built a well, transfer your peasants from the pond to your southwest HQ. Build the necessary buildings for training. In my opinions, stables aren't needed. The shrine is needed for scouting. What is scouting? Remember the goal? Defeat all enemies. The map is large and the Lotus will keep on irritating you by building lots of peasant huts around the map. So what you should do is to train at least one archer (I used two), and let him train in the shrine. He now has the ability to monitor far places. With this, you can scout around the map and try to find enemies. Once you find them, wait for your army #1 or army #2 (army #1 is the main army plus the hero/es, while army#2 is the reserve army from your HQ, remember?) to engange them in battle. Whew, anyway, you'll only need to scout at the latter part of the game. Also to lessen the chances of Lotus peasants creating huts, kill them while pillaging one of their HQs before they run. Back to Army#1. I trained four archers, three spearmen, two dragon warriors, and two geishas. Let Otomo and Shinja join them. Arah isn't here (sob T_T). Let Kenji guard your HQ and lead Army #2. I didn't bother training dragon warriors for Army #2 though. Also, I didn't try to train geishas at the shrine. I don't really use that ability often since it means suicide for my geisha and I won't let my geishas - the core of my army - to perish easily. Maybe I can use that skill in special cases. Once set, head to the northern area of the map. Guard your geishas well. Then, attack to the east. Also note as I have said before, to put the hut to your last priority when destroying the enemy's HQ. In this mission I find that idea absurd since the peasant huts keep on creating those peasants. The peasants then create more buildings. So make sure to distribute your army - some destroying the huts, some killing peasants, and some destroying the other buildings. This is actually automatic when you just click on the ground. So choose your decisions well. The last HQ I destroyed was the southeast HQ. It's just a peasant hut though and a number of peasants. Hope you won't have a hard time annihilating all enemies. Pollock974, in his walkthrough, stated that Mission 6 may differ depending on your choice in Mission 4. What I presented here is Mission 6 for both left and center choice. I do not plan to add the right choice yet since I don't think anyone wants that choice - unless he wants real challenge. ************************************************** MISN7: Serpentholm This mission is harder. Whew. We can already feel the increasing difficulty of the game but we can do this! I had a hard time finishing this during my first play but my second play was incredibly fast and I'll share with you the technique. First, let's discuss why this mission's hard. The enemies attacking your HQ is a pain the head. They are attacking from different directions! Also, there are two clans to deal with - Lotus and Wolf. Lotus are really scary - their looks, their skills, their powers but never be afraid. Also never underestimate the Wolf. They might caught you offguard. Second, let's discuss how to deal with these problems. The first problem can be resolved by choosing a strategic HQ. I will highly suggest the northwest field since it is close to the river and the cliff (which is a good barrier against enemy attacks). With the north cliff present, it means the enemies can only attack from three directions: east, west, and south. Among these, the enemies will attack mostly from the east so build your watchtowers there. Regarding watchtowers, I suggest building at least two towers adjacent each other. This is what we'll call the "Crescent Watchtower Defense." I prefer using three and put them in a crescent position - one facing northeast, the other facing east, and the last one facing southwest. Of course, have an archer to watch in the tower. Why do I recommend building adjacent towers? Because archers in the towers have extra health points. They cannot be attacked unless the towers are destroyed. They too gain extra range. (This is the same reason why I recommend placing Arah in a watchtower. She really can guard the area!) Also, the tower's charge is powerful. Use them wisely, one after the other. Surely, your melee enemies will have a hard time storming your HQ. Note: I only discussed the watchtowers since I did not use them during the earlier missions. In this mission, I highly recommend building three (this means you need a Town Square). Back to the problems. Now that we have resolved the first problem, let's resolve the other one: Which clan should I annihilate first? I will answer you, "the Lotus." Why? I don't think you want the Lotus to grow in numbers. If they do, they'll crack you head open!!! Yes, they are hard to deal with so why not deal with the hard things first? We are here not to do the easy things. Don't be mr. softy. So the Lotus HQ is in the northeast. Yeah! Using army #1, which is composed of four dragon warriors, four or more archers, two geishas, Kenji, Otomo, and Shinja, head to the Lotus HQ! Make sure you trained your dragon warriors in the shrine. That skill is very useful. Use it when your dragon warrior is stormed or if he is low in health. Then have a geisha heal him immediately. The tip in defeating the enemies is "Attack in All Directions." This will be the name of our startegy. What is "Attack in All Directions?" Actually we have already discussed this earlier and I will just emphasize this strategy a bit since it is very useful. This strategy means do NOT attack a specific enemy. Why? Because one enemy is not worth the effort of an army. Also, your geishas will attack too. That is not a good idea since we want our geishas to rest and regain stamina. So what you should do is move your army into the open field, make them run if necessary (double-click). This way, they will literally attack in all directions, the geishas resting and waiting for someone who she can heal (yahoo). Another importance of this strategy is to keep the enemy's peasants from constructing more buildings! With your army attacking in all directions, even peasants will be engaged and they have no chance of rebuilding their clan. If you let these peasants build more huts, you'll have to deal with them again later - a real pain in the head! Make sure you annihilate all enemies before leaving the enemy's HQ. Here's another tip we'll call "Save the Geisha." If your geisha is attacked, attack the attacker with the nearest ally. Then quickly move your geisha away, let her rest and heal the ally who saved her. With this strategies, you can defeat the Lotus HQ with just army #1. Using what remains in the army (if enough, at least eight men), proceed to the eastern are a in the map and engage with the Wolves. Try to attack portion by portion of their HQ. There are three watchtowers (in my play) and they should be taken care of immediately. Same strategies apply so keep them in mind always. If you feel like your army #2 is already plenty, send them as reinforcements to the Wolf HQ. I got a lot of archers for army#2 and some dragon warriors. This should end your mission. Quite easy, eh? ************************************************** MISN8: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= STRAT: Strategies and Tips =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= This strategys section is just a compilation of the strategies mentioned in the walkthrough - Kenji's Journey (KENJO). This is just a mere repetition, for the sake of those who do not want to read a long walkthrough. 1. The Headquarters Choosing a strategic location of your headquarter (HQ) or base is already half the battle. First priority: near a cliff or the edge of the map. Making a HQ at the center of the map is a bad decision - all enemies can come from all directions. 2. Peasant Creation Most of the time, one peasant hut is enough for a stable economy in your HQ. Have three peasants working in the field and two gathering water (you can later command one to water the field instead). Even your resources are full, I suggest you don't make adjustments to this unless necessary. 3. Setting Rally Points (RP) Rally points are the marked by flags. These RPs are the automatic location of your trained men. Set these wisely, especially for peasant hut so there would be a continuous training of "soldiers." 4. Batch Attack Use Ctrl + (#) to designate a hotkey for your army. Make at least two armies - army #1, ought to attack the enemy HQ and army #2, ought to defend your own HQ. The latter can serve as reinforcement if necessary. Then you have to make army #3 and so on. These batches are continuous defenders and reinforcements. By setting the RPs right, there's no problem training these armies. 5. Archers Spam The archers is the best long-range weaponed man you have. Their upgrades for offense and health are affordable (2 yins each) and useful, of course. Their skills are also important. Trained in the shrine, your archer can scout well. Trained in the fireworks factory, your archer can set buildings on fire. This fire does automatic damage to the buildings, a great addition for offense. 6. Scouting Most missions have thier goal as: Defeat all enemies and destroy all their buildings. In the vast misty map provided, it is hard to guess which parts have enemies still standing. This is where a scout enters. A good scout have a long range of vision and a good stamina. For me, the best scout is an archer trained in the shrine. His ability is similar to that of Arah's (a hero). With a horse, the archer is the best! Check out all parts of the map with him. Once the enemies are spotted, move your army to annihilate them. 7. Lotus First We know that the Lotus clan is most scary enemy we have. Their looks, their magics, their skills - all about them are scary and powerful so never underestimate them. In missions where we have to decide which should we take down first, Lotus or Wolf, don't think twice. The Lotus should first be taken care of. We sure never want them to grow in numbers. Take them down while their HQ is still young. Don't be afraid! Yes, they are hard to deal with so why not deal with the hard things first? We are here not to do the easy things. Don't be mr. softy. 8. Crescent Watchtower Defense Build watchtowers adjacent to each other. Three would be a good number. Arrange them in a crescent-like manner: one facing northeast, the other facing east, and the last facing southeast, assuming the enemies will come from the east. You just have to make necessary adjustments as to where they will come from. By placing the watchtowers adjacent to each other, you can take advantage of the "charge." When melee enemies try to storm your watchtowers, use the charge one after the effect of the other. Your archer on it also gains extra vision and is protected from damage. Place Arah on top of one of these watchtowers and watch her pierce the enemies down! 9. Attack in All Directions This means you should NOT attack a specific enemy (unless it is a "boss"). By just simply letting you army stand in the middle of the battlefield, it is their instinct, if we may call it that way, to engage in battle literally in all directions. They will engage the nearest enemy in battle and what's good about this is that your geisha is not attacking. She is regaining stamina while waiting for someone who she can heal! Isn't that good? Your army can't be annihilated, if this strategy is done well. 10. Protect Your Geisha I always say, the geisha is the core of your army. Once the healer is gone, your army starts to deteriorate, your men perish. So do, whatever it takes, protect your geishas. If an enemy attacks her, move her away and command the nearest man to attack the attacker. When your geisha is already safe, heal her if necessary, and return the favor by healing the savior while he kills the attacker. 11. Use Yin Wisely In a mission, you should carefully choose what kind of army you will have. If you plan your long-range men to be archers, don't mix them with canoneers so that you can maximize the archers' upgrades. If you plan to train canoneers, don't bother having upgrades for your archers. The same thing goes if you want to use Kabuki warriors and Dragon warriors, there's no need to have upgrades for your spearmen. BUT if you have lots of yin, you can upgrade all if you want to, just keep your priorities in mind. I always start my upgrade with the Archers: increase in damage then increase in range. Then with the spearmen or dragon warriors (depending which you want): increase in damage then increase in health. After that would be for the Geishas: decrease in stamina consumption, then increase in health recovery for all, then decrease in melee damage for geisha. Actually you can alter these depending on the circumstances but I highly recommend you start your upgrades with the archer (since I have a bias for them). 12. Samurai Never waste your time, effort, and resources training samurais. If you want strong melee fighters, a mixture of Kabuki warriors and dragon warriors are enough. Thier star dust and chi shield (respectively) are better skills in my opinion. Don't also waste your yin using the Dragon's Attack. It's too expensive. 13. Attack Immediately Once your army is enough, consisting perhaps of four to five spearmen, four archers, two geishas, and a hero leading them, head to the enemy's HQ and try to bring it down. Don't wait for your men to reach 20/20 or 30/30. By that time, your enemy has also grown in numbers. With this strategy plus the Batch Attack strategy, you can easily go through missions. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ACKNW: Acknowledgements =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= I want to thank Pollock974 for providing a good FAQ. Its support is vital to this strategy guide. </pre></body></html>