============================================ SAMURAI WARRIORS 2 (NA) Character Guide: Nobunaga Oda Version 1.11 Created by: Sima Zhongda ============================================ "Feel the Demon King's embrace..." --Nobunaga Oda, SW2 ============ CONTENTS ============ 1. Introduction 2. About the (Sexy) Demon Lord 3. Unlocking Nobunaga Oda 4. Nobunaga's Tale 4.1 Battle of Nagashino 4.2 Battle of Osaka Bay 4.3 Battle of Tedorigawa 4.4 Fall of the Takeda 4.5 Incident at Honnoji 4.6 Nobunaga's Dream: Nobunaga Unites Japan 5. Weapons 5.1 General List 5.2 Obtaining the Fourth Weapon 6. Moves 6.1 Move List 6.2 Normal Attacks 6.3 Charge Attacks 6.4 Special Moves 6.5 Special Charge Attacks 6.6 Musou 7. Statistics 8. Thanks and Credits 9. Copyright and Contact Information ==================== 1. Introduction ==================== At last, my Character Guide for Nobunaga Oda, the immensely sexy Demon Lord, has come to existence... I shall skip the overly formal introduction of my previous FAQs and just say that this guide intends to cover the most relevant aspects of gameplay as Nobunaga, from the mere description to a few recommendations. As usual, most of the provided information comes from my personal experience with the game, although the procedure to unlock Nobunaga's fourth weapon is based on EChang's very helpful Fourth Weapons Guide, also published by GameFAQs. ================================== 2. About the (Sexy) Demon Lord ================================== Nobunaga carried on the family fortune after his father Nobuhide's death, and elevated his reputation by defeating Yoshimoto Imagawa at the Battle of Okehazama. He ruled the province of Mino from a base in the city of Gifu. He defeated his old enemy Takeda at the subsequent battles of Asai, Asakura, and Nagashino. His ruthlessness earned him the moniker 'The Demon King.' In an attempt to unify the entire country, he put down a rebellion by the army of Mitsuhide Akechi at Honnouji Temple. His progressive thought and repeal of many policies brought about profound change to Japan under his rule. Source: http://www.koei.com/SamuraiWarriors/character/character_pop15.htm ============================= 3. Unlocking Nobunaga Oda ============================= In order to unlock Nobunaga Oda, complete Magoichi Saika's Tale (unlocked by by completing Mitsuhide Akechi's Tale). ====================== 4. Nobunaga's Tale ====================== This section is dedicated to a detailed explanation of Nobunaga's Tale, stage by stage. For the sake of making the guide as helpful as possible, I have included a walkthrough for each battle; however, walkthroughs are based solely on my experience and are by no means the only way to get things done. The proposed strategies have been deviced in Hard difficulty setting. 4.1 Battle of Nagashino Nobunaga Oda, who was once but a minor ruler in his homeland of Owari, shocked the realm with his victory over Yoshimoto Imagawa at Okehazama. He followed this with even more victories, seizing control of the large territory that covered the domains of Mino, Omi and Echizen. But even this was not enough to quench his thirst for power. For his next move, Nobunaga attacked the powerful Takeda clan, decimating its legendary cavalry in a single battle. Now, if he could just gather their main armies in Nagashino, his name would truly be feared throughout the land... *** "Fight, struggle and die!" [Oda-Tokugawa vs Takeda Army] Time Limit: 60'00"00 Victory Condition: Defeat all enemy officers. Defeat Condition: Nobunaga or Ieyasu is defeated, or Katsuyori reaches the Escape Point. Walkthrough: The first thing to do in this battle is to prevent the Takeda Army from entering the main camp [Mission], which is done by defeating the four enemy officers indicated on the map. Once this is done, the rest of the stage is simple enough. Katsuyori Takeda begins his retreat towards the escape point and must be eliminated [Mission], but there is plenty of time to do so. In the unlikely event that he gets close to the escape point, an allied officer shows up and intercepts him, so there is plenty of time to defeat other enemy officers on the way to Katsuyori. Upon his defeat, Yukimura Sanada reappears on the battlefield in a desperate attack against the allied main camp; go back and defeat him [Mission], along with any remaining enemies, to win the battle. 4.2 Battle of Osaka Bay Nobunaga enjoyed victory at Nagashino and proved his might to the land. However, this success only served to anger the other feudal lords throughout Japan. Nobunaga's remaining enemies were now desperate to stop him. Yet another source of dissent against him was the temple Honganji in Osaka. The temple was especially dangerous, as it held great influence over the common people, including those within Nobunaga's own domain. Angered, Nobunaga marched his army to Osaka to take control of the temple. In response, Honganji called for help from the Mori, the most powerful clan in Japan's western regions. The Mori Army took up position in Osaka Bay. There, it planned to bring Nobunaga's success to an abrupt and painful end... *** "Cling to your pathetic hopes, and die!" [Oda Army vs Honganji Army] Time Limit: 60'00"00 Victory Condition: Defeat Magoichi. Defeat Condition: Main Camp is captured. Walkthrough: As the stage begins, the Honganji Army advances towards Nobunaga's main camp, defended by Ranmaru Mori, Katsuie Shibata, Hideyoshi Hashiba, Mitsuhide Akechi, Nobumori Sakuma and Narimasa Sassa. Go towards the east and defeat the two Peasant units in the area, along with Chuko Shimozuma; as soon as this officer falls, the Murakami Navy arrives to aid the enemy. Now head south from the main camp, where Mitsuhide Akechi needs to be rescued [Mission]; defeat the three enemy officers nearby, including Rairyu Shimozuma, which causes Munekatsu Nomi to appear, and then proceed to the southwest of the main camp to aid Nobumori Sakuma [Mission] in the same manner. Sukeyasu Innoshima's defeat triggers the arrival of Terumoto Mori's transport units at the far south; he heads towards the enemy fort on the northeast corner. At this point, go back to the east side to meet Katsuie Shibata and help him [Mission] by defeating Munekatsu Nomi; then ignore all enemy officers along the way and move to intercept and eliminate Terumoto Mori [Mission] before he reaches his destination. Allied reinforcements soon join the battle, which gives a morale boost to Nobunaga's forces. The only things left to do now are to defeat all remaining enemy officers (some of them will be causing trouble to the Oda Army, so eliminate them first), close enemy entry points for extra EXP if desired, and defeat Magoichi to end the stage. 4.3 Battle of Tedorigawa* The battle at Osaka Bay ended in victory for Nobunaga. With nobody left to stand in his way, he began wiping out the last remnants of the Honganji rebels. In response to this, a furious Kenshin Uesugi dutifully set out from the east in order to destroy Nobunaga. In return, Nobunaga sent Katsuie and Hideyoshi to stop the Uesugi Army. However, the two soon found themselves struggling against Kenshin's superior tactics. Hearing this, Nobunaga decided to take the matter into his own hands. He set out to fight Kenshin in what would become one of the greatest battles of its time... *** "Give it your all until nothing is left." [Oda Army vs Uesugi Army] Time Limit: 60'00"00 Victory Condition: Defeat Kenshin. Defeat Condition: Main Camp is captured. Walkthrough: The battle begins with five allied generals isolated by the enemy; the first task is to aid their retreat by defeating the enemy officers that have them cornered. Go north towards Hideyoshi Hashiba and defeat the two enemy officers along the way; then meet Hideyoshi and rescue him [Mission]. Now head south and do the same for Toshiie Maeda [Mission], Katsuie Shibata [Mission], Nagahide Niwa [Mission] and Kazumasu Takigawa [Mission] (that seems to be the most efficient order). Afterwards, go west, to the area marked with the X's, and defeat Nagaatsu Shimura so that any remaining allies may retreat to safety. At this point, Kanetsugu Naoe charges towards Funaoka Castle with the intention of carrying out a ploy; ride to the southeast corner as fast as possible, ignoring all enemies along the way, to intercept and eliminate him before he reaches his destination [Mission] (this eventually results in a morale boost for the Oda Army). Upon Kanetsugu's defeat, Kenshin orders his army to advance towards the Oda main camp; eliminate all enemy officers on the field and be prepared for the surprise attack of Kagekatsu Uesugi and the Ikko Rebels. Approach Kagekatsu Uesugi by the Oda main camp and defeat him [Mission]. Now all that is left is to defeat any remaining enemies and finally Kenshin Uesugi. Note: If Kanetsugu Naoe is able to carry out his ploy, the battle becomes more complicated for the Oda Army and an ambush eventually appears at the main camp; in this case, there is a mission to stop the ambush unit. * This stage contains Nobunaga's fourth weapon (for more information, see section 5.2 of this guide). 4.4 Fall of the Takeda Following the battle with Nobunaga, the Uesugi Army was crippled, and Kenshin himself lay slain at Tedorigawa. The Oda had only one enemy left in Japan's east: Shingen's son, Katsuyori Takeda. Nobunaga wasted no time in mounting the attack. With support from the Tokugawa and Hojo, he pummeled the remaining forces of the Takeda Army. Left with little other choice, Katsuyori fled. Katsuyori took shelter with Masayuki Sanada in Ueda Castle, where he was able to make contact with what was left of the Uesugi clan. Though former enemies, the Uesugi and Takeda shared a common foe in Nobunaga. Together, they hoped to exact their revenge... *** "Gather, resist and die!" [Oda Coalition vs Takeda Army] Time Limit: 60'00"00 Victory Condition: Defeat Masayuki and Katsuyori. Defeat Condition: Main Camp is captured. Walkthrough: The greatest difficulty of this battle lies in the fact that some of the paths that connect the territory are concealed, which, together with the gates of Ueda, turns the map into a maze. In addition, Nobukumi Anamaya, Yoshimasa Kiso and Nobushige Oyamada have defected from the Takeda Army to join Nobunaga and now Kanetsugu Naoe is hunting them down. If any of them is slain, the Oda Army's morale will suffer, so to ensure their survival is a task of utmost importance. So, immediately ride towards the north so that Nobunaga can cross the gate before it closes (the timing is extremely tight, but with a fast mount it is possible to make it on time) and rescue Nobukumi Anayama [Mission]. Now take the hidden path to the north and head towards Toishi Castle; once there, defeat Morinobu Nishina and continue south. Before reaching the Oda main camp, turn east at the hidden path and proceed to Nobushige Oyamada's location in order to aid him [Mission]. Farther to the east, take the hidden path southeast and meet Yoshimasa Kiso, who is also in need of help [Mission]. After this has been taken care of, return to Nobushige Oyamada's location to defeat the Uesugi Army [Mission]; then advance to the front gate of Ueda and defeat Shigenori Suzuki. From there, continue east and follow the line of hidden paths to the northeast corner, where Yukishige Yokotani awaits; once he is defeated, an ambush unit appears at the Oda main camp. Fortunately enough, the entire map is revealed at this point, so quickly return to the main camp and defend it [Mission]. Finally, go back to Ueda to defeat all remaining enemy officers and finish the stage. There is a mini-castle map at the end, but it should not give much trouble. Be prepared to fight Yukimura Sanada and Kotaro Fuuma, both of them in hyper mode. Masayuki Sanada's location is revealed after defeating Kotaro Fuuma. 4.5 Incident at Honnoji The Oda succeeded in defeating the combined forces of the Takeda and Uesugi. With the east now under his control, Nobunaga returned to the capital and immediately began preparations to head west. While taking a brief respite at Honnoji, Nobunaga ordered Mitsuhide Akechi to go on ahead and assist Hideyoshi, who was already struggling in a campaign on the western front. However, Mitsuhide's reinforcements never reached Hideyoshi. After great deliberation, Mitsuhide decided to lead them toward Honnoji instead... *** "Resist, fight and survive!" [Oda Army vs Akechi Army] Time Limit: 60'00"00 Victory Condition: Defeat Mitsuhide. Defeat Condition: All allied officers other than Nobunaga are defeated. Walkthrough: This stage presents no major complication. Many allied officers are defeated by the Akechi army, but Lady No and Ranmaru Mori stay inside the temple with Nobunaga, so the best course of action is to stand ground and eliminate enemy officers as they come, while aiding No and Ranmaru in order to ensure their survival. If possible, however, go to Nijo Castle and rescue Nobutada Oda [Mission] by defeating the enemy officers that have him surrounded. Magoichi Saika (in hyper mode) joins the battle; eliminate him and Mitsuhide Akechi appears on the battlefield. After Ranmaru charges alone towards Mistuhide, assist him as soon as possible and defeat Mitsuhide [Mission] to finish the stage. 4.6 Nobunaga's Dream: Nobunaga Unites Japan* Nobunaga was spared by Mitsuhide at Honnoji, but the incident caused widespread confusion within the Oda ranks. As a result, several ambitious warlords decided to seize this chance to steal the land back from Nobunaga. The most prominent among them was Ieyasu Tokugawa, who organized a vast army, which he called the "Anti-Nobunaga Alliance". Nobunaga, however, was not in the least bit disturbed. Thanks to Ieyasu, his strongest enemies were now gathered in one place. If he could just manage to defeat them, the land would surely be his for the taking... *** "The harder the fight, the greater the prize." [Oda Army vs Coalition] Time Limit: 60'00"00 Victory Condition: Defeat Ieyasu. Defeat Condition: Main Camp is captured. Walkthrough: This battle is considerably tougher than any of the previous ones. There are twenty-one enemy officers on the battlefield, some of which will charge into Nobunaga's main camp; to defeat them all is no easy task. First, go east to Iwasaki Castle and eliminate Masamune Date [Mission], as well as the two other enemy officers in the area. Meanwhile, Keiji Maeda rushes towards the main camp through the center; go to this area immediately after Iwasaki Castle is occupied. Other enemy officers soon join Keiji's attack, but they are relatively easy to handle. Following this wave, Yoshihiro Shimazu attacks; do not let him enter the Oda main camp [Mission] and defeat all remaining enemy officers in the area. Now go to the southwest corner, eliminate the two officers at Kiyosu Castle and go back to the center in order to deal with yet another wave of attackers. Proceed due northwest, defeating enemies along the way, and enter Haguro Garrison, where Kanetsugu Naoe (hyper) is located; he is a rather strong opponent, but must be defeated [Mission]. After this, continue north towards Ieyasu's main camp, which triggers Tadakatsu Honda's speed attack against the Oda main camp; rush after him and eliminate him [Mission] (he is in hyper mode, of course, and even stronger than Kanetsugu). Now all that is left is to go back north and defeat Ieyasu to win the battle. * This is a bonus stage, unlocked by completing Nobunaga's Tale. ============== 5. Weapons ============== 5.1 General List 1st Weapon - King's Sword Base Attack: 21 2nd Weapon - King's Rage Base Attack: 30 3rd Weapon - Demon Slayer Base Attack: 38 4th Weapon - Demon Regalia Base Attack: 46 Element: Wind Statistics: Musou +18 Attack +35 (Two slots) Defense +16 Speed +18 Musou Charge +35 (Two slots) Attack Range +19 5.2 Obtaining the Fourth Weapon Stage: Battle of Tedorigawa Mode: Story Mode Difficulty Setting: Hard Requirements: Aid the escape of the five allied generals that are isolated: Hideyoshi Hashiba, Toshiie Maeda, Katsuie Shibata, Nagahide Niwa and Kazumasu Takigawa, who will reach safety at the X marked areas on the west side of the map. Note: Must have previously completed Nobunaga's Tale (Dream is not required), with any difficulty setting. Procedure: 1. When the stage begins, head north. Defeat Shigeie Shimura and Kagetsugu Amakasu along the way. 2. Meet Hideyoshi Hashiba and help him retreat by defeating Naganori Kawada. 3. Ride southeast and join Toshiie Maeda. Aid him by defeating Shigenaga Honjo. 4. Proceed south to encounter Katsuie Shibata and defeat Takahiro Kitajo. 5. Further to the south, help Nagahide Niwa escape from Nagahide Yasuda. 6. Head northwest and save Kazumasu Takigawa from Kagemochi Amakasu. 7. Go west and defeat any enemy generals present so that allies may complete their retreat. As soon as the last one of them announces that his unit is safe, a transport unit appears straight south from Kenshin Uesugi's main camp. 8. Defeat the Supply Captain [Mission] for the weapon. 9. Continue the stage normally, defeating all enemy generals outside the enemy main camp. When the time comes, defeat the enemy ambush that appears at the allied main camp. 10. Go to the enemy main camp and defeat Kenshin Uesugi to clear the stage. Notes and Recommendations: - Nobunaga is strong enough to easily obtain this weapon at level 20-25, with most skills at level 1 or above. - His special abilities are rather helpful for defeating enemy officers quickly. - A mount with high speed is recommended. - It is a good idea to use the Interim Save funcion throughout the stage. ============ 6. Moves ============ 6.1 Move List This is the diagram of Nobunaga's moves. Since he will gain new moves as he advances in level, I have included both the initial and the final lists as reference. Note that my diagram for the two Special moves varies from the one presented in the game; this is because the original diagram can be misleading: Nobunaga's second and third level Special moves are activated by holding down R1 and then pressing S or T once, twice or thrice, as opposed to pressing R1 before every S or T. Type: Special [The main development is found in the increase of Special Move strength.] Initial Normal Attack: S -> S -> S -> S \ \ \ Charge Attack: T T T T Special 1: R1 + S Form a temporary shield of defensive energy. Special 2: R1 + T Increase the strength of weapon attacks. Final Normal Attack: S -> S -> S -> S -> S -> S -> S \ \ \ Charge Attack: T T T T | | | | T T T T Special 1: R1 + S -> S -> S Form a temporary shield of defensive energy. Special 2: R1 + T -> T -> T Increase the strength of weapon attacks. 6.2 Normal Attacks Rush S : Slides forward and does a single horizontal slash. Jump + S : Jumps and swings his sword once in mid air, from left to right. SSSSSSSS: Swings his sword three times from side to side, then does four rapid diagonal swings and finishes with a 360 degrees slash. 6.3 Charge Attacks Jump + T : Jumps and drives his sword into the ground as he lands, hitting enemies within a small area around him. T(T) : Rises in mid air and throws an orb of dark energy that hits the ground in front of him for an area effect that does damage and stuns enemies; if T is pressed twice, he charges up slightly longer and throws a larger orb that inflicts greater damage and causes disorientation to enemies. ST(T) : Swings his sword once and then throws his foe upwards into the air with another swing; if T is pressed again, he jumps to hit again and throw the enemy back to the ground with a small area effect. SST(T) : Swings his sword twice, followed by 360 degree swing; if T is pressed again, he rises slightly and hits the ground in front of him for a small area effect. SSST(T) : Swings his sword three times, charges up and releases a ring of dark energy that hits all enemies within a large area around him; if T is pressed again, he takes longer to charge up, but prior to releasing the ring of energy he is encompassed by an orb that resembles the highest level of his Special 1 (see next section), which hits once and disorients his opponents. 6.4 Special Moves R1+ S(S)(S) : Nobunaga is encompassed in an orb of dark energy, which raises his defense for a short time. The defense level depends on how many times S is pressed. Note: Though it lasts for only a few seconds, this is a rather impressive and very useful move because it makes Nobunaga able to stand even a strike ninja's charge without flinching. It will be cancelled automatically if he gets on a horse. R1+ T(T)(T) : Nobunaga's sword is charged with dark energy, which raises the power of his weapon attacks for a short time. The strength of this power boost depends on the number of times T is pressed, and is further enhanced by Nobunaga's unique skill, Vehemence (Weapon charge achieved by special move strengthened). In addition, if T is pressed thrice, Nobunaga's STT and SSTT become STT(T) and SSTT(T), respectively (see section 6.5). Note: The effect of this move lasts longer than that of his defensive move. It is quite useful, especially when fightning enemy generals, as it really does speed things up. It is a good idea to activate Nobunaga's shield of energy (Special 1) prior to using this move while close to enemy units. 6.5 Special Charge Attacks Nobunaga's R1+TTT not only empowers his weapon to the maximum, but also allows an extra charge for some of his moves, as follows: TTT : Rises in mid air and throws an orb of dark energy that hits the ground in front of him for an area effect that does damage and disorients enemies. It is almost identical to his TT move, except for the fact that he rises higher and charges up slightly longer before performing the attack. STTT : Swings his sword once and then throws his foe upwards into the air with another swing; he then jumps and slashes them with five rapid swings in mid air, and finishes by throwing them to the ground with great force, hitting enemies within a small area with the impact. SSTTT : Swings his sword twice, followed by 360 degree swing; then he rises slightly and hits the ground in front of him for a small area effect. Finally, he flies horizontally for a medium distance, pointing his sword forward. SSSTTT : Swings his sword three times, charges up and an orb of darkness that hits twice and disorients enemies nearby encompasses him. Finally, he releases a ring of dark energy that hits all enemies within a large area around him. 6.6 Musou In Samurai Warriors 2, the Musou Gauge is divided in three sections that determine the strength of the Musou attack. Each character begins with a fragment of one section, and will gradually complete all three as he or she gains levels and Musou stat. Like in the first Samurai Warriors, there are two options for the use of Musou attacks: either press and hold O to perform the character's unique Musou, or tap O and use regular attacks while Musou is active. The following are Nobunaga's unique Musou attacks: Level 1 : Rapidly swings his sword from one side to another while levitating, and finishes with an area attack that inflicts damage and stuns enemies around him. Indicated by a blue aura. Level 2 : Rapidly swings his sword from one side to another while levitating, and finishes with an attack that hits an area significantly larger than level 1. Indicated by a green aura. Level 3 : Explosions of dark energy hit the ground while Nobunaga performs his attack. It inflicts a large amount of damage. Indicated by a yellow aura. Double Musou : Performed with the aid of a guard or a second player, this Musou attack is enhanced by lightning element and hits many more times than a single Musou (my record with Nobunaga: 2583 combo). Indicated by red waves of electricity that link both parties in proximity. ================= 7. Statistics ================= =================================================== | Statistic | Base | Maximum | =================================================== | Life | 115 | 289 | | Musou | 94 | 282 | | Attack | 91 | 186 | | Defense | 89 | 183 | | Ride | 97 | 188 | | Speed | 106 | 171 | | Dex | 106 | 171 | | Luck | 99 | 196 | =================================================== ========================= 8. Thanks and Credits ========================= + To KOEI, for creating Samurai Warriors 2. + To the real Oda Nobunaga, for inspiring the creation of the immensely sexy and gorgeous Demon Lord (a.k.a. Schmexy Demon Lord, as Vlad would say). + To EChang, for his Fourth Weapons Guide. + To Randall and Luke, for bringing Nobunaga's special charge attacks to my attention. + To GameFAQs and SuperCheats, for publishing my work. ======================================== 9. Copyright and Contact Information ======================================== Copyright 2006 Sima Zhongda. This document 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. The following websites have been authorized to publish this guide: * GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com) * SuperCheats (http://www.supercheats.com) For questions, corrections, etc., e-mail me at [email protected]. I will give proper credit to the author(s) of any contributions I decide to post as part of this guide.