Does it ever get harder?

[articulate]

Ok so I'm not an elitist whiner complaining about lack of difficulty. But I would like to know if people have actually encountered really hard fought battles with multiple strategems on both sides coming into play that's forced you to attack, defend, retreat, counterattack, etc.

I play usually on Chaos, and with CAWs. No Lu Bu reskins, but generally powerful weapons(crossed pike, double pike, pike, staff, 2h sword, 2 headed mace, talisman cards) and with BP unlocks from options(6* weapons, speed items for 256 speed, but no strategems(too expensive)). I've noticed that the only dangerous thing is in the early game(maybe <30 turns) is getting OHKO from enemy officers as a lower level(I usually go for +10 initial level). By the mid-game, when you're in your 30s or 50s things start to get easy. And especially if you're using a powerful weapon, it's a cakewalk. You literally want to be in the enemies' "area of control" so you have more peasants to slaughter and capture a base faster.

Would one have to artificially prolong the game.. maybe to the 150+ turn mark to get a reasonable amount of challenge? I have invaded capitals before, because I'm too lazy to fight one territory by one territory and fought the whole family of Sun Quan/Liu Bei only to capture their main base/fell their illustrious leader in under 5 minutes. Or perhaps handicap yourself by not unlocking weapons and items with BP beforehand? But that seems silly, since the game gives you the option, and what other use for BP is there? Unless that's only meant as a crutch. But then it's nigh impossible getting a 6* weapon through normal play. I've only ever gotten one in my 40+ hours. 1 measly 6* rake from musou killing Lu Meng.

[Sir Lui]

My hardest playthrough I have had is with the following settings:

- Make a custom scernario with just 3 kingdoms: Wu, Shu, Wei
- Set the kindgoms strength to strongest
- Start the game in Chaos mode
- Start the game without usng any bonus points (no weapon unlock etc)

Conclusion: I started playing a officer under a ruler with this scernario and struggled capturing a single place. Constantly dying at the same place. In short, difficult but fun!

[ぐー]

No it doesn't
If you want it to be challenging you'll have to go out of your way to make it hard which sucks.

Too bad they didn't leave the "Ultimate" difficulty setting from DW8:XLCE

[articulate]

Ahhh darn, just as I thought then.

Originally posted by Sir Lui:

- Make a custom scernario with just 3 kingdoms: Wu, Shu, Wei
- Set the kindgoms strength to strongest
- Start the game in Chaos mode
- Start the game without usng any bonus points (no weapon unlock etc)

Yes I tried that, well, sort of. I had my vagabond unit raise their banners in "strongest" territory and fought crazy hard against extra long hp troops. It was satisfying, but I can't imagine slogging through an entire game like that.

Originally posted by Thinking Potato:

No it doesn't
If you want it to be challenging you'll have to go out of your way to make it hard which sucks.

Too bad they didn't leave the "Ultimate" difficulty setting from DW8:XLCE

Indeed. So it's just "shoot yourself in the foot difficulty" huh? Zzz

[Fuzen]

The only difficult scenario I got were these I began without starting bonuses. (Okay, I admit, I usually still take the +10 levels…)

As far as I'm concerned, the game is hard/challenging as long as you are not able to easily solo enemy officers.

I wish there would be the Ultimate difficulty… ><

[Bigamo]

the worst problem with the game imo (i like a LOT the game by the way) is that it becomes each time easier as you both level up a lot faster than everyone else and you have a tendency to stop losing troops once you get powerfull.

So even in Chaos dificulty while most people one hit kill you at very early game in some time you become the same overpowered instrument of retribution due to overleveling everyone else.

Other thing that i don't like in the game is that other than attacking your country no one does ANYTHING against you, no schemes or intrigues so the playing experience become far too linear as your path just changes if you want it to change. otherwise i have never seen a ruler kicking me from his force or even take a while to rise in ranks.

[Fuzen]

I can't help but agree. It would be way more interesting to have a better AI, both for the strategy and the battles.

What I mean is that, as you said, the AI takes limited actions during strategy phase. It would be interesting, for instance, that some Guo Jia would slander you, or that a Dong Zhuo that doesn't trust you banishes/“tries” to execute you or the like. It could be so great, but sadly, it isn't. On the ruler side, it has been 100+ hours for me and still no prefect tried to betray.

For the battles… well, the game itself has enough difficulty even late game, as far as numbers are concerned. The true problem is that the AI is… well, dumb. The NPC you fight are not reactive at all. As much as I find it understandable for the peons, enemy officers should attack more often, in a smoother way. And not just defend 90% of the time and attack with a stupid S-string combo. I mean, I don't remember having ever seen a NPC using an EX move…

Same goes for the strategies. Using LSS after 4 mins of battle in a 5 minutes defense? Yeah, sure… Using Ultimate Might when the officer has 25% life remaining? Good idea mate. Spamming Affection? Even better! A lot of things would be way better with an interesting AI.

[Bigamo]

yes, but even with battle AI as it is the game is far more chalenging when you don't outlevel then very hard. The very first battles in Hard mode are super fun, but that fun won't last.

I am playing a campaign in Chaos dificulty right now and while in the beggining it is terrible hard with peons 2 or 3 shooting you by now i just had a defence where i went ALONE to meet Lu Bu Yun Shao and 3 CAWs in the field and i beat then all losing very few HP.

I mean, freaking Lu Bu with his own awesome music become a joke. :(

But still most problems come from the strategy side as most XP gains come from there, i mean, 3k merits for making an aliance? really?

And like we agree, no one does anything against you EVER, still you can make everyone else life a hell, even assassinate then. :)

[Fuzen]

Once again, I agree. Yeah! The beginning is way more fun than the end of a scenario! I mean, at the beginning, I take every single battle seriously, I have to use my stratagems and my allies to take down a single officer, let apart when there are several!

But then, you get better weapons, overpowered items and a few more levels. I mean, I did the “All Encompassing” WoL on my CaW that was using Flying blades. At the end, I could litteraly kill any armor-enhanced officer with the C3-EX impale move. I had like 2k attack. XD

I don't even talk about musous that just OS'ed anything in front of me.

Poor Lu Bu.

And yeah the XP gain from strategy phase is insane. And of course, we can't say that it is hardly earned. x) It's a shame that a game that could be so good end up so limited. (But still, I like this game, in spite of its several flaws!)

[Bigamo]

there is any way to mod and nerf the XP gains?

[Fuzen]

There is a topic about modding effort on KoeiWarriors forum but from what I have seen so far, not as of yet.

[Doomvora]

The only AI i find absolutely annoying is meng huo on chaos, because he uses defense strategems and then proceeds to use recovery at 25% hp, start all over. Very time consuming

Otherwise AI is very bland

I rarely see anything out of the ordinary. The only odd thing i saw where the AI suprised me was during raid battles and the AI did LSS reinforcement which i had never seen the AI do.

[Shui]

From my experience if you use items or stronger weapon the challenge dimishes pretty quickly.

So I have play without them and use common CAW type. Everyone gets stronger over time but not fast enough it seems. still can beat 2-3 officers alone only exception is enemy caws with strong defense skill and spam musou every time

[Bigamo]

i am searching for a way to reduce the XP gain in around 75% to make it actually a challenge to over level the other characters.

[Harusame]

@Fuzen. Treacherous retainer types have betrayed me before, with the most famous example being Lu Bu asking to be made prefect, next month he rebels. If you want a rebellion give the people you know will betray you the higher positions.

[Fuzen]

Originally posted by ///Harusame:

@Fuzen. Treacherous retainer types have betrayed me before, with the most famous example being Lu Bu asking to be made prefect, next month he rebels. If you want a rebellion give the people you know will betray you the higher positions.

Yeah I know! On my present game, I had Chen Gong (that I had just recruited). I made him Strategist for fun, next month he betrayed. XD

But I didn't say that in this way. I was speaking on a Marshal/Strategist/Prefect point of view. As you know, you can slander these, but once you have one of these roles, nobody will try to slander you to take your place. :/