A Guide to the Game

This guide will tell you about how the game works and possibly give some good tips.

Quick note

I really hope you can find the answers to your questions in this, in case you have further questions, feel free to leave a message in the comments and I'll change the guide to cover that part as well.
In case you still don't understand something, hop over to the official Discord server of the game and ask. This guide is pending renewal for more accurate information

CONQUERING SHADOWS

The Town (Polichna)

The Town plays a cruical role in our journey as it is the only place where you can easily get more troops and morale, as well as manpower. It's also the place to get Food and Tools at.

RESTING

Negative: Resting removes 1 Fresh Food (represented by fish) from your Company's storage and takes a day to complete.
Positive: It gives all your units +1 Manpower and increases Morale by 1.


HAGGLE

Negative: Locks a random pack (Becomes unlocked after completing a quest)
Positive: Decreases the cost of all other packs by 1 Denari. (Can be done as long as there are packs unlocked)


GOOD CUSTOMER SPECIAL

Positive: After buying 6 packs in the shop, the pack on the right side will be given to you for free, this must be done in between 2 quests or it will be reset. Does appear again after quests with different items.

NEW OFFER

Negative: Costs 1 Denari.
Positive: Refreshes all packs in the shop, even locked ones.

Your Resources

Having resources is extremely important as without them you cannot do certain actions. So it is recommended to always have some spare.

DENARI

The currency of the game, it is required to buy units and other resources. Unlocks certain actions.


FOOD

Food is required to perform certain actions. It takes food to go on quests, the less food you bring on a quest, the more units desert.


TOOLS

Used for building fortifications on the battlefield.


FRESH FOOD

Can be used in the town for Resting and on the battlefield for a number of effects.

Effects:
Will consume Fresh Food.
Can be done maximum 3 times in a group during battle planning for bonus effect.
They only last for 1 battle:

Scouts: They are usable again.
Messengers: A random bird gets a 20% cooldown bonus. (Stacks)
Units: Spawns an extra milita for you to place. (Disappears after battle)
Tools/Fortifications: All fortifications are 30% cheaper. (Stacks)

Morale/Heroism and Unit information

Using Unit's abilities and charging takes a messenger just like giving your Unit's a move order.
All Units have different skills.

MORALE

Morale is represented by a number of heads near the army's flag. A morale point gets lost when one of your units shatters/gets destroyed in battle. When it reaches 0, all your units will take 10 damage, when that happens, your morale will go back to it's original value you entered the battle with. This can happen again as long as you have units remaining. It can cause a chain effect.
Max Morale is 8.

HEROISM

Some Units' ability requires Heroism, it means that perfoming that action will remove 1 Heroism point from you (Found top left of your screen). It can be obtained by killing enemy Units who have a Heroism symbol next to them.
Can be used to reset Messenger cooldowns.

BASIC UNIT STATISTICS

Quick note: Each Unit has different statistics.

Health: Overall number of damage the Unit can take before it shatters/gets destroyed. Can be healed while above 0.

Armour: Ranges from 0 to 5. Decreases incoming damage by number of Armor points. Armored Units get stunned instead of killed when charged. Can be taken off by charges and Unit ablities.
Minimum amount of received damage while wearing armor is 1.
Armor blocks ability damage the same it blocks combat damage.

Strength: Ranges from 0 to 5. Unit loses 1 strength/charge, can also be lost by certain abilities. When all strength is lost, the unit becomes Exhausted.
Exhasuted: Unit recieves +2 damage from all attacks and cannot charge. (Can still receive move orders)

Manpower: Ranges from 0 to 5. When at Unit's base value, the unit has max hp. When a unit in battle shatters, it loses 1 manpower, meaning that it will start the next battle with reduced HP unless healed (Can be done in town). If a units reaches 1 Manpower, then the next time it would shatter, it will be destroyed instead.

Experience: Ranges from 0 to 5. Gained when surviving a battle. if it reaches 5, the Unit gains +10 Max HP permanently.

Move Speed: Affects the base movement speed of the unit. Also determines how far a unit can charge. Every 5 green dots (not movement points) spent in the same direction gives the unit 1 extra charge point.

Charge: Detemines how much charge damage can be applied. If a unit has 1 charge and hits a unit with 0 armor, the charged unit dies. If it hits a unit with 1 armor then the charged unit becomes stunned and loses its armor.

If your unit has 2 charge points, it can use those points to kill two, 0 armor units OR kill one unit with 1 armor point. (1 charge point to take off the armor and another to kill the unit).
Works the same with bigger values.

1 charge point deals 10 dmg to Elite units and stuns them. Multiplies value by number of charge points.

Unit features

Hope: After ending a battle, your losses are counted and shown, on this screen you can find your units that were shattered during battle, you can choose up to 3/4 units to have a 50% chance of blocking manpower damage. This resistance can activate multiple times for the affected units.
Hope also applies when not enough food is brought when going on quests.

Starting Companies

These are the companies you can start your game with, they all have something that makes them differ from each other, so make sure you choose one that is suited for your playstyle.

ZLOTA KOMPANIA
Difficulty: Normal

Starts with:

Morale: 3
Denari: 0
Food: 30
Tools: 10
Fresh Food: 2

Scouts:

Mounted Scout: 5
Harassing Scout: 4

Messengers:

White Pigeon: 1
Black Tit: 1
Magpie: 1

Units:

Swordsmen: 2
Spearmen: 4
Captain: 2
Supply Wagons: 1


Tips for company:

Use your spearmen to halt the advance of enemy mounted units that can close in on you faster than others, then prepare a better defensive position using your Messengers. Always use Abilities either to heal your units (Supply Wagons/Captain) or to damage the enemy. The 3 morale the company starts with isn't much, so if you are a new player, it is recommended to rest before leaving the town.


BLACK COMPANY
Difficulty: Hard

Starts with:

Morale: 4
Denari: 8
Food: 20
Tools: 0
Fresh Food: 1

Scouts:

Spyglass Scout: 2
Scout Thief: 4

Messengers:

Song Thrush: 2
Forest Owl: 1

Units:

Greatswords: 2
Swordsmen: 4
Catapult: 1


Tips for company:

Utilizing the catapult combined with the ability of the Greatswords can have devastating effects on the enemy, the high starting morale makes room for error. It is recommended to be resourceful during battle and on the map as they do not start with much.


EGG RIDERS
Difficulty: Nightmare

Starts with:

Morale: 3
Denari: 8
Food: 20
Tools: 12
Fresh Food: 2

Scouts:

Mounted Scout: 3
Harassing Scout: 2
Scout Thief: 1

Messengers:

Blackbird: 2
Forest Owl: 1

Units:

Light Riders: 5
Heavy Horses: 2
Brigands: 1

Tips for company:

Due to their lack of Messengers, it is recommended to try to get more in events. Their lack of healing makes them very vulnerable, so it is advisable to do hit and run tactics, with the Light Riders. The Heavy Horses should be used only for their ability as charging makes it less useful.


SNEK BOYS
Difficulty: Nightmare

Starts with:

Morale: 2
Denari: 5
Food: 20
Tools: 10
Fresh Food: 4

Scouts:

Mounted Horse: 4
Scout Thief: 3

Messengers:

White Pigeon: 1
Brown Falcon: 1
Mallard: 1

Units:

Wolfies: 2
Biggie: 2
Stickies: 4
Nighties: 1

Tips for company:

Their lack of Morale is a problem during early game, so sacrificing a few days to rest is a good choice. They start with the most Messengers out of all the companies so they can respond quickly to unforeseen events during battle.

Messengers and Scouts

This information can be found in the base game.

MESSENGERS

No army can accomplish its task without proper communication. This is why Messengers win battles.

Messenger types:

White Pigeon:

Cooldown: 13 Seconds
Max order(s): 1
Bonus: -

Black Tit:

Cooldown: 10 Seconds
Max order(s): 1
Bonus: Each time it is used, it takes 4 more seconds to re-use (14s,18s etc.), all other birds on cooldown get -4s.

Brown Falcon:

Cooldown: 23 Seconds
Max order(s): 1
Bonus: +1 charge point when charging (Can be ignored)

Forest Owl:

Cooldown: 30 Seconds
Max order(s): 2
Bonus: Can only be used after 12 seconds. Gain 1 bonus skill order after usage.

Blackbird:

Cooldown: -
Max order(s): 2
Bonus: Skills don't require Heroism, Skills get no cooldown, leaves after 1 use.

Magpie:

Cooldown: 20 Seconds
Max order(s): 1
Bonus: +2 Charge point when charging (Can be ignored), Makes 1 random unused Messenger get on cooldown.

Song Thrush:

Cooldown: 22 Seconds
Order(s): 1
Bonus: Refreshes 1 random Messenger. Single use.

Mallard:

Cooldown: 35 Seconds
Max order(s): 3
Bonus: Can be used after 24 Seconds. Unit Skill gets 50% less cooldown after usage.

Jackdaw:

Cooldown: -
Max order(s): 1
Bonus: +1 Charge point when charging, +4 Movement points. Leaves after 1 use.

REFRESHING MESSENGERS

A small clock on the messenger bar can be pressed to refresh messengers for heroism points.
Single use birds can no longer be refreshed.

SCOUTS

Scouts are part of your army, they can be used to reveal enemy positions and harass the enemy. Use them to make a better plan of the upcoming battle.

Scout types:

Mounted Scout:

Judge (Tells you the number of enemies within it's range)
Range: 0,4

Harassing Scout:

Reveal (Reveals 1 fog of war area)
Passive Skill: Deals 8 damage to all units in revealed area.

Spyglass Scout:

Judge (Tells you the number of enemies within it's range)
Range: 0,8

Scout Thief:

Reveal (Reveals 1 fog of war area)
Passive Skills: Gains 1 bread for each revealed enemy (A "happy incident")

Scouting minigame
When scouting, you may see small chests with a grey skin and a question mark with them, if you reveal these areas, you can get bonuses such as extra food.

Quests

Some Quests progress the story while others give additional side quests to get money from and grow your army. Some side quests give additional quests/endings.

EVENTS

Events happen while travelling to a location. Events can be good and bad, and altough they aren't always good, they still provide some resources that you cannot get elsewhere.
Notable Resoures inlcude: Messneger(s),Scout(s).

FOOD REQUIREMENT

This shows how much food you need to have in order to go on a quest without trouble.
Bringing less food than this amount can and will result in units deserting.

Strategies and Tactics

This part is about what you should do and what you could do.

TIPS:

Town:

Always Haggle before buying anything, but do highlight what you want to buy before you start haggling to know what you need to repalce.

Always try to get the shop bonus if you have the money for it.

Always keep your units' Manpower and Morale at max for best effect on battlefield (Rest if needed).

Always try to get at least 2 fish in case you need them at events.

Always try to get max food for next quest.

Battlefield:

Always try to use all units you have, even if you won't use them because they gain veterancy upon surviving a battle.

The tutorial battle is basically free experience and money, recommended to do it.

It is heavily recommended not to divide your units into 3 or more groups unless you need a reaction force. A reaction force should be used in case you have lacking intel on enemy forces and don't know which part should be reinforced with more troops. 1 or 2 groups should be sufficient.

Stratagem tactics:

Brainstorm Officers

Gives a random battle modifier that you can activate.

Rush Them
Your units gain +1 charge and -1 armor. Can't use scouts or fortifications.

Liquid Courage
Spend 6 bread. Units gain +1 strength (used when charging). They also get double damage from panic.

Dig In
Spend 8 tools. Your units gain +1 armor and -1 charge

Blood Oath
Your units lose 10hp. Gain 1 morale.



Battlefield fighting strategies:

Pull and Heal

This strategy revolves around having 2 lines of units (preferably non-elite units) and interchanging both lines when needed.
This tactic is best used while having healing units in the back as to maximise frontline combat time as well as the fastest way to heal "support line" units (Units in 2nd row).
It is recommended to put better units at the end of the line and to make the line as straight as possible in order to lessen the chance of 1 unit being attacked by multiple enemies.

Charge and Retreat

This is usually best done if you have fast moving units (like horsemen) behind the frontline to quickly charge out, stun the enemy, then retreat to the support line to heal. The frontline itself should consist of high armor low value units, like swordsmen.



(Due to changes to the charging system, this tactic is less viable)
The gif shows the tactic in action.
Recommended to pull out the support line once all strength is gone with a move order. (Using a Supply Wagon is now a possibility to lengthen the time this tactic works.)

Terrain Modifiers and Status Effects

Using Terrain to your advantage can help massively. Enemy units receive the same effects.

Hills
"On High Ground" (Obi-Wan Kenobi)

Positive: +1 Weapon damage and +50% range for ranged units (Extra damage applies to all units)

Negative: -

Forests
"In Woods"

Positive: -1 Incoming damage and cannot be charged

Negative: Charging in Forests takes 2 movement points per point

Buildings
"In Building"

Positive: -2 Incoming damage and cannot be charged

Negative: Charging in Buildings takes 3 movement points per point

Water
"In Water"

Positive:-

Negative: -33% attack speed and +2 incoming damage

Guides to the Endings (1st Campaign)

This part shows you how to get all the available endings. (Pre-charge patch)

Videos:
Order Restored (Ending 1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLAnWluxeuo&t=1503s

New Prince (Ending 2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIaBb0DvDGU&t=968s

On the Giant's Shoulders (Ending 3): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWtVcuPLaCI

Friend of Mr.Zaietz (Ending 4): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ochai9wASHQ

Additional information

Certain quests aren't needed to progress the story, These are the ones you can safely skip:

"Woofs?!" : Not needed for anything, just a side quest.
"Glory Awaits!" : Only needed for ending 3.

Cheats

The game has a console which you can open by pressing "`". The button may vary on different types of keyboards.

The following commands can be entered:

"thegreatgonzo" Gives 3 Militia units.

"bigdaddy" Gives Heavy Horses unit.

"rosebud" Gives 6 fresh food.

"i r winner" Instantly win a battle.

"robin hood" Gives 10 Denari.

Daily Arena

This mode can be found in the main menu.

Daily Arena is an additional game mode added to the game on 2023.03.26.
All "Campaigns" have 5 separate battles.
All battles change in personell and terrain after each battle.

Difficulty modes:

Mild

This mode is normal difficulty, easy to complete, but a high score is the wanted result in the end.

Spicy

This mode is hard mode, this mode can be a challange to newer people so it is recommended to play the main campaign first.

Modifications:

Not using 2 units results in an additional fresh food on the next battle.

You gain points by:

+ Not deploying units (high)
+ Units surviving (low)

You lose points by:

- Units shattering (high)

SECOND CAMPAIGN (soon)

[Killer(HUN)]

@thekidvoomer Thank you for your comment! I indeed made a mistake and will modify the guide accordingly.

[thekidvoomer]

Great guide, but I do not think there is a max moral. The max you can obtain with resting is 4, but if gained during a event it can go over 4.

[phx.Vicction]

Great guide! condensing the basics and giving a few nice tips too!

[Moonionist]

Maybe a tactics and strategies area could help as that is my biggest issue most of the time

[Naoto Shirogane]

With this guide, I am now able to play a game I don't have, thanks, 7!