There are several weapon specialisations, or classes, for heroes in Conqueror’s Blade, which can be categorised in a number of ways: melee and ranged, the type of armour they allow (light, medium and heavy), speed of attack, reach, and the type of damage they excel at (piercing, slashing and blunt). Together with the combat archetype we identify with (tank, DPS, crowd control, support, etc), most of us are able to select a suitable class without much of a problem.
However, whether you favour piercing arrows or a slashing Poleaxe, choosing a weapon to focus on is only the start of your journey towards becoming an expert on the battlefield. As you progress through each bloody encounter, not only do you have to quickly grasp basic moves and what your hero should be doing in any particular situation, you must also look ahead to what your hero will become as they level up.
This is when it helps to know which
Basic Attributes to pour points into, the best
Armour set to wear and the
Weapon Skills you should assign for the battles ahead. In other words, how to “build” your hero, not simply to be the best, but to be the best for you!
Building Basic AttributesEach character has four Basic Attributes that can be upgraded as they level up. Depending on your favourite type of weapon (and the damage it excels in) and the skills you choose, you will probably want to maximise your attributes in one or two key areas:
- Strengthdirectly affects how much damage a melee weapon does (specifically Slashing and Blunt damage, but also Piercing Armour Penetration).
- Agility is favoured by all weapon classes, but especially ranged units and light melee units. A high Agility gives increased Piercing Damage and improved slashing and blunt armour penetration.
- Armour increases protection against incoming damage and reduces an enemy’s armour penetration effectiveness (piercing, slashing and blunt). All classes benefit from maximising Armour values, especially those with Heavy armour.
- Toughness allows you to increase the health of your hero by 100 points per level.
Building Weapon SkillsWhen activated at the right time, Weapon Skills can unleash devastating attacks or buffs unique to each weapon’s combat style. Each character can have up to four ‘equipped’ at any one time, three bound to Q, E and R, and one (bound to T) which tends to be an "Ultimate" skill. All Weapon Skills have a cooldown period before they can be used again.
Weapon skills can be unlocked with Mastery Points, which are earned from killing, or with Skill Points, awarded for taking part in open-world or matchmaking battles. To unlock Ultimate Skills, you need to collect Skill Pages by completing battles or from siege rewards.
Even if you have multiple weapons unlocked, you cannot mix and match bound skills. They must all come from the same active weapon specialisation. For example, if you have the Nodachi equipped, you can only have unlocked Nodachi skills bound to the Q, E, R and T keys.
Since only one can be chosen for battle, it’s often wise to select Weapons Skills that complement the Ultimate Skill you wish to focus on. When used in quick succession, these can have devastating consequences for those on the receiving end. However, make sure you time for maximum impact, as the minute it takes for the cooldown to wear off can seem like a lifetime on the battlefield!
Building BuildsThe combination of attributes, weapon, armour and skills are referred to as a character build. How you choose to “build” a unit that suits your aims and playstyle is as much down to pragmatism as it is about personal choice, but there is always a balance to consider between the role you aim to fulfil on the battlefield, and whether you aim to specialise or try to be as versatile as possible. Certainly, you should choose to focus on elements that complement one another, such as armour that might provide helpful bonuses or skills that might multiply the effect of another when used in quick succession.
Finally, units... Though not strictly part of your Hero, the unit you choose to field alongside your hero can be just as important as the skills you’ve unlocked. If you're taking on a “lone wolf” role, you’ll want to field a unit that can look after itself without too much intervention, or a defensive unit you can assign to guard a capture point while you are sneaking around on the other side of the map.
If however you need your unit to back you up when you charge into the fray, you should assign one that can keep up with you and have the strength and ability to soak up any attacks that are meant for you if you need to retreat to a safe place to heal.
In any case, select the highest star-unit you have, with the highest stats and the Unit Traits that best complement your Weapon Skills. With the right combination, you will become a formidable team!
