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Congratulations to Astrale, who has been crowned the winner of the EUW2 Duelling Tournament. Hosted this past weekend in the courtyard of Verschollen Kastell (courtesy of Death3691), viewers enjoyed more than two hours of ceaseless 1v1 combat as more than a hundred players fought 1v1 to become the last one standing. 

“It was really fun playing and watching those fights,” said a fully-recovered Astrale afterwards. “I feel lucky for coming on top in the tournament. It all comes to matchups with certain weapons and, of course, the best players couldn't all show up, but I still loved it, winning first place!”

A majority of the competitors had dressed up in their favourite longsword and shield combination, so it was perhaps surprising that the three podium places were occupied by other classes. In the play-off for third place, two musketeers exchanged gunpowder blasts, from which SkyRua emerged victorious. Soon afterwards however it was Astrale (Shortsword) that took the title, having fought off a valiant DodgeM (Dual Blades) in the grand final.

There are no details yet on when or where the next duelling tournament will be held, but Death3691 has said that one is already being planned. He also seems to have inspired others to think about hosting their own tournaments. If we hear any details on those or others, we’ll pass them on. 

WildBlood has been charging across the European West server since it first came online and came to prominence during the game’s first tournament early in the year. Currently, lead by “gruen”, the house is currently a key member of Elysium alliance and hopes to one day become known as one of the most prominent German-speaking guilds in the game.  

How did you first find out about Conqueror’s Blade and what attracted you to the game?

In the fall of 2018 I became aware of the game for the first time. Then, in December, I plunged into the adventure. The wide variety of opportunities that are offered by Conqueror's Blade were a strong incentive.

Why did you decide to set up a house in Conqueror’s Blade?

The founder of the house and of the WildBlood community is Gianni. He laid the cornerstone of our house and recruited a large bunch of players. Then TitanKali took over - under whose leadership WildBlood remained a solid and esteemed member of the alliance network. Unfortunately, personal reasons forced him to give up his position, but he remains one of our diplomats. After his resignation, I, gruen, received the sceptre. I will do my very best to honour the reputation of WildBlood and to spread its word, together with its members.

What do you think makes your house different?

We were founded during the first Closed Beta of Conqueror's Blade. Therefore, we have a good mix of veteran players and new people who accompany us on our journey. Our house works as a team and everyone who is with us should feel like a full member. We have solid structures which consist of short interviews as an introduction, documents and support for novices, as well as group combat systems for large scale battles.

What does the house hope to achieve - what will be its legacy in years to come?

We want to secure our rank in CB so that every house that has participated in battles will know and respect our name. Of course we don't mind if our enemies are a little afraid of us, too. Seriously. We want to be a German house which remains important until the end and which fights together with its allies for territories. It might sound a little cheeky but I hope that someday WildBlood will be known as the mightiest German speaking house on the server.

What’s your favourite class to play and why?

I use Shortsword and Shield. This class helps me to protect my team, annoy my opponents and infuriate them with pinpricks. It's a very versatile class. I love it.

What activities does the house regularly engage in and enjoy?

I think that most people enjoy working and playing together. You don't have to give 100% in every game, sometimes it's more fun to laugh with friends, have fun but still win in the end. Of course, the territorial wars are a big factor when it comes to this. That our structure works can be seen in the way our members are able to focus on the present moment. Everybody knows that in Territory Wars discipline and respect are vital. We play as a unit and show opponents that team spirit is more important than numbers. WildBlood is a house that is renowned for its quality and that's due to the members and their commitment to their fellow players.

Who are your most trusted warlords and what roles do they command within the organization?

Our strategists and diplomats! It's thanks to them that our house is doing so well. I would like to mention Dragix, Avison and Talryk as outstanding examples. They project the TW battle plans which lead us to success. Then there is my diplomat TitanKali. Together we manage external relations and take care of our allies. But there are also the group leaders in the TWs. They command our groups on the battlefield.

If someone wanted to join your house or start a dialogue towards trade or establishing a pact, what should they do?

The easiest way to communicate with us is to meet us on our Discord. When it comes to diplomatic questions you can address our diplomats. If you want to apply to our community, please contact one of our officers or write something in the lobby. We will reply to your request as soon as possible.

Are there other houses that you admire or that you consider to be natural allies?

Yes, the house of Falcata! They are our oldest and most reliable ally. And then there is also the House of AzurInfinitum. They have just joined us but they are already one of our closest partners. They are strong, trustworthy and an important part of our Alliance "Elysium".

Conversely, are they are houses that you'd consider mortal enemies?

Of course there are houses with rather negative relationships. Since nobody wants to only stay in their fiefs, you have to conquer territories which annoys other houses. The game explicitly invites you to do that. But I would never speak of mortal enemies in this context.

 

Many thanks to gruen for answering our questions. If you know of a house that is deserving of similar recognition that we should profile in the future article, please make your nomination via our Discord channel.

Once agin we find ourselves at the cusp of another weekend, ready to ride headlong into bloody battle. Before we do, there’s just enough time to remind ourselves of what’s been in the Conqueror’s Blade headlines over the last few days.

...Guides, mostly, which is to be expected after something as seismic as the Pre-Season Update. Headlining them all was a look at the new War Scholar, a new NPC that provides unit upgrades and XP via all the Doctrines and Signacula he can fetch from ancient battlefields.

For those eager for some insight into what decides all those D and D+ ratings you’ve been receiving for all your valiant efforts in battle, we also took a look at the updated scoring system. Meanwhile, our tactical department recently submitted its report on the best way to tackle Border Fort.

Community-wise, this week’s profile comes from house Templarios on the NA server. We also amplified a call to arms on the EU West 2 server, with news of a player-run duelling tournament scheduled to get underway tomorrow. 

We’ll hopefully bring you a report on that next week, as well as a full recap on everything else that’s been going on. See you then!

As much as they are designed to aid fast passage, border forts are there to protect against scurrilous bandits intent on anarchy and plunder. No wonder then that many fortresses have been built since that reference their design and layout. Border Fort just happens to be the most famous example - and most rigorously contested.

HISTORY

Throughout history, the Borderlands has been a region infused by discontent and stoked by open rebellion, as bands of lawless brigands have ravaged its towns leaving chaos in their wake. It was only in recent times that armies have sought to bring order to the region (while, conveniently, asserting dominion over its lucrative resources), before which the agreed policy among many neighbouring fiefdoms was one of containment. The ring of border forts that maintain security - upon which Border Fort is based - is a testament to this policy: to close out the rebels while keeping the trade routes open.      

SCOUTING REPORT

Border Fort is imposing in and of itself, especially because its foundation makes strategic use of the rugged landscape to deter approaching attackers. However, just like the forts in which it’s based, Border Fort is to all intents and purposes a fortified staging post for trade and diplomacy, so while the outer wall is well maintained, heavily defended and difficult to breach, the vast inner courtyard offers a direct route to victory - though one that’s not without significant dangers for both sides.    

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PLAN OF ATTACK

• With five siege weapons ranged across the wall of the main gate and four behind guarding the channels that lead to capture point A, a direct frontal assault on Border Fort is going to be bloody. Thankfully, the attackers have a good amount of cover and quite a few siege options of their own, so get into position and quickly take out those guns before they take out yours!
• If you plan to deploy your own siege weapons, it might be wise to place them on the ridge to the right of the deployment area, where there is an offset to your height disadvantage and a good amount of cover. However, be wary of the cannon on the corner of the outer wall that has an excellent field of fire over your support flank.
• A safer route to attack is the left flank, but the siege tower has a long way to go before it reaches the wall - giving the defenders plenty of opportunities to turn it into kindling. Use ladders if you can to take out the rocket artillery - and any enemy units -  guarding the flank approach
• One benefit of attacking from the left side of the map - apart from the more straightforward route to point A - is that there is a small fortified area behind the wall that you can drop onto. As well there being a supply point there, the palisades overlook the main approach towards point B. Denying your enemy access to it will go a long way towards smoothing your advance - plus, you can use it to loop around to take point A from the steps if you haven’t secured it already.
• Your units won’t climb over it, but that stake wall directly ahead of the main gate can easily be used as a shortcut if you want to harass the enemy or carve through a unit of carelessly-positioned archers. To the left of it, there’s also a cart you can jump onto to get onto the roofed buildings behind.
• The channels are wide, which means that even though there’s only one path to take from point A to B, battles within the walls can play out like a field encounter. As such, a single unit can easily be outflanked and outnumbered, so attack in numbers and try to overlap your forces to be able to cover as wide an area as space will allow. The attackers can then expand to fill the raised courtyard around point B regardless of where the enemy is positioned.   

DEFENSIVE MEASURES

• With only a small front to attack, most of which is heavily fortified, the defenders have a great opportunity to thin the enemy out before it’s able to breach the outer wall. Use siege weapons and archers to try to give yourself a numerical advantage when the time comes to defend the battlements.
• If the enemy seems focused on assaulting the left side of the map - as it likely will - if it’s focused on supporting the advance of the siege towers, remember you can mount a surprise cavalry charge by riding out from the main gate. Across such an open map, cavalry units generally are a useful option to have in reserve.  
• Once capture point A is lost, retreat to the small fortified area that’s inside the west wall. It will be hard to defend if the attackers decide to pour over the outer wall, but if you can hold it, it’s a great place to be able to harry their advance, especially from the platform just north of the supply point.
• When it comes to defending point B, the simplest strategy is to keep the enemy from entering the courtyard surrounding it. Defend the staked fence to the south in numbers while plugging the gap to the east through which it could be outflanked. If and when the position is lost, your last redoubt should be the raised courtyard. 

Please be aware that from 08:00 CEST on Friday 13th September (11pm PDT, September 12), the Conqueror’s Blade servers will be inaccessible. The downtime is expected to last for 3 hours. 

Meanwhile, stay tuned to our Discord channel in case of any immediate server updates.