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Marie-Antoinette-Josèphe-Jeanne d’Autriche-Lorraine, better known as Marie Antoinette, was born in Vienna in 1755, the 15th child of Holy Roman Emperor Francis I. Although she was brought up around all the finery bestowed upon a royal, her life would ultimately end in tragedy.

Marie was well-educated in both traditional and cultural topics. Still, her lineage was her true worth to her home country of Austria, and she was married at only fourteen to the French King Louis XVI to forge an alliance between the two states.

Her life with Louis was complex, and tinged with sadness from the onset. When Marie was presented to the people of France in her first public appearance in June 1770, around 50,000 people gathered in Paris to see her, but the mad rush to catch a glimpse of the new Queen resulted in thirty citizens being crushed to death.

This trend of extravagance continued, and Marie threw lavish balls, gambled, and even built a secluded village just for parties on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles. The retreat was popular among her ladies-in-waiting, and they would amuse themselves by dressing up as peasants, which members of the court and the public took as mockery.

It wasn’t just her lavish lifestyle and rumoured caricatures that rubbed her critiquing public the wrong way, though; the brash young woman inserted herself into politics far too readily for some people’s liking, seeking to advance Austrian interests. Heavy taxation was already a burden on the people of France, so Marie’s seemingly endless spending did not help matters in the world of public opinion. There were also rumours of an affair, and subsequently, suspicions arose about the identity of the real father of her children.

Marie Antoinette by Jean-Baptiste Isabey (1783)

During this time, she was alleged to have uttered an infamous quote; “qu’ils mangent de la brioche” or “let them eat cake” upon hearing that the French people couldn’t afford bread. A cruel remark that, if true, would have seen public opinion plummet due to the decadent misunderstanding of her subjects’ poverty. However, historians have since attributed this quote to a Spanish princess named Marie-Thérèse. She offered that the French people eat “la croûte de pâté” (or the crust of the pâté) in 1660.

On July 14, 1789, the Storming of the Bastille signified the start of the French Revolution. Radical change was on the horizon, and a monarchy was standing in the way of true liberal democracy. The people of France were disillusioned with their royals, and fearing for her life, Marie attempted to flee Paris and return to Austria but was captured along with Louis XVI and her family.

Found guilty of treason in 1793, Marie fell to the Reign of Terror, where thousands of “counter-revolutionaries” were executed by guillotine. She faced her fate on October 14 at the age of 37.

While Marie Antoinette may not have been the most popular French queen in history, she has been immortalised in print and film as a vivacious and shrewd young woman.

Explore more of the history that inspired Conqueror’s Blade: Paragons, and read up on another infamous French woman, the heroine of her time, Joan of Arc.

Banner Guards are a remarkable unit whose standard-bearer will lead the charge into the unknown, flag raised high. Rouse your allies with these skilled soldiers and their boosting banner in Conqueror’s Blade: Paragons via new Unit Challenges!

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[h2]Unlocking[/h2]
Banner Guards can be unlocked by completing Seasonal Unit Challenges and come with a Seasonal Bonus in the form of Leadership requirements decreased by 10 points for the duration of Paragons.
[h2]Gameplay[/h2]
Flexible and fierce, Banner Guards are the privileged carriers of their leader’s flag, and the standard-bearer is the most favoured of all. They can plant the flag in the ground for some much-needed boosts to their allies and to charge regardless of any cooldowns, driven by the honour to fight by your side for the glory of Pays-de-la-Gloire.

Skilled in a veritable smorgasbord of weapons, the veteran soldiers can be ordered to inspire their peers to bolster their stats or let their commander pick up the banner themselves, equipping them with a unique set of skills.

[h2]Just the facts: Banner Guards (4-Star)[/h2]
Formations

• Dispersed: The unit disperses to reduce damage taken from ranged weapons.
• Schiltron: The unit forms a dense circular formation.
• Column: A narrow formation effective for charging under enemy fire.

Unit Traits

• Paragons: Leadership cost reduced by 10 points.
• Cooperation: Charge together with your unit as you pick up the banner, gaining new skills and 5,000 health for a short time. While this effect is active, the hero cannot mount their horse or jump.
• Mixed Weapons: This unit is made up of multiple types of fighters, and the standard-bearer, who has 6,000 extra health and 100 points in all types of defence. If he falls, the unit can no longer use the Plant the Banner order.
• Rally: Resets the cooldowns of allied units’ charge-type skills and boosts their charge damage.

Unit Orders

• Plant the Banner: Order your loyal troops to plant the banner in the ground, increasing all types of defence by 200 for all allied units within its radius for 30 seconds. If an allied hero picks up the banner, it will replace their weapon, and they will gain a set of special skills.
• Indomitable: This skill grants extra points of defence and damage when in certain formations. When using Dispersed, this skill grants 100 points to all types of defence and 250 to all types of damage for ten seconds. When in the Schiltron formation, they instead gain 300 to all types of defence. In Column, they gain 500 to all types of damage.
• Charge: The Unit charges the designated location.

Banner Guards are available to unlock via Unit Challenges now.

NOTE: The above information is correct as of the time of publication. Please check in-game for the most up-to-date Unit information.

Introduced to France in 1792 (but existing in a crude form since the Middle Ages), the French guillotine as we know it was the brainchild of Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, who proposed the decapitation execution method as a ‘more humane’ option than the often-botched axe beheadings of old.

The device consists of a wooden frame with an angled weighted blade suspended at its peak by a rope. The victim’s head is placed in a round hole at the base known as a ‘lunette’. The blade is then be released by the executioner, and the deed is done.

Just as any public execution of the time, guillotine executions were public spectator events, a macabre form of entertainment for the grim times of the Reign of Terror. This period in French history took place during the French Revolution, where mass executions were carried out between 1793 and 1794. Thousands were put to the blade during this bleak year, including famous figures such as King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

The site for these spectacles was the infamous Place de la Révolution in Paris, where souvenirs were sold and food consumed at these ghoulish occasions.

Marie Antoinette was executed on October 16, 1793 at Place de la Révolution

Almost unbelievably, the guillotine continued to be used in France throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, with the last head rolling from the instrument in 1977. It wasn’t until 1981 that the guillotine would be outlawed when France scrapped capital punishment.

Although this method is seemingly more compassionate than Joan of Arc’s fate at the burning stake hundreds of years prior, beheading by guillotine is thankfully outlawed across the globe today, so no one has to end their days due to the sharp edge of the ‘widow’.

La Grande Gloire is the turning point of the conflict between the people of Pays-de-la-Gloire and the Loegrians. This famous city and its bridges set the stage for PvP Siege Battles in Conqueror’s Blade: Paragons. This Season, La Grande Gloire can be defended or attacked and invites two teams of 15 players to battle for control.

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 [h2]HISTORY[/h2]
The citizens of Aurelian hold fast against a Loegrian siege in La Grande Gloire, but how long can they keep the advancing forces at bay? Artillery is key to this battle, and both sides know this all too well. Defensive structures line the territory, including bridges that fortify the natural moat surrounding the city, an ever-present danger that could cause a tidal wave of destruction if these defences were to be breached by heavy bombardment.



[h2]SCOUTING REPORT[/h2]
Located along one of the many rivers that adorn the landscape of Pays-de-la-Gloire, the bastion at the bridgehead of La Grande Gloire remains strong. Reinforcements from nearby monasteries have allowed the fighters to assume watch posts from atop their firm walls, and use them to store artillery for defence. As the soldiers of Aurelian maintain a tireless defence despite daily bombardment from the Loegrians, they must keep a keen eye on the bridges that provide attackers with a way into the city, making sure to rebuild or destroy them when tactics dictate. 

Both defenders and attackers must repair or demolish the connecting bridges to the city and the bridgehead. Attackers can choose to cut off the bridge to temporarily annihilate defenders’ support routes, and quickly take Point A before their foes have time to repair the bridge. A stealthier tactic is to sneak into the bridgehead from a left-hand path or seize the monastery on the right side of the city to take over the defenders’ shelling platform as their own to provide suppressing fire for their allies to attack. 

Both offensive and defensive sides can regenerate artillery, assume control of artillery positions, and use these to their advantage.



[h2]PLAN OF ATTACK[/h2]

• While the city is fortified, those fortifications were built in haste and are far from impenetrable. Two points in the outer wall can be breached using whatever tools are at your disposal.
• Attackers can also attempt to claim the supply point to the left of Point A to harm defenders’ resupply line.
• Turning the defences artillery against them is a key strategy. This can be achieved by claiming the monasteries and using the defenders’ weapons against them to reach the base point.

[h2]DEFENSIVE MEASURES[/h2]

• Point A is the centre for defensive operations, close to a supply point and a monastery that should be kept safe at all costs. From the second floor of the monastery, artillery can be fired at attackers.
• Point B is located atop a bridge, where your team should keep a watchful eye on the temporary roads that lead into the fortress, as well as retain their artillery.
• The base point is located within the church square and can be reached by crossing the bridge, which can also be tactically destroyed to prevent the attackers from approaching.

Pick your fighters carefully to take to the front of La Grande Gloire, and don’t forget to recruit the Alchemists to heal your weary soldiers.

Please be aware that from 7:00 CET on March 24 (23:00 PDT 3/23), the Conqueror’s Blade servers will be inaccessible. The downtime is expected to last for 6 hours.

Please refer to the Patch Notes for documented changes. Meanwhile, stay tuned to our Discord channel in case of any immediate server updates.