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We recently announced Project Nirvana, an initiative headed up by our new Optimisation Team that aims to rectify key gameplay and performance issues to make Conqueror's Blade the best it can be.

In the latest update released on September 14 alongside Conqueror’s Blade: Knightfall, we implemented the first round of performance optimisations. Join us as delve into the nitty gritty details in the inaugural Project Nirvana Journal!



VIDEO MEMORY OPTIMISATION
At both High and Medium Quality settings, video memory usage in the Conqueror's City has been reduced on average by more than 1.5GB, and by an average of approximately 1GB across other maps. This substantial reduction in video memory usage results in fewer crashes and forced closings.

TEXTURE LOADING OPTIMISATION

A new feature has been developed for High and Medium Quality settings. It allows the system to use textures with lower resolution, resulting in a mere 25% of the video memory usage compared to the highest resolution settings. 

By fine-tuning model details and optimising texture quality, we have made strides in reducing video memory usage by 50%.



CUSTOMISABLE TEXTURE QUALITIES & NEW SETTING

Players can now select their preferred texture quality based on their PC’s configuration. We've retained the highest-quality texture settings for those with high-end setups. 

Players can effortlessly switch between high, medium, and low texture settings within a new menu. Texture Settings can be found under display options, allowing players to tailor the game's texture quality to their liking.



LIGHTING OPTIMISATION

The team has optimised lighting across multiple maps. Various lighting configurations have been implemented for different graphics settings, significantly decreasing the proportion of light resource consumption while maintaining overall visual quality (the impact on latency in the Conqueror’s City has been reduced by approximately 80%). 



GAME CLIENT SIZE REDUCTION

Following the latest update, the Conqueror's Blade client size has been reduced by approximately 10GB, resulting in a total size of approximately 39 GB at the time of writing.

Stay tuned for more development and optimisation updates from Project Nirvana!

Conqueror’s Blade: Knightfall features three new Seasonal Units to add to your ranks, inspired by the knights of the Teutonic Order.

The Schutzdieners are the first Unit available to unlock and command. They take their inspiration from the merciful combat medics who formed the Knights Hospitaller, whose legacy continues to this day via such organisations as St. John’s Ambulance.

We spoke to the Lead Combat and Balance Designer at Booming Tech about all things Knightfall Units, from their historical inspiration to their tactical viability, beginning with the Schutzdieners (3-Star Unit)!

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Q: The Schutzdieners are battlefield medics; what made you want to add a new healing Unit to the game?

A: The battlefield was missing a Unit that supported frontline positions from the rear. Other healing Units such as the Bagpipers and Alchemists are only able to provide healing in dangerous areas.

Q: The Unit's unique trait is that they are long-range healers. How do you foresee them being used in battle effectively?

A: They must be led by a visionary commander and provide effective support to friendly forces before they are disadvantaged.

Q: The Knights Hospitaller were the medics of the Teutonic age, and after the establishment of their military arm, the Hospitallers grew into one of the most formidable fighting forces around. Is this merciful corps the inspiration for this Unit?

A: Yes. The Knights Hospitaller were active during the medieval period, and their ideals and beliefs have been passed down to this day and continue to influence philanthropic endeavours around the globe. I have the highest admiration for them, and often envision how such an order would have fought.



Q: Which specific Units are they strong and weak against?

A: They are not specific to the strengths and weaknesses of a particular Unit. They are strong when helping allies and weak against the enemy, and they always try to heal the sick and wounded.

Q: In a specific battle scenario, such as storming the final point, should the Schutzdieners be utilised more to harm, or to heal?

A: Definitely healing. Heal and defend was their motto.

Stay tuned for upcoming Behind The Scenes looks at the Kriegsbruders and Zweihanders!

Since its inception, Conqueror's Blade has been committed to delivering new Seasons of content regularly. This focus is not inherently misguided, but our journey thus far has been marred by a lack of refinement and polish, resulting in crashes and frustrating lag that overshadows the launch of new Seasons, and our aspirations have been gradually losing their luster due to technical setbacks.

The Players

Conqueror's Blade thrives on the passion of our dedicated players. Your invaluable feedback has shown us the areas where we fall short. We acknowledge that we have lacked self-reflection, and this has caused discord among our cherished player base.

We are especially grateful to those who shared their insights during the China Joy Shanghai 2023 Players Meetup held in late July. It was one of the key elements that helped point us in the right direction. 

Following this period of introspection, we have fulfilled our promise by forming a new, fully dedicated Optimisation Team. This endeavor is named "Project Nirvana" and will launch alongside the new Season. Our goal is clear: we aim to rectify past mistakes and make Conqueror's Blade the best it can be!

A Wave Of Optimisations

In our pursuit of excellence, we have undertaken several significant optimisations:

PvE Content Revamped

We've heeded your concerns about the overwhelming volume of PvE content and its detrimental effect on your gaming experience. To address this, our designers have immersed themselves in a month-long PvE marathon to better understand your perspective. With the Knightfall Season, we will integrate and enhance daily and weekly quests, streamlining the rewards and objectives. Unique PvE drops will be replaced with daily/weekly quest rewards, featuring the versatile Supply Tokens that can be exchanged for various items.

Performance Enhancement

Our programmers have rigorously tested the game on various gaming rigs to pinpoint performance bottlenecks. This has led to improvements in art assets, resulting in reduced VRAM usage and a more streamlined game client. We're committed to enhancing stability and reducing crashes.

Unit Balancing

Unit stat values will continue to undergo refinements, with regular changes planned to enrich gameplay and strategic depth.

Our Pledge To You

The Conqueror's Blade team pledges the following:

Performance Optimisation

We will diligently work on improving frame rates, reducing VRAM and RAM usage, enhancing stability, and minimising crashes. We will enhance network connections and frame rates for a clearer gaming experience. Our focus includes ensuring smooth gameplay on lower-end systems and laptops.

More Exciting Changes Await

Beyond these optimisations, we have exciting plans:

• Changes to Territory War
• Unit & Hero Balance Adjustments
• Progression Difficulty Decrease for New Accounts
• And much more!

Join Us On The Journey

The Conqueror's Blade development team will share more details with the community soon about our optimisation plans. Our programmers and designers will also embark on online and offline meetups with the community in the near future to hear feedback and share information. Stay tuned for details!

Thank you for your support and love for this game,

The Conqueror's Blade Development Team

Devote yourself to the Order of the Sword in Conqueror’s Blade: Knightfall, the new Season available now as a free update! 

Pledge yourself as an acolyte and fight alongside your brothers in a new Seasonal Campaign, unlock brand-new Units, earn exclusive rewards from the Knightfall Battle Pass, and celebrate with launch events and sales.

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[h2]Unlock Seasonal Units[/h2]
Battle alongside the Brotherhood and unlock the following new Seasonal Units via Unit Challenges:

• Schutzdieners (3-Star) — Available Now: This Unit can heal and harm, making them the ideal companion on the battlefield.
• Kriegsbruders (4-Star) — Coming September 25: Command the first sword and shield Cavalry Unit in Conqueror’s Blade to devastate the enemy.
• Zweihanders (5-Star) — Coming October 9: This Unit’s two-handed greatswords excel at smashing through frontline formations. 

[h2]Knightfall Battle Pass: Earn Exclusive Free & Premium Rewards[/h2]
Prove chivalry isn’t dead and earn rewards fit for a true knight of the Order of the Sword. Over 100 levels of Free and Premium rewards can be redeemed by completing Seasonal Challenges, earning Glory, and levelling up your Battle Pass. 

Adorn your new Teutonic-inspired Units with the Ritterbruder Unit Attire and ride into battle atop your noble steed in the Order Grandmaster’s Mount Set. Ascend to the rank of Grandmaster and claim the highest reward at Tier 100—Order Grandmaster Hero Attire.

Greycloak Zealot’s Hero Attire is granted as an instant reward when you purchase the Battle Pass in-game for 1,000 Sovereigns. Plenty more amazing rewards can be earned on the Free Pass, too!

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[h2]Seasonal Campaign: Knightfall[/h2]
Embark on a brand new journey in the Seasonal Campaign beginning in the Borderlands or Ostaria (and journey to Ungverija later on in the Season), and play every week to follow the story and secure your standing. Battle in twice-weekly Territory Wars (beginning September 19) with your House and complete Stages to prepare for the final fight in Conqueror's City at the end of the Season.

[h2]Season Launch Events & Sales [/h2]

• Dive into New Doctrine Pools: A new Doctrine Excavation Site has reopened! Talk to the War Scholar and use your Treatises to find Javelin Doctrines until September 27.
• Astrological Attire Chests: Unlock the contents of the Centauri Star and Glorious Sun Attire Chests with Golden Keys for a chance to receive the Centaur's Wrath Bow and Ordre du Ciel Hero Attire, Mount Set and Banner until September 27.
• Peruse Attire Shop Updates: Check out the Attire Chest menu (‘G’), to behold the Antique Tyrannical Set, Antique Tattered Henchmen Unit Attire, and the Antique Undefeated Attire available until November 30.
• Claim Twitch Drops: Watch Conqueror’s Blade Content Creators until September 20 to earn Twitch Drops including Greater Scrolls of Glory, Artificer’s Stones, pieces of the High Marshall Hero Attire and much more. Check out all the details here.
• Colosseum Returns: Prove your battle prowess in the returning PVP mode—Colosseum. Fight in 6v6 battles on newly-adjusted maps until September 27.

Download and play Conqueror’s Blade: Knightfall today!

For more information about the new Season, check out the latest patch notes. New to the game? Conqueror’s Blade is available to download and play for free from the official website and Steam. Get the latest Conqueror’s Blade news by subscribing to the official newsletter and connecting with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Discord.

Please be aware that from 08:00 CEST on 14/09 (23:00 PDT on 9/13), the Conqueror’s Blade servers will be inaccessible. The downtime is expected to last for 7 hours.

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