Seeing as we’re almost at the stage where the Conqueror’s Blade servers will be up and running more often than not, we’ve decided to start a weekly competition where you send us your finest cuts of in-game action and we reward the best of them with a Conqueror’s Pre-Order Pack!

Yours can be a clip of an improbable string of kills against superior opposition, a moment of supreme battlefield farce (someone inadvertently falling to their death never fails to amuse), or may even highlight a rather unfortunate bug - although if it makes the devs look bad the footage might “accidentally” go missing during the judging process.

To enter simply include the hashtag #ConquerorsBladeBits when you post your video online, and be sure to link to it in our Discord channel just in case we miss it during our daily video searches. A bit of text with the video for context might also smooth your path to stardom.

As well issuing prizes, we’ll be chopping up the best clips every week (a new week will start every Sunday midnight CET) and sharing them among the community to ensure your status as a Conqueror's Blade comedy / combat legend is assured.

Oh yes, and if you didn’t know already, ALT-F5 is the default command for recording video. You can access captured footage quickly and easily from the menu bar in the Game Center.

Good luck!


UPDATE (21/02): The original rules were a bit vague, so we’ve clarified them a bit:

DO

• Try to keep poor frame rates, lag, etc to a minimum
• Use your own material, obviously. 
• Keep it brief! Provide a timestamp to your best bit if linking to a long video (>1m)
• Regardless of where your video is hosted, please use the hashtag #ConquerorsBladeBits.
• Link your in-game action to our Discord channel so we don’t miss it. Include your server (NA/EU/RU) and character name.

DON’T 

• Don't use copyrighted material, either as overlays or as part of the audio track.  
• Don’t use material from trailers - we want your gameplay!
• No links to footage that isn’t yours, obviously.
• Don't miss the deadline - post links before midnight CET on a Sunday to be judged among that week’s entries.

Note: During test phase season we may extend competition deadlines without notice, to allow for more entries. 

The first stage of the Conqueror’s Blade closed beta test is underway! This means that if you’re eligible to take part and the game files prepared, the servers are waiting for you to charge into open warfare! You have until February 15 to saddle up and ride out into the big wide world, when we will close the gates and begin preparations for the second stage test - on which we’ll have more later on.

https://youtu.be/VySlj4M7wsg
If you took part in the Siege Tests late last year, you may be wondering what’s new in the CBT. The short answer is too much to list here. Here then are some the highlights:

• Dynamic campaign: No longer limited to inconsequential castle sieges, warlords are encouraged to explore the unique gameworld; to secure resources - by trade or by conquest - and to establish themselves in competition with other players and roaming NPC bandits.
  
  
• Crafting and development systems: Warlords will divide their (peace) time between friendly settlements and their Personal Camp, between which research and resources will be acquired and spent to develop raw recruits into elite units equipped with the finest arms and armour.
  
  
• Territory Wars: On alternate days armies can take part in Territory Wars, which are effectively the acting out of war declarations. Attacking armies will converge on their pre-preferred targets, while the defenders must effectively come together to try to send the invaders packing.
  
  
• New tutorial: As soon as you’ve created a new character you’ll be taken to a quest-based tutorial area to learn the fundamentals of melee, mounted, and siege combat, as well as unit leadership. Afterwards, you can choose a home region to start your adventures.
  
  
• New maps: As well as new siege maps, there are new field battle locations that simulate the kind of skirmishes that occur when opposing armies meet on the open road or away from major settlements. Some of these battles can be played in PvP or PvE (using the same matchmaking system).
  
  
• 24/7 server access: As was previously announced, the servers are planned to be up all day, every day until February 15, 15:00 CET (11am PST). If there are any issues that require a rest or a reset, we’ll be sure to let you know as far in advance as possible.

To thank you for your efforts during what is a crucial time for Conqueror’s Blade, each stage of the CBT will have some special tasks for you to complete, for which you can earn some useful items that will be issued during the course of the open beta phase. For stage one all you have to do is log into the game and send us some feedback about your experiences, which can be as a general overview or by detailing an issue or bug. Head on over to our dedicated CBT page for all the details and to track your progress. You’ll also find instructions on how to get the client up and running - if you haven’t already.

For those of you currently without access who remain eager to experience Conqueror’s Blade, as ever, entrance to the CBT is guaranteed by the purchase of one of our pre-order packs. You can check out the contents here before joining the rest of the game’s most pioneering warlords.

Hopefully, we’ll see many of you on the battlefields and battlements very soon! Do keep an eye on our social channels during the CBT, Discord especially, for any community news and in-game intel, so you can be ready to join in at a moment’s notice. Who knows, you might discover a potential alliance partner among the ever-growing CB community.

• Not all features of the full game are implemented and some that are might not be finalized. Many social and guild features, for example, will debut in a later CBT stage.
  
  
• As with the recent Siege Test stage, characters and progression will not carry over from the CBT phase into subsequent tests.
  
  
• A bug that affected some AMD processors during the Siege Tests has been eliminated.
  
  
• PvE gameplay is set to a single “Commoner” difficulty. More difficulty settings will be introduced prior to full game release.
  
  
• If you purchased the game via Steam and you still see the “Sign up for Beta” instead of being able to access the game, please follow the instructions in this article.

• CBT Page
  
• Installation instructions
  
• Discord
  
• Pre-Order
  
• Redeem Code

With Closed Beta Testing about to get underway and lots of dynamic gameplay to sample for the first time, there’s a great deal for us to talk about this week.

In an effort to guide the conversation, members of the community team will be hosting and guesting across various streams to ensure no question or concern is left unaddressed.

So, if you want to get some gameplay insight, want the official word on anything CBT-related, or just require a few hints and tips on how to rule the world, may we suggest you tune into one of the following at the required time:

It won’t be long now until our pre-order pack and other choice customers will become the first to experience the fabled Conqueror’s Blade closed beta test, which sees the core combat of the recent Siege Tests massively upgraded to include a unique open world.

Because there are aspects of Conqueror’s Blade’s gameplay and technical infrastructure that need to be tested in isolation before they are finally brought together, the CBT will be divided into consecutive stages. On February 7 at 15:00 CET (06:00am PST), CBT Stage 1 will get underway and it’s planned to run 24/7. There might be an impromptu update required, but the servers should remain up until February 15. Then, on February 18 at 10:00 CET (01:00am PST), the House CBT Stage will commence, on which we’ll have more details nearer the time - stay tuned!

Now, this being a bigger gameplay and technical test than any we’ve run previously (namely that there’s an expansive campaign mode at the heart of it), we’re expecting some unforeseen issues. It’s important to combat them that, if possible, you communicate any bugs that you come across as fully as you can. We’d also welcome any feedback that you have. Indeed, we’ll be rewarding those that share their experiences with in-game gear via our new CBT page, so that together we can make Conqueror’s Blade the most fun it can possibly be.

As well in-game giveaways during the CBT itself, to celebrate this milestone phase of development we also have a new video that hints at the diverse ways you can challenge for supremacy in the days ahead. You can check it out below as you steel yourselves for what’s going to be a tense and exciting new period in Conqueror’s Blade history.

https://youtu.be/5cd2fOLRm2A
As ever, it’s not too late secure CBT access. It’s as simple as picking up one of our pre-order packs, which as well as immediate beta access, all include a wealth of in-game goodies and an early access head start. You can check out all the pre-order pack contents here.

See you on the battlefield bright and early!
 

• Installation instructions
  
• Discord
  
• Pre-Order
  
• Redeem Code

Back in December, we invited players to submit their designs for a banner, one that might one day represent them in-game and cause others to rally to it. In response many of you rallied to the spirit of the competition, drawing your virtual pens and fashioning some impressive digital designs. We’ve now been through all the entries and decided on the best of them, the creator of each of them earning themselves a pre-order pack.

Fluttering from our tallest tower are the efforts of our winner, Marian Lüftenegger, and close runner-up Joonatan Huma - each of whom are in line for a top-of-the-range Conqueror’s Pack.


#1 - Marian Lüftenegger


#2 - Joonatan Huma

Each soon to receive a Conqueror’s Blade Adventurer’s Pack are our second tier winners - Przemek Kasztelaniec, Allen Ray Sales, Julien Denotte and Jonathan Dufour.

Last but by no means least we have the impressive efforts of those who each ride out with an Explorer’s Pack - Uroš Polanc, Hemdie Dew, Robert Hojaboom, Duck Flavor, Ethan Nijiyoku, and Mattias Aveling.

Well done to all of the above (see you in the CBT) and thank you to everyone that entered!

• EU/NA
• RU

It’s easy to think of Alliances as a group of Houses in the same way that a House is a group of warlords - essentially with the same rules and structure but on a much bigger scale. In many ways that is indeed the case, but the Alliance dynamic is slightly different and it’s important to know the difference between the more rigid House system before seeking one out thinking that joining an Alliance takes you to the proverbial next level.


An alliance can contain three Houses, one of which - typically the founding House - is deemed to be the Main House. There is no fundamental or functional difference between the houses of an alliances, but essentially, he main house leader is by default the alliance leader. Since the main house leader is the only player who can assign leadership, it is they who decides who the next alliance leader will be from within their own house.


While Houses do not need to control any territory to be able to function, in order for an Alliance to be formed the Main House must have a city at its heart. Establishing an Alliance also requires a substantial investment of Silver, an original name and a unique emblem.



Unlike its member Houses, an Alliance has no separate headquarters (the city serves as the de facto alliance capital) and there are no formal Alliance roles to assign. Players are free to create their own informal roles, and, since there’s no for members to pay a tax or contribute towards alliance upkeep, leaders might insist on some other levy instead. Fundamentally Alliances are very informal compared to Houses and are only as healthy or as strong as its weakest house, since Alliances cannot in themselves control territory.


Up to 80 individual generals of a sufficiently high level can join alliances without being a member of a House. This means they can benefit from the security that comes with membership of an alliance without any of the contribution costs and taxes they might incur while being the member of a house. Obviously, this means that independent warlords cannot lead alliances and might lack the capacity for “Honour”, but that’s not so say they can’t be motivated by other means.


When the only House left in an Alliance is the Main House, the leader can disband the Alliance. Otherwise the leader can withdraw their house from the alliance, at which point the oldest house left in the alliance becomes the main alliance and its oldest city will become the new capital. Without a Main House and a city to act as its administrative capital, an Alliance will cease to exist.

• Part 1 (Houses and Alliances - Introduction)
  
• Part 2 (Houses and Alliances - Keeping your House in order)
  
• Part 3 (Houses and Alliances - House XP, Silver and Honour)

One of the longest videos we’ve unleashed upon the world included Conqueror’s Blade lead producer (and Booming Games’ CEO) Xi Wang passionately answering your gamescom question. With the CBT fast coming into view, we managed to corner Xi once again and not only was he even more excited about the game, it was almost impossible to stop him from talking about it. Indeed, he went on for so long that a two-part video was the only way to ensure you guys could fully appreciate what he had to say.

https://youtu.be/ubxxxBCEsSA
Here then is part 1. Xi and his magnificent shirt will return for part 2 very soon!

As well as the many benefits that come with being the member of a House, there are a number of responsibilities that members need to be aware of if they want it to thrive. In other words, in order for a house to progress and hopefully become great, the individuals within it have to maintain a degree of support. They can do so in various ways, but perhaps the two most important are by donating to its coffers and by literally fighting for its Honour.


Silver is an important resource for individuals and for houses as it’s required to maintain units and build equipment. It can be earned from early quests and from battles, and can be generated either as a house-wide tax on player income or given by members as a donation to the treasury of the controlled territory. If silver is donated, it additionally generates Honour for the House.



Honour is predominately earned by engaging in battle on behalf on the house, either as part of the grand-scale Territory War or by taking part in “big world” encounters and siege battles. In addition, when equipment and other resources are given to the House, these generate a small amount of Honour as well.


Unlike Silver, Honour isn’t something that can be hoarded and used when necessary. Honour must be maintained to ensure that a house keeps its status relative to those around it. Houses are currently ranked according to their fiefdoms, which determine the level at which Houses are awarded various benefits in terms of resources and battlefield bonuses. However, if the members of a house cannot subsequently maintain it’s Honour through in-game activity and material contributions, its standing will decline.      



As well as Silver to fund activities and Honour to maintain status, Houses also require a form of experience to be able to grow their ranks. Much like individual members, the more XP a house can acquire, the higher its level. Crucially, a higher level means a House can recruit more members. Members can earn XP for their house by taking part in matchmaking battles (up to 10 a day), completing daily quests and engaging in Territory Wars. In addition, members can generate a small amount of XP just by being logged into the game for a few hours a week.

 
Obviously, it’s up to a leader whether riches, experience or standing is the greatest indicator of success, but all House leaders will have to focus on all three “resources” to one degree or another, depending on their immediate and long-term goals.

• Part 1 (Houses and Alliances - Introduction)
  
• Part 2 (Houses and Alliances - Keeping your House in order)

If you’ve created or joined a House via our web-based Guild Hub, you’ll be pleased to know that the process of establishing a shared identity in-game will be quite similar. It will require an initial investment of silver coins (20,000 currently), but otherwise creating a new House begins as you might expect - with a suitable name. Then, rather than uploading a logo or emblem, you’ll be required to design a banner. Similar to how you might design a flag in other games, you simply select your preferred colors, choose from a variety of heraldic shapes and then determine their order and transparency. If you’ve invested in the House Founder’s Pack, you’ll have extra scope for creating an awesome House logo, with more customisation options certain to be added as time marches on.

 
In keeping with feudal tradition, the leader of a House is intended to be its most forthright and controlling figure, which is why the in-game House system is geared towards promoting a clear lineage of authority that starts with the founder of the group. While it will be possible for members to challenge for the leadership, the circumstances under which a new leader is assigned will be very limited. Indeed, unless unreasonably absent from the game for a significant period of time, the only person who will be able to reassign leadership will be the leader themselves.

 
House leaders will be able to grant some authority to individual members, but these powers – currently under development – are likely to be purposely narrow; ranging from being able to, for example, approve and reject membership applications, kick members from the roster and edit house proclamations (aka status updates). If the the current design is implemented, the most far-reaching power that a leader may be be able to grant is in allowing members access to manage the House stores and adjust tax rates (Finance Authority), while those with a planned Command Authority will be able to set military objectives by placing markers on the world map.



In the same way that generals have their own personal camp at which they can manage production resources, store weapons and billet troops, each House will maintain its own headquarters within its own provincial capital. Until the House is able to control territory, however, the HQ will remain in a nearby neutral settlement and will return to one if and when the house subsequently loses all its territories. If a house loses its HQ territory but has other territories, the HQ will be relocated in the nearest house-controlled territory.

 
The leader has to be the last member of a house in order to be able to disband it, which they can do by removing individuals from the roster. Once disbanded, the territories that were controlled by the House will become neutral. However, if the House being disbanded is part of an Alliance, its territories will fall under the jurisdiction of the “main” house in the alliance. If the house being disbanded is the main house, the next most long-serving house in the alliance will take over as the executor of the Alliance. Obviously if the departing leader is the sole member of a House which is the sole House in an Alliance, both will cease to exist.

With the larger open world scope of Conqueror’s Blade soon to be revealed in the closed beta test, our glorious knight in knitted armour, Miguel, has decided to rein things in for his latest video update. Taking a back-to-basics approach, he explains the all-important and often-overlooked combat mechanics of Conqueror’s Blade through the art of duelling.

https://youtu.be/loYZIRjEe4o
Duelling is a consensual but consequence-free form of one-on-one PvP that friends and strangers can engage in to learn the ropes and keep their skills sharpened, or just to kill a bit of time while in a city between bouts of open world campaigning.

Speaking of cities, Miguel also gives us a sneak peek at some of the various tiers of in-game settlements, what advantages they’ll offer, and why you might want to develop them to help keep undesirables out.