While we’re all dutifully (and genuinely) excited about the imminent future of Conqueror’s Blade - especially now that we're in the midst of beta testing - there are few people as enthusiastic about the game than its chief architect, Xi Wang. You may have glimpsed this in part one of our Q&A video, but if you were in any doubt about his infectious alacrity, here is the Booming Games CEO again being quizzed by game producer Alexey Larionov - where they discuss the next phase of development and all possible futures for the game.

https://youtu.be/mTcnv3bRovQ

The servers will be taken offline Thursday, February 14 at:

• 12:00 - 15:00 CET
  
• 3am - 6am PST

The purpose of taking the servers offline is to enhance your gaming experience.


Approximately 3 hours.

UPDATE (14th Feb): We have decided that, in order to encourage newcomers into the game, there will be a server wipe prior to both the open weekend (15-18th Feb) and the Guild CBT (18-25th Feb). This means that the characters created during CBT1 will not be accessible after it ends.



After the success of December’s Winter Mayhem open weekend and with the CBT progressing pretty much as we expected, we’ve decided to once again to take down the guard posts and swing open the gates, so that more of you can sample the game’s vastly expanded world without needing a pre-order pack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yQMBAKQF08
This new and wide-open weekend will start on February 15 at 15:00 CET (6am PST) and will end on February 18 at 06:00 CET (February 17, 9pm PST). While the servers are up, you’ll be able to explore the campaign map, take part in open-world trade and PvP and push your warlords towards the level cap of 60. If you just want a good honest fight, there are three conquest maps, three siege maps and a PvE map - before which is a brand-new tutorial to get you up to speed.

Be sure to check out the CBT page as much of it applies to the Open Weekend test, although understand that you will not be eligible to receive rewards for CBT tasks. Note also that as with the Siege Test Open Weekend, you will require a my.com account to access the game. 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.

We welcome your feedback and look forward to seeing you in game. Also, don’t forget to take part in our Beta Contest. Have fun!
 
 

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

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!