Season II is officially over, which means all its associated challenges and forms of progression are now locked (Glory, Battle Pass, Seasonal Unit unlocks, etc). For the time being, Fangs are still legal tender in the Seasonal Store and Territory Wars will continue to break out at the usual times (though away from the Conqueror’s City), which puts us in the post-Season II period, a time for spending the season’s riches and reflecting on recent glories.

… Join us then in raising a cheer in celebration of Season II’s champions; those brave and persistent houses that won the Conqueror’s City when it mattered most - at the very apex of the season - and whose battle-weary warriors are now marching back to their homelands, first to celebrate victory and then to prepare for the seasons still to come.

Conqueror’s Blade Season II winners
 

Elthe is the founder and leader of LosTemplarios, a Spanish-speaking house that’s a part of the Commonwealth alliance that’s been steadily gaining ground across the EUW2 server since the autumn. Elthe can often be found leading the charge, armed with his trusty longsword and with his loyal band of versatile Rattan Rangers by his side. We caught up with him on the march home from a successful Season II campaign.

How did you find out about Conqueror’s Blade?

Last July I was looking for a new game, a free-to-play game, and I saw some Conquerors Blade gameplay on youtube and have been playing ever since.

Why did you decide to set up a house?

I played in two houses before I set up my own. I felt we could be better and stronger with a different playstyle, but I couldn’t implement it, so I created my own house with this playstyle in mind

What makes LosTemplarios different?

Principally our management and staff.

The big deal is always finding players who are able to lead and who brilliantly understand the game mechanics. We have a great core members group who have been playing together since Season I.

They’re always helping to develop new members and share their knowledge. We think that level of kindness makes for a loyal and healthy community of players, and that’s what we’ve set out to achieve since we founded the house.



More than a house it’s a home! If you LosTemplarios it, will be love at first sight!

What have been your house goals and how have you tried to meet them?

The most important goal for us is to enjoy the game. It makes no sense to expend hundreds of hours in something that doesn’t bring you plenty of happiness, so as a community of players we always try to focus on our personal relationships and to support one another to make everyone feel comfortable in-game.

For us, this is the first step towards creating a strong community of players. Once this is achieved we can do whatever we want in-game. For example, during a Season II Territory War we conquered the Gate of Order in the Borderlands.

What has been the most difficult or rewarding aspect of managing a house? 

Keeping people motivated can be a nightmare, all of us left the game for a while, just playing Territory War because we don’t get any reward, We have our tier V at lv 30 - we don’t need to play.

The community we create, as a team, playing games with members - friends - that’s the best part of managing the house.

What do you hope to achieve in the long term?

We hope to continue growing as a house, recruiting valuable players in order to be a focus for the Spanish community of players in EUW2; being what we are a nice and kind community of players that likes to grow and loves to fight.

LosTemplaLIn the end this is a war game and we never refuse a fight, so we expect to attract more Templars to join our  Crusades!



Who are your most trusted warlords and what roles do they have?

All of our veterans Morales is one of the oldest members, the seneschal - we’ve fought together since July. Nishenzo is the diplomat and the organizer, and there are all the veterans who help us to keep fighting and have fun. They include Chentako, Shail, Rios, Enzo amd WanTun.

If someone wanted to join or contact LosTemplarios, what should they do?

As the leader I can always be contacted in-game, to talk about any business that concerns LosTemplarios. If you can’t find me, you can contact Morales or Nishenzo, the officers that develop and protect our house interests and arrange diplomatic and administrative tasks. If not in-game then try our Discord.

Are there other houses that you admire? How have they earned your respect?

LaGuardiaCivil are the best allies in this game so far: strong, loyal and good friends.

SULTANs were, in my opinion, the strongest house in Season I, and Saint kept the northern Borderlands against the rest of the server and maintained a strong position during Season II.

Our gratitute goes out to Elthe and LosTemplarios for answering our questions. If you know of a house that is similarly deserving of being profiled in a future article, please make a nomination via our Discord channel.

After the untamed warriors that characterised the Wrath of the Nomads update, we can look forward to a very different collection of troops for Season III. Hailing from warmer climes, a land known as Sicania, the new units focus on sturdy pikes, sleek swords and heavy crossbows, with some sophisticated (and unnamed) technology to reflect all the exquisite tailoring on display. 


We’ll be going into more depth with Season III in the days and weeks ahead, but for now, here’s an introduction to the units you might soon be drafting into your increasingly multicultural army.




Condottieri Guards - Tier 3

Drawn from the more veteran ranks of Sicania’s standing armies, the Condottieri Guards are experienced and eager, proving themselves essential to their employer by often being the first into battle and the last to leave. Though perhaps not as well-drilled as they once were when in service to their respective city-states, the Condottieri ranks have not lost their thirst for battle and their blades are every bit as sharp as their dress sense.    

Traits:

• Equally proficient in attack or defence.
• Uses blunt attacks to push back enemy units.

Fortebraccio Pikemen - Tier 4

Those that fought under the banners of the famed mercenary captain Mastino Fortebracci were often well provisioned and after his death were proud to take his name, which has become synonymous with loyalty and steadfastness. Consequently, units of Fortebraccio Pikemen often find themselves at the heart of an army; sent to defend what may seem to be lost causes only to emerge victorious and eager to continue the fight.

Traits:

• Sturdy and lengthy, the lances of the Fortebraccio Pikemen should deter any cavalry charge, and cause even the bravest infantry units to reconsider their attack.
• In close formation, these troops are particularly effective, especially against mounted units.

Falconetti Gunners - Tier 5

There are few weapons that on their own can turn the tide of a battle, but there are some that can sow such uncertainty and discord that they become its focus. Designed by a soon-to-be-famous (and wealthy) young engineer, these personal artillery pieces can be considered among the most devastating ranged weapons to ever be issued to a rank-and-file unit... as well the as most expensive.

Traits:

• Cannons must be deployed before they can be fired, which reduces what are already slow-moving units still further.
• These troops have poor melee combat abilities proportionate to their powerful ranged weapons.

Pavise Crossbowmen - Tier 5

Ranged units are not normally considered frontline troops, but these Pavise Crossbowmen can survive at the vanguard like few others, thanks to being issued with large heater shields in addition to wearing medium-strength armour. You might not want them leading the charge, but these supremely well-equipped and disciplined soldiers will ensure than an advance never falters.

Traits:

• Powerful crossbows that can smash through heavy armour.
• Troops will duck behind shields while reloading and can fire from behind raised shields at a cost to damage output.
• Medium armour helps survivability in close-quarter battles.

 




Martellatori - Tier 1

Traditionally raised from the crafting guilds of city-states, the Martellalori can be distinguished by their leather aprons and versatile hammers (Martellatori literally means ‘hammerers’), which can be surprisingly effective against attackers in heavy plate armour. Despite this advantage, they should not be thrown into a frontline attack, although if you direct them towards a siege tower or battering ram, they will prove themselves to be hardier than most at pushing it to where it needs to be.

Traits:

• While assigned to siege engines the Martellalori will take slightly less damage when attacked.
• Relatively weak in combat, especially when forced into direct engagements.
• Requires low Control value to deploy.

The first day of April is traditionally when towns and villages let loose their pranksters, for them to roam the countryside inflicting their tasteless jokes on the local population. This year the comedy culprits are organised and we need you to go out and gather the evidence needed to help convict them of their crimes against light entertainment.

To win an exclusive hat for your hero, all you have to do is find a fool (also known as a Conqueror’s Blade Community Manager), take a screenshot of them and post it to our Discord channel and we shall try to round them up. There is a limited supply of headwear, which will be equally distributed among servers and assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

• Who? [CM] Kaeden, [CM] Chibs, [CM] Ishtrall [CM] Pablovanu and [CM] Kageneko.
• When? Wednesday 1st April, from 17:00 CEST and (NA only) Friday, April 3 from 1pm PDT
• Where? EU West 1 (17:00 CEST), EU West 2, and NA server (1pm PDT, April 3)

Good luck and have fun!

Ever since Conqueror’s Blade was first made playable there have been efforts to incorporate a first-person mode to allow for a more intense and visceral experience. We’re happy to announce that as a consequence of more recent efforts to adapt the game for a growing number of virtual reality gamers, an enjoyable and competitive first-person mode will be introduced later in 2020 alongside a Special Edition customised VR headset!

As well as an optional first-person mode for non-VR gamers, the as-yet-unnamed release will augment Conqueror’s Blade with support for Index, Vive, Rift S and Quest (Link) head-mounted displays, with our intention to later add support for other leading devices through Windows Mixed Reality. The update will be optimised for standing VR, to ensure warlords get some exercise without knocking over their monitors, although there will be a seated option. In addition, we are in discussions with the leading developers of VR APIs for stationary bicycles, so you can experience “riding” into battle - although this functionality remains at an experimental stage due to the injuries sustained by members of the development team when pressing ‘Q’.

We’ll have more on the proposed first-person mode and VR support just as soon as the project lead is able to walk again.

April Fool’s Day is a time which can turn typically stony-faced conquerors... silly. In the past, we’ve received reports of soldiers switching out their commander’s arrow quiver with a sheaf of eels. Warlords have been led on merry chases by rivals, only to find themselves in the midst of a ruthless egg-flinging ambush.

Not this year! It’s time for you to play the fool, with brand-new cosmetic items available in-game and from the MY.GAMES Market for a limited time! Laugh off the pranksters with the Unholy Fool’s Headdress, highly distinctive headwear inspired by the garb of royal jesters. If you don’t know whether to laugh or cry, inspire your warlord with the comedic and tragic duality of the Commedia dell’arte Masque.

IMPORTANT: Attire for Heroes, Units, and Horses in Conqueror’s Blade is purely cosmetic, and does not grant additional bonuses or advantages during gameplay. It just looks really, really cool.

Get the Unholy Fool’s Headdress and Commedia dell’arte Masque from the MY.GAMES Market before April 15!

Please be aware that from 8:00 CEST on Wednesday 1st April (11pm PDT, 3/31), the Conqueror’s Blade servers will be inaccessible. The downtime is expected to last for 5 hours.

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

The Wrath of the Nomads is at its end. With winter gone, the horde has returned north to the steppes, leaving behind burning cities and those of their brethren that have taken up service in the local nobility. While the Free Houses and the Imperial Legions slug it out in an endless back-and-forth, the warlords the horde defeated turn to a new force to take back their lands.

Far to the south-west of Ungverija, surrounded by the Sea of Tranquility, lies the boot-shaped peninsula called Sicania, and it is a hilly, fractured land ruled over by a multitude of independent city-states.

In this land the nobility gain most of their wealth from direct trade rather than taxes levied on their vassals, and accordingly war and trade go hand in hand. The wealthiest merchants, known as patricians, employ armies of heavily-armed condottieri (“contractors”) to guard their trade caravans and storehouses, while cities are policed by companies of crossbowmen paid by the day for their service. Everywhere in Sicania cash flows freely: This land boasts the largest harbours in the west and its ancient and extensive roads allow traders, pilgrims, and armies alike free passage over the entire peninsula. Sicanian banks lend money to cash-strapped kings, and frequently hedge their bets by funding upstarts and rebellions. A time of chaos can be profitable, if a merchant is wise and daring.

The patricians of Sicania commonly band together in alliances to further their mutual business interests, and these associations can rival entire kingdoms in wealth, power and prestige. For instance, the “trade colonies” found in almost every land across the continent were founded by one such company, and the so-called smugglers found in most fiefs are almost certainly working for one patrician or another.

The most famous captain of the mercenary armies was Mastino Fortebracci, a once-impoverished knight turned banker turned mercenary commander. Fortebracci’s campaigns took him across the continent, fighting in the service of many lords, and sacking many castles. His preferred clients were the city-states of Sicania, although like the Black Dragon Mercenaries of the east he was not too choosy when the fee offered was right.

Fortebracci’s troops specialised in the use of one particular weapon, either the pike, the sword, or the crossbow, and he employed skilled craftsmen and engineers when he needed to take a walled settlement by siege, or used his business contacts as spies if he needed to capture a fief by treachery. When his army went on the march every soldier was issued food for three days, while anything large or heavy was carried in a baggage train of wagons built to a standardised design. Out went the piecemeal methods of the feudal lords, in came the patrician’s business methods of ruthless efficiency. His reputation grew, and soldiers flocked to his banner seeking regular pay, provisions, and a share in the plunder. This fame allowed him to select only the best, and within a year his company ran its own camps, farms, workshops, and mines in what was fast becoming a mercantile republic.

The battle that sealed Fortebracci’s place in history took place during the war against the Sea Raiders. His company was tasked with clearing a company of fearsome pirates from a coastal valley wherein they had set up a stockade. His troops were fighting on their home terrain: swordsmen from the same villages the raiders had plundered, pikemen and crossbowmen drawn from city garrisons that had been besieged. The soldiers of fortune eschewed the use of cavalry in such a narrow valley and in any case the hillsides were too steep to be of much use to flanking manoeuvres. When Fortebracci’s troops met the pirates in open battle, they struck like the blow of a mailed fist. The raiders broke and fled to their fortified camp, but this gave them no respite. A militia formed of local craftsmen armed with nothing but a thirst for vengeance and the hammers of their trade brought forth a battering ram and broke down the gate. The mercenaries flooded in, and within the hour the pirates were vanquished. Alas, Fortebracci did not live to see the celebrations, having taken a bullet to the chest during the final assault.

With their captain dead, the directors of Fortebracci’s company dissolved the partnership, split up the company’s properties into smaller concerns, and paid off his troops. These soldiers soon found they could find work easily by just mentioning the name of their late commander, so it came to pass that the veterans of his campaigns kept his memory alive by taking on his name for themselves.

Scheduled twice a week - currently every Tuesday and Saturday evening - Territory Wars are the battles that define the political landscape of Conqueror’s Blade. You can fight with or alongside other players via the Battle interface or in the open world at any time, of course, but it is only during a 60-minute Territory Wars session that you can attack a settlement in the hope that, when the fight is over, it will become part of your domain. Think of Territory Wars as “open season” for fiefs - a window of opportunity in which to increase your collective holdings.

In order to take part in Territory Wars, you must be a member of either a player-controlled  Free House or Alliance or part of an Imperial Restorationist cohort - which are NPC organisations dedicated to uniting and expanding their respective regions. If you are in a Free House, the leadership will decide which fiefs to attack prior to or during Territory Wars based on the House level, whilst those in cohorts will be given suggested targets prior to the event starting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Mm-mV0IIHs 

As a rule, battles for villages play out on Field Battle maps, whilst those for towns and forts take place on Siege maps. However, there are a few differences between Territory Wars battles and those played via the Battle interface. One is that there are no siege weapons automatically placed on the map - players will have to bring their own artillery. Secondly, allies are able to join a battle that’s in progress, so long as the number of players per side doesn’t exceed standard limits. Finally, if the attackers do manage to secure the map before Territory Wars is over, they will almost certainly have to defend it immediately afterwards. For these reasons (and others), Territory Wars battles can be very intense - but also very rewarding!

Aside from the bragging rights that come from expanding your territory at the expense of your rivals, there are practical benefits to controlling a fief. One is that you are able to earn an income from its Prosperity level and invest in its development so that you can return even greater benefits. In addition, access to any resource locations (farms, lumber mills, mines etc) that are linked to the fief can be restricted, so that other players either may not use them or must pay a tax to do so. This can be a useful source of income, as well as a way to deny your rivals the resources they might need to undermine you.



Until recently members of cohorts (Imperial Restorationist) were limited to taking part in Territory Wars battles in their home region, but can now, like Free Houses and Alliances, extend their domain into other regions and even march their armies into the region known as the Borderlands - when it is accessible. There are also Campaigns you can work through as part of Seasonal gameplay, during which you can progress from seizing a modest village to capturing the game’s most iconic locations - with personal rewards for completing each stage as they become unlocked.
 
Finally, during those times when you aren’t taking part in Territory Wars, you should be preparing for when you do. All wars need resources and as your house or alliance expands, it needs to maintain and expand fiefs to be able to profit from them. A good way to help your allies is to complete Fief Quests from your fief’s Warden so that you have enough Building Materials to level up settlements, as well as other items to keep your units fully equipped for all the battles still to come. In Conqueror’s Blade, how you use your time at peace is just as important as how to spend it during a Territory War.

A new season on the horizon means that new units will soon be marching over it, and you could have a part to play in helping to identify one of them!

Our latest competition is an exciting one, as we’re giving you the chance to contribute to the background lore of Conqueror’s Blade by not only naming but fully writing the in-game description for one of the game's next batch of units!

There are some obvious restrictions in terms of length and from where to draw inspiration, but if we like what we read of your suggestions your creation will soon be in the game for all to see!

Please limit your entries to ONE PER PERSON, either to the EN Conqueror’s Blade Facebook page, or the NA Conqueror’s Blade Facebook page.

We request that you consider all the rules of entry (below) before entering, and be sure to post your suggestions before 15:00 CEST (12am PDT) on Thursday, April 2nd. We will be announcing the winner and profiling the new unit in great depth shortly afterwards. Once the unit is accessible in-game, the winner will be fully credited.  

Good luck!


The rules of lore:

1. Unit names must not exceed 20 characters - the shorter the better.
2. The unit description should not exceed 350 characters in length.
3. Unit names and descriptions can only include characters of the Latin alphabet and associated accents. Numerals, most punctuation marks and special characters should not be used.
4. Unit names and descriptions should be consistent with one another, as well as with other units and themes planned for Season III, which include Pavise Crossbowmen, Fortebraccio Pikemen and Condottieri Guards.
5. Entries can be in any supported language (FR/DE/ES/RU) but all entries must include English translation of the unit name (subject to the same 20-length character restriction as above).
6. Entries must be made to the official Conqueror’s Blade Facebook page.
7. Only one entry will be considered per person.
8. Usual community rules apply: No offensive, racist, or obscene names or descriptions will be considered.
9. Suggested names should not refer to real or known places, events, internet memes or intellectual properties.
10. All entries will be judged by the MY.GAMES team in close collaboration with Booming Games.
11. We reserve the right to edit or amend the winning entry, or to replace it at any point in the future.