Please be aware that from 7:00 CET on February 24 (22:00 PST 2/23), 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 Houndsmen charged into battle alongside their loyal canine companions in Season X: Highlanders as the game’s first animal-handling unit. But how were hunter and man’s best friend created?

Anton Mamihonov, Creative Director at Booming Tech, sat down with us to reveal the behind-the-scenes workings of the Houndsmen, from animating the dogs to balancing a two-pronged unit.

Why did you choose Deerhounds as the hunting dog for the Houndsmen unit?

Our Houndsmen are aged, lone, precise hunters, and their hounds perfectly fit such a personality. The Deerhound breed’s body traits also represent the hit-and-run gameplay we were aiming for; the breed is strongly associated with Great Britain as well.

Were other breeds of dog considered?

Actually, yes – Mastiffs could have become the Houndsmen’s breed of choice. Although, they represent a heavier, more aggressive personality, and this aggression wouldn’t combine with the personality and characters of archers we were hoping to open to our players.

Maybe Mastiffs will see their time in the future but with a different gameplay style; who knows?

Talk us through the process of animating the dogs.

We had a really nice partnership with an outsource studio that, fortunately for us, took on the majority of tasks in regard to basic animations. The problem was though, that the breed used for those sessions was a German Shepherd – and their skeleton structure is completely different from deerhounds. Our team had to add around 40% of the moves and adjust the existing ones to our needs. It was the first time we worked with animal animations, and some challenges obviously appeared in regard to how the bones were positioned during movements, their relative positions, and so on. But we also had a lot of fun during the process and hope to use this experience in upcoming projects.



How did you begin to make the fur?

Chaos Engine has an extremely scalable and customisable technology, so our graphics rendering team made a step forward in the direction of processing and rendering animal fur for Highlanders. We are excited to see many more new graphical improvements of various aspects in 2022.

What were the challenges you faced when implementing and balancing the first-ever unit that not only had people in but animals too (besides horses)?

It was a fun challenge indeed. It is the first unit with two distinguished entities; two types with absolutely different gameplay of their own. We went through a few ideas, including Mastiffs guarding archers, applying knock-back effects with charge, or being tanky and heavy. In the end, though, it didn’t feel dynamic or fun enough. We gave high accuracy to archers to snipe heroes, reduced their damage, gave bleed [to the hounds], and made Deerhounds a squishy hit-and-run force that has to be positioned on flanks to attack enemies from behind, or chase then quickly retreat themselves. The Houndsmen offer many possibilities and fun gameplay if players decide to micro-manage this unit and position it well.

I think that Conqueror’s Blade currently has too many units of general-purpose jack of all trades, and we need more specialist units with distinguished strengths and weaknesses to stimulate more tactical team cooperation and fun gameplay. It is a longer-term goal, though, and will demand some time to achieve.

Are there plans to add more animal-handling units in the future?

Bears, maybe? Dragons? Just kidding, of course. I think that we’re going to take a pause from dogs for some time, and let’s think together with players what our options are (share your thoughts on social media and Discord!).



Check out more behind the scenes looks into Conqueror’s Blade, with our articles on Season X Weapon Skins and making the Bagpipers.

The final Territory Wars for Season X: Highlanders will be taking place on February 26, as Stage 5: Imperial Dawn comes to a climactic close.


Territory Wars will take place in The Borderlands, Ungverija, Ostaria, and Anadolou, where you can battle for control of the capital cities with your allies, and fight it out for the big one — Turul Város.

Rewards for Territory Wars and Ranked Battles will be given out soon, so please remain in your current House until you have received them.

Good luck Warlords, and may your victories be glorious!

Modern is out, vintage is in! From February 17 (10:30 CET/server time) until February 23 (23:59 CET/server time) you can arm yourself with antique weapon skins from Season III: Soldiers of Fortune from the in-game store and MY.GAMES Market.

Show off your thrifting prowess with weapon skins from seasons past, available for a limited time only!
Got an eye for a bargain? Subscribe to the official newsletter for the chance to get access to exclusive special offers–including the Deal of the Month–plus the latest news, updates, and lots more!

Please be aware that from 7:00 CET on February 17 (22:00 PST 2/16), 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 Bagpipers were the first unit to be introduced in Season X: Highlanders—-a trusty troop of troubadours who charged into battle alongside their allies, inspiring warriors with fighting spirit using their literal instruments of war.

We sat down with Anton Mamihonov, Creative Director at Booming Tech, to chat about the inspiration behind the Bagpipers, balancing a support unit, and the future of musical troops in Conqueror’s Blade.

The Bagpipers were the first unit of their kind—-a musical unit! Why did you choose Season X: Highlanders to bring music into Conqueror’s Blade battles?

Bagpipes are one of the strongest symbols of Scottish culture, and historically bagpipes were used on battlefields to inspire troops. It was a perfect opportunity for us to introduce a new unit type to the game – a full support.

3-Star Units are a very tricky tier to design. They’re not strong enough to stand face to face against 4- or 5-Star Units, but the specialist unit type is a great choice for 3-Stars, and the Bagpipers perfectly fit players’ desire to cooperate and fulfil supportive roles.



What is it about Scotland (and bagpipes specifically) that inspired you to make the first musical unit?

We’re huge fans of ancient and medieval cultures. Celtic and Scottish cultures are extremely interesting and deep. It is much about the mood, atmosphere - the sound of bagpipes, rocks and oceans, highland landscapes, bravery, and the strong spirit of Scottish warriors. And, of course, historical heroic instances when bagpipes inspired and changed outcomes of battles.

They also possess the first mechanics of boosting damage dealt and defensive stats of their allies - how did you address balance or that players might consider them a “must-have” unit for battles?

It’s much about their leadership cost vs the impact they make. Their buffs, when applied to five or six surrounding units, give more advantage than the leadership cost of 120, which can be combined by a player in a Warband build with other units. One or two bagpipers are something that we currently see in many sieges and even some Territory War battles—-a great success for a low-tier unit.

What were your main goals when it came to making a full support unit that doesn't attack?

We’re aiming to bring new unit mechanics for Highlanders and the upcoming seasons. The supportive role is something that hasn’t been explored enough in our game until this moment, and we’re hoping that players will enjoy helping their allies even more.

If you were going to make another musical unit, what instrument would they wield? Perhaps a drum corps or trumpeters?

I think that it would be most interesting to know our players’ opinion on that topic – whether they would like more musical instruments-wielding units and what kind. Hopefully, our readers will share their thoughts in the comment section!



Read up about the other units launched with Season X: Highlanders—-the fearless Claymores and the loyal Houndsmen. If you’re interested in more dev blogs, check out our behind the scenes look into Season X Weapon Skins.

Valentine’s Day is an occasion for romance, and no one knows more about passion than deities of love! Across many mythologies, gods and goddesses of love exist to give humans a helping hand with their love lives (or the opposite…). If you need some assistance from the gods this Valentine’s Day, look no further than this list of magical experts!
Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love, sexuality, and beauty and was thought to be the most beautiful woman that ever existed. As well as her daliances with the gods (and her marriage to the blackmisth god Hephaistos) she also took many mortals as lovers. Aphrodite might not be the most trustworthy goddess to ask for help in matters of the heart, however, as she was a slave to her own lust and pride, a catalyst for war.

Aphrodite was to blame in part for instigating the Trojan War by bribing Paris to judge her as the most beautiful goddess. She offered him Helen of Sparta as the prize for casting aside her fellow goddesses Athena and Hera. However, Helen was already married to the Spartan king, and Paris’ abduction of her led to the story we all know featuring a suspicious wooden horse...

Venus was the Roman name for Aphrodite, and their mythological origins are similar. Venus is instantly recognisable as the subject of the painting depicting her birth from the sea, symbolising the rebirth of civilisation. She might not be able to help with your romantic woes much either, as she is quite busy mourning her mortal lover, the hunter Adonis. Venus dreamed that Adonis would be attacked during a hunt, and rushed to warn him of his fate. Adonis ignored her foretelling, and was killed by a wild boar. They don’t call it a Greek tragedy for nothing!


Birth of Venus (circa 1480) by Sandro BotticelliAnother two-fold god of love is Eros (or Cupid). First introduced in Greek mythology as the son of Aphrodite, Eros was the Greek god of lust, desire, and passion. Over time (and thanks to the Romans) he evolved into the cherubin figure we know today. Usually depicted as a chubby baby and carrying his trusty bow and arrows, he shoots his lovelorn targets to induce love. While this may seem like a good thing, Cupid was known to match up unconventional couples for his own amusement, so beware if you call upon Eros for help this Valentine’s Day.


The Victory of Eros (1750-1755) by Angelica KauffmanIf the Greek and Roman gods aren’t tickling your fancy as matchmakers this Valetine’s Day, maybe Odin’s wife can help? Frigg was the Norse goddess of marriage, and is the namesake of “Friday” (apparently the best day to get married). Stories of Frigg depict her as somewhat of a psychic or seeress, but she often fails in this regard. Her job as a goddess was to matchmake happy couples for marriage, but no accounts of this taking place exist, as she seemed to engage more in making bets with Odin, or trying to keep her troublesome children safe. Frigg may not be the best goddess to turn to this Valentine’s Day, either.
Although known initially as part of Irish mythology under the name Aengus, Angus became ingrained in Scottish folklore as a Celtic god of youth, love, and summertime—-the perfect recipe for romance! Scots would recognise Angus as toting a golden harp and using it to induce a “pied piper” effect on young lovers through the forests. While joining a conga line of maidens into the woods might sound like an ideal way to spend Valentine’s Day, Angus is unfortunately known to be "weak minded and light headed” and may cast your quest for love aside (should you ask him) for sillier pursuits (such as mocking other gods for fun).


Angus Og (1908) by John Duncan
If you’re looking for love this Valentine’s Day, requesting help from any of these deities may prove fruitless. Just like mortals, gods aren’t perfect, and you may have to summon some of your own power to find long-lasting romance.

For now, you can get in the mood for love with our Valentine’s Day playlist full of classic ballads to woo your favourite Warlord.

 

Valentine’s Day is here, and we have all the tunes to get you in the mood for love with our Spotify playlist!

Fall in love with our passionately curated playlist in honour of Valentine’s Day, including classic romantic ballads from Seal, Celine Dion, Elton John, and many more.

You can also explore our previous collections, including Halloween and Season themed playlists, on our Spotify page.

  Valentines Day Playlist

Treat yourself with our Valentine’s Day sales and aim for the heart with Cupid-inspired weapon skins, participate in lovely events and tune in for exclusive Twitch Drops.

No need for fancy bouquets or boxes of chocolates Valentine’s Day. We’re offering a new set of in-game rewards to fall in love with via Twitch Drops!

Simply watch supported Twitch streams hosted by select Conqueror’s Blade content creators between February 11 (12:00 UTC) and February 17 (12:00 UTC), rack up a certain amount of viewing time, then claim your lovely loot.

Earn the entire Porphyry Knight Attire Set by watching for a total of ten hours!



You can also claim one additional instant reward every day (up to a total of six)! Simply tune in for a total of one hour and thirty minutes per day to claim a Twitch Drops Progression Bundle containing one Basic Supply Crate, one Large Chest of Bronze, and two Common Honor Medals.

Your rewards will appear in your Drops Inventory when you’ve accumulated enough total viewing time from participating streams. Claim them as soon as possible so you can work towards the next reward! Check out all the Valentine’s Day Twitch Drops rewards below:
To claim your items, make sure you link your Conqueror’s Blade account with your Twitch account:

• Log in here (use your Steam account if that’s how you play the game).
• Make sure to log in with your correct established account. If you register a new account, rewards will automatically be assigned to that account.
• Select ‘Link with Twitch’, and make sure you confirm the connection.

If you’re having trouble, check out these tips and tricks to help you get started with Twitch Drops:
 If you’re new to Conqueror’s Blade on Twitch, the following channels are all participants in the Content Creator Program and will be streaming Conqueror’s Blade throughout this event as their schedules allow. Remember to follow or subscribe to those you enjoy!

English | French | German | Hungarian | Polish | Russian | Spanish | Turkish

Love is in the air in Conqueror’s Blade between now and March 3. Fall head over heels for our Valentine’s events and sales, and spend a little time with that special Warlord in your life by levelling up your hopeful hero with Zero to Hero to earn special rewards!
Boost your hero level this Valentine’s Day and be rewarded! You don’t need a magic bow and arrow to aim for these prizes, just play and level up from now until March 3.
Hit your mark by adding these romantic weapon skins to your arsenal! Grab these Valentine’s items at the in-game store and from MY.GAMES Market from February 10 until February 22 (23:59 server time/23:59 CET).
Also, celebrate the most passionate sporting event of the year— the Super Bowl! Fly the Victory Bowl Banner high and score a touchdown for love.
Tune into Conqueror’s Blade on Twitch to receive special rewards from February 11! Trust us, you’ll adore these! Check back for more information soon.
Join Siege, Field, and Free Battles to find Lovebirds and exchange them for lovely rewards from February 17 until March 3 (23:59 server time)!

Head to the Exchange Event interface to hand over your Lovebirds for prizes such as Epic and Rare Barding Schematics, Steel Ingots, and more! You could also be lucky in love and receive a Arrows of Love Selection Box, from which you can choose one of the following rewards:

• Cupid's Bow
• Cupid's Shortbow
• "Cupid's Arrow" Emote

Roses are red, violets are blue, we’ll be playing Conqueror’s Blade on Valentine’s Day—-will you?