Axle Kerrigan
[email protected]
Version 1.10
10/11/01
*Introduction*
Welcome to Axle Kerrigan's complete guide to Warsong. I was
introduced to Warsong many moons ago by my Uncle Jim. As a fellow RPG
fan and a great gamer in his own right, he showed me that good RPGs CAN
be found on the Genesis. Although Warsong could probably be considered
a strategy genre game, I feel that its medieval overtones are enough to
qualify it for RPG status (the same with Ogre Battle). I don't know why
they call that genre "strategy" anyway. They're tactics games, not
strategy. I digress. I understand that this game was originally called
Langrisser or Lungrisser or some such. It matters not to me. I do
wonder how much of the dialogue was cut or altered in the translation
though...
In writing this FAQ, nearly all of the material and tactics have
been painstakingly researched over many trips through the game.
However, some information has been borrowed from other sources. As a
college student, it has been beaten into my being that all sources must
be cited. First of all, my uncle is responsible for some the tactics
and observations contained herein. In addition, I would like to credit
Saint (
[email protected]) with a few borrowed numbers for spell costs
and with the advancement scheme for Mina and Calais. His FAQ saved me
countless hours of going through the game with each possible class
combination to confirm years-old memories.
UPDATE: Jason Chrapliwy is the man responsible for removing the
wool from over my eyes and pointing out that Lords rule Scenario 12 just
like they do every other scenario. Many thanks to Jason.
*Table Of Contents*
Introduction
Table Of Contents
Update Information
A Note On Abbreviations
A Note On The Computer AI
General Tips
Characters
Magic
Class Paths
Units
Item Guide
Scenarios
Conclusion And Parting Thoughts
Warsong Quiz
*Update Information*
Version 1.10
- I fixed a few grammatical errors and added some spaces between
paragraphs for aesthetic reasons.
- I reorganized the character class paths for easier readability.
- There are tons of new tactics and improvements on old tactics in the
Scenarios section.
- Some misinformation has been corrected, specifically concerning magic
immunities.
- For the Warsong trivia enthusiast, I've added a Warsong Quiz.
By the way, all updates will be preceded by "UPDATE:" so as to draw your
attention to them.
*A Note On Abbreviations*
I will use many abbreviations throughout this guide. Here is a
comprehensive list:
HP - Hit Points
MP - Magic (Mana) Points
AI - Artificial Intelligence (barely, see the section on computer AI)
MGS - Meat Grinder Syndrome (again, see the section on computer AI)
RPS - Rock, Paper, Scissors (see the section on units)
XP - Experience
NPC - Non-player Character (any computer-controlled ally)
RPG - Role Playing Game (such as Warsong)
WTHAYDMDMP! - See the section on computer AI
Various nicknames - These will be listed in the characters section
*A Note On The Computer AI*
The AI in Warsong is one of the worst ones ever programmed. The enemy
is, in most cases, completely predictable. Then why play this game, you
ask? Since you are almost always faced with enemies that have more
and/or superior troops, the odds are somewhat evened. Add the fact that
dead commanders remain dead forever (always start a scenario over if you
lose a commander), and you suddenly have a moderately challenging game.
I will now list the computer actions that you can always rely on, the
ones you can usually rely on, and the truly aberrant behaviors that can
be exploited. Note that these behaviors apply to both computer
opponents AND computer-controlled allies (NPCs).
Always:
Commanders at 7 HP or less will Treat.
Commanders at 8 HP or more will never Treat, even if they are doing
nothing else. That is an AI glitch that really should have been fixed.
Troops at 6 HP or less and within the influence sphere of their
commander will move toward their commander, adjacent if possible, and
not attack.
Troops at any HP outside the influence sphere of their commander and
unable to reach that sphere in one turn of movement will stay put and
attack any adjacent enemy.
Troops at 7 HP or more will attack any enemy within range while
remaining within their commander's influence sphere (Note: Since I began
this FAQ I've seen a computer-controlled guardsman at 7 HP move next to
the commander rather than attack. This is the only time I've ever seen
this rule violated).
Troops will try to double-, triple-, or quadruple-team an enemy unit
whenever possible.
A commander will always act immediately before his/her troops act, if
he/she is going to act at all.
Usually:
Commanders with magic will cast their most powerful spell at the nearest
enemy commander. It is EXTREMELY rare for the computer to violate this
rule unless there is an enemy unit adjacent to the spellcaster, but is
does happen. In the case that there is an enemy unit adjacent to the
spellcaster, the spellcaster will usually attack.
The computer will use terrain and enemy unit weaknesses to its
advantage. The computer will violate this rule fairly often.
The computer values attacking troop targets over commanders. The
computer rarely violates this rule, but it usually ruins your day when
it does.
Injured units without targets in range will move next to their
commander.
Uninjured units without targets will surround the commander in a
predictable pattern. This rule and the previous one usually apply
unless terrain or units get in the way.
Troops will stay within the influence sphere of their commander. Again,
certain terrain or gobs of units can interfere with this behavior, as
can a commander with a faster movement than that of his/her troops.
Commanders with healing spells will usually use them on an allied
commander if that commander is at 6 HP or lower and is within range of
the spell. This behavior tends to supercede all others, but not always.
Most computer commanders will move along the most direct path to the
nearest enemy commander. Note that this is often not the quickest
route, just the shortest. Also, the computer will violate this rule
fairly often, such as the case of head commanders who stay put and
occasional target priority.
In some scenarios head commanders (ones for which the scenario ends when
they die) will stay in a static location until all of their troops are
dead. Obviously, this can be easily exploited (see the general tips
section).
Dumb or Weird Behavior:
The computer AI suffers from a chronic form of mental retardation that I
have dubbed "Meat Grinder Syndrome." This disorder causes the computer
to send wave after wave of troops to their destruction by attacking
vastly superior opponents. Example: Lance has eight units of horsemen,
each with 10 HP. Garett has one group of archers, also with 10 HP.
Lance sends one of his horsemen to attack Garett's archers. The
horsemen are mowed down without loss to the archers. Lance decides to
send a second unit of horsemen to see if they do any better. They
don't. Mystified, Lance sends his remaining six units of horsemen to
their graves in rapid succession. On his next turn, Lance will hurl
himself at the now laughing archers and possibly take a few with him as
they fire a full volley of ten arrows into his supple hide. Although
MGS can be exploited by the player, you should not get too cocky,
because you will soon find that your NPC allies are also prone to this
suicidal disease. Don't worry though. Any ally that dies will return
in due course; only commanders that you control can die permanently.
Another strange behavior I have witnessed is an apparent glitch in the
programming that I call "What The Hell Are You Doing Moving During My
Phase!" WTHAYDMDMP! occurs when a computer unit moves and possibly
attacks during the Player's Phase. I don't know why it happens, but a
unit behaving in this way essentially gets to act twice as often as
everyone else does. As such, it should be destroyed quickly.
UPDATE: Sometimes when an enemy troop is engaged in WTHAYDMDMP!, the
computer becomes confused, pauses to process, and then puts the troops
under the same commander as the buggy troop in strange formations. I
guess you could benefit from in some cases, but mostly the computer's
formations consist of useless posturing anyway.
The last bizarre behavior I have witnesses involves certain units being
completely immune to magic for the duration of a whole scenario. It
seems to happen to your commanders and to the enemy's commanders with
about the same frequency. When this oddity occurs, both the commander
and all of his/her troops will be unaffected by offensive spells for the
entire scenario. Use this bug to your advantage, if you can.
*General Tips*
1) Be an XP glutton. There are a limited number of enemies in Warsong,
and thus, a limited amount of XP. To combat this, kill EVERYTHING.
Also, don't kill anything with Baldarov if you can help it. Use
lizardmen and slimes to level up Mina and Calais, since they're about
the only thing guardsmen can kill. Finally, don't kill the head
commander of the scenario until last.
2) Be defensive. In many scenarios, you have the luxury of time. Find
a choke point, park a commander or a line of troops in it, and let the
enemy attack you. Then you can rotate out injured units to be healed
and rotate in fresh ones to polish off the weakened enemy. Leaving a
space open on one side of your commander helps with the rotations.
3) Use terrain. Most terrain offers a defensive bonus of some amount.
Stick your troops in spaces with trees, mountains, or castle walls while
forcing your opponents to attack from open fields, roads, or water.
Exception: don't let lizardmen attack you from the water.
4) Exploit the Meat Grinder Syndrome. Most enemies have a troop type
that they are weak against. The enemy will attack units that they have
an advantage against if they get the opportunity. Don't give them one.
If their only possible targets are units that will obliterate them, they
will attack anyway to your vast amusement.
5) Use battle lines. Try to organize your troops into lines facing the
enemy. This will limit the number of directions from which each unit
can be attacked. The enemies will always try to overwhelm one unit with
multiple attacks, so don't give them the chance.
6) Watch magic users. Enemy magic users love to throw spells. Since
their behavior is fairly predictable in this regard, you should be able
to anticipate it if you keep an eye on their spellcasters. Spread your
troops out a square or two away from their commander to guard against
small area of effect spells. Remember that a Bishop's Fire Ball spells
have a huge area of effect.
7) Use your own magic users liberally. Don't bother hoarding magic. If
you see a few troops with 1 or 2 HP standing in a clump, blast them.
Chances are your spellcaster needs the XP anyway. Offensive magic can
also be used to soften units to protect your units from annihilation.
Remember, a commander with less than 10 HP cannot possibly do 10 HP of
damage in an attack (certain troops can, though). Also, use healing
magic if you need a unit to act rather than Treat or move next to the
commander. Some of the later healing spells can heal a lot at once over
a large area. Use this to your advantage. Side note: offensive magic
cast by your commanders cannot harm your own units. Consequently, your
healers won't heal enemy units within the area of effect.
8) Don't buy worthless troops. This applies mainly to guardsmen and
mermen, although monks can qualify as well, and gryphons are often cost-
prohibitive. If you squander your money on pointless units, you can be
sure you'll be short of cash when you need it later on. In addition,
any position that can be easily held by one or two lone commanders can
also invoke this tip. You'd be surprised how many scenarios can be won
with no troops at all. I'll detail them in the scenarios section.
9) Troops you do buy are expendable. There is no refund, complete or
partial, nor is there any bonus associated with keeping troops alive
until the end of a scenario. Thus, the rational mind says to sacrifice
your soldiers' lives when necessary. However, my mind is not completely
rational, so I try to avoid losing units whenever possible. This stems
more from a desire to dominate rather than mercy for pixel soldiers.
Still, I have no sympathy for NPC allies who die because of MGS (ahem...
Thorne!). I just let the morons die. Both of these are just a matter
of personal preference; the lives of your followers don't really matter
in Warsong.
10) Exploit static head commanders. Some head commanders will sit in
one spot until all of their troops are destroyed. Use this to your
advantage by placing a unit adjacent to the farthest reach of their
influence sphere. The unit will be attacked by one enemy troop only,
allowing you to switch out units to kill all of the enemy head
commander's troops one by one. Watch out when you kill the last one,
though, because the head commander will move and attack on his next
phase.
11) Always keep your troops within their commanders' influence spheres.
I really can't stress this one enough. There are VERY few instances
where I would recommend ignoring this tip. Covering a retreat with
useless troops or attacking vastly inferior enemies are the only cases I
can think of. Leaving your troops without a leader is just asking for
the enemy to slaughter them. Even the retarded computer will go out of
its way to chew up lost soldiers.
12) You should nearly always carry at least a few archers around with
some commander. Enemies tend to get reinforced in Warsong, and
reinforcements tend to be horsemen. In most cases, 4 units should be
plenty.
13) Always change all of your commanders' orders to manual. If you fail
to do this with each of your commanders every scenario, sooner or later
you will lose a whole formation and possible many troops to the
computer's stupid AI. Besides, the manual symbol looks like a hand
flipping the bird, and that's just cool (Up yours, Lance!).
14) Corral enemy commanders. After you've dealt with their troops,
surround a commander on all sides with 10 HP troops. Chances are, they
can't kill a unit in one shot, and you can switch out fresh troops until
you are ready to deal with the commander.
15) Use your commanders. They are your greatest warriors. See a
soldier unit with 7 HP? Don't send your 10 HP horsemen; you risk
injuring them. Send a commander. Likely he/she will kill them all
before they even close for melee. Exception: archers. Archers should
usually be dealt with using soldiers (or equivalent), although Lords
don't have much to fear from archers, or anything else for that matter.
I love Lords.
*Characters*
Garett - The crown prince of Balatia. He starts out as a completely
inexperienced Fighter. His only advantage at this point is that his
troops receive a +2 attack bonus. No other Fighter in the game gets
this bonus. Garett's other advantages include being one of two
characters able to become a Grand Knight and the only character able to
become a King (aside from Alfador, who dies in the first scenario).
Garett should be an XP pig until you get him to his final class; then
use him for support while you level the others.
Baldarov - Garett's protector for the first few scenarios, hereafter
known as Baldy. Sword Master sounds like a cool class, but it's really
not. Baldy sucks. Not only is he unable to gain XP, but he has trouble
taking on a Lord by himself. The only thing he is good for is softening
up units for Garett to finish off. His whopping +9 defensive bonus will
help him in this role.
Sabra - Sabra is a retainer to King Alfador, an apparent punk rocker
(love the pink hair), and my favorite character. She, along with
Garett, is one of only two characters who can become a Grand Knight.
Alternatively, she can become a Dragon Knight, the only one aside from
Lance, who has his ass kicked so many times that he doesn't deserve the
honor of fighting alongside your heroes. If you make Garett a Knight,
go the Lord route with Sabra, and vice versa. That way you get a Grand
Knight either way.
Calais - The court mage of Balatia. First off, for the love of God, her
name is pronounced "Kha - lay", not "Ka - lay - is." Anyway, she starts
out as a level 5 Warlock, although she will likely be level 7 or 8 by
the end of the first scenario. Calais does okay as an Arch Mage, but if
you're particularly enterprising, you can go the long route to the
Saint. In any case, level her whenever lizardmen or slimes appear on
the scene.
Tiberon - A former pirate (Arrrr...) turned soldier in service to King
Alfador. What can I say? I like him, despite his laughable beginnings
as a Crocodile Knight, a class so lame that Emperor Pythion refuses to
employ them. Don't, don't, don't make Tibs a Serpent Knight. If you
do, the game designers will screw you by refusing to put water in the
second half of the game, leaving you with a very slow knight surrounded
by pitiful mermen. Although Knight Master is a mediocre class and will
take Tibs longer to get to, you will avoid the above tragedy.
Mina - Mina is a travelling cleric, apparently, and although it's
unclear whether Garett and Mina know each other previously (I blame bad
or incomplete translation), they eventually fall in love. Awww. Mina
is a weak character who eventually transforms into a badass, provided
you make the right choices. The only option open to you is a Saint,
unless you want a lousy combatant with redundant healing spells. Like
Calais, Mina likes to eat lizardmen and slimes in order to build strong
muscles and devastating magic.
Thorne - I hate Thorn. He is a soldier of Duke Carleon's (it seems) and
an idiot. He looks like a Jarhead, complete with American flag waving
in the background. His actions while under computer control only
reinforce my argument that he is blessed with sub-normal intelligence
and a lack of self-preservation instincts. Anyway, your only choices
for Thorne are a Magic Knight or a Knight Master. I would argue that
Magic Knights are substantially better, but you might want to end up
with two of each.
Bayard - My uncle always calls him Bernard, despite the fact that I
always refer to him as Bayard. I guess he misread the name the first
time and refuses to change it in his head. In any case, Bayard is the
commander in charge of a Balatian outpost and is identical to Thorne
aside from his face and a slightly better AI whilst under computer
control.
Carleon - By the time you get control of Duke Carleon, or as I like to
call him, Dukie, he is so far behind your other commanders in experience
that you may feel like sticking him in the back and forgetting about
him. I stress you to not do this. Instead, work on Dukie over the next
couple of scenarios until he is comparable to Thorne and Bayard. I have
a suspicion that Dukie is secretly Thorne's brother. Look at the
evidence: they have identical abilities, both have blonde hair, both are
stupid...
Lance - Lance is a Royal Guard when you fight him and a Dragon Knight
when he joins you later. You can imagine the obvious reasons. Pythion
is allergic to dragons, so he forbade Lance the use of one, despite
Lance's ability to ride one. Also, Pythion gets chilly easily due to
his buff, fat-free physique, so he forbade Lance to use his Blizzard
spell and gave him a Wand of Lightning Bolts instead. Once free of said
emperor, Lance returned to the Dragon-riding, ice-wielding lifestyle he
so loved, but he lost the Wand during his cowardly flight from Pythion's
last stand. The moral of this story is: Screw Lance. Sabra can do
anything he can do, and she's not a dirty traitor.
Alfador - King of Balatia, Defender of Warsong, Father of Garett, and
Dead by Scenario Two! If you want a glimpse of Garett as a King, take a
look at Alfador's stats in Scenario 1. Don't bother looking at enemy
Grand Knights though, Garett's stats as a Dino-rider are better (same
with Sabra).
Random Fighters - Later on in the game, you are forced to park some of
your commanders so that a couple of generic Fighters can temporarily
join your side. I think this is purely to make the game harder, as they
are food for any enemy unit that wants to bother engaging them. Which
they all seem to.
Assorted Other Uniques - Throughout Warsong there are several other
unique characters you will run into, such as Pythion, Great Dragon,
Efreet, and others. These will be dealt with in the units and scenarios
sections.
*Magic*
Ah magic, the one thing an RPG can't exist without. Spells don't
usually make a huge impact in Warsong; their use is more subtle.
Healing spells are convenient, but usually not necessary. Destruction
spells are used to soften or finish off units, rather than cripple them.
Status affecting spells don't do much in the way of affecting anyone's
status in Warsong; they almost always fail. Below is a list of all the
spells of Warsong:
Healing 1 - 2 MP - Heals ~1 HP
Healing 2 - 4 MP - Heals ~3 HP
Healing 3 - 8 MP - Heals ~6 HP
Magic Arrows - 2 MP - Deals ~1 HP
Fire Ball - 4 MP - Deals ~2 HP
Fire Ball - 8 MP - Deals ~3 HP
Thunder - 4 MP - Deals ~3 HP
Lighting Bolt - 4 MP - Deals ~2 HP
Blizzard - 4 MP - Deals ~2 HP
Tornado - 8 MP - Deals ~4 HP
Earthquake - 16 MP - Deals ~1 HP, destroys random walls
Sleep - 4 MP - Puts units to sleep
Paralyze - 4 MP - Same as sleep, basically
Confusion - 8 MP - Units attack their allies
Petrify - 0 MP - Turns units to stone (dead); only the Basilisks have
this spell
You may notice that there are two Fire Ball spells. One is the cheap
one most classes get, while the other is the expensive, dragon-summoning
version that is limited to Bishops.
A note on XP and spells: After a commander reaches level 5 in his/her
class, the range, area of effect, and HP healed or dealt of all spells
increase by 1.
*Class Paths*
Here's the lowdown. A commander gets enough XP to get to level 10.
That character then can change to a new, more powerful class (usually).
Now I'll illustrate the paths each commander can take:
Garett
Fighter -> Lord or Knight
Lord -> King or Magic Knight
Knight -> Grand Knight or Knight Master
Sabra
Fighter -> Lord or Knight
Lord -> Dragon Knight or Magic Knight
Knight -> Grand Knight or Knight Master
Magic Knight -> Ranger
Tiberon
Crocodile Knight -> Serpent Knight or Knight
Knight -> Knight Master
Mina
Cleric -> Priestess or Warlock
Priestess -> High Priestess or Saint
Warlock -> Bishop or Wizard
Wizard -> Archmage or Magic Knight
Magic Knight -> Ranger
Calais
Warlock -> Wizard or Cleric
Wizard -> Archmage or Magic Knight
Cleric -> (See Mina's path)
Magic Knight -> Ranger
Thorne
Fighter -> Lord or Knight
Lord -> Magic Knight
Knight -> Knight Master
Bayard
(See Thorne's path)
Carleon
(See Thorne's path)
UPDATE: Note that Calais can go down Mina's path by changing to a
Cleric at first class change. Also note that Mina's Warlock is
different from Calais's in that it can become a Bishop. So if you want
Calais to become a Bishop (I can't imagine why anyone would want that;
I'm just saying.), she has to become a Cleric, become a Warlock AGAIN,
and then become a Bishop.
Now I will describe the various classes:
Fighter - They have a single attack and can kill weakened troops.
Sword Master - a.k.a. Baldy. He sucks. Nice defense bonus, though.
Lord - Lords also have a single attack and can kill even fully healed
troops some of the time. Lords laugh at archers. Also, they have a
minor healing spell. I love Lords.
Knight - Don't attack archers with a Knight, you might lose him/her.
They eat up soldiers and horsemen, though. These aren't nearly as
useful as Lords are, due to their shooter attack and lower defense.
However, you'll need horsemen before people start reaching their final
classes, so you'd better make at least two Knights (Tibs will be one,
and Garett or Sabra the other).
Magic Knight - These guys have Thunder, which hurts. I recommend. I
wish the final Lord class was more Lord-like, though instead of another
shooter-knight type.
Knight Master - These have Lightning Bolt, which kind of sucks. They
have slightly better numbers than Magic Knights, but Thunder is SO much
better than Lightning Bolt.
Grand Knight - The only final class with no magic, but it doesn't
matter, because Grand Knights tear ass. There're better than Kings and
Dragon Knights in my opinion, but if you send both Garett and Sabra down
the Knight path, you're doing without archers for while, which will be a
MAJOR pain.
King - Garett as a King gets Magic Arrows (lame) and Healing 1 (lame).
His attack and defense are good, though, so take the King over the Grand
Knight if you can't live without magic or you want to cater to the
story. Note: sending Garett down this path will make the first third of
the game significantly easier.
Dragon Knight - Sabra can dish out some hurt as a Dragon Knight. Plus,
she can hide in mountains and walls and sports a mean Blizzard spell.
Overall, though, I think Grand Knight is better.
Crocodile Knight - Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Serpent Knight - Don't make this thing. Trust me.
Warlock - Needs virtually no XP to level up, decent attack, you should
leave this behind fairly early.
Cleric - This is the hardest class to level. Their attack is weak for a
commander and defense sucks, too. Add to that a dependency upon
guardsmen and you have a junk class. Kill slimes and lizardmen to
advance.
Wizard - A decent class, it has Fire Balls and soldiers (with a big
attack bonus). The attack sucks, though.
Priestess - A new healing spell, monks, and a slightly better attack.
Upgrade quickly.
Arch Mage - Resistance to magic, a strong attack (although poorly
executed), Earthquake, and tons of Fire Balls. At level 5 with the wand
equipped, Earthquake can do nice damage to the entire screen at once. A
decent overall class.
Bishop - This isn't as good as the Archmage, High Priestess, or Saint,
despite the upgraded Fire Ball. Confusion sucks. Don't bother.
UPDATE: There is one benefit to the Bishop class. Warlock is far, far
easier to level up than Priestess, so you could get Mina (or Calais) to
her final class earlier than you would be able to if you went for Saint.
Saint - Mina finally has worth! Fire Ball, Tornado, and Healing 2. Oh,
the power... Her attack is strong as well, a single attack lightning bolt
that rips through the enemy. Rock!
High Priestess - What? Sleep? Healing 3? No, go with the Saint. Much
better.
Ranger - Sort of a secret class, in that the manual doesn't mention it.
It looks more like a fat, little ninja with throwing stars than a
ranger. Only Mina, Calais, and Sabra can become a Ranger, and only
after level 10 as a Magic Knight. It's a lot of work, but nothing can
stand against a Ranger with the Evil Axe, even golems. It gets
Earthquake, too. Downsides? No troops, and tons of XP to get there.
Note: Shooter attacks tend to suck; often some enemies will slip through
or engage before they can be targeted. Single attacks are better, hence
the usefulness of Lords and Saints.
Obviously you have some choices in final classes. I would
recommend Garett a King, Sabra a Grand Knight, Calais an Arch Mage, Mina
a Saint, Tibs a Knight Master, Thorne a Magic Knight, Bayard a Magic
Knight, and Dukie a Magic Knight. The choices are yours though, and the
game is beatable with ANY combination, so have fun with it. Also keep
in mind that you should still feed XP to your final classes until they
get to level 5 so that you get the increased magic effectiveness.
Obviously, this doesn't apply to the Grand Knights.
*Units*
I'll be honest. I'm not going to list every statistic for every
unit in the game. It's a waste of time, since you can look at their
stats any time you encounter them. I will, however, address the pros
and cons of each unit and discuss any magic they might have at their
disposal. Also, note the RPS relationships between units in Warsong.
Just like in real life.
The Good Guys:
Soldiers - Soldiers kill archers. Their movement is fair and isn't too
affected by terrain. Your basic unit, expect a lot of these to die.
Archers - Archers kill horsemen. They aren't slowed by forests, and
they actually get an extra defense bonus in the trees. They have the
advantage of getting the first strike because of their ranged attack,
but at best they can only kill one enemy for each archer. "One shot,
one kill."
Horsemen - Horsemen kill soldiers. Simple, no? Horsemen have a great
movement, but it really suffers in mountains, forests, and indoors.
They also have the ability to kill a 10 HP enemy troop in one attack
even when they have less than 10 HP, provided they substantially
outclass them. Before moving on to the more exotic units, it should be
noted that soldiers don't kill archers as well as horsemen kill
soldiers, who, in turn, are simply massacred by archers.
Guardsmen - Guardsmen can inexplicably go toe to toe with lizardmen and
they chew up slimes. Don't use them against ANYTHING else.
Mermen - They suck; never buy them.
Citizens - They are only listed for sake of completeness. You can never
control them, and they are cannon fodder for anything that comes along.
Occasionally, they provide comic relief by killing one enemy soldier
despite their attack power of 0. Laugh or cry, but don't mourn the
worthless Citizens of Balatia.
Monks - Monks are like archers, only they aren't as good. Limited
usefulness, even against undead. UPDATE: Monks do pretty well against
soldiers, but they have a hard time with archers. Also, they do tear up
skeletons pretty badly; I don't know why I thought they didn't before.
Gryphons - These aren't as good as they seem. Think of them as really
expensive horsemen who have slightly better movement and who aren't
affected by terrain. By the time Sabra is a Dragon Knight, she probably
won't need troops anymore anyway. Save your money.
The Bad Guys:
Soldiers - Same as the Good Guy equivalent.
Dark Elves - Archers, only with a +1 to attack power.
Horsemen - Same as the Good Guy equivalent.
Elementals - These guys make an appearance during the first and last
scenarios. They are tough as shit and have no weaknesses.
Lizardmen - These guys get a major advantage on water. On land, they go
about one for one with soldiers and guardsmen.
Barbarians - Horsemen tear these guys up.
Slimes - My uncle calls them gumdrops. Whatever you want to call them
(blobs, boogers, goo, etc.), slimes are a staple monster for lazy game
designers (they're so easy to draw!). In Warsong, use guardsmen or
commanders. Anything else is a stalemate at best.
Royal Soldiers - Like soldiers, only stronger and tougher. Use
horsemen, or, better yet, commanders. Don't waste these, they give more
XP than other troops.
Leviathans - Horsemen do pretty well against these. Don't fight them in
water, though.
Gargoyles - These are a pain. Use archers and be prepared to rotate
them a lot.
Styracosaurs - Also a pain. Horsemen do the best.
Evil Ants - Not only is it a giant ant, but it's evil as well! Again,
horsemen or commanders.
Were Wolves - I don't use anything but commanders in this level, so I
don't know what troops work well. By the by, isn't "werewolf" one word?
Carrion Crawlers - I have no idea what these are supposed to be.
Caterpillars, maybe? Whatever. Use horsemen or commanders.
Skeletons - The Undead don't seem to have a real weakness. Monks do
better than the numbers say they should, but that doesn't mean they do
well. Use horsemen or commanders. UPDATE: Monks kick skeleton butt
(pelvis?). They will serve you MUCH better than horsemen will.
Golems - These are immune to magic and virtually indestructible. Only a
Ranger with the Evil Axe stands a chance of killing them. They can't
hurt you either, though, so just go after their commander and move on.
UPDATE: Golems CAN be harmed by magic, unless you are unlucky and they
get the magic immunity bug. Now you can rack up even more XP. Bully!
You might notice that many of the later enemies are best fought with
horsemen or commanders. I think the folks at Treco got lazy.
The Bad Guy Commanders:
Fighter - This guy is just like your Fighters; he sucks. A Lord will
humble him easily. Interestingly, these guys come in two flavors: lime
and blueberry.
Lord - He's just like your Lords. Strong defense, you're going to need
a commander to fight him to stand a chance.
Bishop - These guys are not fun. They have the upgraded Fire Ball and
they give big bonuses to their troops. If I weren't such an XP glutton,
I'd say forget about their troops and kill them quickly, but the wasted
XP really makes me cringe.
Serpent Knight - I wonder if all these dudes had to progress through the
embarrassing Crocodile Knight phase as well. Lead them on to land and
use two or three commanders with good defense.
Knight - Just like yours, only dumb. These guys love to attack archers.
I say let them, it's their funeral.
Great Slime - Use guardsmen or commanders. Anything else won't scratch
them. These things have a tendency to outrun their own troops.
Royal Guard - a.k.a. Lance. Watch out for his Lightning Bolt. He only
gets one, fortunately. For fun and profit, present Lance with archers.
After feeding all of his troops into them, he will sacrifice himself as
well. You might lose one archer unit, though.
Kraken - I don't know why giant squids are hanging out in the Worth
River or why their ink is so deadly, but there they are, nevertheless.
Lead them on land and use magic and commanders to end their mysterious
existence.
Grand Knight - Their attack and defense are weaker than those of your
Grand Knights are and their troop attack bonus is less as well. A pair
of commanders with good defense can usually take one of these out
without much danger.
Arch Mage - These guys are a lot like Bishops, except their Fire Ball is
the lesser variety, and they get more of them.
Wyvern - Each Wyvern is actually ten little dragons in a bunch, more
like a troop than a commander. They have a couple of weak Fire Balls
and are always accompanied by gargoyles.
Wizard - The Wizard is virtually identical to the Arch Mage except it
gets Blizzard instead of Fire Ball. Which really isn't a difference at
all.
Kaiser - a.k.a. Emperor Pythion. Pythion is like a King, only stronger
in almost every way. He carries a Blizzard spell as well. Fight him
with care.
Basilisk - These guys have a Petrify spell with infinite uses. Hit them
fast and hard to keep them Treating themselves and they won't get to use
it. Since they are like Wyverns in that they are actually 10 monsters
serving as a commander, your own commanders will bust them up. Other
than their one spell, Basilisks are pretty much a joke.
Queen Ant - These charming gals always lead evil ants into battle and
spew corrosive spittle at their enemies. They have a high attack rating
and good movement, but their defense is poor.
Were Wolf - I don't know why these commanders and their troops have the
same (misspelled) name. You don't need silver, just a commander with an
attack-boosting item and a choke point. Even Mina can smoke these guys.
Gorgosaur - Another 10-commanders-in-one unit, these guys are a little
tougher than the others of their kind are. They get 3 Fire Balls and
are usually dragging styracosaurs around with them.
Great Dragon - This guy is a badass. With 4 Fire Balls with big damage,
35 attack and 35 defense, plus nice troop bonuses, Monster (that's his
name) truly is a great dragon. You have to fight this guy twice, but
each time he can be humbled by spell assault combined with the Evil Axe
in the hands of a commander with a high attack rating.
Conjurer - a.k.a. Naxos. He gets 4 Blizzards and a bunch of golems, but
his attack and defense are pitiful. He is immune to magic, so wait for
an opening in his ranks and hit him with a commander or two. UPDATE:
Like his golems, Naxos is only immune to magic when he gets the immunity
bug. He is even more pathetic than I thought!
Living Armor - For some reason, these guys are all named, "The guards."
They look and attack just like Baldy, but don't be mislead; these boys
are tough. They also have a pair of Blizzards up their sleeves
(gauntlets?). Two or three commanders can take them down.
Sorcerer - a.k.a. Mortimus. He looks just like Naxos, but he has
slightly better stats and a worthless Paralyze spell. No worries.
Wight - a.k.a. Ganelon. Somehow I think this guy had a much larger role
in the Japanese version. Your characters seem to know him and are
surprised to find him alive. He'll hit you with a couple of Thunders
and then attack you Saint-style. Rotate commanders and destroy.
????? (The Final Boss) - Rather than risk spoilers, I'll just wait until
the scenarios section to discuss this chap.
As far as enemy commanders go, think of them as exceptional examples of
their own minions. Example: Lance doesn't like archers, but they won't
usually waste him in one go. Any mould-breaking commanders will be
addressed in the scenarios section.
*Item Guide*
You pick up a variety of magical items along the way during your quest,
often accompanied by humorous quotes such as, "The power of the Cross is
now mine!" or "It's the Mystic Orb. Take it with us! Go!" Each item
gives the equipped commander a bonus (or minus) to attack, defense,
both, or neither. Some items give the commander an advantage of some
sort. Below is the list and effects of each item:
Great Sword: +2 to attack
Cross: +2 to defense
Wand: +2 to attack, commander's spells do +1 HP
Shield: +4 to defense
Warsong: +4 to attack, +4 to defense
Evil Axe: +8 to attack, -10 to defense
Dragon Slayer: +5 to attack, +3 to defense
Amulet: +2 to defense, commander's influence range is doubled
Orb: commander's spells use 1/2 normal MP
Note that the user of the Orb must be able to meet the full original
cost of the spell in order to cast it; the Orb gives the 1/2 MP benefit
after the spell is cast. Think of it as a rebate. Also note that the
bonuses only apply to the commander, not his/her troops.
*Scenarios*
Scenario 1 - Escape From The Castle
Victory: Escape of Garett
Defeat: Death of Garett
The introductory level can be won in three basic ways. First, you
can simply run Garett up to the stone wall at the top of the screen.
Quick and easy. However, you'll be sacrificing XP this way. The second
approach is to buy eight soldiers with Garett and take out the Lord
guarding the bridge, then escape. If you are feeling particularly
slick, you can try method three, which is the elimination of all enemy
troops. It can be done, but it's tough and requires some luck. In any
case, you should wait until Calais, Sabra, and Tibs are dead before
exiting the stage as you could be robbing them of XP otherwise (one time
Calais killed all of the lizard men and the Serpent Knight by herself
and got to level 9). If you want to kill everything and rack up some
extra dough, use Baldy to attack the Bishop when there's an opening.
Don't worry about the XP loss to Garett, he can't handle a Bishop or
elementals at this point anyway. If you get Calais two or three levels
or and Garett to level 2, count this scenario as a victory and move on.
Scenario 2 - To Sulras
Victory: Escape of Mina
Defeat: Death of Garett or Mina
This level has three possible approaches. One, form a wall around
Mina and let her s l o w l y make the journey to the upper wall. This
method sucks. Two, get horsemen with Baldy and let him lay waste.
Better, but still not the best use of your resources. Three, be an XP
hog. I shall now explain...
First off, buy eight archers with Baldy. They have a strong
tendency to wound the enemies without killing them and with minimal
casualties to themselves. Put Baldy in the north position and Garett in
the south. Now comes the tricky part. On the first turn, move Baldy so
that he is exactly five squares north of Mina (four squares of
intervening space). Move up the archers too, but leave the square just
south of Baldy open. Mina will fill it. Then stall for one more turn.
Garett can be cleaning up after the archers during this time. On turn
three move Baldy four more squares north, so he is on the first mountain
square in that axis. Again, leave his south square open and move up the
archers. After turn three, move your archers so that there is one north
of Baldy, one east of that guy, three east of Baldy, and three east of
Mina. This L-shaped pattern makes for a perfect Minatrap, since she
can't move far enough to go north or east.
After that, Garett can truck around picking off weak barbarians
and Shamans. Occasionally, this setup will cause Mina to run south for
a turn or two, but she's not in any real danger from the enemies in this
scenario; plus, she'll soon return to her prison cell provided you have
kept it free of units. Also, occasionally Baldy's archers will finish
off a barbarian or two or a Shaman. Unless you lose more than five or
six such units, Garett will be a Knight or Lord by the end of this
scenario. Lastly, the archers can be left where they are until they get
down to 4 HP. If one group does get beaten down to 4 or less
(unlikely), then move one archer away from Baldy, move the wounded
archer where that guy was, and move Garett were the wounded archer was.
On the next turn or two, you can put everyone back where they go and
continue the XP harvest. Oh, one last piece of advice: turn the game
speed to fast before you finish off the last enemy or your conversation
with Dukie will take forever.
UPDATE: Upon playing the game through again, I've noticed that
Mina can get killed by a lucky attack in this configuration. If you
aren't the gambling type, buy two soldiers for Garett and place them in
the two squares in the above configuration that cannot be attacked from
any side (the squares are immediately north and east of Baldy's square).
Then use the two displaced archers to cover Mina's rump.
Scenario 3 - Surprise Attack
Victory: Death of Malvese
Defeat: Death of Garett or Mina
Another chance for crazy XP. Get Garett 4 horsemen or 8 soldiers
and buy just one archer for Baldy. When the level starts rush the
barbarians to the north with Garett and run Baldy to the nearest
building with a one square-wide door. His only function in this
scenario will be to stand behind his archer to keep it alive. UPDATE:
If the archer is just injured for 1 or 2, it's a good idea to leave it;
there's less chance it will kill off a group of barbarians. After
dealing with the northern barbarians, go east, and north or south as
needed, killing all in your path. Exception: Malvese. Don't kill him
until last. In fact, if Thorne pulls a hero stunt and kills Malvese
prematurely, I recommend you start the level over. There's just too
much easy XP to be had here to be wasting it.
Just let the barbarians ride over Thorne, and Baldy will hold most
of them at bay with little XP lost. Since Garett should be a Lord or a
Knight by now, he shouldn't be in much danger. Just play clean up like
the last scenario. It's worth noting that the Shamans are more
dangerous to a Knight than they are to a Lord (but then, just about
everything is). Take care with them if you go down the Grand Knight
path. Also, make sure none of the Shamans make a beeline for Mina.
You'll have to chase them down if they do.
Scenario 4 - The Wood Of Lost Souls
Victory: Survive to Turn 10, Enemy Phase
Defeat: Death of Garett
This is the most one-sided battle in the game. Don't buy any
troops. The slimes will kill every archer and soldier you have, and
horsemen can't hurt them. Just run southwest as fast as you can. After
a few turns, Mina and Thorne will show up. Then all you have to do is
laugh with glee as Mina's guardsmen eat all the slimes. Thorne's
bloodlust seemingly wasn't sated in the last level, so he's brought some
more soldiers to sacrifice. The key to this scenario is to try to limit
the distance Mina has to travel to get to the slimes. Done correctly,
(and with a little luck) the guardsmen will clear out most of the map,
getting Mina to level 9 or better. I recommend playing this level over
until you get her to be a Priestess. Cleric is a horrible class to try
to level.
UPDATE: I've found that running Baldy west just south of the lake
will draw all of the slimes toward him, leaving Garett and Sabra to flee
southwest. Baldy tends to stalemate with slimes, but leave him at 7 to
9 HP just to be sure. If you like, you can buy a few horsemen to help
keep the heat off of Garett and Sabra, but it isn't at all necessary.
Scenario 5 - Army Of The Empire
Victory: Death of Lance
Defeat: Death of Garett
This level can be tough, depending on your choices thus far. It
stems from the fact that Lance has a good amount of horsemen with him
(get used to this). If Garett is Lord, his archers will be able to
humble them without any trouble. If you're going for the Grand Knight,
though, you'll have to rely on horsemen or commanders to deal with all
the enemy cavalry (you did get Mina to Priestess, didn't you?), which
isn't nearly as effective. Worst case: Baldy gets archers and wastes XP
like crazy.
That said, buy 8 horsemen or archers with Garett. Sabra and
Thorne each get 8 soldiers. Deploy them in this order: Archers (or
horsemen) far east, soldiers next, one naked commander after that, and
Baldy last. Now run everyone east as fast as you can and try to
bottleneck the enemy in the mountain pass. Switch out troop types as
needed to maintain RPS advantage, and leave a square or two by each
commander for rotations. Make sure you leave space in between your
different forces, or you will limit your own movement and sacrifice the
advantage that the pass gives you. The enemy will just cram all their
troops into a huge block and pay a big butcher's bill. Don't forget
about Lance's Lighting Bolt (caterpillar) spell; it can be nasty in
dense formations. Also, it can be tricky getting rid of the enemy
commanders in this tight space. You can soften them up with Baldy or
just corral them with troops (they probably won't kill a whole unit in
one attack) and take them on one at a time. Remember to kill Lance
last. Use this scenario to build Sabra up to level 10 and change her
class to the opposite of whatever you've made Garett.
I'd be willing to admit there are other ways to take on this
scenario, but they would almost certainly involve Baldy wasting XP.
Credit for my recommended tactic goes to my Uncle Jim. However, beating
this level with Garett as a Knight without using Baldy is exceedingly
hard, and if you can do it, why are you reading this FAQ? If you must,
use archers with Baldy as a last resort and shed a bitter tear for all
that lost XP.
UPDATE: I've developed a second set of tactics for this scenario
that should enable a player to waste no XP even if Garett is a Knight.
Buy the same troops as before, but run all of your commanders to the
middle as quickly as possible. Your goal is to get all six commanders
into the narrow pass in the middle of the map; there is a particularly
narrow point that can be held with three commanders in a diagonal
pattern.
Once your commanders are in position, wait for the enemy to get
themselves all bunched up while your commanders stay on the defensive.
During this time, you can pick off weak enemies with Sabra and Thorne.
I recommend making as many of the kills as possible with one or the
other, because you will want a Lord for the next scenario. Sooner or
later, the two spaces in front of your commanders will become filled
with enemy troops that are below 7 HP but cannot reach their commander
because other units are in the way. LEAVE THEM THIS WAY! Pull out
Sabra and Thorne and hold the line with Garett, Mina, and Baldy. The
injured troops will stay in their positions forever if you let them.
Meanwhile, Sabra and Thorne can pick up their soldiers and run
around the mountains to the east to take care of any straggling enemies
that got caught on impassible terrain. Once they are finished, they can
circle around the back and pincer the remaining enemy forces in the
pass. Now you can chew up the enemy from either side, just remember to
save Lance for last and to get either Sabra or Thorne to a Lord before
you finish the scenario.
Scenario 6 - Battle For The Castle Of Balatia
Victory: Death of Geryon
Defeat: Death of Garett
By the time this scenario begins, Garett, Mina, and Sabra (or
Thorne) should all have moved up a class, and Garett is likely nearing
another class change. Have your Lord buy 8 archers and your Fighter buy
8 soldiers. Your Knight can get a couple of horsemen too if you want,
but you need to let your Fighter kill most of the enemy soldiers so
(s)he can get a class change soon.
Put Garett in the middle spot on the east side of the castle.
Sabra and Thorne should flank him, and Mina goes on the north spot on
the west side of the map. Immediately run Mina around the north end of
the castle to meet the others. The trees should slow down the pursuing
horsemen enough for her to outrun them. Meanwhile, your Lord should
kill all of the east horsemen and their commander, then move north to
intercept the west horsemen when they arrive. After your Lord moves,
stick your Fighter and your Knight side by side on the bridge and chew
up the enemy soldiers. Remember to let the Fighter have most of the
kills. When the archers arrive, move your Knight back and let your
Fighter's soldiers take care of them. Both of these commanders are
Fighters, so (s)he should be able to beat them, provided you gave
him/her the Great Sword or the Cross or if your Knight or Mina can help
him/her. Once those are dead, run north with your Fighter to swap
places with your Lord and take on the west soldiers.
After everything else is worm food, kill Geryon with the static
head commander tactics described in the tips section. Thorne and Sabra
should both have attained their second class by now (or be really
close).
Scenario 7 - A Brave Man Of The Fortress
Victory: Death of Momus
Defeat: Death of Garett or Bayard
This scenario is pretty tough. Unlike most other levels, you have
a time restraint in this one. Bayard is badly outnumbered and you start
out far away. You'll need a lot of troops for this one. Buy 8
soldiers, 8 archers, 8 horsemen, and 16 guardsmen. Don't get anything
for Tibs; he's too slow to participate anyway. Put the commander with
archers in the far east spot, and follow him/her in this order:
soldiers, guardsmen, horsemen, guardsmen, Tibs.
Now you have to race across the bridge. Sometimes Bayard can hold
out a long time, sometimes not. You need to run your archers, soldiers,
and then horsemen along the west strip of the bridge ONLY. Put
guardsmen along the middle strip to protect your important troops from
the lizardmen while still drawing them out onto land. Meanwhile, the
other guardsmen and Tibs will take on the western lizardmen. Get across
the bridge and quickly smoke the enemy cavalry. Move your archers north
and leave them near the edge of the map if Bayard looks like he can hang
on for a few more turns. If not, move your archers to draw off some of
the heat. Get your soldiers there as soon as possible and cover them
from the enemy soldiers with your cavalry.
Now, kill everyone except Momus (you may need to corral the
eastern Serpent Knight with guardsmen until Tibs or the other girl can
help out). Leave Momus corralled with your soldiers until Lance
arrives. Humble him with your archers (this commander may need help,
but your own horsemen should still be nearby) and finish Momus off to
win.
By this time, everyone but Tibs and Bayard should be at their
second class, and Bayard is probably pretty close. Garett should also
be close to his third class.
Scenario 8 - The Follow-up Attack
Victory: Death of Chief Commander
Defeat: Death of Garett or escape of Chief Commander
This is a nice, fun level to play after the last scenario's hustle
and bustle. First, buy two full sets of soldiers and two full sets of
horsemen (if you can, soldiers if you can't) as well as one full set of
archers. Put the soldiers on the outside flanks (I recommend Tibs in
the southern flank; he can cross the pond in one leap) with the horsemen
just inside them. Put the archers in the middle, flanked by your two
lone commanders.
Jam your horsemen right into the asses of the enemy infantry.
Don't worry about the archers, they will likely flee instead of
attacking. Meanwhile circle your southern soldiers around the pond and
run your northern soldiers through the mountains. Move your archers
straight west. The lonely commanders can pick off a few weak troops if
you want.
On subsequent rounds, keep circling your soldiers in front of the
archers and close them together to heard the enemy in. The enemy
soldiers should be dead within two or three rounds; kill their
commanders quickly as well. Keep moving your archers west. When they
reach the little clump of trees just east of the mountain pass, stop and
set them up in the trees. Lance will arrive on turn five and waste his
Lightning Bolt on your troops but be unable to follow it up until they
have already healed.
Use this pincer setup to level Bayard to a Lord. If you can, get
Tibs to a Knight as well. Garett should be very close to a King or
Grand Knight by now if not already one. All three of the girls plus
Thorne should be at their second classes before you start this scenario.
Sometimes the Fighters in this level try to be cute and attack your
troops themselves. Don't worry if you lose a couple of troops to this
behavior; you should have plenty left to get the job done. Corral the
Chief Commander until everyone else is dead, including Lance. Then off
the Chief himself.
Scenario 9 - The Torrents Of Worth
Victory: Escape of Garett
Defeat: Death of Garett
Be prepared for a long fight. All the water in this scenario will
slow everyone to a crawl and drag out the battle. You will need 16
horsemen, 8 soldiers, 8 archers, and 8 guardsmen. Position a horsemen
commander on each outside location. Each of them should have one of
your lone commanders as a helper. Inside those, put your archers on one
side and your soldiers on the other. The guardsmen should be in the
middle.
When the level begins, park your archers and soldiers out of the
way and have their commanders move to help your guardsmen as they line
up in the trees near the shore. Your horsemen need to be in the tree
lines at the far east and west sides of the map. Have your helper
commanders accompany them. Deal with the lizardmen in the usual way.
Now you wait.
When the Krakens show up, make sure they come after your horsemen
and not the enemy. Although funny to witness, having gobs of enemy
soldiers be wiped out by leviathans is a waste of XP. With the help of
your lone commanders, your horsemen should be able to deal with the
Krakens and leviathans. You need to be a little aggressive with the
Krakens, for soon the enemy soldiers will cross the river and you don't
want to fight both at once. Hopefully you will have enough horsemen
left to deal with the soldiers. Your own soldiers should take up
position right along the now corpse-clogged shoreline and force the
archers to attack from the water. The battle will be extremely one-
sided.
After you've rid the River Worth of Fighters and Krakens, move all
of your remaining units to one spot on the riverbank to cross in unison.
Eventually, Lance will move against you, but I hope that by this time
you know how to deal with him. Any remaining horsemen you have can take
on the forces of the Grand Knight. Just make sure you don't move Garett
next to the north wall, or the scenario will end.
Scenario 10 - Castle On The Water
Victory: Death of Chief Commander
Defeat: Death of Garett
"A perfect defense..." Garett, for once, has something both
intelligent and accurate to say, unlike his previous (and later)
statements involving killing enemy commanders first. This level bites,
because it is extremely hard to maintain RPS advantage with all the
enemies and open space.
You'll need 16 horsemen, 16 soldiers, and 16 guardsmen for this
one. Position your horsemen in the front center and middle center
spots. Flank them with guardsmen. Put your soldiers on the outsides
and put Garett (or someone else who no longer needs XP) in the back.
At the start, run a horsemen commander and one horseman to sit on
the bridge. Keep the other commanders and horsemen inside a sphere of
guardsmen. Your guardsmen shield should leave one space in between it
and the shore and completely encompass the horsemen. This setup will
protect your horsemen from the lizardmen. If the horseman on the bridge
gets smoked, send in another from inside your shield. Take care with
the Arch Mage here; he has a lot of Fire Balls. While the drawbridge
battle rages, you should send a contingent of soldiers to the west and
another to the south, each out of range of the lizardmen. By this time
you know how to deal with Serpent Knights; do so.
Your first commander will probably run out of horsemen. If he/she
does, rotate him/her out and send in the second cavalry commander. If
the first one can hold the bridge, send the second commander south.
When the reinforcements arrive, you should be able to deal with them.
Be careful with the archers to the west, they can deal out decent
punishment even to soldiers. Use leftover guardsmen as fodder if you
need to.
Once everyone outside is dead, collect your units and take them
into the fort. Both of the commanders in here are of the stationary
sort. A Lord can sit on the northeast tower of the four towers that
surround the second bridge. Here, he will slowly deplete the Bishop of
all his magic and archers and then kill the Bishop himself. Next, move
on to the Chief Commander, who is even easier. You know the drill.
UPDATE: Sometimes the lizardmen in this scenario are particularly
stubborn and relentlessly attack the Knight on the bridge until they
kill it. And alternate, but inferior, tactic is to run two or three
commanders and all of their troops into the castle and try to duke it
out with the two soldier commanders while the girls cut off the Serpent
Knights. It's hard to pull off without losing anyone, but sometimes the
Serpent Knights don't leave you any choice.
Scenario 11 - The Castle Of Dalsis
Victory: Move Garett next to the well
Defeat: Death of Garett
Dukie finally signs on with your army as a level 9 Fighter. By
this time, he should be the only commander still in his first class.
Remedy that in this scenario. In addition, Garett, Sabra, and Thorne
should be in their final classes by the end of this mission.
Placement is key in this level. You are going to use your
commanders to hold each entrance single-handedly, without the use of
troops. Buy 24 archers, then position one of their commanders at one
spot to the southeast, one spot to the southwest, and one to any north
position. Now, examine the map and determine who can pair with whom to
hold enemies at the four bottlenecks. The east choke points only need
one commander, so pair them with someone weak. The west choke points
need two commanders each, so pair strong commanders together. Make sure
you give the shield to Dukie and stick him in one of the west entrances
so he can get his level. Try not to give too much XP to anyone who has
reached his/her final class until everyone has. Don't give XP to Grand
Knights at all if you can help it.
Each commander pair should be able to deal with all of the enemy
units at its entrance. However, those with archers need to make haste,
so that when the Wyverns arrive, they can beat feet to the centers to
combat them. Similar to the Krakens, you don't want your enemies
killing each other off. Oh, and Lance will show up in the southwest, so
your southeast army should try to take on the Wyverns. Once all the
Grand Knights, Wyverns, and Lance are dead, use the stationary commander
tactics to kill the Arch Mage in the center. Move Garett next to the
well and prepare for one nasty fight.
UPDATE: I've found it doesn't matter which southern entrance you
choose to set up your Wyvern-killing archers; west is just as good as
east. Also, Dukie with the Shield can hold even one of the eastern
entrances by himself.
Scenario 12 - The Twin Castle
Victory: Death of Pythion
Defeat: Death of Garett
This is probably the hardest scenario in Warsong. If you are like
me, and hate wasting XP, it is definitely the hardest. If anyone can
formulate a set of tactics to complete this level without wasting XP or
losing commanders, I will verify it and then include it in this FAQ.
That said, I now give you my current battle plan, which will at least
limit how much XP you lose.
Buy as many horsemen as you can. Everyone else needs to buy 8
soldiers. If Sabra is a Dragon Knight, get gryphons if you want. The
level begins with Garett, Mina, Bayard, and Tibs in a good position in
the northwest and Calais, Sabra, Thorne, and Dukie in a terrible
position in the east. You don't get to choose where commanders go in
this scenario, so you might need to move commanders with horsemen away
from archers and replace them with soldiers. Note that this is pretty
hard, since horsemen crawl while indoors while archers are unaffected.
The two real threats in this level are the Wizard to the west and the
Bishop to the east. They have archers, which, coupled with the
spellcasters' high attack bonuses and powerful magic, will lay waste to
your troops. Even soldiers get creamed pretty badly by these archers,
as they get killed off before they can close for melee. Your only shot
is to look for (or make) an opening and send a commander with a high
attack rating to kill their commanders before the archers wipe you out.
Once you deal with the two sets of archers, you can use the rest
of the level to feed XP to any commanders that haven't reached their
third class yet. The Lord in between the two halves of the map is a
static commander and shouldn't be a problem. Pythion is also
stationary, but he can be a pain. Once you drain his magic and kill all
of his minions, he'll tear into you, probably hurting his target rather
badly. He's (usually) immune to magic, so the only way you can kill him
is to hit him with your strongest commanders four at a time and have the
remaining commanders heal your wounded. Even then, it will likely take
three or four turns to finish off His Grace.
Don't be surprised if this scenario takes a few tries to win
without losing any commanders. Try not to get discouraged, because
there are some fun levels coming up soon.
UPDATE: Okay, here we go. Much thanks go out to Jason Chrapliwy
for major contributions to this new approach to Scenario 12. It seems
that a Lord with the Shield or Cross can take on Hell's Archers without
much personal risk. I should have known that Lords were the solution!
Lords ROCK! All you have to do is have at least one Lord on each half
of the map (Bayard to the west, and Sabra, Thorne, or Dukie to the
east), give him/her a defense-boosting item, and laugh as the archers
commit suicide.
Scenario 13 - The City Of Stone Statues
Victory: Death of all enemies
Defeat: Death or petrification of Garett
There are two ways to approach this level. One, you can try to
run a commander up to the chest in the middle of town while the rest of
your forces hold off the Basilisks and evil ants. Lance will then join
you and the level is easily won. The second method is a little tougher,
but more rewarding. Be aggressive with the Basilisks and try to knock
them down to 7 HP or less and keep them weakened until you finish off
their troops. Meanwhile, Calais or Mina can kill all the slimes and two
other commanders can take on the ants.
Either way, you'll need 16 horsemen in the south and 16 horsemen
in the north, along with 4 guardsmen in the north. Basilisks are pretty
weak for commanders, so a full unit of horsemen can usually knock them
down to 7 HP or lower with one attack (at moderate cost to themselves).
The styracosaurs are actually tougher than the Basilisks, so it could
take a few turns to finish them off.
Scenario 14 - Wolf Pack
Victory: Death of all enemies
Defeat: Death of Garett
This is a fun scenario. Don't buy any troops. Give attack-
enhancing items to the commanders you wish to level. Position your
commanders wherever. After you kill the initial Were Wolf, run three
commanders to a building with a one-square entrance and the other three
to a like building. Put a commander in need of XP in the entrance to
each building, sit back, and enjoy the ensuing carnage. Treat when
wounded and attack when not. On turn 10, a soldier warns Garett that
the moon is coming out and that the Were Wolves will become stronger. I
have seen no evidence that this is true.
Scenario 15 - Roar Of The Dragon
Victory: Death of Great Dragon
Defeat: Death of Garett or Great Dragon reaches the town
The commanders you want to take on this mission are: Garett (you
have to), your fastest unit that can still benefit from XP (not Lance),
and your two lowest level commanders. I would Give Warsong and the Evil
Axe to the two commanders you plan on building up, and the Wand or the
Great Sword to the speedy commander. Buy some horsemen if you like, and
set up your fast commander in the north position. It doesn't matter
where you put the rest.
Now, race north as fast as you can with your speed demon.
Everyone else can sit tight around the town walls for a bit. Once the
Gorgosaurs reach the town, send out your three commanders to mop them
up. By this time, your expeditionary force of one should have
dispatched the barbarians and released Efreet.
Kill as much as you can, hit the Great Dragon with some magic
and/or wait for the Fire Element to weaken it to 1 or 2 HP, and then
attack it with your axe-wielder on the next turn. If you're lucky,
he/she'll kill it. If not, Efreet will polish it off.
By this time, you should only have two commanders who have not
reached their third class, three at the very most. If you're good,
you'll only have one left to level.
Scenario 16 - In The Darkness
Victory: Death of Great Dragon
Defeat: Death of Garett
I love this level. Aside from a guardsman or two, you don't even
need troops! Take a spellcaster with a pair of guardsmen to the north
and deal with the goo. Send one other commander as backup, just in case
the southwest evil ants go that way. Everyone else can run south.
There is a great choke point that you should be able to reach with a
pair of mounted units on the first turn. Stick two commanders of your
choice here and let MGS take its course. After all other enemies are
dead, rob the Great Dragon of his magic, troops, and finally, his life.
You can pick up the Dragon Slayer sword if you want to, but the Great
Dragon will more easily fall to the combined damage of your commanders'
spells.
Scenario 17 - The Fierce Attack
Victory: Death of all enemies
Defeat: Death of Garett
This scenario, however, I hate. It's long and boring and tough.
Get four full contingents of archers and two sets of horsemen, if you
can. Line everybody up at the edge of tree lines for maximum defense.
It's likely you'll be attacked by multiple Wyverns at once, so use magic
liberally to keep your troops in top form and theirs in a weakened
state. By the time the Gorgosaurs reach you, all of the Wyverns should
be dead. To compound the suckness of this level, the Gorgosaurs like to
leave some of their troops behind, forcing XP hogs like myself to hunt
them down through all those forests and mountains. Bummer.
Scenario 18 - Seneferia
Victory: Death of Naxos
Defeat: Death of Garett
This scenario is pretty easy. Don't bother with troops, just get
your commanders on defensive ground and let the enemy bust its teeth on
them. Once you get to Naxos, lure his golems away with a couple of
units, then attack him when he's exposed. Even Calais can take Naxos
one on one; he's a chump. By this time, all of your commanders should
have reached their final class. Now you should try to get each one to
level 5 in that class so their magic will be enhanced.
UPDATE: Yeah, so it appears that Naxos and his golems aren't
immune to magic after all. This level just got even easier.
Scenario 19 - The Elusive Knight
Victory: Death of Mortimus
Defeat: Death of Garett
The Elusive Knight, Mortimus, hides behind a full cadre of 7
commanders and 640 troops (counting his own). Even so, you don't need
any troops for this scenario. Put Calais as close to Mortimus as you
can on the first turn. She will absorb his Paralyze spells without
effect. Send any commanders who still need XP to the south. Line them
up abreast in the southern corridor where they will slowly murder the
two Fighters, the Lord, and all of their troops. Also, you can expose
yourself to the spells of the Bishop and the Wizards with minimal risk.
Next, run everyone north to a good choke point and use a Grand
Knight and a Saint to rip up the other Lord and all of the archers.
Make sure you don't put anyone else up against the archers or you could
lose them. Done that? Go after Mortimus himself, destroying all of his
skeletons first. The Elusive Knight is just slightly less of a loser
than Naxos was. Soon it will be his breath that he finds elusive.
UPDATE: The previous sentence contains a very bad joke. I
apologize.
Scenario 20 - The Confinement Of Darkness
Victory: Death of Chaos
Defeat: Death of Garett
At this point, you should have most if not all of your commanders
at level 5 in their final class. Don't get troops; you don't need them.
They'll just make the level last longer with all their moving and
attacking. Tear through the Living Armors and beat the piss out of
Ganelon as well. You shouldn't have any trouble by this time.
When Chaos shows up, let HIM come to YOU (Oh, the arrogance; I
love it!). When he finally arrives, get ready for either a very tough
or a very easy fight. I'll explain. The Treco team gave Mr. Entropy an
Achilles Heel: magic. For the final enemy, you'd think they would have
at least made him immune to spells like some of the past commanders have
been. You can fight him if you want; he looks really cool. However, he
will fall pretty easily to spell assault. It's less heroic, but
ridiculously easy.
UPDATE: As has been mentioned several times above, no commander is
immune to magic unless the anti-magic bug is in effect. This info
doesn't change the tactics against Chaos, but I wanted to correct all
false statements in this FAQ. Also, I underestimated the usefulness of
monks in past games. If you have one Saint, monks will make the level
go faster. If you have two, you'll really clean house.
*Conclusion And Parting Thoughts*
Don't be surprised if the ending to Warsong leaves you wanting. I
guess Chaos was the Evil that was sealed within Warsong? Or was it just
sealed within Seneferia using Warsong? Also, Chaos claims to be a
balancing force. That doesn't sound particularly evil... Anyway, Warsong
is a great game; it just has a few nuances that are a little irritating.
The magic immunity bug and Lords becoming just another shooter knight
class are examples. Also, Calais' final class, Arch Mage, is far weaker
both physically and magically to Mina's Saint. I know you can make
Calais a Saint too, but it requires her to go through Cleric and
Priestess, probably the two hardest classes to level. And what's up
with the Ranger? Why didn't they just call it a Ninja, and why can only
women attain it? Weird. Also, why do Knights and Knight Masters suck
so badly compared to Lords and Magic Knights?
As for what's good about the game, I think the concept of Warsong
is unique with the commanders and troops system. The class-changing
system, although done before in other games, makes Warsong exciting and
gives it replay value. The graphics in Warsong are pretty good for the
time, and the music is excellent. Despite its flaws, Warsong remains
one of my favorite games of all time.
If anyone out there finds superior tactics or additional
information for this game, email me your info and I'll consider
including it in an update. Also, my records for final XP are as
follows:
Garett - Level 5 King
Sabra - Level 6 Grand Knight
Calais - Level 5 Arch Mage
Tiberon - Level 5 Knight Master
Mina - Level 6 Saint
Bayard - Level 5 Magic Knight
Thorne - Level 5 Magic Knight
Carleon - Level 5 Magic Knight
If you can beat these totals, you're pretty damn good, and I would
like to know what you do differently.
UPDATE: These new totals are better than the old ones, thanks in
part to the new tactic for Scenario 12. To get these I only wasted the
XP of four troops and no commanders, not counting most of the enemies in
Scenario 1. The only way anyone can beat these is to kill more on
Scenario 1, get those four troops I missed, choose classes with smaller
XP bars, and/or cheat. Good luck!
Garett - Level 5 Grand Knight
Sabra - Level 6 Dragon Knight
Calais - Level 5 Arch Mage
Tiberon - Level 6 Knight Master
Mina - Level 8 Saint
Bayard - Level 5 Magic Knight
Thorne - Level 5 Magic Knight
Carleon - Level 6 Magic Knight
I would also like to play and write a FAQ for Warsong's sequels
(of which there are many, I hear), but I can't find a decent translation
that doesn't require me to have hacker skills (which I don't). Any help
here would be appreciated.
UPDATE: I have found a well-translated version of Langrisser II.
I haven't played it much, as the graphics seriously make me sick.
There's something about fat little soldiers with huge heads that really
burns me up. I also hate the way they fall on their asses when they
*die* instead of actually looking dead. Maybe someday I'll give it a
go, but it will have to be one hell of a game to overcome the stupid
Bomberman-esque graphics.
In closing, I would like to mention my disdain for cheat codes,
gamesharks, and game hacking (barring translations, of course). If you
use the cheat codes for Warsong, the game becomes ridiculously easy. If
a game is pitifully easy, what is the fun in playing it? I just don't
understand. Anyway, if you really want to cheat, I'm sure you can find
the codes somewhere online; I refuse to include them in this FAQ.
The writing of this FAQ was a much larger undertaking than I ever
imagined it would be, so please don't rip it off or copy it. Thank you.
Have fun with Warsong, and contact me if you have any specific
questions, corrections, or missing information that you think needs to
be included in future versions of this FAQ.
*Warsong Quiz*
Test your Warsong knowledge with this exciting and challenging
quiz! Or waste a few minutes of your life by looking at my super-lame
quiz. Or don't take it at all. Although you may not believe me when
you look at the answers, I didn't make any mistakes here. I triple-
checked the answers and field-verified each of them. They are all
correct; there's just some silly stuff in Warsong.
Item 1: Why does Pythion steal Warsong?
A) He wants to revive the Evil.
B) He hated King Alfador.
C) He craves power.
D) To lead Garett into a trap.
Item 2: If a skeleton can't reach its target, what does it throw?
A) An axe.
B) A bone.
C) A spear.
D) Mortimus.
Item 3: Which of these is NOT a reason why the Great Dragon is easier
the second time you fight it?
A) He is stationary.
B) You can use the Dragon Slayer.
C) He is lower level.
D) His defense is lower.
Item 4: Why does Sabra leave Balatia after the fight with Chaos?
A) She wants to marry Thorne.
B) She wants more training in swordsmanship.
C) She is ashamed she couldn't save Alfador.
D) She joins Tibs to become a pirate (Yar!).
Item 5: What reason does Mortimus give as to why Garett should join him
in the world of darkness?
A) For power.
B) He'll kill him if he doesn't.
C) It's fun.
D) Chicks dig it.
Item 6: How many Magic Points does a unit of Basilisks possess?
A) 0
B) 1
C) 2
D) 4
Item 7: How many units of skeletons are in Warsong?
A) 72
B) 64
C) 56
D) 32
Item 8: Who tells Garett of the Soul of Flame?
A) Priest
B) Mina
C) Soldier
D) Lance
Item 9: What battle background is displayed for a unit fighting on one
of the walls of the valley where the Great Dragon lives?
A) A cave.
B) A castle wall.
C) A low mountain.
D) A high mountain.
Item 10: From what object(s) did Naxos create his golems?
A) Rocks.
B) Easter Island heads.
C) The Mystic Orb.
D) A pillar.
Okay, check how you did and total your score to see what kind of
Warsong fanatic you truly are.
Item 1: C
Item 2: A
Item 3: D
Item 4: B
Item 5: C
Item 6: B
Item 7: B
Item 8: A
Item 9: B
Item 10: D
0 - 1 correct: You have never played Warsong and are bad at guessing.
2 - 3 correct: You haven't gotten past Lance.
4 - 5 correct: You are a Warsong fan.
6 - 7 correct: I'm impressed.
8 - 9 correct: You are truly dedicated.
10 correct: Scary.
This FAQ is copyrighted Axle Kerrigan, 2001-2002. Any unauthorized sale
or reproduction of this document is forbidden. Others may use the
information contained herein provided they give the author written
credit in their work.
