How to become shogun in Samurai Siege - hints, tips, and tricks

I've been putting Samurai Siege through its paces, and discovered it's a thoroughly agreeable experience.

That's a very good thing, indeed, for there's nothing worse than a poor game. And I should know.

Anyway. I've put an incredible amount of time into this game, and can now present to you my official guide to Samurai Siege.

Below, you'll find all sorts of mega-useful tips on making an impenetrable village, training unbeatable warriors, and forging battle strategies so devious that your enemies won't know what hit them.

Creating a fortress



Your army will only succeed if you've got enough resources. Money and assets win wars in real life; it's the same in Samurai Siege.

Start by focusing on building the key elements for a healthy economy: Essence Wells, Essence Storage, Markets, and Coin Vaults. Raise these up a couple of levels. Once you unlock the facility to purchase more of them, do so as soon as they become available.

Only when you've got something to defend should you build Walls and other defences.

At this point, you'll need to encircle your entire camp with a basic wall, as this makes it hard for standard troops to gain access to your base and cause damage. You should also erect as many Arrow Towers as you're allowed, and begin the process of levelling-up these structures.

Ensure you place the Arrow Towers in such a way that they cover the entire camp, and try not to erect them all in one area (as your enemy will more than likely just try to evade them). When you can buy a Cannon, which you use to heavily damage large numbers of troops, grab one and pop it in the centre of your HQ.

Only when you have these basics in place should you start to think about upgrading the Walls (which can be an expensive endeavour), planting traps (which must be re-filled), or decorations.

Building an army



Now that you've got a good defence, you can focus on your attack.

I found that I could win the first dozen battles I took part in during the single-player campaign just by using Samurai. So, train up loads of these when you're starting out. Samurai are cheap to produce and don't take up much room in the Practice Yard. Plus, you can use them in bulk to deal with most situations.

Remember that once you've fielded your units, they're lost... whether you win the battle in which they took part or not. You can also use Samurai to prod at the enemy's defences and see if anything nasty awaits you. This is a better tactic than sending in expensive units, blind to what may be ahead. So, yes, have some of these cheap chaps to hand.

You should build multiple Dojos and Practice Yards, and consider each warrior type as an additional currency to manage. Don't worry about overfilling your Dojo, as your warriors will immediately join the Practice Yard upon their brothers going off to battle.

Don't hesitate in repairing the Alliance Portal, either. Once you do so, you can request troops from Alliance members, which will further bolster your ranks.

Constructing a plan of attack



You've hit the 'Battle' button. You're ready to go to war online. "But hang about, soldier, are you sure you want to fight that guy? He looks a lot bigger than you. You might want to re-consider."

At a cost of a few Coins, you can skip the opponent you've been selected to fight. This is useful for when you don't necessarily fancy your chances.

You should also scan the battlefield before attacking and study it for any 'weaknesses'. Has your opponent forgotten to upgrade one of his walls at the same rate as the others? Are all of the Archer Towers located in one area? Are your enemy's resources poorly defended? You may want to attack these areas first.

If there don't seem to be obvious entry points, try to attack the Castle as your priority. By destroying it immediately, victory is guaranteed. This will increase your Alliance score and boost your overall rank. Additionally, you'll find Loot in the Castle that - when obtained - will result in defence bonuses.

Don't hang about too long, though. You need to be swift in your decisions. Unlike in the single-player missions, you're on a timer online. You've got a few moments before a battle begins to compose yourself, so use those precious seconds wisely.

Got any tips to share? Let us and the rest of the PG community know them by leaving them in the comments section below.