You might be thinking, “Where did the old Guide go?”. After countless hours of battling in Avatar Conquest I decided to revise the entire Guide, to include more Hints, Tips and useful knowledge, replacing, through trial and error, my previous conclusions from Shogun 2 with something fresh and much more complex. The aim of this Guide is to look at how you can defeat a Fall of the Samurai Army, in Avatar Conquest, with the use of Core Shogun 2 units (without any DLC or additional Expansion Units). While I am aware this is a difficult task it is by no means impossible. You simple need to consider your options, and then choose the one which is most likely to work. Let’s jump head-first into Shogun 2 Tradition vs Technology Warfare.
Technology or Tradition?
When facing a Fall of the Samurai army you have to take into account the wide selection of troops that such an army may have. First of all, the enemy will have a core choice of basic “Samurai” units, known as Yari and Katana Kachi, Yari Ki and Bow Kachi. These are very similar to your Samurai Yaris, Bows and Katanas, as well as Yari Cavalry, with two major exceptions. They are slightly stronger in certain stats, and they are more numerous, normally. While the costs may be similar on average in a 1 vs 1 situation a Core Shogun 2 Army Katana Samurai unit will not beat a Katana Kachi unit. That is, unless you use Veteran Katana Samurai, capture structures on the battlefield and have Retainers that will increase the stats of your Samurai units.
Unlike your army, a Fall of the Samurai Army will have a smaller choice in beneficial Retainers for their traditional units. That does not mean you can dismiss them. Among the most dangerous units the enemy has access to are the Shogitai. Shogitai might be considered the answer to your No-Dachi Samurai. Both of them are good on the charge, and both are skilled in close combat. However, Shogitai have a better attack and defense, while the No-Dachi have a much higher Charge Bonus.
As such, when playing your Core Shogun 2 Army you might encounter a player using a Fall of the Samurai army with Samurai units. When facing such an army you will have to pay attention to two types of units that pose the greatest threat to you. Yari Ki and Shogitai. A Yari Ki charge from the flank or rear will decimate your force, unless the charge is lead into your Yari units. Shogitai on the other hand pose a substantial threat to any and all units, be it melee or ranged. What should you do then? Shogitai have little to no armor, so your natural response to them should be Bows with Fire Arrows or a mass of Matchlocks. Matchlocks have a long reload time, but if you have Samurai or Monk Matchlocks they will be very accurate, and if they have Veteran levels, a higher reload rate. Yari Ki may be deflected by Yari Cavalry, but in order to ensure a victory you will need as many, or slightly more Yari Cavalry Squads to what your enemy has. Alternatively you can use Yari Samurai to cover your flanks or rear. Even Yari Ashigaru can perform this tank exceedingly well, as long as they are positioned toward the charging Cavalry. A Fall of the Samurai Army may have access to more units, such as Kyoto Police, Shinsegumi Police Force and Ninjas, but these are highly situational units. Kyoto Police are spearmen, and as such only good against Cavalry. Shinsegumi have rifles and decent melee, but other units perform better in either one of those areas. Ninjas? Let us say that I rarely see anybody use them effectively.
While a Fall of the Samurai army has access to these more traditional units it has a much wider choice in “Modern” units. There are two categories of Modern Infantry worth mentioning. The Line Infantry and Elite Infantry. Line Infantry always has the same range, which is shorter than that of any bow unit you may have. They tend to have good accuracy and reload speeds but they lack any armor and their melee will be lacking. Elite Infantry is very similar in these respects to Line Infantry, except that they will have (normally) a higher range, higher rate of fire and accuracy. British, American and French Marines will provide a Morale boost, and while they share the range of Line Infantry (this can be upgraded with Clan Tokens) their melee is just as average against trained Samurai. The major strength of your Samurai units is their melee and armor. While their Armor will not save them from rifle volleys, it will make a difference in close combat.
Real issues begin when faced with certain Cavalry units. Carbine and Revolver Cavalry are both extremely dangerous for your Elite Troops. A unit of Katana Heroes will be eviscerated by a unit of Carbines, riding up to them and delivering a single volley. While you cannot predict how many such units the enemy will have you can safeguard yourself in a number of ways. First of all, keep Yari Cavalry hidden near your main force. Carbine and Revolver Cavalry is extremely good in range, but if your Yari charge home victory will be yours. Your alternatives include massed bow fire and matchlocks, but just as before, Matchlocks have a very short range, so you would have to hide them in woodland and wait for the enemy to ride up to them. Your Spear Infantry will not catch up with these Cavalry types, unless the enemy charges into them when they are hidden. This rarely happens, so your best bet is keeping some of your own Cavalry ready.
Sure, they might have rifles, but are their uniforms fire-retardant?
Time for your biggest issue (aside from all the other big issues), Artillery. The enemy has access to two cannon types and a Gattling gun. Parrott and Armstrong Guns both work on a similar principle, and they are equally annoying. They are surprisingly difficult to destroy when they are not deployed, but when they are they make delicious targets for your Cavalry and Ninjas. It does not take much to force a route, and I sacrificed a unit of Ninjas on more than one occasion to destroy these cannons. You lose just over 600 points, but the enemy looses much, much more. Gattling Guns are somewhat less dangerous than Cannons, for one simple reason, they have a shorter range. Cannons have an extremely long range, on some maps capable of targetting your deployment area without having to move. They have one huge weakness, Forests. If you hide a unit in or behind woodland you will see the enemy cannon shots smashing into trees. Put your unit on a hilly slope and the problem is even more persistent (do not put it behind the hill, put it on the slope, much more difficult to hit). You cannot play the waiting game with cannons, unless the enemy decides to sit back and bomb you. Cannons have a lot of ammunition, and only on a few rare occassions during a lengthy siege did I see a Cannon run out of things to bomb me with. Your best chance of defeating the cannons is to attack. In order to minimalise casualities spread out your units. Every single one of your units has a “Loose” formation, which makes cannons much less effective.
As stated before, the enemy has access to some traditional and a lot of modern units. As such, an enemy army can be formed from a mix of both unit types. This poses a serious dent in your plans, since the enemy melee units will tie down your own, allowing the enemy line infantry or bows to fire at you (much like in a core Shogun 2 battle, except more deadly). How then do you defeat your enemies? You have a number of options, all depending on your enemy.
Let us assume the “best case” Scenario. The enemy has only Modern Infantry, with an artillery gun. The enemy might position themselves up on a hill, or in an open area, but that does not make them untouchable. Firstly, if the enemy has Cavalry it would be a good idea to take it out, or to force them to hide with their main force. Without Cavalry the enemy is forced on the defensive, since they will have no easy or quick tool to effectively flank you. That does not mean they do not have, for example, Shogitai or Katana Kachi waiting for you, but if your Cavalry survived you have an edge.
How do you engage the main battle line? First I would suggest softening it up. Your Bow Ashigaru and Samurai both have a higher range than Modern Line Infantry. You can use them to fire volleys of arrows from a safer distance at the enemy line. On top of that you can use hills and buildings as natural cover, forcing the enemy to go around or over them. This could be a good setup for a trap or ambush. Furthermore, your Bow Samurai can have Extended Range Upgrades, making them especially effective against enemy Line Infantry and even any Elite Infantry your enemy might have. Target those units that will give you the biggest problem on the charge, those being Elite and “High Level” Line Infantry units. You might choose to ignore, for example, Black/Red/White Bears for the sake of Shogun/Imperial Infantry. If the enemy uses a multiple line setup you know you will have to hit hard at the softened front, overwhelm them, and then charge immediately into the second line.
Your charge should be quick and ruthless. Your two most useful units (for an early army) are Yari and No-Dachi Samurai. Both of these unit types have abilities that greatly increase their charge effectiveness. A Veteran No-Dachi Samurai Unit can and will absolutely destroy any Modern Line or Elite Infantry unit. Even Shogitai and Katana Kachis will feel the wrath of the No-Dachi. Of course, the problem is reaching the enemy. That is where Ashigaru come in handy. Let us say you had three units of No-Dachi Samurai. They have little armor, poor defense, but their charge is deadly. However, on the other end of the field you are facing Line Infantry. How do you get around to defeating them? Use an Ashigaru “Meat Shield”. Ashigaru units are cheap, and they have poor Morale and overall combat abilities, but they will protect the units that will actually do the fighting. Another benefit is that if the enemy chooses to ignore the Ashigaru they can be used to tie up enemy line infantry. I say “tie up” because Line Infantry that is fighting in melee cannot fire at your Samurai. That is also where Light Cavalry may become useful, because the enemy’s second line will be forced to fight your Light Cavlry instead of assisting their first line that is in close combat.
Once the Melee has begun there is a good chance that you will win, unless the enemy has a second, unoccupied line. Using Cavalry to take them out is a good idea, assuming the enemy does not have Cavalry of their own. It would not be a bad idea to redicrect, during the charge, some of your units from the first line and flank around to the second line. One of the best things you can do during a charge is to force your enemies to shift their units around. Until a unit is fully stationary it will not be able to fire at full effect, and if your infantry/cavalry is quick they will not manage to fire a single shot. While the melee rages on you can accomplish a number of other tasks. Firstly, you should try to take out the enemy General. Once the melee starts the enemy will try to reposition him further back, or try to move him closer to the first line to fire (if he has revolvers). That only improves your chance of an effective flanking or rear attack, since you will “cauldron “the enemy, keeping them enclosed and unable to retreat, and thus regroup. Once their Morale starts to crumble the chain reaction will cause all the units in the cauldron to flee, not just the single unit.
Here are a few tips that you should adhere to. Use Forests, if your units are hidden you can position them very closely to the enemy line. A huge bonus is even starting a charge through woodland, because even if the enemy spots you their effective fire will be much smaller. Ninjas, as said before, can be used to destroy artillery guns or even attempt to kill the enemy general, but their bombs can be even deadlier in a bunched up melee. If they strike at the enemy from behind you will not only weaken their numbers but their Morale will be absolutely destroyed. Another great use for Ninjas is to deploy them near Structures you want to take over, like Sword Dojos. Before your two armies meet you will have all the bonuses you need. Using the correct Retainers can mean the different between Victory and Defeat. A Metsuke Inspector modifies your Rally ability, allowing you to not only boost the morale of your troops, but also to decrease the morale of the enemy troops. The Infantry Officer gives a single point of Morale boost for your Melee Samurai, which might not seem like much, but during a heated, lengthy battle it makes all the difference. In a Siege you might prefer to use the Famous Armory, so that during the melee your infantry will survive for longer.
Let us jump into the next important area of this Guide, the Sieges.
Bows beat Rifles? A lot depends on the circumstances. If used correctly bowmen can make all the difference.
A siege against a Fall of the Samurai army will be a real challenge. On the Defense the enemy may use artillery, on the attack you might be forced to engage an enemy with Line Infantry manning every inch of the walls. How do you get around to winning in such a dark and unfriendly Scenario?
Let us talk about Defending your castle first. You will want to have bow units (clearly) but you should not shun away from Matchlocks. A Matchlock is not nearly as effective as Modern Line Infantry but Veteran or Elite Matchlocks can be used to great effect when protecting a lower courtyard. During one battle a combination of Veteran Bow and Matchlock infantry managed to hold, in essence on their own, an entire courtyard. The Matchlocks proved instrumental in killing the enemy general who foolishly approached the walls. Matchlocks are deadlier than bows, but their long reload time and limited range makes them near useless during an open field battle. In a Siege however it’s a different story.
Aside from your ranged units you will also want to have melee infantry. Here the question of “Armor” vs “Attack” appears. Armor will let you survive a lengthy siege, but a better attack will let you push back the enemy more effectively. If you have an early army you will have a choice between Yari, Katana and No-Dachi Samurai. Katanas are good in Melee, with decent armor and “Ok” Defense. The No-Dachi have little Armor and poor defense but a deadly charge. Yari Samurai have an incredible defense and armor but only average attack. The way I approach this problem is according to my needs. If I see enemy line Infantry, and I know they have poor morale, I will charge at them, as they climb over the walls, with my No-Dachi. If the enemy is pushing through a destroyed gate I will use my Yari or Katana Samurai to clog them up. You may find it surprising, but Cavalry still has its many uses during a Siege. Just like No-Dachi, a Cavalry unit can charge into a unit climbing over your wall. You may also use them to haunt the enemy’s artillery and general.
When fighting a siege it is important to understand how your bows work against Line Infantry. Matchlocks and Modern rifles need a clear line of sight of the enemy to fire. Your bows do not. If it becomes apparent that the enemy has taken a lower courtyard you can still haunt them by moving your Bow units away from the ramparts and just a short distance back. Their fire might be less accurate but you will still fire at the enemy, while they will have to move over the next series of walls. Your Matchlocks can be positioned in wait for the enemy Line Infantry to climb over the walls. A combination of bows, Matchlocks and Samurai protecting a wall section will make it impossible for the enemy to effecitvely defeat you. The problem arises when the enemy decides to swap their Line Infantry for Bow Kachi. Then it is up to the quality of your bow units and strategy to outsmart and defeat them.
Because there are different castle types it is very hard to find a perfect strategy when defending. Some castles have only a single wall, making it very difficult to employ any form of “Multiple Stage” defense, especially if the enemy uses both Line Infantry and Bow Kachi. During such moments having some Cavalry units can change things around, assuming the enemy exposes their Bow Kachi, and forgets to protect their flanks. If not you will be either forced to fight in the open, and hope to overwhelm them with a single crushing blow, or that at some point the enemy will make a grave mistake, such as leaving their general in the open. Ninjas can aid you in making a difficult siege much easier, by taking out the enemy Artillery. You will have a hard time, but if the enemy is sloppy victory will be assured
A very, very useful trick when defending is to use your castle as a “shield” against artillery fire. If you know where the enemy cannon is position your units behind the castle in such a way that cannon balls will not be able to reach them. This, sadly, creates a welcoming target for enemy bow units, but you can either expose yourself to artillery fire, or not.
Here is another EXTREMELY important thing. During the battle, from fire arrows or cannon fire, wall sections and gates may be damaged or lit on fire. If you have units on a wall section or gate that is destroyed then you will effectively loose all the units on that wall section. If you see a part of your walls, or your manned gate about to be destroyed move your unit away from it! If you are moving a massive number of units, down to a courtyard and the gate is destroyed while your units are moving through it you will lose ALL or most of them. Once a wall or gate is destroyed it may be safely used again, however a destroyed wall section does not provide nearly as much protection as it would previously.
Let us talk about attacking a castle. Your number one essential tool, archers. Bow Samurai are cheap, have fire arrows, and with upgraded range they can fire at most enemy units safely, and even destroy towers that would otherwise threaten your assault. Bow Ashigaru can also do the job, but because they do not have Fire Arrows (unless upgraded) they can at best kill units manning the walls, and even then, not effectively. Among your Siege units you have a choice of catapults, rockets and firebombs. Let us be frank here, you want the Fire Rockets. Fire Rockets, unlike the catapults, are very accurate, and extremely destructive. They also have a much longer range than Fire Bomb throwers, and even though they would have to be dangerously close to the enemy walls (a range of 250 when compared to 125 of Line Infatry) you would have to do some obvious mistake to let them get killed by ranged units. More commonly the enemy will use Cavalry to charge your Siege units, so try to keep them safe.
While your Fire Rockets are firing at enemy positions it would be a good idea to use the opportunity to scale the walls and take over any towers and gates in your path, then allow other units to proceed forward with much less danger. Any units can scale walls, but Ninjas are both very quick at it, and they will never suffer casualities when scaling (they do not fall off walls). On top of that they can Stealth Run, which means that they can take over a Gate or Tower without anybody spotting them. Take note, towers themselves cannot spot hidden units, only other units can do that. Using Cavalry during a Siege attack is usually a poor idea, because there is no space for them to charge or retreat. However, if the enemy is using Katana Kachi to protect a Gate, a Cavalry charge followed by an infantry charge will greatly soften the Kachi, giving you an opportunity to charge further, as such targetting Line Infatry and Archers on the higher ramparts. Since you cannot force the enemy to route however (on the highest rampart, that is) you will have to watch out for enemy spear infantry.
A well organised army can make even the most valiant charge crumble into dust. In this case I miscalculated my charge and while my two Katana Samurai groups will eventually reach the first enemy line the second one further back will mow them down.
I found that one of the simplest ways to win a battle against a Fall of the Samurai army is to use an army primarily composed of Melee and Cavalry units. During a siege this is not a rule, but during a land battle it is doable. This only works if the enemy does not use terrain to his full advantage, or you fail to move up close enough to the enemy. Rivers, open fields and steep hills are cases when this Charge may fail completely, especially if the enemy concentrates in such areas. If the distance is short though, and there is just enough cover for your troops then you should have no problem (unless the enemy uses melee units of his own, then it’s a mix).
Loan Sword Ashigaru as well as Yari Ashigaru may be completely dismissed during a Shogun 2 game, and when they face Fall of the Samurai Melee units. When they are most appreciated is against enemy Line Infantry. While not the most powerful these two unit types can overwhelm the enemy with sheer numbers, assuming you can stop them from routing. I had suffered disastrous defeat to armies that skillfuly combined both low cost and high quality troops. For example, the enemy once relied on Monk Bows, while almost all of his melee were Loan Sword and Yari Ashigaru. I could not approach the walls, due to the Monk Bows, and I was aware that if I did not take care of them quickly enough the melee would be a loss for me. Having a smaller more elite army works on the defensive, during a siege for example, but if you plan on attacking it is a horrible idea. If the enemy uses Line Infantry, and exploits open fields then you will lose your expensive units before they get to do anything. As such, always have a mix of cheap and expensive units. Even if your Loan Swords are unable to defeat a unit of Line Infantry they can at least keep them occupied.
Modern Fall of the Samurai units do not have torches. If you are defending a sizeable castle then the enemy will have to climb up numerous walls or destroy the gates. Here is the catch, if the enemy has only modern units the only way they can destroy gates or towers is through the use of artillery. If they lack artillery then they have to scale the walls and that is a perfect opportunity for your melee units to cause a heavy route. If the enemy has traditional units however they can use torches. On the other hand, if the enemy has very few of them you could try taking them out so that the enemy is forced to sacrifice his men and advantage by scaling walls. Cannons are still very efficient at destroying structures so do not feel overly confident.
You might think that the Shogun 2 European Cannons are useless compared to the Armstrong or Parrott guns. Thinks again. The European Cannons excell even more than the Armstrong and Parrot guns in destroying buildings. While the European Cannons are not any good in an open battle they can make all the difference during a siege. However, the European Cannons are more expensive, and Fire Rockets are more destructive against enemy units, while also making it possible to burn down a structure.
This Guide may be updated in the future, as more observations are made. Hope you found this Guide useful, and check the rest of the site!
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