الوسم: conquest

  • How to Fight and Win Wars by Completing and Solving in Europa Universalis 5

    How to Fight and Win Wars by Completing and Solving in Europa Universalis 5

    Sometimes, as you work through centuries of history to build a new country in Europa Universalis 5, your neighbors might not be happy with your growth. Certain actions can lead to difficult and costly wars.

    Going to war in EU5 is serious business. You need to evaluate your country’s strength compared to your enemies, consider any potential allies they might call on, and think about the wider political consequences of starting a conflict. Keep track of your warscore and aim for victory through combat.

    ### War Overview

    Before declaring war, you’ll need a Casus Belli — a reason for going to war. You can develop this purpose through diplomacy, espionage, and opinion-building with other countries. Sometimes, the game will give you a Casus Belli naturally, based on conflicts like claims to thrones, territorial disputes, or personal unions when heirs hold claims to multiple nations.

    You can choose to declare war without a Casus Belli, but it will increase your antagonism significantly. It’s better to provoke or fabricate a reason to avoid penalties. Casus Belli expire after about four years, during which you can push your war goals. You win by achieving your objectives or by conquering territory, which is more complex but also an option.

    ### Build Military Strength and Monitor Units

    To be taken seriously, you need to develop your armies and navies continuously, especially during wars. Assign capable generals to lead your units — you can select from a list of suitable candidates. If units fight without leaders, the game will notify you and prompt you to assign one.

    Automation can help, but you should work to improve your military through reforms, research, and leadership. Diversify your tactics by researching advances in each age, appoint strong leaders for your units, and use the right formations in battle. Use your geography, building navies if you’re coastal or island-based, or focusing on land forces if landlocked.

    During combat, keep an eye on morale and exhaustion, as prolonged fighting drains your troops and impacts your country’s economy by lowering trade, production, and population growth.

    ### Wars End Through Victories or Treaties

    Your war efforts revolve around achieving your set war goals, but if things aren’t going well, you can end the war by signing peace treaties. These treaties can involve territorial transfers, demands for resources or population, humiliation for your opponent, or reparations paid by one side.

    The game will inform you if the other country is willing to accept your terms. Acceptance depends on multiple factors like military strength, allies, the treaty’s conditions, and each country’s peace costs. The higher your warscore, the better your position; winning battles and calling on allies can tip the balance.

    ### Historical Wars Arise as Situations

    Depending on your chosen country, real historical events might trigger wars during your campaign. You might see conflicts like the Hundred Years War or religious crusades. Keep alert for event pop-ups indicating such situations. These are usually accompanied by icons showing the historical decision, and hovering over them provides previews of outcomes.

    You can choose to engage in these historical wars, change history by leading different victories, or even prevent wars from starting by making different early decisions. Pay close attention to these pop-ups, as your choices here shape the course of your game.

  • Completing Character Upgrades in Conquest Dark: A Guide to Solving

    Completing Character Upgrades in Conquest Dark: A Guide to Solving

    Conquest Dark features four distinct currencies, each essential for strengthening your character in its dark and gritty universe. Every gaming session offers something new, but there are permanent upgrades you can unlock to make future runs more manageable.

    Initially, the game may seem overwhelming, but there’s no need to stress. This guide will provide a detailed overview of every currency available, the upgrade systems, and the world nodes. You’ll discover how to acquire these currencies, their purposes, and how they can enhance your character between plays.

    Types of Nodes

    When you access the world map, you’ll notice various nodes. Each node represents a location you can explore.

    There are two main types of nodes. Some are combat areas where you’ll face waves of enemies and bosses to earn currencies, while others serve as upgrade hubs where you can spend your rewards:

    • You can earn currencies from Dark Rituals and Faction Reputation.
    • You can spend currencies to unlock upgrades at the Altars, Obelisks, and The Stygian Archive.

    How to Acquire Currencies

    Completing Dark Rituals and boosting your Faction Reputation will grant you Corrupted Soul Fragments, Soul Coins, Primordial Soul Coins, and Shards of the Black Planet.

    Dark Rituals

    Dark Rituals are the primary missions in the game. During these events, you’ll battle waves of foes, elite enemies, and formidable bosses. Your performance directly influences how quickly you can level up and access upgrades.

    The longer you endure and the more bosses you defeat, the higher the ritual tier ascends. Higher tiers yield considerably better rewards, including increased drop rates and larger amounts of currencies.

    Completing Dark Rituals also grants Faction Experience.

    Faction Reputation

    • Type of currency: Soul Coins, Primordial Soul Coins

    Every playable class in Conquest Dark belongs to a specific Faction. Using that class in Dark Rituals will automatically earn you Faction Experience. This progress accumulates over time, reflecting your commitment to that faction and unlocking ongoing rewards.

    Each faction has a 25-level reputation track, and reaching certain milestones at levels 5, 10, 15, and 20 will reward you with valuable items, such as:

    • Soul Coins and Primordial Soul Coins
    • Passive stat boosts like increased critical hit chance, bleed resistance, or cooldown reduction.
    • New weapons and abilities unique to that faction.

    Most upgrades you unlock apply across all classes, not just one. For instance, leveling up to Level 20 with the Barbarian’s faction, Band of the Lion, grants a 25% bleed damage reduction applicable to all classes. This encourages you to progress through Factions, even if you prefer various characters.

    Classes like Barbarian, Hunter, Thief, Oathkeeper, and Acolyte of Kuu each align with unique factions. By leveling up all classes and their respective factions, you’ll gain bonuses beneficial for every character. In time, this builds a strong foundation to bolster every gameplay session, regardless of the class you choose.

    Spend Currencies to Improve Your Character

    You can spend Corrupted Soul Fragments, Shards of the Black Planet, Soul Coins, and Primordial Soul Coins at the Altars, Obelisks, and The Stygian Archives.

    Altars

    • Type of currency: Corrupted Soul Fragments.
    • Function: Permanently enhance your base stats.

    Altars are vital for progression in Conquest Dark. Each Altar focuses on upgrading specific stats, such as damage, health, movement speed, cooldown reduction, projectile speed, and pickup radius.

    These upgrades are permanent and accumulate, benefiting every class and session. However, the cost of upgrades rises as you advance. After level 7, the required amount of Corrupted Soul Fragments increases significantly. To avoid heavy grinding later, prioritize your upgrade choices early on.

    Not all stat upgrades are created equal. Most altars provide minor increases per level, usually around +0.25% to +0.5%. However, some, like the Altar of Power, grant +2% damage per level, offering significantly better returns.

    Focus your early Corrupted Soul Fragments on upgrades that substantially enhance your damage or survivability. Expand to secondary stats after stabilizing those primary ones.

    Obelisks

    • Type of currency: Shards of the Black Planet.
    • Function: Increase the difficulty of your next ritual in exchange for better rewards.

    Obelisks are special nodes enabling you to apply Corruption to your next Dark Ritual by using Shards of the Black Planet. These shards enhance resource gains and progression, making them one of the most efficient ways to boost rewards.

    Each shard provides a percentage-based bonus active during your next ritual, and stacking multiple shards across various Obelisks amplifies the potential gains across multiple currencies. Common Corruption bonuses include:

    • +X% Faction Experience
    • +X% chance of obtaining extra Soul Coins
    • +X% chance of earning additional Corrupted Soul Fragments

    X represents the bonus value, which varies based on the shard. Different shards can offer a wide range of effects. For example, one shard might give you an +18% Soul Coin drop chance, while another boosts Faction XP by +52%.

    Check your shard inventory and strategize to maximize your rewards for specific goals, whether leveling a faction or farming coins.

    If a ritual has no modifier, a Corruption penalty will be applied. If you select a ritual with an inherent difficulty modifier, like increased enemy health, additional penalties from Obelisks won’t apply. You’ll receive the full corruption bonuses without an increase in difficulty.

    This system lets you apply Corruption to simpler rituals for efficient farming or utilize it on modified rituals for extra rewards without added risk. In both scenarios, bonuses are always active, ensuring your shards are never wasted.

    The Stygian Archive

    • Type of currency: Soul Coins, Primordial Soul Coins.
    • Function: Upgrade your weapons and abilities.

    The Stygian Archive serves as your central hub for weapon and ability upgrades. Here, you can review all the skills and enhancements you’ve unlocked throughout your journey.

    Each weapon or ability can be upgraded up to level 10, with each level providing a +5% damage increase for a total of +50% at max level. Upgrades require Soul Coins and become pricier at each level.

    Primordial Soul Coins are essential for critical stages at levels 5 and 10. These coins are scarce, so focus on upgrading your most-used abilities and weapons.

    Leveling up not only boosts damage but also unlocks Rune Slots at levels 1, 5, and 10, allowing customization with special effects. This enhances your build and playstyle.

    Here are some tips for maximizing your progression:

    • Start with Damage upgrades at the Altar of Power, as they offer the best early boost: +2% per level.
    • Apply Corruption to difficult rituals for greater rewards without added risk.
    • Level up all factions over time for significant global bonuses.
    • Save Soul Coins for skills and weapons you plan to fully upgrade.
    • Once you settle on a primary class or build, allocate your coins and upgrade investments accordingly for more effective growth.
    • Level multiple factions for stacking global perks.

    All Currency Types Explained

    Each currency type can enhance world nodes and unlock permanent character upgrades in Conquest Dark. Some currencies are common and easily acquired, while others are rare and associated with specific challenges. Here’s a breakdown:

    Corrupted Soul Fragments

    Corrupted Soul Fragments are the red crystals. They serve as your primary currency for upgrading crucial stats in Conquest Dark. These fragments drop from nearly all enemies, but you’ll earn significantly more when taking down elite foes and bosses, especially in higher-tier Dark Rituals.

    You can spend them at Altars to gain permanent stat improvements like increased damage, health, and movement speed. The higher your upgrade level, the more fragments you’ll need, so gather and save them for long-term advancement.

    Soul Coins

    Soul Coins, also known as Silver Coins, are a commonly earned currency from Dark Rituals and Faction rewards. They are crucial for upgrading weapons and abilities in the Stygian Archive.

    These coins are needed for all upgrades from levels 1 to 10, with costs increasing at each level. Although they’re easy to collect early on, their value grows as you unlock more abilities and start diversifying your upgrades.

    Primordial Soul Coins

    Primordial Soul Coins are rare gold coins primarily obtained from high-tier Dark Rituals and Faction reputation rewards. They are vital for milestone upgrades at levels 5 and 10 in the Stygian Archive, which enhance weapons and abilities.

    Since Primordial Soul Coins are limited, prioritize upgrades for your most utilized weapons or abilities to maximize each upgrade’s impact.

    Shards of the Black Planet

    Shards of the Black Planet are acquired by completing certain rituals. These shards are inserted into Obelisks to introduce Corruption, providing randomized bonuses for your upcoming ritual. For instance, you might receive effects like increased Faction XP or enhanced chances of obtaining Soul Coins.