Playtest 1.0.5 Update | A New Battle System

Playtest 1.0.5

Playtest 1.0.5 has replaced the previous battle system with an entirely new one. This update curates the player-selectable officer pool for the Playtest while expanding the unit lineup, rebuilds pre-battle formation, battlefield command, refitting and rotation, Battle Arts and Stratagems, and combat balance, and introduces new fixed challenges.

• 145 Playtest-Selectable Officers
• 10 Battle Unit Types
• 16 Fixed AI Challenges

Expanded Unit System

• Five Special Unit Types
  Halberd, Crossbow, Elephant, Beast, and Rattan Armor units have been added, expanding the roster from 5 unit types to 10.
• Halberd and Crossbow Units
  Halberd units control the front line with sweeping normal attacks and can knock enemies back with their exclusive trait. Crossbow units have less range than archers but attack faster; other units can block their line of fire, and holding position allows them to enter Repeating Crossbow state.
• Elephant, Beast, and Rattan Armor Units
  Elephant units move slowly but can trample an area. Beast units move quickly and inflict Bleeding. Rattan Armor units have exceptional defense but take increased damage from fire attacks.
• Disengage and Cavalry Breakthroughs
  Spear units no longer have the Sweep trait and instead gain a rapid Disengage action; some infantry units can also Disengage. After a successful charge, cavalry can pass through its target when no unit, obstacle, or map boundary blocks the space behind it. Spear and Halberd units can stop a frontal breakthrough.

Battlefield Command and Formations

• Five Command Modes
  Guard, Pursuit, Patrol, Command, and Full Control modes have been added. You can switch the behavior of one or several units to suit the battle.
• Three Custom Control Groups
  Three editable control groups have been added. Drag officers into or out of a group, then select the entire group in battle to issue a shared order.
• Friendly Collision
  Your moving units may briefly overlap, but physical collision takes effect once they attack. Some formation overlap is allowed when surrounding a city or camp, reducing congestion while preserving attack density.
• Pathfinding and Battlefield AI
  Unit pathfinding, target selection, and AI coordination have been rebuilt. The AI builds its lineup around siege, defense, or field-battle objectives, then organizes support, refitting, and redeployment according to pressure on the line, flank threats, and unit condition.

Pre-Battle Deployment and Active Refitting

• Two-Stage Battle Preparation
  First choose the officers who will take part in the battle. Then select the initial units and the officers who will remain at the camp or city before proceeding to battlefield deployment.
• COST Limit Removed
  The former 8 COST formation limit has been removed. Up to 8 officers can now be combined directly according to their unit types, traits, Battle Arts, and Stratagems.
• Active Return and Refit
  Units on the field can actively return to their camp, while defenders can return to the city. Units retain their current strength and replenish continuously from Reserves; they can redeploy before refitting is complete.
• Battlefield Rotation
  Officers held back and units returning to base form your reserve force. You can rotate them as the battle line changes instead of relying only on passive replenishment after a unit routs.

Battle Arts, Stratagems, and Duels

• New Battle Art System
  Most martial officers no longer use Stratagems. Instead, they receive Battle Arts centered on Might-based damage. A Battle Art triggers automatically during sustained combat once Morale is full and its conditions are met.
• Stratagem Timing Is Yours
  Once Morale is full, a Stratagem enters a ready state and you choose when to activate it. Some Stratagems let you drag to choose their target location or direction.
• Uninterrupted Battle Flow
  Forced pauses when Battle Arts and Stratagems activate have been removed, allowing abilities and unit actions to resolve continuously.
• Duel Presentation
  The new duel animations and strike effects are complete, with options to attempt an early retreat or decisive finish when the relevant health conditions are met.

Officer and Combat Balance Overhaul

• Curated Playtest Officer Pool
  This Playtest makes 145 officers from the full battle roster available for player selection. All other officers are hidden only from the player's selection screen; their existing attributes, unit types, traits, Battle Arts, and Stratagem changes remain intact, and they may still appear as enemies or in fixed challenges. Crossbow, Halberd, Elephant, and Beast units each retain 3 selectable representatives, while Wutugu remains the sole current Rattan representative.
• Strength and Leadership
  Base unit strength and command limits have been rebuilt. Leadership now continuously affects the maximum strength an officer can command, with relevant traits providing further bonuses.
• Damage Resolution
  Damage coefficients for normal attacks, Battle Arts, Stratagems, cavalry charges, unit matchups, and siege attacks have been rebalanced. The effects of Might, Intelligence, and current unit strength on battle outcomes are now clearer.
• Morale Gain
  Morale gain for Battle Art officers places greater emphasis on Leadership and Might, while Stratagem officers rely more on Leadership and Intelligence, giving each officer type a clearer battlefield role.

Visuals, Interface, and Challenges

• Battle Presentation
  The new unit types have been newly produced, several battle effects have been updated, and the battle HUD and status information have been streamlined and upgraded.
• Main Menu
  The main menu has been streamlined. The new battle system is now available through Start Game, History Campaign is marked In Development, and the legacy battle and VFX showcase entries are hidden.
• Fixed Challenges
  Four battlefield themes—Changan Siege, Changan Defense, Dry Hills, and Lake Bridge Pincer—now offer a total of 16 fixed AI challenges.
• Language Support
  Traditional Chinese and Korean have been added, with battle interfaces and ability descriptions now supported across Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and English.
• Compatibility Improvements
  Windowed mode, mouse visibility, and the experience while recording gameplay continue to be improved.