Hello. Nishiyama here — the one you all call "Nishi P." August 27, Mandate Battle goes live in Three Kingdoms: BOND. It's real-time, player-versus-player ranked competition. Sorry to have kept you waiting. This is the inner keep of BOND, and it wasn't something I wanted to rush out the gate. Of everything in this game, this is the part I most wanted to make!! Same time every weekend, the same board, matching wits with someone you've never met. Win or lose, you find yourself wanting to take up the war fan again next weekend. I'd almost say everything we've built up to now was built for that one scene.
■You fight on even footing
BOND's officers have no concept of levels. From the day you get them, your Liu Bei is exactly as strong as anyone else's. So Mandate Battle comes down to nothing but your formation and your command. There's simply nowhere here to pay for power.
■We're not building an exit
We added early-game surrender to Board Performance, but we don't plan to put it in Mandate Battle. Throwing the opening on purpose, then laying the groundwork for a win from the mid-game — in player-versus-player, I think that counts as part of the maneuvering. Until the very last move, the mandate of heaven is anyone's.
■Every weekend win leads to the stage
Mandate Battle runs each weekend, with standings decided week by week. Those who finish at the top each week will be invited to fight in a live-streamed tournament. And beyond that, we've prepared a new stage: the official championship, Reign Supreme. Someone who was fighting on this side of the screen, standing on a stage with everyone watching. I want to see that moment as soon as I can. To start, we're running it over the weekend from Thursday, August 27. We'll see how it feels and what needs fixing, and from September we'll turn it into a proper season every weekend. Since Early Access began, you've sent us so much feedback. Let me say this from the heart — thank you! Mandate Battle, too, is something we'll keep tuning as it runs. I'll be waiting for you on the battlefield which starts from 27th 20:00 PDT.
See you there‼
Nishi P (Yasuhiro Nishiyama)
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