Power Leveling (Guide)

Power leveling (also called XP farming) is used to test out new builds, characters and concepts. It can also be used as a base for a new warband to increase ranks past the threshold of meeting shipments and training skills or leveling warbands for tournaments. The design is quick games that put warbands firmly into the mid-game as quickly as possible. It is not recommended for new players since experience at the game is more important and new players should level warbands normally for a while.

## ***Power Leveling against the AI***

Farming XP against the AI is done by taking advantage of the match-making the enemy warband has to do against your warband. Keeping throw-away henchmen low by firing and re-hiring new henchmen forces the AI to match the warband rating. This keeps the strongest warriors at the "top of the food chain" even if the AI matches warrior ranks exactly. Usually, the AI spreads warrior ranks around so the strongest warriors are left unchallenged.

### **The Impressive Method**

The Impressive method uses an Impressive and Leader as the core leveling group. These strong warriors remain unchallenged by the AI.

#### **Setting the Enemy for Failure**

Starting a Rank 5 warband with a Leader, Impressive and 5 henchmen will allow the Leader and Impressive quick and easy enemies to kill (the enemy henchmen) making the game overall quick. It also gives your side 5 henchmen to grab some wyrdstone while the Leader and Impressive mop up enemy warriors.

#### **Not Starting at Rank 5**

If you don't have Veteran Rank 5, you can't start a Rank 5 warband. In this case, you do the same with just a Leader and 5 Henchmen until you hit Warband Rank 5. Then fire all warriors and start as above.

#### **Keeping the Momentum**

Fire any henchmen that reaches Rank 3 and hire new henchmen to keep the warband rating as low as possible. This also keeps the AI trying to spread Warrior Ranks within its members, making your Leader and Impressive the highest levels in the game.

### **Small Group Method**

The small group method against the AI is a strategy where less is more. It is easy to gain an edge on the AI and that is where your leveling group should stay. The less members in the group is the easiest to level multiple (other) warriors. These give very quick games (having only 4 or so warriors for enemy turns) and XP can be quicker for a long while.

#### **Core Leveling Group**

Determine the core leveling group which always includes the leader. If an Impressive is wanted in the warband, the Impressive needs to be in the core leveling group as well. The leveling group should comprise of the strongest melee warrior options to kill enemies quickly. The core group can be as little as 2 members (leader/impressive or leader/hero) and should not be more than 3 members (leader/impressive/hero or leader/hero/hero).

This is the "first wave" of levelers. Depending on what you want to do, there can be a "second wave" or more (more below).

#### **Level the Core Group First**

Take the core leveling group in with the strongest melee henchmen. Keep the group to 4 warriors at first in order to route the enemy as fast as possible. The henchmen are fodder (unless they survive without injury) and are to be used to protect the core leveling group at all costs. Going with Hard missions is the balance between more XP and survive-ability for your core leveling group at first. Fire Henchmen that receive injuries (being less capable of protecting the core group), hiring new ones to take their place. Do not use any increases the Henchmen receive, keeping the warband rating as low as possible.

#### **Leveling Group Edge**

Determine the largest, quickest edge (skills or spells) that each member of the core leveling group can get over the AI. For Example, an Impressive with mastered Sidestep and/or a healer with mastered heal spell/globe. Less is more applies here as well, the goal is to level the core leveling group to the point where they quickly have the largest edge against the AI and no farther. Ignoring further increases to stats, spells and skills keeps the warband rating low and allows the edge over the AI to last longer. Furthermore, you can avoid giving increases to the core leveling group until they actually reach enough stats and skill/spell points to get the edge over the AI.

#### **Stepping It Up**

You can start to step up leveling the core group by increasing the number of henchmen or increasing the difficulty whenever you feel like your core group can handle it. Stay with henchmen until your core group is totally ready. Keep the warband low in rating by not using consumables or increasing equipment quality unless it will make a marked difference in group performance.

#### **Leveling Warriors**

Once the core group has the edge over the AI, begin to replace henchmen with warriors you want to level (other henchmen types or heroes). Hero types should be leveled one at a time to keep the rating low. Once Henchmen and Heroes are of sufficient level, they can be placed into the reserves to be replaced with fresh warriors you want to level. These can be trained in skills/spells while leveling other warriors.

#### **Making Multiple Waves of Levelers**

Once you want to start training your leader, put your leader in reserves and hire a new leader with a batch of new warriors you want to level. You can make a "second wave" of levelers by using experienced reserve units that have trained skills to get an edge on the AI. If an Impressive is part of the core, this is a good time to put it in reserves and start training with it. Depending on what you want to do with the warband, you can make multiple waves to gain a different, secondary Hero type or even an Impressive.

## ***Power Leveling in Multiplayer (by Slaviour)***

Originally posted by Slaviour (in steam forums):

https://discord.gg/PAznDSU Discord Group you use to arrange matches, so you can ask there if someone wants to help you or level with someone.

Power Leveling in Multiplayer requires a "partner" in agreement for mutual benefit of leveling warbands or as a favor of leveling yours. The below set up is geared toward end game warbands (money, game days and wyrdstone doesn't matter).

### **Multiplayer Settings**

A Sneak Attack on Merchants 2 map allows the closest deployment to gain the Crush Their Will objective. Set the game for a 95 route threshold.

### **Helper Warband Set-up**

The warband who is gaining the XP needs to have at least 1000 lower rating so the "helper" needs to bring as much high quality equipment as all slots allow (including consumables) and fill all warband member slots with the highest rated warriors (two Heroes will be worth more than an Impressive, in general).

### **Gaining Warband Set-up**

In order to get 1000 lower rating than the "helper" the warband gaining XP has to pick and choose who to level and switch out to level the entire warband. Having warriors who have not allocated stats, skills and/or spells with white dagger/cloth helps lower rating. Getting the "deadly" difficulty gives +3XP per run.

In addition, their needs to be a "runner" for 1 turn matches. This "runner" needs to have the highest initiative with a movement of 7. If the Leader is not used (having the highest SP) then a Hero can be used but needs mastered Exhaustion.

### **Ending the Match**

The "helper" takes care to allow a path for the "gaining" warband to steal the Idol out of Ambush stance range. After the objective is complete, the "helper" voluntarily routes suffering no consequences due to the high route threshold.

### **The Rematch**

The quickest long term goal is to allow one warband to win until it is almost leveled completely, then spend stats, skills and/or spells. The "helper" will gain some experience the whole time for surviving and the leveled warband will have a high rating for the switching of roles. The experience gained is 5 for the helper (loser) and 6 for the "gaining" (winner) warband.