Conqueror's Blade
Server downtime - July 28
Please refer to the Patch Notes for documented changes. Meanwhile, stay tuned to our Discord channel in case of any immediate server updates.
Conqueror’s Tales: Not By Land, But By Sea
Stories of Vikings sailing over the seas to raid unsuspecting coastline towns litter history like their longboats scattered across the oceans of Europe—-but why did the Norse choose this specific type of warfare?
Simply put, land battles were just not the Vikings’ ‘thing’. They preferred to pillage, invade, and attack by boat, but the reasons they did this were myriad.
A Vessel For Vikings
Ships were a key element of Viking culture and combat, allowing them to strike coastlines with swift ease and efficiency. The longboats allowed the Vikings to sail up rivers and penetrate inland. This mobility, along with their navigational skills, made them likely to show up anywhere, a thought which struck fear into communities across Europe.
The long, narrow ships were made from planks of timber that would overlap and be nailed together and made watertight by adding moss, animal fur, or wool mixed with tar into the gaps between the planks. Scandinavia was densely wooded, and finding enough timber was easy enough; though if the ideal wood, oak, was not present in northern parts of the region, pine was used instead. Craftsmen would create the timber plans by splitting tree trunks with an already desired shape, and then use iron for rivets.
The addition of sails and oars provided the Viking ships with enhanced speed and manoeuvrability, giving them an advantage over other boats from that era, and making them capable of withstanding even the most ferocious sea storms.
A reconstructed Viking longship under construction at the shipyard in Roskilde in Denmark (2003)
Nordic Tactics
The first reported Viking raids, such as the attack on Lindisfarne in 793 AD, were relatively small-scale attacks where a group would hit monasteries or villages on the coast, utilising a “hit-and-run” tactic. The groups would moor their ships right on the doorstep of the location they wanted to attack, pillage for valuables, and sail off before the inhabitants could rally a counterattack.
The first Viking raids were thought to be associated with religion, as monasteries were destroyed, leading monks to believe they were being punished by God. However, Vikings didn’t have any war ethics either way—they were happy to pillage any sites, holy or not.
Coastal Combat
We know how Vikings arrived at their raiding locations, but when it comes to the specifics of land battles, little is known about how they were fought.
Most Viking combat was waged in the form of sea battles, using simple yet confusing tactics. Their lack of cohesion and organisation confounded enemy forces. Vikings never attempted to destroy enemy ships, but would instead board them to gain control, a tactic that was not in wide use at this time.
Viking sea battles were fought in quiet coastal locations or river mouths, meaning the tactics employed were vastly different to other historical naval battles, where catapults and ramming would be utilised. The Vikings and their foes would rope their ships together side by side to form a wall, which their opponents would try to storm. When a ship was taken, it was then detached and would drift away. If one side succeeded in killing the rowers or breaking the oars, the inability to manoeuvre would end the battle.
Check out more Conqueror’s Tales about the Viking era with our look at festivals, their drinking habits, their surprising personal hygiene, and more!
Server downtime - July 22 (NA3 Only)
From July 22 at 5:15 PM EDT / 21:15 UTC, the Eagle Range (NA3) server will be inaccessible in Conqueror’s Blade due to necessary data centre maintenance. The downtime is expected to last for approximately 9 hours. Affected players will receive in-game compensation in the near future.
Stay tuned to our Discord and social media channels in case of any immediate server updates.
Intercontinental Matchmaking is Available Now!
Intercontinental Matchmaking is now available on all live servers, meaning you can now take part in matchmaking battles between Europe, North America, and South America!
To celebrate the launch of Intercontinental Matchmaking, all players will receive a free gift, so remember to check your in-game mail to claim it while you can!
Intercontinental Matchmaking allows matchmaking between EU1, EU2, NA2, NA3, and South America. EU servers will also have the option for standard matchmaking between EU1 and EU2.
Epic Leadership Doctrine Changes
Epic Leadership Doctrines will not be released at this time due to feedback received from players.
We hope you enjoy battling it out with new players from distant lands, and good luck in the matches ahead!
Summer Sale: Bundles, Shieldmaiden Attire & New Hair Dyes!
The summer sun has arrived with discounted Consumable Bundles, Shieldmaiden Attire, and brand-new Hair Dyes!
Heat up with Hair Dyes
Need a new ‘do for the summer? Welcome to the Conqueror’s Blade hair salon! With three new pastel colours to choose from, you’re sure to find the right look that says ‘fearsome yet fashionable’. These hair dyes are now permanent, so you can buy them whenever you fancy a change of style either from the in-game Store or MY.GAMES Market.
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Teal Hair Dye
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[/td][/tr][tr][td]Lilac Hair Dye
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[/td][/tr][tr][td]Cerulean Hair Dye
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[/td][/tr][/table]Scorching Shieldmaiden Attire
There’s no reason your units can’t join in on the summer fun, which is why the Shieldmaiden-exclusive Cult of the Four Stags Unit Attire is available from the in-game Store until August 18 (07:00 server time)!
According to Northlander mythology, Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr, and Duraþrór are the four stags that eat among the branches of Yggdrasil the World Tree. The devotees that revere them are likely a splinter group from the Cult of Freyja that most Shieldmaidens belong to.
Cool off with Consumable Bundles
If you plan to while away the summer holidays with searing siege battles and tropical training, grab these bundles from the in-game Store with an extra hot 30% discount!
- Fortune & Glory Bundle: Seek out glorious riches with 5 Large Chests of Bronze (50,000 Bronze Total), 5 1-Battle Super Unit XP Cards, 30 Unit Medals, and 10 Greater Scrolls of Glory (Purchase Limit: 5)
- Training Supply Bundle: Make the most of the sun and train up with 10 1-Battle Super Unit XP Cards, 100 Unit Medals, and 5 Great Chests of Bronze (50,000 Bronze each) (Purchase Limit: 10)
- Unit Medal Bundle: Stock up on Unit Medals, Marshal’s Handbooks, and 1-Battle Super Unit XP Cards (Purchase Limit: 2)
- Greater Glory Bundle: Don’t just give glory to the sun this summer, give it to yourself too with a bunch of Greater Scrolls of Glory (Purchase Limit: 5)
- Heavy Weapons Bundle: Have an explosively good time with this bundle containing 30 Powdered Silver, 5 Rare Weapon Schematics Selections, 5 Random Rare Artillery Chests, and 5 Random Epic Artillery Chests (Purchase Limit: 5)
Pick up these sizzling deals from the in-game Store until August 18 (07:00 server time)!
Server downtime - July 19 (NA3 Only)
From July 19 at 17:15 EST / 21:15 UTC, the Eagle Range (NA3) server will be inaccessible in Conqueror's Blade due to necessary data centre maintenance. The downtime is expected to last for approximately six hours. Affected players will receive in-game compensation in the near future.
Stay tuned to our Discord and social media channels in case of any immediate server updates.
Behind the Scenes: The Attire of Helheim
We sat down with Anton Mamhionov, Creative Director at Booming Tech, to talk through the ideas and inspiration behind the new cosmetic items in Helheim.
The Hero and Unit Attire of Helheim takes inspiration from Norse mythology and its gods, as well as the mortal Vikings themselves; what other real-life history did you take inspiration from for the design of the Attires?
We partially took inspiration from Scandinavian mythology for the design of the Loptr's Hide and Bringer of Thunder Hero Attires. Regarding the real-life history applied, we believe that Helheim’s unit attire is the best representation of it—-we used traditional historical clothing and elements to create a simple, minimalistic image of a Scandinavian Viking warrior.
Obviously, the Bringer of Thunder Hero Attire is inspired by a real-life Varangian Guard’s armour, mixed with elements that refer to the god Thor.
When conceptualising the Attires for Helheim, were there any specific Norse legends or Viking history you looked to for inspiration?
Many actually. Our team members are enthusiastic about researching history and mythology alongside creating fictional worlds based on those. We mostly went with historical references related to the so-called “last Viking King”, Harald Hardrada, as the main inspiration. This persona has also created a strong link to our Varangian Guards unit, as it is known that Hardrada used to be a commander of those.
The Einherjar Unit Attire is possibly the most realistic Unit Attire yet; minimalistic with no horns and mostly fabric—-why did you decide to design it this way?
Many attires in games try to exaggerate luxury or armour weight—-and our game also did it on multiple occasions because it appeals to certain categories of players. We actually had some horns and crazy armour as the first concept for this unit attire, but what’s the point?
We decided to scrap it all and decided that it would be interesting to create a simple, historically-authentic unit attire to let players enjoy their fantasy of leading a group of Vikings as they appeared back in that era, during certain battles while defending their holds.
It is one of the teams’ most favourite attires among all existing now.
Do you hope players will feel god-like when they wear the Hero Attires in-game?
We absolutely do—-but then you reach Level 100 and do not feel like a god anymore!
Check out more behind-the-scenes peeks at Conqueror’s Blade: Helheim with our look at making a sequel season, new stormy weather effects on the reworked maps, and weapon skins
Conqueror’s Tales: Hygienic Heathens
As civilisation has advanced, things like practising good personal hygiene have become a given, and we may expect ancient cultures to have neglected things we take for granted today—-such as bathing. However, we’d be wrong in that assumption. One of the most well-known and celebrated people, the Vikings, were actually incredibly clean!
Moreso than other Europeans of the time, Vikings prided themselves on keeping up appearances—literally. They took such great care to stay clean, it was almost ritualistic.
Let’s explore some of the ways that the Scandinavians kept squeaky clean.
Rub-a-dub-dub, Viking In A Tub
Vikings reportedly bathed at least once a week, blowing other Europeans out of the water when it came to hygiene. Not only this, but they even had a specific day for bathing—Saturday. In Icelandic, Saturday is called laugardagur (bathing day), with other Viking colonies’ languages following suit with lørdag in Danish, lördag in Swedish, and lauantai in Finnish.
Baths ranged from skinny-dipping in natural hot springs to taking a plunge in ice-cold rivers (depending on the season) or even visiting heated bathhouses. While electricity and gas heat was not around when the Vikings roamed, bath temperature could be adjusted by hot and cold water pipes running from nearby springs, just like famous Viking Snorri Sturluson built at his farm in Reykholt, Iceland, around 1210 A.D.
Cleanliness Is Next To Vikingness
Viking men and women were invested in practising personal hygiene, which stretched beyond just a weekly bath. Vikings combed their hair, changed their clothes, and had a morning ritual of washing their face, hands, and hair. Viking men ensured their beards were trimmed and tidy as a symbol of masculinity and were often buried with their combs.
Archaeological excavations of Viking sites have revealed objects like combs, tweezers, razors, and toothpicks to have been among their possessions. Usually made from animal bones, antlers, or metal, these personal items are, in fact, the most common finds on Viking dig sites—not swords or axes, as you might expect!
A verse from the Viking poem Reginsmol even cites, "combed and washed shall the wise man go.”
A Viking comb made from bone from the exhibition ‘We Call Them Vikings’ produced by The Swedish History Museum
Smile Like A Viking
In addition to their fastidious bathing, brushing, and combing habits, the Vikings also appeared to perform dental hygiene. Many Viking skeletons have been unearthed with shockingly good teeth, even by today's standards. Historians believe Vikings used twigs to make simple toothbrushes to keep their pearly whites shining, but a low-sugar diet didn’t hurt either.
While some Viking skulls have been found with chipped or missing teeth, this is probably due to the intense lifestyle and battles they faced and not poor dental hygiene.
Waste Not, Want Not
As we’ve seen, the Vikings were pretty obsessive about hygiene, but did it extend to the outhouse? Excavated Viking latrine sites uncovered evidence that Vikings used moss as toilet paper and would even use their own expulsions to make a unique item for later use.
Touchwood fungus would be collected from tree bark and boiled in urine for several days before forming into a felt. The sodium nitrate in the urine would allow the felt to smoulder, meaning the fires set by the Vikings would last longer, and light and heat sources could be taken on the go.
Check out more Conqueror’s Tales about the Viking era with our look at festivals, the drinking habits of the Vikings, the origin of Thursday, and more!
Behind the Scenes: Helheim Weapon Skins
We spoke with Anton Mamhionov, Creative Director at Booming Tech, about the inspiration and design behind the weapon skins of Helheim.
How did you begin to design the weapon skins in Helheim? Were there any particular references used?
We began with general brainstorming on what the players would prefer those attires to look like, what the expectations are, and whether it fits our current visual direction in the game and how we can adapt to it.
The seasonal key points were much related to raiding, thunder, heavy rain, Varangian and Byzantine characters and units, and a character inspired by both Thor and Harald Hardrada.
We decided to create some new styles for weapons by mixing the luxurious elements and materials of Byzantine weaponry used by nobles, and we added a fair touch of mythological symbols from Scandinavia and the shapes of some traditional Norse weapons.
How much inspiration did you take from real Viking weapons?
Quite a fair amount, but to be absolutely honest, we were not aiming to make identical copies of real weapons—-we usually prefer Units to carry those, and let the cosmetic items for Heroes to have slightly (and sometimes, much) more eye-catching shapes and visuals.
How did you decide which Norse symbols and designs to use?
While the process of making those choices is quite immersive and demands some research and creative thinking from the artists, our team went through hundreds of references of weapons in history and the details used and carved on those.
Some, like knots, are very widespread, but others, such as Mjölnir or different kinds of serpent symbols, are more specific and related to various mythological characters and are less commonly used. Luckily for us, we aimed to bring a touch of mythology to those attires and created symbols and the background description for each weapon to represent a famous character or a legend from Scandinavia.
Which weapon, in particular, do you think the Vikings would have loved to wield as they charged into battle, and which is your personal favourite?
I think it’s the Shortsword’s Shield and the Poleaxe in the shape of the Dane Axe. I personally unlocked those first. I hope our Viking fans will enjoy those and many others skins we released and will release in the future. Enjoy Helheim!
Check out behind-the-scenes peeks at Conqueror’s Blade: Helheim with our look at making a sequel season, and the new stormy weather effects on the reworked maps. Stay tuned for more articles coming soon!
Grab Antique Season III Weapons for a Limited Time!
There’s nothing like a vintage! For a limited time only, you can pick up Antique versions of the weapon skins featured in Season III: Soldiers of Fortune from the in-game Store.
Flaunt your classic fashion sensibilities with weapon skins and exclusive bundles straight from Sicania, available until July 21 (10:00 server time).
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Antique Waning Eclipse Shortsword & Shield
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[/td][/tr][tr][td]Antique Summer's Reckoning Glaive
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[/td][/tr][tr][td]Antique Vespa’s Longsword & Shield
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[/td][/tr][tr][td]Antique Daybreak Brilliance Poleaxe
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[/td][/tr][tr][td]Antique Sanguine Sunrise Spear
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[/td][/tr][tr][td]Antique Luminous Dawn Nodachi
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[/td][/tr][tr][td]Antique Gunsmith's Dream Musket
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[/td][/tr][tr][td]Antique Diana's Sanctuary Bow
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[/td][/tr][tr][td]Antique Janus’ Judgement Shortbow
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[/td][/tr][tr][td]Antique Blood and Sky Daggers
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[/td][/tr][tr][td]Antique Vulcan’s Forge Maul
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[/td][/tr][/table]Brand-New Antique Weapon Bundles
For the mercenary with a mixed militia, bundles of Antique weapon skins are available at a 10% discount:
- Soldiers of Fortune Sword Bundle: Seal your foes’ fate with forged fury with this Bundle containing the Antique Waning Eclipse Shortsword & Shield and the Antique Vespa’s Longsword & Shield.
- Soldiers of Fortune Polearm Bundle: Keep your enemies at arm's length with the Antique Summer's Reckoning Glaive, Antique Daybreak Brilliance Poleaxe, and Antique Sanguine Sunrise Spear.
- Soldiers of Fortune Bow Bundle: Sniper fans rejoice by requisitioning the Antique Diana's Sanctuary Bow and Antique Janus’ Judgement Shortbow.
- Soldiers of Fortune Specialist Bundle: Grip, grab, grasp, gouge, and gash with the Specialist Bundle, containing the Antique Luminous Dawn Nodachi, Antique Gunsmith's Dream Musket, Antique Blood and Sky Daggers, and Antique Vulcan’s Forge Maul.
IMPORTANT: Each Bundle is subject to a purchase limit of 1. There is no Pike weapon skin featured in this set.
Bag a bargain with these limited-time sales until July 21 (10:00 server time)!