On the Warpath in Hordolam, a bad gate is just one way to lose. From the first chapter the road has footbridges and hazards that take soldiers bit by bit, and from the third chapter there are catapults that change the boss fight. Here is what works.
Footbridges
On a footbridge the squad narrows into a column. Its size does not matter; what matters is where you steer it. Anything over the edge falls into the water, about a fifth of the overhanging part every step. If the middle of the squad leaves the bridge, you lose the whole squad in moments.
- Before each footbridge there is a run-up with arrows. Get to the middle while you are still on it, not once you are on the planks.
- On the bridge, steer in short, slow moves. The squad moves sideways more slowly on a bridge than on the road, but a big jerk still takes it over the edge.
- A zigzag footbridge changes direction every few metres. Watch the planks ahead of the squad, not the squad itself.
- Railed footbridges in the first chapter take only a few soldiers at the edge. They are for practice, and later the rails disappear.
The raft and the rope bridge sway from side to side. Do not aim for the middle of the raft as it was a second ago; move with it and keep the squad where the raft is now. On an icy footbridge the squad slides, so steer earlier and less. From chapter 5 a crosswind sometimes comes with it, and flags warn you first. Keep to the side the wind is coming from.
At a drawbridge, listen to the chains. When they rattle, the bridge is about to lift, and anyone on it falls into the moat. Either cross straight away or wait for the next bridge.
Moving hazards
Every moving hazard has a rhythm and warns you before it hits. Your loss depends on how much of the squad overlaps it, so a partial hit is better than a full one.
- Windmill (chapter 1): the sails sweep across the road. Slip between them right after one has passed.
- Hay bales, and logs in the beech forest, roll at the squad. Dust and a shadow announce them. Step out of their lane instead of backing off.
- Mud geysers (chapter 2): when they bubble, they are about to blow. Go around them, even if that means a weaker gate.
- Pendulum and mine presses (chapter 3): dash right behind the swinging sack, and look for the lane where the presses are up, since they pound in turns.
- Sliding fence (chapter 4): the gap moves. Get into its path before it arrives.
- Falling rocks (chapter 5): the shadow shows where they will land.
- Wrecking ball and cracked tiles (chapter 6): the ball swings across the whole road, and a cracked tile gives way after a moment.
There is often a choice between a hazard and a gate. The better gate tends to sit behind the hazard and the weaker one on the safe side. With a big squad the risk usually pays off, with a small one it does not. If you lose a quarter of the squad, no plus behind the gate makes up for it.
Shield bearers cut losses on hazards. The bigger their share of the squad, the fewer soldiers a hit takes, by up to 30 percent. The Medic boost halves losses from hazards and boss strikes.
Catapults
A catapult is a rare soldier. It fires every two seconds, reaches far and hits several Murklings at once. It deals double damage to stone Murklings and the boss but cannot hit flying Crowlings. It does not count for × and ÷ gates, so doubling or dividing the squad leaves it alone.
How to get one:
- Siege Gate from level 3-4. It is a timber frame with a catapult picture and a number. Shoot down the frame and pass through the gate, and a catapult joins you. An unopened gate gives nothing. It usually sits on the risky side, behind a pendulum or at the edge of a footbridge.
- The Catapult Build gate from chapter 4, once your Village has the Siege Works: 10 pikemen build a catapult.
- ×2 catapults from chapter 5 doubles the catapults you already have. Without a catapult, this gate gives ten archers instead.
- Starting catapult in the Workshop puts catapults in your squad right at the start of a level. You pay for it with Catapult blueprints.
A squad can haul three catapults in chapters 3 and 4, four in chapter 5 and five in chapter 6. When you hit the cap, the game tells you and no more catapults join.
You can lose catapults. They fall off a footbridge if they roll far from the middle, and a hazard that takes at least a quarter of the squad in one go destroys one. With catapults in the squad, take footbridges even more carefully.
Catapult blueprints
Blueprints are rare. You get them for the first three stars on a chapter boss level, for Rank 10, 20 and 30, for the tenth and twenty-fifth boss on the Endless Road and for winning a Muster round with at least three people, at most one a week. The Starting catapult has three tiers, and a level always starts with one catapult fewer than the cap, so the Siege Gate still counts.
The Wall with catapults and shield bearers
On the Wall a catapult fires into the lane of its station and the one next to it. The palisade has four sections, one for each lane, and it does not repair itself between the Vanguard and the boss. Shield bearers at a station slowly repair the sections, up to a fifth of the palisade per Wall. The road after the Vanguard usually has a heart that fixes a bit of the palisade, so do not skip it.
From chapter 2 the boss has a second phase. At half health it also starts striking from the side, across the half of the road where you stand. The strike is announced, so you only need to cross to the other side in time. The second mode of the game is covered in the guide to Muster.