Total War: SHOGUN 2

Total War: SHOGUN 2

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Shogun 2 Avatar Conquest battle guide
By Lvl 5 Weeaboo
This guide helps people understand the game mechanics behind avatar conquest multiplayer battles, which I find extremely intresting and insanely fun to play. The guide is dedicated to the original Shogun 2 game, for players who haven't opted to leave for Fall of the Samurai, and helps shed some light on some strategies and logistics so players can shed some blood on the battlefield!
   
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Note to Reader
This guide is not complete! That's because you, the reader, get to decide what I post up on here. If you want to see how to beat a troll army, or use certain units effectively, leave a comment and in a week or so I'll post it for you to read. I'm always open to constructive criticism, and all I want is for people to be able to learn how to enjoy Shogun 2.

Hope this helps: -Pheonix_lord
Choosing your veterans

Veterans can be obtained from vanilla (non-experienced) units who have shown true valor in a previous battle and has gotten enough kills to justify as a 'veteran' of a fight. Veterans can be upgraded with one experience point each time they level up, and can recieve special upgrades with additional clan tokens when they either reach level 5 or level 9.

As upgraded units, veterans pack a more potent punch than vanilla units with the same namesake, but cost more and must be upgraded properly to assure that it is a liable asset on the field of battle.

Good veteran units can thrash an army twice their size given the right circumstances. Bad veterans can lose to an army that is two times smaller than them given the right circumstances.

One important thing to remember is that you don't have to use up all your skill points on a unit! Each time you put a point on a veteran, it's an aditional 50 koku. To craft a reliable and adept veteran, you need to be able to choose upgrades suited for the job a veteran applies. For example, if you have to upgrade a Bow Samurai, put points on reload, accuracy, or ammunition instead of going for a speed or fatigue resistant upgrade. In that way, you can bring a well rounded veteran to a battle that has a relatively fair price tag around its neck.

To gain more information on veterans, please refer to the next few pages, which go into more detail about upgrading and using veteran units.
Swords, katanas, and their strengths and weaknesses.
Units armed with swords usually are the cream of the attack force in any respectable army. Their statistics vary amongst units, but they both hold some very simple principles: high attack, low defense, vulnerable to cavalry, and high charge, making them extremely effective offensive units. However, if left unchecked, their numbers can be significantly reduced in a surprise cavalry charge or could be cut down in a spray of projectiles. While they can dispatch most ground troops with ease, they are less effective against units with beefy defense stats, such as Naginata samurai. For this reason, it is vital to get the charge bonus with katana units so they can get the first blood row against an opponent's front line.


Some basic rules apply when choosing sword veterans. Units like Longsword Ashigaru are pure cannon fodder, used as massed bodies of cheap soldiers to absorb an enemy charge or soak up a slavo of artillery fire or arrows. Their price is cheap enough to justify their value, and using them as veteran frontline troops would be quite difficult if you are just starting the game. It takes a more experienced player to use these weaker units, who either excell or suck in different areas. Sword veterans need to first start out as average melee units to be of any use in the long run, and must have basic, and maybe even clan upgrades, in both attack and charge. Defense is usless, as it only adds one defense point for a 50 koku increase on the sword unit in question. Morale upgrades have a simmilar effect, adding only one extra point to morale. These effects can be gained from using retainers, and in the end, a sword unit's job is to run in and do the first initial damage or die trying. Increasing their attack and charge gives them an edge when cutting up an opponent's front, and sends more heads rolling than any vanilla unit of swords could put out.
Spear units: strengths, weaknesses, and proper usage
If you ever get all the units in Avatar conquest, no category of units will strike you as most diverse than the category of spears. The fact is, their usage is not confined to one single purpose. In games, spear units perform a variety of tasks, from guarding flanks to holding points on the map to performing melee strikes with sword units, or becoming meat shields and cannon fodder before the main battle goes underway. From the lightly armed Yari Asigaru to the prestieged and heavily armed Naginata Samurai, to the quick and cav-hunting Yari Samurai, spear units have always served as vital units in the atonomy of a play.

To make it short, all spear units share these simillar traits- good against cavalry, moderatly weak in melee, and fair defense. Morale, armor, speed, and melee capabilities all vary from unit to unit.

Yari Ashigaru, being the first usable spear units in the game, have low melee stats, but are large in numbers and still good at soaking up missiles before the fight, thus becoming a good meat shield in all sorts of situations. They are still good against cav, although their poor morale doesn't exactly keep up with that ability. They can enter a 'yari wall' formation, which allows them to effectively soak up a melee charge from enemy units, allowing for a counter-charge or more varied flanking gestures. On the other hand, a Yari Samurai unit has better melee statistics, higher anti-cav force, and a temporary ability that gives them a bigger charge bonus and increased speed, perfect for foiling cavalry charges and hunting down routing units. However, they are still weak against sword infantry and quickly rout if left in prolonged combat with sword infantry. Long-Yari Ashigaru, simillar to the Yari Ashigaru, have simmilar stats to the Yari Samurai but higher anti-cav power and larger numbers.

Naginata units are spear units that posess the ability to remain in prolonged melee in a longer ammount of time. They are more like support troops that hold a seething mass of enemy troops down while other high-attack units cut down their numbers in a war of prolonged atrittion. Their melee statistics are more evened out than other spear units, with lower 'bonus vs cav', and better attack and morale. Naginata samurai posess average melee stats with good morale and high armor, making them ideal frontline troops that hold down multiple enemy units at a time. Naginata warrior monks, however, are lightly armored, vulnerable to missiles, and are easily disembowled in prolonged combat with swords. However, they do come with a 'warcry' ability, that helps send units into a waver, and ultimately a rout.

When upgrading spear units, always think about what you want them to do in a battle: hold the line, ward off cavalry, or be cannon fodder? All spear units can also get the 'Hold Firm' ability when reaching level 9. This ability gives a massive defense bonus to nearby units, and for 1 minute makes units affected by the ability unbreakable in melee combat. However, not all spear units need certain upgrades. For example, Yari Ashigaru should never be given armor upgrades, which only increases the unit's armor by 1 point. You should mold your spear veterans to do certain important tasks and upgrade them so they can do it well.

Cavalry, their tactics, and how they can help you win.
Note: this section is still being written, it will take time to get the full thing up.
Cavalry in any Total War game are a motley mixture of troops on horseback, making them extremely fast and powerful on the charge. They come in smaller numbers than foot soldiers, and cannot fight off an En Masse attack of enemy troops. They are exceptionally weak against spear troops, will be slaughtered in a rain of missiles, and will be destroyed in a round of matchlock fire. It's vital that you use your cavalry wisely and always keep them well-protected, upgrade them appropriately, and know how to use them.

There are more than a couple of different cavalry units, but most can be split into 3 categories: Shock cavalry, Melee cavalry, or Missile cavalry.

Shock cavalry is very powerful on the charge, able to wreak horrifying damage on an enemy or other cavalry should they get a full-blown run. Such units include the simply armored Light Cavalry, to the distinguished Yari Cavalry, to the powerful, heavily armored Great Guard. Most battles will see head-to-head combat begin with a charge of Shock cavalry from both players, each person committing most of their cavalry force to try to knock out their opponent's horsemen. With these guys, it's all about the charge you get with them. Using terrain, such as hills to augment your charge power, to ford points that decrease a unit's fighting ability, should all be considered when deploying this highly dangerous breed of mounted soldiers into your enemy's lines. On the flip side, while having average morale and armor, they possess poor melee attack and rely on their anti-cavalry ability to take down marauding horsemen before enemy reinforcements show up. The sole exception to this is the Great Guard and Fire Cavalry, who carry particular high attack, but should never be kept in prolonged melee with anything other than cavalry. Shock cavalry also has the greatest speed of any units in the game, allowing them to rush across the map and travel large distances in a matter of minutes.


Melee cavalry, most notably the Katana cavalry, is the exact opposite of their spear bearing counterparts: with high attack and notoriously good against sword infantry. They can rain horror down upon enemy units, destroying sword units before the initial fight has even started, although many players see fit to deploy Katana cavalry in crushing numbers straight into the center of sword-based armies. You will most often see melee cavalry in Rush army builds, and sometimes in balanced armies, where there are many hills to mount close ranged charges right into the enemy lines. However, this breed of cavalry is not without weaknesses. They still fall easily to spears, and they will get mowed down with matchlocks. However, one of their greatest weaknesses is the inability to deal with cavalry of different caliber. Bearing no bonus vs. cav, with significantly lower charge, melee cavalry will almost certainly get mowed down in a fight with Shock cavalry. One way to offset this is to ambush Shock cavalry so they don't get a decent charge, but even then a Shock cavalry can settle the odds with their Bonus Vs. Cav abilities, so either way, melee cavalry don't mix well with other cavalry units. Deploy them right into enemy lines when no spears are present, and you can kill off a lot of infantry before the fight even begins.
Siege units: strengths and weaknesses.
The category of siege units basically describes any unit that is built to take down fortifications in a siege battle. Although its namesake says otherwise, siege units have also cropped up in land battles as well. Most of them boast supreme range, heavy-sounding firepower, and tricked out features that make them more intimidating than they really are. So are these stereotypical death machines really as imposing as they sound? To awnser that question, we should look at 2 of the most drasticly different siege units, quality wise.

The Firebomb unit, without doubt, is one of the worst units ever to be brought up in Shogun 2 avatar conquest. With almost no morale, virtually no melee attack or defense stats, and a measly range of 25-50 yards, Firebomb units are litterally 600 koku walking ducks that are usually the first ones that get slaughtered on the table.They are extremely hard to use, and it only takes 2 volleys of arrows from a Bow Ashigaru unit to wipe them clean off the map. All things considered, their low-range projectiles make them weak against missile units, and their extremely poor melee statistics make them vulnerable in close combat.

On the flip side, the Fire Rockets unit is possibly one of the best units in the game. While holding the melee statistics of a Bow Ashigaru and half the armor, their long range of deadly, AoE missiles can rain havoc on enemy units, either routing them in the first initial rounds or reducing them to half strength. While posessing limited ammunition, they can get hundreds of kills if used correctly, and are absolutely lethal to cavalry. Combine the horrifying accuracy of a matchlock and the killstreaks of a Magonel unit, and you have the Fire Rockets. While vanilla units cost 1800 koku, it does pose a risk to bring this unit, as it easily gets sweeped away in surprise cav charges of infantry ambushes. But with decisive use and ammo conservation, Fire Rockets are the spearhead of long-range offensive strikes, and have turned the tide of battle in more than a couple matches.

Any siege unit, be it a Fire Rocket or a European Cannon, should have accuracy upgrades on it first. While reload might be an equally important factor, it would mean nothing if all the shots missed their intended targets. The only reason for having long-ranged or deadly missile units are to hit influential or important targets with devastating volleys of explosives. And with the limited ammunition of siege units, you're better off making all of your shots count. If ammunition upgrades can be found, by all means take as many as you can. Lots of ammunition that can be used in accurate, sniping shots against enemy troops, highlights the extreme threat that siege units pose in a game.
Bowmen: weaknesses and strengths
Bowmen have always been prestieged as some of the best and most highly valued support troops in the Shogun 2 game. Their long-range killing ability and a storm of arrows have always made them a must for any balanced army.

Bows vary in shooting statistics and a bit of armor, but all have, as previously mentioned, extremely poor stats in melee combat compared to other units in the game. Apart from that, they also posess lower morale, something that should be expected of men not capable of holding units in place.

Bowmen all have a base range of 150 yards, except for Bow Warrior monks or Daikyu Samurai, which have a base range of 175 yards, and the Bow Hero, with a range of 200. They can be upgraded to have even more range, thus becoming increasingly dangerous as they climb up the veteran ladder. Shooting statistics can be upgraded to improve reload and accuracy, but you should always consider getting extended ammo, because after a bow unit runs out of arrows, they're about as usless as Firebomb throwers in the grand scheme of things. Bowmen also make great meat shields, combining ruthless long-range killing power with the ability to shield melee units from projectiles themselves.

Always make sure to target units of important value. For example, you should always target units that are in close formation, so your arrow volley will more likely produce large ammounts of kills. Try to hit units with low armor ratings, such as monks or No-dachi samurai, which can play key roles in the timeline of the battle. NEVER turn on skirmish mode for Bow units, as they will run away from the enemy, yet become isolated from your main army and act as juicy targets for maurauding cavalry and other units. Fire at Will mode is good for blasting away at an advancing enemy in range, but in a prolonged fight, always manually target units, as most of your shots might fly into meat shields if left on this mode.
Bowmen are usually the first to die in your army, as they take many initial rounds from other bowmen, and do most of the first killing. Bows are always good for balanced armies that want to be able to skirmish and draw early blood before an early melee brawl that usually decides the victor of the match.
Hero units: Are their worth it?
This part of the guide is for people who have either unlocked the 3 hero units in the original Shogun 2 game, or have bought either the Ikko Ikki, Saints and Heroes, or Rise of the Samurai expansion pack. A hero unit, by definition, is the paragon of any specific class of units. For every class of units, from katana to yari, to even missile cavalry, there is a hero unit. The Saints and Heroes unit pack has been kind enough to provide 10 more hero units, even an elite Ninja Hero (Hanzo's Shadows). Various DLCs have added their own hero units, creating about up to as many 20 entire units that have extremely good stats, and can be extremely effective versus other units of lesser rank.

But are they really worth the extra dough? With the smallest unit numbers ever whitnessed in Shogun 2, a hero unit's bark is usually worse than its bite. It has been statisically proven that a hero unit's kill rate, if used indecisively, can be half of what a unit that cost two times less could put out. This is especially true for hero units that operate through ranged attacks, such as the Yorimoto Yasumarbe hero or the Bow Hero units. However, possibly the biggest threat to any player fielding hero units is utter confidence in his or her army that it will trash anything an opponent has to offer! Not only does this garuntee that the hero unit in question will be initially slaughtered, isolated, or simply enveloped, an army fielding heroes will obviously bring less other men to the fight than an opposing one with no heroes, and with a loss of a hero in the early phases of the game, you'll most certainly be outnumbered, and most likely be out-gunned.

I wouldn't recomend using the spear-based heroes in any army selection, as no fool is going to run their cavalry into them to try to knock them out of the fight. Moreover, while they have amazing stats, the Yari hero, among other pole-armed heroes, are built in such a way that they are meant to hold down any opposing units. With a small unit number, it negates the fact that they have amazing stats: an opponent could send a weak fodder unit or a well-upgraded sword unit to hack them up, and while 1 spear hero unit is fighting for its dear life, the battle would already be over. Granted, the specialty of spear heroes are for pure defensive reasons, and their small unit sizes severely lowers their defensive abilities.

Sword-based heroes are better, as they can be used in more pivotal phases of the battle. They can be either in the front line, something that I would suggest, or used as the 'reserves', the last line, should everything else fail. They have less defense, but their rediculously high attack, charge and morale means that they would most likely throttle through any unit put in front of them. The small numbers of sword heroes doesn't play out nearly as much in the negative spectrum, but it should be noted that a sword hero always needs appropriate backup to not get surrounded and overwhelmed.

Missile units, such as the Yasumarbe cav or the Matchlock heroes, should only be used when you have a lot of extra money to spare. Due to the fact that missiles can be juked, meat shielded, or just don't have a great chance of getting a lot of kills in an average fight, added to the small unit numbers of heroes should always be considered 3rd-rate units in a regular battle, unless you plan on using them in a heavy missile build, which is recomended for higher-experienced players.

Melee cavalry heroes posess the exact same use as other cavalry units, except that they are better in cav vs. cav senarios, and are always useful running next to a larger cavalry formation to provide a powerful backup to help beat down other cavalry units before enemy spears close in, or just punch a hole in the middle of the enemy army and let the infantry filter in. They still are vulnerable to spears, and must always be wary of matchlock fire or counter-charging cavalry that negates them of a healthy charge that gives them the edge.



DLCs and thier impact on gaming
As previously mentioned, various DLC's have been offered to the Steam Community for Shogun 2. What's nice about this is that for a small price of 5 to 10 dollars, you instantly get to acess many more diverse and intresting units. Here are a couple of the new or old ones that have come out. (Note, Fall of the Samurai DLC is not included in this section, as I see it as a completely new game with different tactics and strategies.)

The Sengoku Jidai unit pack:

With 10 new units to use in competetive multiplayer play and campaign, this 10 dollar bundle is a package of sheer goodness, as there are many units that can help you win fights in multiplayer. If you are just starting the game, there are a lot of helpful units that are instantly acessable to you that will give you an distinct advantage in a fight. Many units in this DLC are actually the more powerful versions of units from the original game. For example, the Daikyu Samurai is the beast version of the Bow Samurai, the Long Yari Ashigaru are, (You can infer), the more effective version of standard Yari Ashigaru, and the terrifying Fire Cavalry is the extreme version of the Yari Cavalry, or the slightly weaker version of the Great Guard. They do cost a lot of koku to bring into the battle, but they are better and more effective game-changers than your average bows, cavalry, etc. I highly recomend this pack for all players who want to have a better chance of winnning.

Ikkio Ikki Expansion pack:

If you have ever played the campaign, you can tell that the Ikkio Ikki are the iconic militaristic lead of Warrior monks, being able to field powerful and deadly warriors fresh from their private Jodo Shindu monestaries. So how does this effect a multiplayer experience? Not only does the Ikkio Ikki pack grant a new campaign style, it also fields 3 of the most dangerous units in the Shogun 2 universe: The powerful warrior nuns, the iconic Naginata Warrior monk Hero, and best of all, the Naginata Warrior monk cavalry. Granted, all three of thse units can be defeated, and most likely crushed if used incorrectly, but in experienced hands, the damage they can do is unimaginable. Plus, you aquire new retainers, such as Reyno's Teachings and Way of the Ikkio Ikki, that can help players gear to a more diversified playing style. Plus, if that's not enough for you, you get some slick warrior monk armor for your avatar, which is always nice when in the middle of the battle.

Hattori Expansion pack:

Not much is to be said about this pack, multiplayer-wise. But on the bright side, you can get the coolest campaign for single or multiplayer campaign. For multiplayer, you get the Bad Omens retainer, which drops the already low morale of Ashigaru units by one point. (Always useful in low funds or noob battles), and you instantly start at one bronze star when you start a new Avatar, which is nice to have. This pack costs relatively little money, and for what you get, the price is very worthwhile. For single and multiplayer gameplay alike, the Hattori Expansion pack is everyone's friend. (For more information on campaign mode, see buyer's discription on Steam.)

Troll units and strategies, plus how to deal with them.
Note: This part of the guide talks about Troll units and the strategies that people use. I'm not accusing anyone of being a Troller, but this piece of the guide helps people deal with certain units in the game that are very effective and almost seem unbeatable. I have only put down one type of troll army. If you want to see more, leave a comment and I'll write a section on it.

When we enter Shogun 2, you are awestruck by the massive variety of units you can field, from lowly Yari Ashigaru to the progidous Great Guard. For some time now, CA has released many DLC's, and patches that have modified and changed the way Shogun 2 has been played. Right now, I couldn't be happier with many modifications CA has added into the game. Units are balanced carefully, their weaknesses are equal to their strengths, and each has a function in the game that can turn the tide of battle in its own unique way. Compared the the Long-sword spamming and Matchlock supremecy of the earlier days of Shogun 2, multiplayer gameplay has really taken a turn for the better.

However, people have always been experimenting with new army builds, which prompts many different army selections and influences many who have played the game. However, there are a couple of armies out there that are increasingly hard to beat and have really pissed off many players from the game. Here I've taken the liberty to mention a few of these armies and builds, and how you can really put them out of business with a few simple selections and strategies.

First off, lets just discuss some of the general ideas behind what we will now refer to as a 'Troll Army'. Many people who use these types of armies are usually not new to the Total War games, or not new to the Shogun 2 multiplayer mode. In fact, they might be the leading strategists in Shogun 2, some of the greatest players of our community. They are smart enough to know how to efficently micro thier units and skilled enough to choose their battles and army selection wisely. Basically, they know that when the use the armies they use, it will beat 70-80 percent of competetive players without even trying. Troll armies do not usually thrive in Large or Ultra fund battles, as players can usually field an army that can ward off the deadly tactics of Troll armies. Many smart players know this, and the Troll army thus usually thrives in low funds battles, which means they'll be going up against players who are new to the game and have just recieved their bronze stars, or highly experienced players who bring nothing but some heavily vetted troops. Ironically, Troll armies do better against very high-ranking small armies than large, inexperienced ones, and you'll see why in a couple of lines. Anyway, most people lose to these types of armies because either they don't bring the right conponents to ward off armies of Trolling caliber, or they don't have the experience. An experienced player fielding Troll armies will know this, using fear and uncertaintly to further accelerate the rate of victory to their favor.

To learn how to deal with these builds, I'll list them, their discriptions, and ways to render them usless. To fight troll armies most effectively, you will need a balanced army, meaning about a couple of every weapon class to be at your disposal.

Gun cav. trolls
  • Gun cavalry armies are some of the most unforgiving trolls in Shogun 2. This build consists of bringing a gun cavalry with tons of cheap, crappy units such as Naginata and Sword attendents (Rise of the Samurai DLC). This army is deadly in small funds battles because many players new to the game do not choose the wisest of armies, or high-ranking players are forced into a position that they need to either bring a lot of cheap, low-quality units, or very few of their high quality veterans. If they are unaccustomed to using a cheap Ashigaru-Attendent army, they they will screw up very quickly in a fight. It is that fear that they will be chewed off with low-quality armies that makes them bring heavily veteran armies, which will be very effective in a regular battle but in a massive disadvantage to Troll armies. The key to beating a troll army in this senario is to bring a lot of low-quality troops to create a full-stack army with cheap melee units, but most notably cavalry and bows. If you've unlocked the Matchlocks, you can use them instead of bows, but you risk the chance of unfavorable terrain when your Matchlocks are your signature punch against Troll Armies. Plan accordingly about when to use matchlocks, and always use Matchlock Ashigaru. Seeing as you probably don't have the money to pack Bow Samurai or Yari Cavalry, stick to Light cavalry and Bow Ashigaru. Odds are 2 Bow Ashigaru will get you farther than 1 unit of Bow Samurai. It is recomended that attendent-base armies are the best, but if you don't want to buy the DLC, you can always use a build of Longswords, with big, beefy numbers, and Yari Ashigaru for meat-shields and to protect your low-morale units from cavalry attacks. When the battle begins, always take up a position near one of the key buildings (If there are any) and hide in the woods. Use your cavalry units to disrupt and frighten the enemy army into moving. Avoid direct confrontation with enemy units if nessesary before you take out the gun cavalry unit (Mounted Gunners or Donderbus Cavalry), as it will just give your enemy an excuse to roll up and blast away a good chunk of your army as it's fighting other units. Use spears to keep enemy cavalry away and bows to scare off enemy cavalry. As soon as your opponent isolates the gun cavalry, attack with all your cavalry, but make sure to spread units out as much as you can, leaving one unit to hold up against enemy cavalry and the rest to hack down the gun cavalry, which can and will retaliate with a hail of bullets if it gets the chance. Or you can keep enemy cavalry at bay with your own cheap Light Cavalry and run foward to destroy the main enemy army. Fight as you would in any battle. Odds are that Troll army foot soldiers are small in number. So fight off the loser small force, turn your army around, and destroy what remains of the cavalry.
Cav spams
Cav spam

This army type consists of massive amounts of cavalry, mounted troops sweeping through the battlefield, uncatchable by foot soldiers. The bulk of those cavalry units will be shock troops, heavily armored cav ready to smash into unsuspecting troops at a momment's notice, although Katana cavalry might also be present, due to their extreme effectivness to decimate enemy swords. While not very common among higher levels, Light Cav will be running right next to their heavily armored brethen, waiting to run, smashing, into exposed archers or hunt down routing units.

If the entire spam of cavalry is melee-oriented, then all you need are spears to ward off the cavalry. Use the space to capture some key points on the map. No matter how bad of a position they're in, cav spammers will always feel obligated to charge once you start taking advantage of their inablity to act. If no spears are present, take the initiative of the terrain offered. Always use the high grounds to move around the map. Choke points, rock formations, rivers, and forests are equally effective in a battle. But you'll still be at a massive disadvantage if you have to set up a defensive perimeter around a rock, forest, or lake and withstand the charge of a Yari cav, or let your opponent take key points that you should have. For this reason, its always advisable to have a minimal of 2 spear units in your army, no matter how cheap or small. Yari Ashigaru can screen your swords from Great Guard, and an intelligently placed Naginata attendent will rip a Yari cav charge to shreds. Don't play the game that cav. spammers want you to play. Make them come to you, emphasize on their inablities, and drive them into the ground on your terms.
Yari Ashigaru Spam
(Warning- No pictures)
(Not finished- Just started)

Yari Ashigaru are very versatile units. They can be used to screen enemies and ward off marauding cavalry units. However, if someone tends to use them as a spam-troll-annoying-as-s**t units, that's when the majority of the community starts getting angry.

Again, you're rarely going to run into a troll player without any brains, which makes your match all the more pressing and taxing of your abilities as a Shogun 2 strategist. For those not familiar with the term, the Lvl 9 Hold-Firm Ashigaru are Yari Ashigaru with the hold firm ability, which overloads its morale for well over a minute. Well okay, no one cares about Ashigaru as a long term unit, right? Except Hold-Firm also increases the morale of three (or four) units around it, meaning that you could not only be facing an unbreakable ashigaru unit, but also 3-4 unbreakable units that might actually get stuff done when confronted with your army. Its a brutal, deadly effective stategy: Employing low-costing veterans to make other units invincible in your team. But a minute? Surely the effects will wear off, right? Except that in a Total War game, timing is everything. And in Shogun 2, timing is not only everything, but is critical towards the short and long term goals you might have in the face of battle. Plus, the defense of every unit effected is boosted to the max. Charge head on into a waiting forest of the unbreakable and undefeatable, and you embrace the true legacy of the most cheap strategy ever introduced to the RTS genre of video games.

What you're going to be up against:
  • Unbreakable units
  • Invincible units
  • A good player
37 Comments
Ardir 3 Jul, 2024 @ 7:54pm 
hiiiiiii how to mod avatar units so my matchlocks get firing while hiding like yugekitai? I've stumbled upon a guy that had all of his units with kisho training including his/her cavalry :AngrySword: if they can cheat I want too but with style:KneelingBow:
UserEl 25 Apr, 2017 @ 2:07pm 
do poeple still play avatar conquest? i really like i just can't find any games
Cytotoxic 17 Feb, 2016 @ 6:03am 
i want this game:steamhappy:
Joseph Biden 22 Jan, 2015 @ 6:36pm 
Can somone help me with a problem? When I play avatar conquest I have FOTS and S2 but for some reason when I launch my FOTS account my S2 avater is the avatar! Can anyone help me to get the other avatar for FOTS?!?!?!
Ohh god the voices! 17 Jan, 2015 @ 7:46pm 
why cant i play with Fots? help
Ville Valste 13 Jan, 2015 @ 12:32pm 
What a shame.
Lvl 5 Weeaboo  [author] 13 Jan, 2015 @ 10:36am 
@Ville

Sorry, this is it.

I've been playing a lot of Rome 2 lately and having a lot of work. This guide has not been updated in a while, and I'm sorry for that.

I might atempt some revisions, but no garuntees

Thank you so much for the constructive criticism. It is what makes this guide function as a helpful tool to Total War players
Ville Valste 12 Jan, 2015 @ 12:54pm 
Hey. Do you update this guide anymore or is this it?
Ville Valste 17 Dec, 2014 @ 5:14am 
The grammar errors are still there...

And for the yari ashigaru spam I think I've found something. You can use any long range(200+) unit to counter his avatar, maybe with your own bow general too and use a missile focused army to take them out(ninjas are also very effective, especially Hanzo's Shadows).
okay 19 Nov, 2014 @ 2:41am 
lots of useful information but fairly disorganized.