Hi! you're here it means you have a great taste in games. It is always refreshing to see games like this and a pleasure for me to help anyone that may be having difficulties on it. The previous version of this guide was written about 2 months after the game's launch and while no big changes were made to the game aside from some balacing and bug fixing, I decided to update this guide as I replay the game after the switch launch. Soh, without further ado, grab your mask, hold your maiden by the hand and be prepared to walk the path to godhood.

The most basic thing to understand is that this is not just a tower defense game, it's a mix of genres. You can play defensively, relying more on villagers, or take care of things yourself as Soh. But regardless of your preferences you will be using both. Also, a key factor that you need to have in mind is that you can change villagers' roles or their place on the map at any time. Avoid seeing the villagers as static towers. They're not.

Here is a tier list of the roles avaiable. Keep in mind that I took not only raw strength in consideration, but also crystal cost and number of villagers avaiable on each stage (as of the first time you play them in a fresh or ng+ run). Since you also use crystals to carve the path for Yoshiro you need to find the right balance between advancing and using expensive roles. As of the switch launch tho, the balance changes to a specific class made the game slightly different. In the sense that will be less necessary to return to bases in order to receive crystals. More on that below.

S - Thief

While they are useless in combat, a previous patch increased the number of chests containing crystals in stages. This makes thief the best class as it will provide you with resources to afford 300C classes more often and reduce the chances of running out of crystals if you are at least a little bit careful. The black chests they can open while at LV3 also give you Musubi for upgrades. Nothing more to say. Once unlocked, always use Thief by day.

Content below is not updated yet, but is still useful overall.

S - Archer

Ok damage, can hit grounded and flying enemies, fast attack rate and most importantly: it only costs 50 crystals. These guys are a steal. If you don't know which role to give remaining villagers, archer is the answer.

S - Spearman

Don't be fooled by their somewhat low attack rate. They have amazing damage to deal with larger foes like SumiGaki, Daigaki, Gotaimen, Hozukime and Rosokuro. Their health is also pretty good. They may not have the range of marksmen, but their attacks are still faster and they cost 50 crystals less, being the only class which costs 100 crystals. Pair them with archers or/and ascetics to wreck stuff.

S - Ascetic

Essential. Their slow is very good and will help you and villagers deal with lot of enemies while also keeping smaller ones of. They cost 150 crystals which is fine. If you can only afford one 150C class, choose ascetics. Especially with their final upgrade that makes their barrier not only slow the enemy but also damage and debuff them to receive even more damage.

S - Mage

If they didn't cost so much they would be the best role. Insane damage to all enemies on screen. Do I need to say more?

S - Ninja

Expensive but also works as an IA controlled Soh. While they don't do damage like spearman they can teleport through the stage, dealing with and stalling threats. Their biggest strength though is being able to hit flying and grounded enemies. The best 300 crystals role.


A - Woodcutter

The first class. Useful through the whole game. Ok damage, fast attack rate, good damage to stun gauges. They are not good alone tho, and will not be able to deal with harder enemies that a spearman would quickly dispatch. Still, they are amazing at one thing. Bullying bosses. A bunch of these guys against a boss is a fun watch. More on that on how to deal with bosses section.

A - Sumo Wrestler

Awesome utility, nice damage. They don't have great attack rate but they don't need it. 300 crystals is a fair price to pay for their strength.

A - Shaman

Fair price, good utility. Still, there is no reason to use them when the game already gives you a lot of rations. On top of that I believe this game favours offensive gameplay (more on that later too) so you should be killing things before even need healing. With that said I can see why this role exists in the first place. The beauty of this game is that if you want to turtle, you can turtle. As for me. I'm fast. I'm swift. I'm merciless.

A - Cannoneer

Almost useless. They have AOE, but also an awful attack rate. Okish damage. Even worse accuracy and cost 150 crystals. Why they are on A tier? BOSSES. Throw a party of these against Yatsukahagi and you see how they shredd his stun gauge. Their awful projectiles will miss less with larger hurtboxes enemies such as bosses AND they are the only class which is able to really bully the new game plus final boss.

B - Marksmen

I know I know. Don't shoot me yet. They have awesome range and damage. But their attack rate is awfully awful. Why is this a problem? If you're using them as your only ranged class and your villagers get stunned by hitobans, when marksmen is finally able to shoot something after his recharge animation, he will be himself stunned too. While they can cover two groups of villagers with their range, their attack rate will make them actually cover just one. On top of that they cost 150 crystals. "Oh but you can use 4 of them and wreck stuff" oh yeah? Tell me. Do you like to backtrack to bases to harvest crystals? 150C times 4 equals 600C. With 600C you can get one Sumo to attract all enemies to a single spot, avoiding damage to Yoshiro, a spearman to kill the bigger ones, and an archer to cover both guys from hitobans and deal with smaller treats, while saving you 150 crystals in case you want some heal, or the godlike ascetic to prevent against a Daigaki or Noderabo.

C - Priest

Priests - They are fine. Unfortunately too situational. Their best utility is too debuff Rosokuro minions. But as an offensive player when I hear a Rosokuro I just walk to him and kill it.


A good rule of thumb is to always aim for the third and sixth upgrades. At least when it comes to your main roles. What do I mean by main roles are your main sources of damage, melee and ranged. For example, Woodcutter and Archer or Woodcutter and Marksmen. Other roles like Ascetic or Sumo Wrestler should only be upgraded in certain situations or for a specific challenge. An example would be upgrading Sumo Wrestler to better deal with the challenge from Adashino Village which requires you to debuff seethe using the drum.


Soh most essential upgrades is the chuzusha basins which will give you the ability to drink from the dragon basins to become invincible and do more damage for a while and the punishing strikes one. Your next priority should be Increasing the number of tsuba guards and mazos you can equip. Arrow is a good one too, but you should only have one arrow modification upgraded at a time since you can't equip more.


Bosses can be easily murdered in this game as long as you follow these tips.

Preparation

- Be sure to have the chuzusha basin and punishing strike upgrade for Soh.
- Equip the soultaker relic
- Equip your most damaging tsuba guards.
- Have all villagers be Woodcutters/Cannonners or Archers for those two specific bosses.
- Place your villagers before triggering the fight. (Villagers can walk past the fog without activating the fight. This is really useful for Mukadejoro for example since you can place the villagers next to the lanterns and just cycle the stage, lighting them one by one once the fight begins)

The Fights

- Spawn the boss. Drink from the basin, use your most damaging tsuba attack and then a punishing strike. This should take a good chunk of their health. Almost half or more. Switch Tsubas and repeat the process until they are that.

Final Comments Regarding Bosses

You can try this or that relic to optimize your strategy but this is just a general tips guide and finding your favorite combinations of tsubas and relics for each boss is part of the fun.


Work in progress...