Greetings, mighty Lords!
After the previous season's preview of "Battle at Red Cliffs," everyone has probably gained a general understanding of the new season. Today, we will further introduce the season's brand new battle mode—Naval Battle.
Dispatch Ships to Sail the River
Ten thousand riders approach the river, their roars like tigers,
A thousand ships, lined with torches, resemble angry dragons. Waves surge, confronting and entrapping Cao Cao.
— "Memories of the Past at Red Cliffs"
Rivers combine to form a dense network of surging waves, making it difficult for an army to wade through. The importance of a navy is self-evident to ancient riverside battles.
In this season, a Troop can be converted to a Navy by sailing forth on warships from their own Harbor buildings. The Navy's actions in river areas will not suffer from adjacent land restrictions, and it can Halt anywhere in river areas. A Navy sails faster and suffers less morale reduction with distance traveled, making it easier to operate over long distances. The Navy sails on rivers, taking actions on tiles one by one. If it encounters an enemy Navy on the same River tile, a battle will occur until one side's warship is lost or retreats. If the warship sinks, the Troop will suffer huge casualties and must return to land. Furthermore, the Navy can March along rivers and occupy any land around it. It can also abandon its warships and be directly mobilized to land Fortresses. Make good use of your Navies and plan your strategies cleverly. They rely on the convenience of aquatic travel to ride the river's waves and sail to the enemy's rear, disrupt their focus, cut off their backup, and put them into a situation where the enemy is unable to turn back.
Intertwined Rivers & A Forest of Harbors
The clear water of the Zhang meets Pukou, bending around a long strip of land. It sits behind vast mounds, overlooking fertile marshland.
— "Ode to Ascension"
In ancient China, there were numerous vast rivers which covered the earth. These rivers crisscrossed to form an intricate river network, making water transportation of fundamental importance in ancient China.
In this Season, rivers will be wider, and both sides of rivers will be lined with Harbors that can be occupied by Alliances and Berths that can be occupied by individuals. Harbors and Berths serve not only as boarding points to convert Armies into Navies, but also as retreat points for Navies, making them more flexible and mobile as they allow them to advance and retreat freely. Halting your Navy at Harbors and Berths can not only restore morale quickly but also increase the Recovery speed of their Warship's Durability, leaving them poised and ready for the next voyage.
However, there are also Checkpoints and Ports on Rivers that hinder the movement of Navies. If an Alliance wants to clear a waterway, they can either occupy it or arrange for Navigation Rights with a friendly Alliance that occupies the Checkpoint or Port. Once Navigation Rights are arranged, not only will the Checkpoints and Ports occupied by the two Alliances be navigable to each other, battles will no longer occur when Warships from both sides encounter each other while sailing on rivers.
Picturesque rivers scattered with Harbors like stars will open up a magnificent stage for the Navies that sail them. Whoever can seize opportunities, occupy Checkpoints and Ports, and control Navigation rights to enable their Navies to move more freely shall be invincible!
The Red Cliffs area, as the focus of this season, will also be restored within the Jiangxia Commandery. Alliances can enter the area through rivers and vie for it.
Choose Ships Based on Different Situations
During Naval battles, warships loom imposingly and ride over the waves, playing a decisive role. In this season, all warships used by the Navy have Durability. Each can accommodate one Troop. When the Durability of a Warship drops to 0, it will sink and lose a large amount of Strength.
Lords can choose Clippers, Warships, Cruisers, and Towered Ships at their occupied Harbors or Berths. Each of the four ships has its own strengths, as well as different attributes and characteristics: Clippers are light, fast, and cost little to build, but is a bumpy ride, which lowers Morale; Warships are good at riding the wind and waves, and the Navy's morale increases when facing enemy ships in rivers; Cruisers are good at attacking cities and destroying hulls. Defeating enemy ships will cause an additional decrease in their Durability; Towered Ships, with their huge and exceptionally strong hulls, can only be used by Governors and Officials. They can provide Chain Assault assistance for other fleets, allowing them to easily tread water and gain the same rapid Morale and Durability recovery effect as would be achieved by docking at Harbors.
In addition, Clippers, Warships, and Cruisers can inflict "Fireship", which results in the Burning status. While Burning, Durability will gradually decrease and Wounded Troops cannot be recovered. The Burning Status cannot be dispelled. If you can overpower the enemy and burn their ships, they will be inflicted with the Burning status. If you manage to launch a chain assault, all the ships will be plunged into a sea of flames. Therefore, adaptive and strategic use of the characteristics of each warship will be the key to gaining an advantage on the battlefield.
Let us wait and see whether the Alliances of each Faction will rationally deploy warships to occupy favorable terrain and bide their time, or use various means to identify the enemy's movements and breakthrough; whether they will concentrate their troops to fight in a frontal offensive, or wait for the opportunity to recreate the spectacular scene of the flaming ships of Red Cliffs.
Stay tuned for more previews regarding the season of "Battle at Red Cliffs".
There is no other land than the king's land; within INFINITE BORDERS, all are subjects of the king.
A ruler of all families lives up to the times! (The gameplay is subject to change.)
(Actual in-game content subject to further updates)
INFINITE BORDERS Project Team
