Conqueror's Blade review - check out if it's worth playing

When you're playing Conqueror's Blade, it's hard to miss the similarities between this game and Mount and Blade released in 2008. You are a warlord, fighting your way up the hierarchy. You have a regiment of loyal troops that you care about feeding them and paying them wages. There is a map of the kingdom that you can travel around, and your kingdom can wage war against others, trying to capture fiefs. You engage in the field battles and sieges, commanding your soldiers, slashing through the foes with great vengeance and furious anger. Yes, the similarities are there, but still, Conqueror's Blade is a whole different game. And this game we're reviewing today. 

Conqueror's Blade - the beginning

The first thing we've got to do is character customization. Conqueror's Blade is one of these games that we're not given a default character, but we can decide how exactly it is supposed to look like. We can even choose between two genders, and unlike in the real Middle Ages, we can be a female warlord. There are two weapon classes that only female characters can play - Dual-blade and Shortbow. 

Read also:

Conqueror's Blade classes - which weapon will be the best for you?

The gameplay

Well, we've got to admit that there are some interesting ideas here, along with a couple of flaws. However, the most significant weaknesses are not strictly in-game, but outside of it. 

The first one is that the game is online. You need an Internet connection to play the epic multiplayer battles, and the better connection you have, the better the performance and the experience. If you have a trashy connection, you won't have much fun, and your enemies won't too. Sure, it's harder to shoot someone who's literally teleporting around the place, but it's harder to land your powerful poleaxe strikes as well. Besides, don't be a douche. Many players enjoy getting under others' skin warping around, and there is a special place in Hell for the likes of these. Don't be like them.

The second one is your hardware. Here are the minimum and the recommended requirements for the Conqueror's Blade:

Minimum Requirements:

CPU: Intel Core i3-3225/ AMD X4 B9

RAM: 8GB

OS: Windows 7/ Windows 8/ Windows 10

GPU: NVidia GeForce GTX 650/ AMD Radeon HD 6790 

Dedicated Video RAM: 1024 MB

Pixel Shader: 5.0

Vertex Shader: 5.0

Recommended Requirements

CPU: Intel Core i7-7820HK/ AMD RYzen 5

RAM: 16GB

OS: Windows 7/ Windows 8/ Windows 10

GPU: NVidia GeForce GTX 1060 / AMD Radeon R9 390

Dedicated Video RAM: 3072 MB

Pixel Shader: 5.1

Vertex Shader.

The game also requires at least 30GB free disc space.

If you don't meet any of those, don't start. Sure, you can, but we'd say that you play games for fun, not for the sheer fact of playing. And you can't play when your PC is running the game with its dying breath. 

Also, as you can see, there is not a word about consoles - Xbox One or PS4. For platforms, PC is the only device you can play on. We will find out whether the game is going to have multiple platforms available. 

The open world graphics are decent, as for the online game. However, looking at the titles like Guild Wars 2, The Elder Scrolls Online, or Star Wars: The Old Republic, one can tell that pretty graphics became a standard these days. We can't really say that Conqueror's Blade stands out in this department. Our opinion is that the times where we were awe-stricken looking at Far Cry or Crisis are long gone, and the technological jump within a certain timespan is not that significant as it was a couple of years ago. 

While playing Conqueror's Blade, you may encounter some minor flaws, like hitbox blocking. However, they're fixable and not that annoying compared to the amount of fun the game provides.

The combat

It is probably the strongest point of the Conqueror's Blade, and no question about it, it's where the developer Booming Games put the most work. The combat is the key aspect of the game and the most engaging one. 

The beauty of the combat in Conqueror's Blade is that you're not fighting with dumb bots that you can, sooner or later, outplay and kill with a pitchfork. The match is against real-life players that have their own learning curve, and depending on their talent and practice, they can be better or worse than you. Stepping into the battle, you never know whether you will be smashed or victorious. It may be your heroic play that wins the fight or your mistake, that throws it entirely. No battle is the same, and it's the greatest reason that you want to come back. 

Heroes

The playable characters are the core of the game. Every player creates one at the beginning of their adventure with the Conqueror's Blade, and the hero becomes their manifestation and avatar.

The developers of Conqueror's Blade refused to go with the most prevalent division into the typical tank, DPS, and support classes type that we're used to. Instead, they have given us the choice of the main weapons, that our hero will use. It can be a Poleaxe, Spear, Nodachi, Glaive, Longsword and Shield, Shortsword and Shield, Long bow, Short bow, Musket, and Dual-blades. Musket and two bows are range weapons, with other weapons being melee. 

Such division has its pros and cons. Obviously, it's rather straightforward. If you choose Glaive, you're set to use the glaive. In the battle, it's also easy to determine what we are against. If the enemy swings a poleaxe like crazy, wiping our AI soldiers, it means that he'll have this poleaxe on him even if he dies. One will not surprise us by pulling out the bow and shooting at us. 

The biggest con is a lack of versatility. In many games, we have a bunch of skills at our disposal, and it's entirely up to us whether we want to invest skill point into ranged or melee, ax or sword, magic, or stamina. This choice determines our future role, which can (but doesn't have to) be influenced by racial bonuses like in ESO or WoW. Do you want to be the tank? Skill your defense up. Do you want to be the DPS? Go ahead, and put some points into damage. It is not the case for Conqueror's Blade, though. 

The weapon that you choose means a predefined set of abilities. You can select three common skills and one Paragon skill (an "ultimate" kind) to battle. After a couple of hundred playing hours, the rotation will become insanely boring, as it usually happens. 

Just like in the most MMORPG games, once you pick the class and max it out, you will have a hard time changing it. In some games, it's impossible; in others, it means skilling from scratch. Conqueror's Blade is the former. For a Shortbow player in order to change to Longbow, you need another character. And you will need to level it up again. It may be harsh and discouraging, but it's somewhat understandable. The developers want you to play the game instead of merely jumping through all classes to see what it feels like.

NPCs

AI has always been an underbelly of game developers. How do you code the unplayable character to act at least realistically, let alone smart? It is also the aspect of a game where the developers made some progress over the years. Our enemies don't just stand there waiting for our bullet, sword, or a plasma shot. There were games where you could get rid of your foes by merely jumping onto anything. However, for example, in the Assassin's Creed series, your enemies will chase you and throw a rock at you once you start climbing. In the Mass Effect series, they will use the obstacles as a cover and try to flank you. In the number of other titles, the guards will react to any noise that you make.

Allies no longer act like brain dead dolls, jumping around trying to kill themselves in search for all the possible bugs and glitches. Escorting blatantly stupid creatures like Marshal Windsor is a thing of the past. Our companions become more and more useful, and we can use them as something more than just cannon fodder or a bait.

In Conqueror's Blade, the AI is decent, to say the least with intuitional control system. Basic action commands are:

X - hold this ground; you can set your troops into type of formation with F1, F2, and F3 keys, which can save you a lot of time on the battlefield. Your units in a defensive stance will not just stand there and eat every arrow that's shot at them. They will engage onto the enemy, with the exception of shield walls. In a shield wall formation, your troops will stand in a place with shields raised, protecting whatever is behind them. It is where the AI fumbles a little bit because they will not retaliate if they're engaged from behind. 

C - follow me. Tapping the button twice makes them run, which is a little faster,

V - attack nearby units. Your troops will still hold the ground, but the aggro radius is increased. It is important knowledge if you are defending a choke point. You may suddenly have your troops running further away to enter the combat, leaving the spot open. Another essential thing to know is that when you're holding V and clicking on the location, it works as the "attack here" command, meaning that your troops will attack any enemy that comes close. 

You can change the formation with the mouse scroll. 

As you can see, the commands system is quite straightforward. Yet, you have every necessary option at hand. Having these three commands at hand is enough to manipulate your troops efficiently. It's the usage of armies and strategy that differs an outstanding player from a regular AI-soldiers smasher. The beauty of a computer AI is that your subordinates will always obey orders, or at least do their best. It's exactly the case for Conqueror's Blade. If you order them to hold the ground, they will hold it until the last man falls.

The upkeep is another crucial thing. Naturally, if you have a company of soldiers under your command, they need to eat, rest, and you must equip them. It is another difference compared to medieval times the game depicts. In the Middle Ages, the knight had to take care of his war equipment by himself. In Conqueror's Blade, if you want to gear up thirty men, you will need thirty kits. You can buy them or craft them. Buying these involves a major silver investment, while crafting requires not only silver but also materials that you have to gather yourself. It is why if you are on the farming duty, efficiency is key, so you may want to stick to the most cost-efficient units. 

Trade

The market is a staple in every good MMORPG. We all know that the prolific trading system in the MMORPG makes it shine. It's exactly what happened to World of Warcraft, RuneScape, Diablo 3 (before it was ruined), or EVE Online. Some games live only because of the trade. Countless players managed to build a fortune on farming and trading the currency earned in-game. Every well-developed game market has its fair share of flippers and traders. These are people who do nothing more than sheer sitting in the exchange HUD, buying and selling various items. 

In Conqueror's Blade, it's not going to happen. There is a "pending" period from the moment the item is listed for sale, to the moment it can be actually sold. Also, there is a minimum fixed price for everything. It resulted in a situation where hundreds of items are stuck at the minimum price, and the probability that you sell your loot is insignificant. It also means that you will not make too many silver coins by selling and buying low-price items in bulk. There is a chance that you snipe an expensive, legendary item and sell it with a profit, but it's more like a Christmas in July rather than a full-time job. 

It forces us to think of two possible scenarios for the future of the game:

Scenario 1: the developers will imply changes to the trading system, free the market, and allow players to trade nearly without the limits. It will animate the market and keep the players engaged.

Scenario 2: the game will eventually die when most of the players who are playing for fun, will start to get bored, and there will only be veterans remaining, too greedy to let go of the game that had cost them so much time and money. 

The MMORPG

One of the biggest objections in the community is the actual MMO aspect of Conqueror's Blade. Looking at it, it has little to no typical MMORPG elements. Yes, you have a regular progression, leveling, character, abilities, rotation, items, and you can fight other players. What you don't have is good PvE, questing, or farming per se. You will not participate in an epic raid in Conqueror's Blade. There is no engaging lore as well.

As for the open-world PvP, it boils down to the Territory War. All players can join houses and create alliances. The latter can declare war over territory against another coalition. Once the war is declared, there will be a safe zone on the map marked. Stepping outside of it makes you vulnerable to hostile players' attacks. Your alliance can group up and siege forts and cities. Conquering either of these grants your side more fiefs. And fiefs are what's it all about. There is a tribute that every member of the kingdom receives regularly. Its value is based on the number of fiefs that the alliance holds. Easy to say, there is something to fight over. The game involves progression, and you need resources to grow stronger, but there is no traditional farming other than participating in battles and completing repeatable quests. No wonder that many people are eager to grab some land. 

With its battle-focused gameplay, Conqueror's Blade resembles battlegrounds or arena bouts we know from other titles, with some minor off-battle activities. So, is the game fun? Definitely yes. Is it an MMORPG? We're not sure. The real question is: "Should this bother us?" "Should I stop playing Conqueror's Blade, because it's not a true MMORPG, even if it gives me joy?" It's like asking yourself: "Should I stop dating my girlfriend because she's not blonde."

Conqueror's Blade vs. Mount and Blade

As huge fans of the TaleWorlds bestseller game, we couldn't skip the comparison. We weren't able to shake off a feeling that Booming 

First and foremost, CB is way more advanced as it was released over ten years after its rival. It should be nothing of a surprise to see improved graphics and textures, better AI, and well-thought solutions.

The Siege Battles mechanics

This change is what we needed in Mount and Blade. Let's face it, if the Turkish developer put as much emphasis on the gameplay, as they did on recreating the medieval courtship, we'd have a masterpiece. Instead, we have two ways of approaching a stronghold, which is nowhere near the Middle Ages standards, as we know now. Every game developer that is planning to implement siege battles into his masterpiece should watch the Kingdom of Heaven movie, or at least take a page from the Lord of the Rings. 

In Mount and Blade, we have an immovable ladder, that your knights and archers keep stucking on, or an unstoppable siege tower. And that's pretty much it. Obviously, it was way easier and less cost-heavy to do it this way, but come on. Recreating sieging mechanics from Stronghold and transferring them to the game would have done the trick. 

In the Conqueror's Blade, on the contrary, we can ram the main gate with a battering ram or the cannon, or we can climb a siege tower and ride to the walls. We also have ladders that we can climb, but we can die doing so. When we run out of units willing to die for our cause, we may go to the refresh point and muster some more troops. Death means respawning. It's very joy-bringing but not that realistic - medieval knights were not resurrecting. A point for Mount and Blade here. We don't die in M&B, but at least we're knocked out, and the siege is stopped. 

The mount

Conqueror's Blade puts far less emphasis on the horse riding aspect. 

The mechanic of falling from horseback is different. Heroes have abilities that will simply knock you off. Also, the mount has mediocre HP, so if you're planning to become the hussar, this game is not the best choice. In Mount and Blade, you could fell off of the horse once it lost its HP entirely, which could take a while if you had the battle horse. 

On the other hand, you are way more powerful on the ground in Conqueror's Blade. It's realistic, since in a real medieval battle, once your mount is hurt, it'll probably drop you down. Also, poleaxes and glaives were designed mostly to take horsemen out of their saddle. A point for Conqueror's Blade.

The map

There are similarities in this aspect, as well. In both titles, you are traveling around, 

However, let's be honest - you will not conquer a castle singlehandedly in Conqueror's Blade. In Mount and Blade, if you had a 240-men party with a considerable number of Swadian Knights and Rhodok Sharpshooters, you could have approached any castle or city, and take it. In CB, well, you and your 30 pikemen will not do. The defenders' capabilities are more significant, and even with all the tactical and mechanical skills in the world, you will not make it.

The conclusion

Comparing two games released in a decade-long span is maybe a little bit unfair, but whoever played the Mount and Blade, will know what we're talking about here. Conqueror's Blade is the answer to its predecessor's weaknesses and the cries of its fans. More realistic, engaging sieges, tougher battles, and smarter AI subordinates are what they needed, and well-developed graphics are just icing on the cake. 

All in all, both games are not that much of an RPG, but still, they can make you forget about your life for long, long hours. How many times did we get up late for work because of "one more siege"? Ahh… If only we could have no responsibilities, and lengthen the day to 36 hours. 

Why does Conqueror's Blade have a low rating?

Allegedly, the game had multiple security issues that had hit the company's reputation and trust. Those who check every game's review at Steam or Reddit, tend to walk by this title, too afraid to risk their PC security. It should not surprise anybody, as it only takes a shadow of a doubt to make people stay away from a particular title. Reportedly, during the client downloading process, there is a 

The company claims that the reason behind it is so-called "false positive," and the antivirus software is tricked into believing that there is a DDoS attack or a malware installed. 

There is a report that Microsoft has this issue already fixed on Windows, and there is no threat at all. 

What's the truth? We guess we'll never know for sure. There will be people who will never believe the developers in their lifetime, and they will play something else even if Conqueror's Blade becomes the most popular game out there. And some people don't know, don't care, etc. The developer ensured the community that nothing is going on. Maybe it's a technical issue? A hardware malfunction? Perhaps it's not their fault at all? 

However, what we can admit for sure, that any doubts and unclear matters around the game are their fault and their only. If you are creating a game 

Take a page out of the CD Projekt Red book, who moved the Cyberpunk 2077 release from April to September. Someone said that the game is not ready, and it's better to be safe than sorry. The company gains more and more fans all over the world, not only thanks to awesome games like The Witcher but also one of the best PRs in the gaming world. Compared to the likes of Bethesda (Fallout 76), Ubisoft (legendary bugs in "Assassin's Creed: Unity), or Blizzard (Warcraft 3 Reforged), the polish company is revered among players.

Booming Games made the mistake of not checking everything twice. Every company that follows the pattern: "We need to keep the release date, we release on time even with bugs" suffers. That is exactly what happened to Conqueror's Blade. The game is decent itself, but the events surrounding its premiere are doubt-raising, and that's what caused so many bad reviews.

Summary

What do we have here? A new game with creative battles that look just so epic with serious accusations overshadowing it as a whole. A title named an MMORPG with a lack of some key MMORPG features. A creation aspiring to conquer the modern players' hearts despite its ups and downs.

What is it then?

Well, to us, it's an answer to prayers of all medieval-theme aficionados, who craved a true, dynamic, realistic, action packed Middle Ages battle. It's the name of the game, by far, and you can tell by merely watching YouTube videos. There is also a social aspect, where you compete against other houses and alliances for the territory that can suck you in for hours, if not for days. The game is free-to-play with a premium content available. The paid content is made in a way, that paying for it is worth it, but you become one of the most powerful warlords without it. 

However, as the developers' main focus was on the battles, the players' focus should be there as well. If you're looking for a complicated progression, engaging quests, deep lore, and challenging raids, you may walk away.

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FAQ

Is it worth it to play Conqueror's Blade?

It's worth giving it a try. The battle system gives a lot of fun, but not other than that - it's not much more.

What is the best class in the game?

It's our favorite question. There are ten classes with a different playstyle, and each class has different abilities. None of them is the best - it's got to suit your play style.

Is Conqueror's Blade a virus?

According to the newest data, it's not.

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