Some of the enemy squads have only four characters and are not as much of a threat individually, but don’t let that lull you into complacency. There are quite a few rogue squads and the double zweihander squads do pack a bit of a punch, particularly against lightly armored squads. The tightly packed set of six squads also can wear you down if you advance poorly and let them all have their choice of target.

I went after the left flank first, keeping my squads mostly out of reach of the central group on the first turn. I left Diana in reach of the bottom most skirmisher and archers, letting them separate from the pack. A careful advance into separate archer unit and the remaining 4 squads up top will give you breathing room to take the rest of the stage at your own pace.

The archer squads holding at the base are six strong, instead of 4, but they have a limited range they will attack into. The boss has two ice mages and a decent front line, but without archers you can pepper them from afar with impunity.

Don’t forget to visit the bazaar. I recruited Lord Carnith, a unique zweihander mercenary who is loyal and has the bodyguard trait, and a lightning mage with dark element and the cold blooded trait.

Interlude

Gold arena dropped my second legendary artifact of the run!

I haven’t used this artifact before, so I’ll be tinkering with squads to see which fits it best. Perhaps gunners, since they rely on weapon power, not strength or magic. I haven’t unlocked firearms yet, so Lt Archibald and the 3 gunners from Lysander’s recruitment will bear the skull for now. I added St Teresa’s Bulwark (-25% damage taken for the front line) with the thought of offsetting the armor, hp and morale lost from the skull.