Symphony of War is probably one of the games I’ve mentioned the most in my articles which in itself is a huge testament to just how good Dancing Dragon Games‘ indie strategy hit is. This little gem is getting a significant new DLC in November called Hold the Line, and I thought I’d go over a few of the details that it brings to the game.
The next expansion for Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga is going to bring a new mode with 15 defensive battles. The idea is that if you hold territory, you earn Victory Points, and if you go out beyond your own fortifications, you can actually earn funds to help pay for the next battle. Dancing Dragon Games will be releasing the free 1.11.00 version of the game on the same day.
The new mode puts your forces under pressure from multiple directions, with enemy forces growing in strength and numbers as you go. Strongpoints and other key objectives will continue to generate Victory Points as long as you hold them, but the enemy will be actively trying to take those positions back.
So each objective you capture has a continuing role in the battle; getting there is the first step and then you have the ongoing commitment of having sufficient troops in the vicinity to defend it.
Counterattacks are a way to improve your odds beyond what you get in the current chapter. Taking on additional positions gives you gold and resources which can then be used to recruit more troops and improve your squads in between battles. The catch is that you’re committing your forces beyond the safety of your own defenses. Performance will grant army-wide bonuses between chapters, which in turn gives you further avenues for developing your army over the course of the campaign.
Familiar Nephilim Saga characters can of course be recruited into your army too. In addition to those returning heroes, you’ll have five new unit classes in Hold the Line: Lancer, Ninja, Mystic Knight, Bard and General. There are five artifacts and four traits to round out the squad-building options. All of the classes, artifacts, and traits will also be available across the rest of the game’s content via the DLC, making them useful in more than just the new mode.
The accompanying free patch makes significant changes to the existing units and technologies. Adult dragons get around 20% more max HP. Green and Red Dragons get some extra attack damage and Blue Dragons get a chance to stun for one turn. Knights get more Strength, better resistance to archery and a lower Strength requirement. A number of the more advanced classes also become easier to qualify for.
Firearm units and spellcasters are both getting some very significant changes. Gunners and Dragoons will start the battle with two shots and will have a 20% reduction in raw gun-skill damage. The new Musketeering tech allows a shot that has killed its primary target to continue on into an enemy behind it at half power. Magician’s Initiative is keeping the spell charging turn, but now spells will resolve prior to enemy attacks at the start of the second round (whether the squad is in attack or defense).
Other changes relate to positioning and mission performance. Enemy forces will be able to enter the Zone of Control in every chapter. Morale will only be restored on town and base tiles via resting. There will be no cap on the excessive turn penalties for chapter rankings. The patch also fixes targeting priorities, status effect resistance checks, Ranger Snipe, and a number of traits and artifacts.
Managing and moving the armies should be smoother too. 1.11.00 introduces drag-and-drop support for adding and moving units in the squad builder. Enemy turns are now faster as a result of AI processing improvements and reduced pauses between squad movements. There are also interface sound tweaks and a fix for a cavalry movement crash that would occur after cutscenes.
Symphony of War: Hold the Line is available to wishlist on Steam in advance of its November 24th release. The new content in the expansion and the free patch are both part of the launch, with the balance, interface, and performance improvements coming in version 1.11.00.
