Yasumi Matsuno’s world doesn’t test your stats so much as your inner law — what remains when ideals meet pressure. You begin the game by choosing tarot cards that reflect who you think you are. But, through your actions, the truth emerges. The battlefield becomes a moral mirror, revealing not the virtues you claim, but the ones you live by. As Denam walks the outlaw’s path, I find myself confronting the same question Matsuno poses to every player. When everything you fought for is branded treason, do you still know who you are?
Becoming an Outlaw
Now a fugitive from Duke Ronwey, Denam leads a small but resilient force.
I purchased Torpor for my wizard — a potent utility spell.
My Rune Fencer continued to dominate the battlefield. So, I bought a Mage-Knight Mark and reclassed my level-5 archer into a Valkyrie.
I already had two Voulges and she had water attunement. I bought Heal and Instill Water to complement her elemental affinity.
Had I known how underwhelming archers would feel early on, I’d have made the switch much sooner.
After training, I leveled her to 11 in a single battle (the cap).
Based on performance, I purchased three Defender’s Rings (for both clerics and the wizard) and two Magus Robes for my healers.
Before departing Port Asyton, the story forces a battle where a Vartan (Canopus) is mandatory for an extra reward.
The Hunt by Arycelle
Arycelle, an elite archer, hunts Denam for the Balmamusa massacre.
Her bow finisher hits from half the map and deals over 200 HP, so positioning is critical.
I fielded 2 Knights, 2 Valkyries, 2 Clerics, and 4 of my 10 units were lightly armored.
Arycelle refused to believe Denam’s innocence. Tactics: I used Voltare as a wall in the center of the map to block melee units, while my Valkyries flanked from the west.
Elemental finishers dealt overwhelming damage, easily crushing enemy knights.
Holding the line with Voltare was key — he’s practically immovable.
Denam’s level 10 sword finisher, however, felt lackluster compared to ice-based axe and hammer finishers. I may eventually reconsider his weapon path.
Still, he remains valuable for blocking and healing.
Canopus, once again, was MVP — landing a 4-card critical crossbow finisher that one-shot a knight.
After the battle, I trained all recruits (except Sara) to level 14, since Valkyries clearly outperform human archers.
Mother’s Blessing for clerics and Rampart Aura II now create an absurdly wide 10-tile zone of control [12K4567K910]. Two knights can block an entire battlefield.
Rhea Boum Aqueduct — Elemental Power and Beasts
Scouting Rhea Boum Aqueduct revealed new threats: Terror Knights, Octopuses, and Demons?
The boss had a melee finisher, but Voltare and Denam walled him in easily.
I brought Coax for the lizardman and replaced Blowguns with Subdue to recruit an Octopus.
The enemy underestimated my aquatic might.
My two Valkyries crushed the octopuses, and my ranged units annihilated the Terror Knights before they reached the front line.
I recruited the octopus on my first try but spent about 20 Chariot rerolls trying to recruit the lizardman despite “30% odds” — clearly, the RNG odds jest.
Post-battle, I learned:
- Lizardmen are physically superior to humans but start limited to Berserker.
- Terror Knight class is “evil-oriented” and lacks divine healing. Though I would come to find out has HP drain, so they’re not bad at all.
- Denam’s sword build continues to feel awkward next to Voltare’s devastating icy hammers, ironically calling for Lyuneram’s blessings.
My new Octopus, equipped with Aqua Bubble, Pincer Attack, Dash, and Constitution, looks extremely promising for water maps like Xeod Moors and Lake Bordu.
Xeod Moors — The Merciful Title
Xeod Moors requires a Valkyrie, and scouting revealed a faerie and other creatures.
I equipped Canopus with Fey Pact, swapped out the low-mobility wizard for the Octopus, and let it decimate foes from water tiles under Empower Beast.
For saving Arycelle, I received the “The Merciful” title.
The fight was trivial, but I recruited a faerie familiar.
She came with Lightning II, Spirit Surge II, Heal, Boon of Swiftness, and Meditate — and I equipped her with a Defender’s Ring and Cudgels, replacing my original cleric.
Refinements and Reflections
I upgraded Denam’s sword to Shamshir, though the improvement was marginal.
I gave him three Avoidance Charms, though most enemies ignore knights unless forced.
Note: I reroll recruit attempts often via the Chariot, so I recognize Beast Tamer and recruiting are for fun, not power — but they’re too enjoyable to skip on a first run when you don’t know what is useful and/or not useful.
At Lake Bordu, where Recruit and Archer are required, I brought Tame for a Cloud Dragon.
The Ninja boss was the real threat — double attacks can spike decently hard, though they won’t phase a knight overmuch.
After several Chariot rerolls, I captured the dragon and cleared the map easily. While the octopus and beast tamer were clearly dominant, the battle itself was simple, and thus I wouldn’t say either are required. However, doing 282 to 414 damage per turn would probably be missed.
At Tynemouth Hill, Vyce ambushed me.
This was the hardest fight so far — Vyce is deadly with his dual daggers and ranged finisher, dealing over 300 HP per turn.
Catiua’s suicidal AI made things worse, and Arycelle’s reckless pursuit of the cleric didn’t help either. Still, I kept them alive and earned the “Man of Proven Worth” title for saving Arycelle. Importantly, if I were doing a no chariot play through, I don’t think I would use beast tamers (takes too much effort to recruit) nor would I leave Vyce alive to see what the spoils of war contain. The main spoil that you might want to get here are the marks from the dread knight or dragoon; otherwise, it’s probably best to just end the battle by defeating Vyce, since it’s doable with only two finishers if you rush for him. Lastly, there is a dragoon (with a beast slaying ability) on this map, so I left my beast tamer, dragon, and octopus out of the battle. Considering the monstrous HP of beasts, at minimum, I would slay the dragoon before Vyce, since a dragoon would be very situationally worth it.
Voltare, as always, pulverized everything and stood unbreakable. I did bring the lizardman to the battle as a level 11 berserker, as I had nothing better. The berserker felt lack luster despite already having enough hammer skill for the same finisher as Voltare–Voltare is substantially a better unit than a berserker as a knight. This is because the finishers do the same damage either way and the knight’s utility is far superior to a tradeoff for an area-of-effect melee attack.
In reflection, I still have regrets over Denam’s swords, but I’m not switching — I want to see what swords can do later. Sometimes, staying the course is really the only way for me to know if swords become worth it or not. Long-term, swords might be amazing, and Denam still has value as a barrier to enemy advancement and also for his healing.