The ultimate save scum: faster and easier plat/100% + roadmap

[VirtualNight]

This game is almost entirely a massive dice roll where RNG does not seem to make sense, as missing an 80-95% chance of hit 2-3 times in a row is not too much uncommon and this has been complained by others as well. Given also that the AI knows your positions and so rather than make strategies you just keep all your units together and let the enemies come for you, you surely want to speed up the heavy monotony and luck of this game.

 

The save scum simply means backing up your save to ps+ or usb, this is needed since the game has only 1 save slot, which is the auto save, that happens for every single thing you or the enemy does, and given the nature of the game being almost entirely luck-based, one bad luck can wipe your soldier, or even the whole warband, which can make them heavily injured messing up their stats you worked hard on or they may even die.

Usually you backup before you try a mission, so you load back if you are unlucky on it, without penalties for failing.

But this is just the basic use of the backup, also helpful to roll again the missions or the shop items, however there is a deeper strategy that will make you powerful and rich, which means you will be able to get active/passive skills for your units way sooner than normal (on my first run I actually didn't even manage to get everything I wanted before finishing the story).

 

Requirements: 2nd console (or a super devoted partner, which will be way slower anyway), usb (unless you have 2 accounts with ps+).

 

 

Step 1: the first run

 

NOTE: when your ranking is way higher than your alt, the latter should host the matches. The reason is that the game tends to give way more wyrdstones than what you'd get with your main hosting. I assume this happens because the host (alt) will have the Lethal difficulty which should give better wyrstones. You will need an absurd amount of wyrdstones (25,000 weight total across all warbands) so it is wise to always work on that in the meantime.

 

It's important to keep in mind that, unless you have a friend with purple valuable weapons (in that case, partially skip to step 2), the first run will be way less efficient with the following method, because you will eventually struggle to pay your warband due to insufficient income per mission. So you shall alternate between ranked skirmish and solo.

I used the Human Mercenaries for the first run, it may be a good choice due to their access to bows and shields, the main core of the money exploit and weapons trade explained later.

Your goal is to level up your units, so you can increase their stats and buy sklils, which greatly help. Personally, I used this guide as reference: https://www.trueachievements.com/viewcomment.aspx?commentid=1153365#vch

Also the first comment offers valid criticism to the proposed build, personally I prefer some parry units anyway.

The best way to boost this, preferably self-boosting (alt with the same warband as your main, for future purposes), is to play a ranked skirmish with the following settings:

 

 

• Rout threshold: 0%
• Map: Marketplace
• Gameplay: Mode 1 (doesn't really matter for the first step, don't forget it for step 2)
• Deployment: Buyer Beware
• Auto-deploy: On (to save time)
• Winning conditions: Extra Objective - Wyrdstone Rush (for you)

 

Make it public so your alt can join quickly, nobody plays this game anyway. Your alt will create a warband, using it until you can not afford to keep it up anymore, so simply create a new one.

The goal in the match is to collect the wyrdstones, which you will need for the mandatory deliveries, this will also complete the secondary objective, at that point you can quickly end the match with your alt quitting.

This is surely tedious, but overally is way faster and easier than playing solo missions which won't give you more XP, actually you will most likely get even less due to the secondary objectives being usually not possible to complete given the cheaty nature of the AI. Also the amount of wyrdstones from skirmish seems entirely random.

When you feel that you need gold, switch to some solo. I couldn't keep up with the payment of my warband by solely using skirmish for the first run (the higher a unit's rank, the higher their salary). Once your ranking is at 2000 you can also attempt the brutal/lethal missions with exceptional wyrdstone loot, at this point I almost never used skirmish until step 2.

It's important during this run to also search some loot points (do not necessarily overdo it though), because if you can get some helpful purple recipes they will come in handy for the other runs, since recipes do not share between warbands you want to use them with your first warband where they swit the best on those weapons which you will drop for the duplication to your other warbands (explained on step 2).

I suggest to use this first run also for your 1 year trophy, so you will get even more recipes too along with the purple long bow which was absurdly rare for me until way long after I was done with the story, I also held 100 units of each wyrdstone as well but i really think this one is better to leave for the other runs.

When you need only the 1 year trophy for this run do a backup before you push for it. Once done, restore the save.

 

Now that you are done with your warband, it's time to prepare for the ultimate save scum strategy. You want to enchant with the best runes you have all your valuable weapons (whatever swits the most, such as swords with increased damage or critical, whatever you think works the best, depending from whatever recipes you got), especially shields as they are worth the most from this method. Ranged weapons might be a bit hard to pass as warbands can be quite different about what they can or can't equip, you might be able to pass handguns or short bows/bows.

Do not bother with armours, they can't be dropped.

Now, each weapon you enchanted will be later be equipped or sold by your main, a shield should be worth about 70 gold, while a 1 hand weapon about 40-50. Unequip your warband of all armours, try to work out with their weapons so they can hold as much as possible, most likely 1 weapon and 1 shield for both primary and secondary weapons set, unless of course you have a ranged or 2 handed weapon that alone is worth more than a shield+1 handed combo. Opting for ranged weapons won't allow a second weapon for the other hand, so you might equip them only if you want pass them, making sure they can be equipped for the next warband.

Ensure by checking the shop the shop what is worth to pass the most.

You can also check the shop and buy something you know you can and want to use for your next warband, assuming it is equippable for a unit of your current warband.

Ultimately, the best gold based reward will see your warband with 4 weapons total per unit, however your alt will only be able to drop the weapons from 3 units (so 12 weapons total, unless you want to include some ranged weapons which will take another match when the alt is passing the weapons), as if the 4th one dies the match will end, without time to loot the body.

Now, backup this save, and prepare your alt (use the same warband as your main along with the units so you are sure the alt can equip every weapon you are going to drop).

 

Step 2: duplication, unlimited money, easy runs

 

 

(Do note that initially your units have usually 2-3 inventory slots, I'm not sure which stat increases it, so eventually your main should do the unlimited stats glitch to speed the looting/wyrdstones collection process.

Also, your alt should be composed of 5 units at least.)

 

Make your typical ranked skirmish, but now your alt will kill your units that have purple weapons. Use the acid puddles to lower your main account's units' health and have the alt finish you off, looting all your purple stuff (if the acid kills you, you won't drop any weapon*, also the body must be looted before the next turn rotation). Once this is done, if your alt has all the purple weapons, enough to fully equip 3 units and/or the ranged weapons you plan to use, you can quit with your main.

Adjust the alt's warband so it can equip as many expensive purple weapons as it can. When everything is settled, backup your alt's save to usb (or ps+ if you have the sub for whatever reason). Restore your main's save as well.

 

Now, with your main start your next warband, you can now choose to start at rank 5. From now on, you can rely exclusively to skirmish, so no need to waste time with solo missions anymore. The boosting method is almost the same, your alt will move the 3 units that are worth the best purple weapons, using the acid puddles to drastically lowers its hp, then your main kills them and loots the purple weapons. You shall also loot the wyrdstones (you can ignore the fragments if you want unless you need them to clear the objective), for the secondary objective and for the deliveries you will need anyway. Once the 3rn unit is killed and looted, your alt can quit.

After this, you can equip the looted weapons, assuming the unit can indeed do so. It is a bit of a help to have them, especially with shields and ranged, however whatever you can not equip, or have enough of, can be sold to the shop.

Your alt will restore the usb save, and can drop weapons again on the next skirmish. This eliminates the issue of payments from the first run, as now you will have a lot of gold from selling weapons and can afford to buy many skills too.

Needless to say, you can change the strategy depending from what you want, especially whenever you don't need gold or wyrdstones but just xp, you can create a match the same way but with the secondary goal set to "Marked for death", then kill and loot the emblem from the target (it will be one target only if your alt has brought 4 units) and have your alt quit afterwards. Alternatively, you can just host the match without bothering with settings, start and have the alt quit once the match starts: this nets half of xp though, so up to you if you think it is faster.

Level up as much as you want before attempting the story missions, once they are done do more skirmish if you still need to get your warband to level 10, and then repeat step 2 for your next warband.

 

This will also earn you all the online trophies way before finishing everything else.

 

 

*according to someone who had been doing a version of this method before me, they stated that enemies killed by the acid puddles wouldn't drop weapons, but that didn't seem the case for me, so I can't tell for sure how it works.

 

 

Step 3: miscellaneous

 

The downside of the above method is that you wonm't make much progress for the miscellaneous trophies, so you now have to grind for them.

 

The 50 impressive kills is fastest grinded by clearing tutorial 1 over and over. Kill the impressive, then pause and finish the tutorial. Rinse and repeat.

 

500 deaths can be done as explained in the mini trophy guide thread, although I used the Witch Hunter as opponents.

 

 

 

1000 loot points + wyrdstones.

 

Everything that gives a +1 to the loot counter on the left DOES count, this also includes both the interactions with each warband's wagon (yes, even your own), as well as DOES NOT include the sacks with wyrdstones, also you can not just stand in front of a loot point and use it over and over.

You don't even need to loot, as soon as you press X to interact with the point of interest, it will count for the trophy. Therefore, the ultimate way to grind it is to play in marketplace, mode 2, and interact with pretty much everything, this also includes picking the wooden boards and using them on the acid puddles. Use 10 units of Skaven and go everywhere, also pick the wyrdstones for the last related trophies.

 

You can also opt to make the game a bit fun and play through campaign those missions with exceptional wyrdstone, up to you. You can calculate all the wyrdstones' weight you got by loading each warband, asince during the loading you can see how much of each wyrdstone you got for that warband, knowing that the first is 1 weight, the second 5 weight and the third 15 weight.

 

EDIT: there might be a better map for the loot points. If you play in the Count Steinhardt Mansion (sorry, not sure of the actual map name in English, but it's the story location where you fight the Allures boss) on Mode 2, you will have plenty of loot points next to each other you can check, even if empty they will count anyway.

Edited November 6, 2023 by VirtualNight
ultimate adjustments

[killerJAZZ420]

Im alittle confused, why do you need 2 accounts with ability to save scum. i know nothing about the game and dont get the gist tbh.