Answered Battle Difficulty in Tournaments

[DeletedUser7105]

I know that the following affect battle difficulty in tournaments:
1. Your squad size
2. Which tournament is being fought
3. Province number - the farther a province is from your city, the more difficult the battle
4. Round number - round #1 the easiest, and successive rounds get more difficult

Does simply moving up one Chapter in Research affect the difficulty of battles in tournament? Not completing any research except opening the chest and giving whatever goods are required to start a new Chapter. After completing the last task in Chapter IV, for instance, and fighting some tournament battles after doing this. What happens if I open the chest in Chapter V and give it the goods it wants for Advanced Scouting? Does doing just that increase the difficulty of battles in tournaments?

 

[FieryArien]

Short answer: no, Advanced Scouts research doesn’t have any impact on the tournament difficulty.

Spoiler: Advanced scouts effect

When the research is activated:
- Scouting cost on the world map decreases. New provinces have lower negotiation cost and smaller enemy armies.
- Any newly won event price will have stats from the new chapter.
- Storyline quests from the previous chapter can be declined.
- If I missed something, I’m sure someone will join in and share the info.

 

[DeletedUser7105]

I guess what I should be asking is: Does just advancing from one research chapter to the next affect the difficulty of battles in tournaments? (Assuming you do nothing to affect squad size.)

 

[FieryArien]

I’ve never heard about any link between chapter and tournament difficulty. I think I’ve heard something about the amount of scouted (or completed?) provinces and change of enemies and/or negotiating cost (like adding next tier goods or adding Orcs) in tournament. That actually is somewhat connected to the chapter, because you are required to finish ever increasing amount of provinces to open the next chapter chests.

Let’s hope someone with more game knowledge joins this thread. I know quite a few things, but I’m far far far from knowing everything. ;-)

Maybe it would help if you specify why are you asking (if there is some underlying issue). Maybe more people will be interested in commenting on the issue.

 

[DeletedUser7105]

My fellowship requires a mandatory 10-chest tournament in which everyone has to earn at least 1000 points. That will be the upcoming Crystal Tournament. I am at the very end of Chapter IV in Research and have completed the required number of provinces to open the chest. All I have to do to advance to Chapter V is to open the chest and give the resources to complete the Advanced Scouts - that begins Chapter V.

I guess my underlying issue is that I am VERY worried just by entering Chapter V, the battles in tournaments will increase in difficulty. Does that happen?

 

[LazyTony]

The only thing that affects squad sizes in tournaments is your squad size (and therefore the technologies that raise it). This doesn't make a tournament more difficult - just more expensive. 1 guy vs guy is no harder than 2 vs 2.

So, moving through chapters comes with some mandatory and some optional squad size techs, but the chapter doesn't directly affect it.

I think I’ve heard something about the amount of scouted (or completed?) provinces and change of enemies and/or negotiating cost (like adding next tier goods or adding Orcs) in tournament.

That's a myth - catering costs are also based on squad size.

Susanna, you can safely enter the next chapter, but try to delay squad size techs, and skip all the optional ones.

 

[DeletedUser7105]

Super! Thank you so much! I do plan to skip the optional squad size increases.

Thanks again.

 

[DeletedUser3571]

Just to say, this has no effect on your primary question but another thing to add to your list is when they add a new chapter at the end of the game. As this adds new upgrades to units that you fight, so they will do more damage.
Constructs added upgrades to orc warrior, blossom mage and orc strategist for example.

 

[FieryArien]

That's a myth - catering costs are also based on squad size.

Thank you for this correction. Based on your message I dug around for the source of my info and found more interesting threads. The moment Orcs appear in the tournament negotiation should indeed be based on the squad size.

*It doesn’t really match my experience, though. In my older/bigger city it feels quite recent when I noticed Orcs heads in tournaments. There I skipped almost all optional squad size upgrades. In my younger/smaller city I skipped all optional squad size upgrades but I’m already noticing Orcs heads in negotiating tournaments. The main difference between the cities is scouting - the younger city scouts quite aggressively. Anyway, I didn’t take notes, so it’s just feelings, bias, etc.

 

[LazyTony]

There are loads of old posts from the time when folks were guessing what catering costs and tournament squad sizes were based on. Even the appearance of orcs as a catering cost is based on squad size - I know this from personal experience as a fellow and I were in the same chapter, she had orcs as a catering cost, I didn't as I had skipped more optional techs than her. Basically, there is a lot of bad info when folks were guessing, testing theories etc in the forum archive.