HYRULE WARRIORS ================================================ MAP GUIDE ====================================================== ================================================================ CONTENTS ================================================================ Version History [hstry] Why Was This Guide Written? [whyndd] How and Why to Send Emails to Me [mltm] A Primer to Using the Map [prmr] Quick Tips to Understanding the Map [qcktps] Zooming In and Out [zmng] Short List of Functions [shrtfnctns] Short List of Map Alerts [shrtlrts] Detailed List of Functions [dtldfnctns] Detailed List of Alerts [dtldlrts] FAQ [qstns] Acknowledgements [thnks] ================================================================ VERSION HISTORY [hstry] ================================================================ - Version 1.0 (4/2/2016): The replete, base form of the guide, containing (what I hope is) every blip, icon, and alert featured on the map. ================================================================ WHY WAS THIS GUIDE EVEN WRITTEN? [whyndd] ================================================================ Hyrule Warriors seems like such a simple game on the surface. Control a storied Zelda character (or Lana, the "original" shamelessly Japanese Hatsune Miku ripoff character, or even Cia), press an attack button a bunch of times, win, live happily ever after. Of course, those of us who've delved into it know it's more about the strategy than the combat, but it's really not that hard to figure out on its own. The depth is in strategizing for the tougher missions. ...Except where the map is concerned. The game gives you little guidance on what all the dots, pulses, and colors are supposed to mean, leaving one feeling like they've just been stranded on the bridge of the Enterprise while the Borg are attacking. Enough experimentation and observation will eventually acclimate you to how it works, but there's no doubt it was extremely frustrating for me as warning after warning flashed on the screen and I had no idea how to turn the map's information into a victory. I think the chances are excellent you feel the same way, particularly if you've just started playing Hyrule Warriors, and while warming up to the map's interface on your own is certainly possible (and currently the only real method of learning), I feel the world would be better off with a short, simple guide on how to interpret it. Specifically I'm referring to the mini-map in the top-right corner of the screen during each stage, but most of the information can also be applied to the full map shown on the pause screen. Not all of that information translates between them, though, so be warned. ================================================================ HOW AND WHY TO SEND EMAILS TO ME [mltm] ================================================================ I try to be as thorough and detailed as reasonably possible, but sometimes things slip by me. If you've found that I've missed a map icon or alert, made a grievous error somewhere, or you just have an additional question I didn't verify in this guide, feel free to send me an email specifying your request, and I'll try and get right on it. The map is a complex thing, though, so be as clear and coherent as possible to ensure I can help you (and others) as best I can. If you tell me about an icon or alert I missed, perhaps you could also tell me what stage I can find it in the game so I can verify its details myself. You can send emails to halojutsu@gmail.com. To make them stand out, be sure to title them with something related to Hyrule Warriors and this Map Guide in particular. ================================================================ A PRIMER TO USING THE MAP [prmr] ================================================================ Before going over the various icons and colors, we should establish a few things about the map and how I categorize the icons and alerts. - BLUE IS GOOD, RED IS BAD, YELLOW IS UP FOR DEBATE. There are numerous icons and nuances regarding different sides of the battle, but generally, blue refers to your side and red refers to the primary enemy. Sometimes there will be yellow forces which act on their own; usually these are simply treated as a second faction of enemies that turn the battle into a three-way war, but sometimes they follow rules of their own. - CERTAIN ICONS SWITCH BETWEEN TWO LAYERS. It would be supremely unwieldy to display absolutely all the map's information at once, so to compensate, some icons will only show up on a particular "layer" of the map. The map alternates showing layers every couple of seconds or so. I'll indicate which layer, if either of them, an icon will appear on in the Detailed List. An example of "layering" would be alternating between the Barrier icon and the Fairy icon, two features related to the other. Another example would be many allied and enemy forces clashing in the same spot; the blue and red splotches would alternate overlapping one another so you can see about how many units there are in the area. - "MAP ALERTS" ARE WHAT I CALL THE BLURBS THAT APPEAR BY THE MINI-MAP. There are more detailed alerts that flash across the middle of the screen, and then there are "map alerts" that are typically a couple of words long at most and appear briefly near the mini-map. I'll go over these "map alerts" in the appropriate sections. - MAP ALERTS ARE USUALLY ACCOMPANIED BY COLOR AND PICTURES. For instance, a "Unit Moving!" alert with blue text and Link's face on the left means your buddy Link is advancing to a new location. A "Defeated!" alert with red text and a Gibdo's face means an enemy Gibdo has been defeated. ================================================================ QUICK TIPS TO UNDERSTANDING THE MAP [qcktps] ================================================================ I've included every blip, color, and message about the map in detail in this guide, but that's not always helpful to someone just starting out, considering how much it is to take in. To that end, I've included sort of a start-up guide to how to use the map more effectively right away. It's not going to cover absolutely everything you'll need to know to wage war, but it should help you find your footing. - THE BIGGER AND BRIGHTER THE DOT, THE MORE POWERFUL/IMPORTANT IT IS. A dull red splotch is a generic enemy. A small, bright red dot signifies something a bit more powerful. A bigger red circle with details is an important enemy to be defeated. Similar scenario for your own blue units; bright blue units are more powerful guys on your side, big blue circles with details must be protected. If you know you're supposed to defeat a certain enemy to continue, or the map's alerted you that one's about to cause trouble, look for the biggest and brightest red dots. - FLAGS IN RED MUST FALL, FLAGS IN BLUE MUST BE PROTECTED. Is your Allied Base being overrun, but you have no earthly (or Hyruley) idea where it is? Look for a blue keep on the map with a flashing white flag. Can't find your captain who is slowly being curbstomped into unconsciousness by Bokoblins? Look for the white flag in a blue circle. Similarly, if you want to find the Enemy Base, look for the white flag in the red keep. Bottom line is, flags are important. - PROTECT YOUR BLUE FLAGS WHEN THEY'RE OVERRUN BY BRIGHT RED DOTS. This is more of a gameplay tip than a map-specific one, but it's helpful nonetheless. This tip essentially combines the first two. Once you've identified where your blue flags are, keep an eye on them. Dull red splotches (generic enemies) usually aren't much of a threat unless there are hundreds at a time, but really keep an eye out for any bright red dots, because those can quickly spell trouble for your captains and base. In fact, under the most harmful of circumstances, a perfectly healthy base or captain can lose half their health in a matter of seconds if they're overwhelmed by powerful enemies. Stay vigilant! - LOOK FOR PULSES AND SPEECH BUBBLES TO LOCATE NEW DEVELOPMENTS. Some stages are relentlessly trollish and throw a billion new enemies and bosses at you every ten milliseconds, and the map understandably becomes rather cluttered. Even seasoned Warriors veterans can get confused. To find that annoying Rally Captain who just appeared in the midst of fifteen other varieties of Captains, plus the Giant Bosses and Zelda screaming for help, look for a bright red dot (remember the above point?) in addition to something pulsing, especially if it wasn't pulsing before. Sometimes you can look for a speech bubble (a circle with three periods) on the map to locate certain characters. If your Goron Captain who requires protection is about to flee and he's complaining about the axe lodged in his head, look for the speech bubble on the map to find him more quickly. If the enemy commander is in the middle of taunting your army, look for the speech bubble on the map to track him down and take him out. - RED THINGS THAT PULSE SHOULD GENERALLY BE KILLED. Exploding a hundred Stalchildren at once and cleaning house in an enemy keep can feel instantly gratifying, but those actions don't always benefit the war effort 100% of the time. Sometimes there are bigger fish to fry, and those fish will kill you and everyone you love if left unchecked. Powerful, important enemies, in addition to being represented by bright red dots on your map, will sometimes pulse if they're even more threatening than the norm. Especially if you're Player 2 and you've been tasked with playing the part of the assassin, sometimes you should focus less on slaughtering all the bottom-level goons in your path and focus more on assassinating the big, pulsing targets on the map. - THE LITTLE GREEN ARROWS ARE IMPASSABLE FROM THE WRONG DIRECTION. If you need to get somewhere quickly, pay attention to any small green arrows on the map (not Player 1's icon, silly). You can only pass through those arrows by going the direction it's pointing. If it's pointing left, you cannot pass through it going right. Bear that in mind before charging down a tunnel, only to be greeted with an impassable ledge. ================================================================ ZOOMING IN AND OUT [zmng] ================================================================ Your mini-map generally displays a condensed version of the entire map, but you can get a closer look at your surroundings and the individual enemies within with the press of a button. The zoomed-in mini-map will move with your character to show you your immediate surroundings in greater detail. I personally don't use it much, but you may find it more helpful. ON THE GAMEPAD - Press down on the Control Pad. WITH THE WII REMOTE AND NUNCHUK - Press 2. [Note that I am unfamiliar with the Wii U Pro Controller, and I'm not sure which button zooms in and out. Furthermore, I can't seem to look it up online. If anyone would like to email me with the solution to this riddle, I would be quite grateful. However, I'd wager the zoom-in-out function is down on the control pad, like the GamePad.] (Press those buttons to zoom back out, too. If you ever found yourself with a zoomed-in map you didn't want but didn't know how to get it back to normal...now you know.) ================================================================ SHORT LIST OF FUNCTIONS [shrtfnctns] ================================================================ Green arrow - Your location and direction faced Yellow arrow - Player 2's location and direction faced, if applicable Dull blue splotch - Allied unit(s) Dull red splotch - Enemy unit(s) Dull yellow splotch - Rogue unit(s) Bright blue dot - Powerful allied unit Bright red dot - Powerful enemy unit Bright yellow dot - Powerful rogue unit Large blue circle - Allied unit to be protected for progress Large red circle - Enemy unit to be eliminated for progress Large yellow circle - Rogue unit to be eliminated for progress Large blue square in borders - Keep under allied control Large red square in borders - Keep under enemy control Large yellow square in borders - Keep under rogue control Tower with flag in blue square - Allied Base Tower with flag in red square - Enemy Base Tower with flag in yellow square - Rogue Base Blue diamond - Outpost under allied control Red diamond - Outpost under enemy control Yellow diamond - Outpost under rogue control Flag in blue circle - Allied unit crucial to success Flag in red circle - Enemy commander Flag in yellow circle - Rogue commander Blue square face - Reference to allied keep Red square face - Enemy keep boss Yellow square face - Rogue keep boss Circular pulse - Alert-relevant unit or event/Important unit or event Green square pulse - Specified keep must be under allied control to advance in mission White spiky pulse - Area is in peril/under attack by projectile attacks (like Manhandla Stalks) Flashing white X - Important mission-centric location Skull - Giant boss Triforce in circle - Magic circle Speech bubble with 3 periods - Talking character Blue fairy - Fairy of Water Red fairy - Fairy of Fire Yellow fairy - Fairy of Lightning White fairy - Fairy of Light Purple fairy - Fairy of Darkness Water droplet icon - Keep surrounded by Barrier of Water Flame icon - Keep surrounded by Barrier of Fire Lightning icon - Keep surrounded by Barrier of Lightning White gear icon - Keep surrounded by Barrier of Light Purple flame icon - Keep surrounded by Barrier of Darkness Spider-web - Gold Skulltula zone Pitch black square - Area covered in twilight Thick orange line - Closed entrance Small green arrow - Ledge Line of blue arrows - Ally is advancing to the specified point Line of red arrows - Enemy is advancing to the specified point Line of yellow arrows - Rogue unit is advancing to the specified point ================================================================ SHORT LIST OF ALERTS [shrtlrts] ================================================================ IN TROUBLE! - Allied unit has 50% health. IN DANGER! - Allied unit has 25% health. FLEEING! - Allied unit is running away from the battle. FLED! - Allied unit has permanently left the battlefield, usually after losing all its health AT RISK! - Allied keep or base has 50% health. IN PERIL! - Allied keep or base has 25% health. FALLEN! - Allied keep has been captured by the enemy. APPEARED! - Unit has appeared on the battlefield. DEFEATED! - A powerful enemy unit, captain, or commander has permanently left the battlefield. RETREATED! - A powerful enemy unit, captain, or commander has temporarily left the battlefield, but may be back...possibly stronger than before. CAPTURED! - An enemy keep has fallen under allied control. KEEP BOSS! - The keep boss has appeared in a keep. GATE OPENED! - An impassable gate has been unlocked. UNIT MOVING! - Faction is advancing to a certain location. CHEST SIGHTED! - A chest has appeared and can be opened. MAGIC CIRCLE! - A Magic Circle has appeared and can be used. FAIRY SAVED! - A fairy has appeared and can be picked up. ================================================================ DETAILED LIST OF FUNCTIONS [dtldfnctns] ================================================================ GREEN ARROW - Your position and direction faced. The long tip of the arrow shows which way you're facing. When traveling long distances, it's often beneficial to watch your map as opposed to what's going on in front of you. Just don't get clobbered upside the head when doing so. (And no, this green arrow has nothing with a certain superhero who likes to shoot people.) YELLOW ARROW - The position of Player 2, if a Player 2 has joined you. The same rules apply here as to the green arrow. In addition to, you know, speaking with the person next to you, you can look at their arrow placement to strategize your next move and where exactly they are if they need you. (Player 2, you can do the same thing regarding the green arrow!) DULL BLUE SPLOTCH - Units on your side. "The good guys," in other words (which may not make much sense if you're playing through the villains' part of Legend Mode). I describe it as a "splotch" since it's difficult to tell exact numbers based on the splotch alone, but the presence of a blue splotch means at least one allied unit is there. DULL RED SPLOTCH - Units on the enemy's side. Like any other splotch, it's difficult to tell how many enemies are where the splotch is, but the more widespread the splotches, the more ground the units are covering. DULL YELLOW SPLOTCH - Units on the rogue forces' side. They could be another faction of enemies, or they could be allies waiting to be recruited. BRIGHT BLUE DOT - An allied unit more powerful than the norm. These will usually refer to your raid captains and the like, but sometimes can be characters with names as well. They could be useful to keep around, but they aren't required to beat the level. BRIGHT RED DOT - A tiny but bright red dot indicates an enemy more powerful than the norm, like a ReDead Knight or Darknut. Sometimes these are accompanied by pulses to indicate their relevancy to the alert just issued, or just that they serve specific functions (i.e. Rally Captain or Manhandla Stalk). If you're having trouble finding a problematic enemy that just appeared, look over the bright red dots, especially if any are pulsing. BRIGHT YELLOW DOT - A tiny but bright yellow dot indicates a rogue unit more powerful than the usual grunts in similar fashion to the bright red dots. These bright yellow dots are often leaders of their rogue factions, but sometimes they'll refer to more interesting enemies, like Cuccos. LARGE BLUE CIRCLE - A big blue circle that kind of looks like it has a face on it. These circles refer to allied units that must be protected, lest you fail the mission and have to restart from a checkpoint, or even redo the stage entirely. These circles are usually either allied Bombchus or special units requiring an escort. LARGE RED CIRCLE - A big red circle with some kind of face on it. Red circles are powerful enemy units that must be eliminated to proceed with the mission. Usually these are enemy Bombchus, captains, or even the commander itself. Either way, they must go down for the good of the mission. LARGE YELLOW CIRCLE - A big yellow circle that sort of looks like it has an angry face. These yellow circles function much like their red brethren - they're powerful rogue units that must be eliminated in order to move forward. Generally, you'll only find rogue captains and commanders as circles. LARGE BLUE SQUARE IN BORDERS - A keep under your side's control. Blue keeps help spawn allied reinforcements and will force most advancing enemy units to capture them in order to progress past, so it's a good idea to control them to slow enemies down if they're headed for a sensitive area like the Allied Base. LARGE RED SQUARE IN BORDERS - A keep under the enemy's control. Like your keeps, they'll occasionally spawn reinforcements to cause you grief. Some enemy keeps will spawn "powerful enemies," which generally means enemies with high morale led by a tough enemy on its own, so capturing those keeps should be a high priority. LARGE YELLOW SQUARE IN BORDERS - A keep under the rogue side's control. A rogue keep will spawn reinforcements for them; as such, you'll only see them if the rogue forces are treated as another faction of enemies. TOWER WITH FLAG IN BLUE SQUARE - [Layer 2] A keep with the blue castle icon in it means it's your Allied Base. The Allied Base, for the most part, functions like a normal keep...the main difference being you'll get a game over if it falls to enemy forces. For this reason, you'll often find other characters on your side sticking around to defend it. TOWER WITH FLAG IN RED SQUARE - [Layer 2] A keep with the red castle icon in it indicates the Enemy Base. The Enemy Base is like a pimped-out enemy keep and also houses their commander, who typically must be defeated to beat the stage. With few exceptions, the Enemy Base can't actually be captured; you'll need to defeat the commander to win. TOWER WITH FLAG IN YELLOW SQUARE - [Layer 2] A keep with the yellow castle icon in it refers to the Rogue Base. The Rogue Base is simply an upgraded keep that houses their commander, meaning you'll only find Rogue Bases in stages where the rogue forces are treated as enemies. You can capture this base, but only by defeating its commander first. The presence of a Rogue Base means the Enemy Base can be captured in the same way, thereby filling in one of the exceptions mentioned in the blurb above. BLUE DIAMOND - An outpost under your side's control. Allied outposts will occasionally spawn reinforcements for you, like very tiny keeps, but they're not very defensive. The defeat of your captain stationed there will turn it into another side's outpost. RED DIAMOND - An outpost under the enemy's control. It'll spawn reinforcements for the enemy sort of like a keep would, but they're easier to capture due to only needing the outpost's captain to be defeated. YELLOW DIAMOND - An outpost under the rogue forces' control. It'll spawn reinforcements for them like a bite-sized keep, but can be easily captured if its captain is defeated. Rogue outposts can only exist if the rogue forces are treated as enemies. FLAG IN BLUE CIRCLE - A captain or commander of your forces, one who must not "flee" (be defeated) lest you get a game over. Sometimes they'll stay in the Allied Base, thereby making both themselves and the base more secure, or they could be farther out. FLAG IN RED CIRCLE - The enemy commander. The commander usually must be defeated in order to beat a level, though under some circumstances the level may involve some work beyond the commander. They'll typically stay in the Enemy Base, though some are known to boldly venture out to ruin your day personally. FLAG IN YELLOW CIRCLE - The rogue commander. A rogue commander can only exist if there are rogue forces treated as enemies in the level. Like the enemy commanders, rogue commanders typically stay put in the Rogue Base. If they exist in the level, they'll usually need to be defeated in order to achieve victory, alongside defeating the red enemy commander. BLUE SQUARE FACE - An allied keep boss. They'll appear in one of your keeps if its health has been depleted. If your allied keep boss is defeated, the keep will fall into enemy hands. RED SQUARE FACE - An enemy keep boss. It'll appear in an enemy keep if that keep's health has been reduced to 0. Defeat the keep boss to capture the keep it's in. YELLOW SQUARE FACE - A rogue keep boss. Like the other varieties of keep bosses, they'll appear in rogue keeps when those keeps have had their health depleted, and their defeat will turn control over to whichever side defeated them. CIRCULAR PULSE - An attention-grabber to a mission-related or alert-related development. For instance, if an alert tells you an enemy Rally Captain has appeared, a bright red dot may start pulsing on the map to show you where it is. These circular pulses will often cease after a time, so pay attention to what's pulsing and why before they disappear. Sometimes, however, they'll keep pulsing until you put a stop to it yourself. Also, there could be numerous things pulsing at once, which may be confusing, but try using other info available. GREEN SQUARE PULSE - These unique pulses emanate from certain keeps, indicating that those keeps must be under your control in order to progress through the level. If the keeps were already allied, it usually means you must defend them from specific threats until the threats have been vanquished (most commonly enemy Bombchus). If the keeps were under enemy control, you must capture them. If the keeps were allied but fell into enemy control, you must recapture them. If the keeps were of the enemy and you captured them, but the enemy recaptured them...you must capture them...again. Bottom line is, have all the pulsing keeps under your control by the end of the mission to move on. WHITE SPIKY PULSE - The specified area (usually your Allied Base) is under constant attack by an outside force, usually Manhandla Stalks but occasionally something unorthodox like a certain Giant Boss's lightning strikes. The area WILL fall if you do not address what is attacking it; usually, this results in a game over. The white spiky pulse may also appear if your Allied Base is "in peril" (has only 25% health). FLASHING X - Refers to an important area that must be cleared or investigated to proceed with the mission. This could be anything from a Magic Circle you're supposed to activate, to a wall to be blown open with bombs. SKULL - A Giant Boss, meaning a big enemy creature with a large health bar that typically requires the use of items to defeat. The easiest example would be King Dodongo who appears in the first level in Legend Mode. Giant Bosses usually have to be defeated in order to achieve victory. TRIFORCE IN CIRCLE - A Magic Circle. Going to this Magic Circle and activating it will alter the battle in your favor. This usually takes the form of bombing the crap out of hundreds of enemies at once, but they may have other uses. Sometimes Magic Circles must be created by your allies, but the most common Magic Circles are in Great Fairy's Fountains. An ally can't make a Magic Circle if the keep they're trying to make it in is under enemy control. SPEECH BUBBLE WITH 3 PERIODS - The location of the character currently talking. This icon could be useful for pinpointing a troublesome enemy when they're talking trash. BLUE FAIRY - [Layer 2] A Fairy of Water. The fairy typically only appears by capturing the enemy keep it's in or defeating the Fairy Hunter who has it. Once you've grabbed it, you can use it like an item to dispel a Barrier of Water surrounding a keep. RED FAIRY - [Layer 2] A Fairy of Fire. The fairy typically only appears by capturing the enemy keep it's in or defeating the Fairy Hunter who has it. Once you've grabbed it, you can use it like an item to dispel a Barrier of Fire surrounding a keep. YELLOW FAIRY - [Layer 2] A Fairy of Lightning. The fairy typically only appears by capturing the enemy keep it's in or defeating the Fairy Hunter who has it. Once you've grabbed it, you can use it like an item to dispel a Barrier of Lightning surrounding a keep. WHITE FAIRY - [Layer 2] A Fairy of Light. The fairy typically only appears by capturing the enemy keep it's in or defeating the Fairy Hunter who has it. Once you've grabbed it, you can use it like an item to dispel a Barrier of Light surrounding a keep. PURPLE FAIRY - [Layer 2] A Fairy of Darkness. The fairy typically only appears by capturing the enemy keep it's in or defeating the Fairy Hunter who has it. Once you've grabbed it, you can use it like an item to dispel a Barrier of Darkness surrounding a keep. WATER DROPLET ICON - [Layer 1] Indicates a keep surrounded by a Barrier of Water. Being inside a keep with this barrier will slowly drain your health unless you dispel it with a Fairy of Water. Capturing the keep will also dispel the barrier. FLAME ICON - [Layer 1] Indicates a keep surrounded by a Barrier of Fire. Being inside a keep with this barrier will slowly drain your health unless you dispel it with a Fairy of Fire. Capturing the keep will also dispel the barrier. LIGHTNING ICON - [Layer 1] Indicates a keep surrounded by a Barrier of Lightning. Being inside a keep with this barrier will slowly drain your health unless you dispel it with a Fairy of Lightning. Capturing the keep will also dispel the barrier. WHITE GEAR ICON - [Layer 1] Indicates a keep surrounded by a Barrier of Light. Being inside a keep with this barrier will slowly drain your health unless you dispel it with a Fairy of Light. Capturing the keep will also dispel the barrier. PURPLE FLAME ICON - [Layer 1] Indicates a keep surrounded by a Barrier of Darkness. Being inside a keep with this barrier will slowly drain your health unless you dispel it with a Fairy of Darkness. Capturing the keep will also dispel the barrier. SPIDER-WEB - A Gold Skulltula has appeared somewhere within the web as a result of some action or series of actions you took. The Gold Skulltula will disappear after a minute or so, so look quickly! The closer you get to the Skulltula, the louder the sound of it moving will be. Note that the Gold Skulltula can be ANYWHERE within the web, not just the center. Also note that they will only appear in a small handfuls of places every time, so if you can familiarize yourself with where they usually show up, you can find them more easily. PITCH BLACK SQUARE - Everything within the square is covered in "twilight." Basically, that just means you can't see what's there on the map, and certain enemies and keeps within may be stronger than usual. Capturing the keep within the twilight zone will dispel the twilight, but if the keep falls to enemy control again, the twilight will return. THICK ORANGE LINE - An impassable wall or door that will only open under certain instances. An example would be an Enemy Base that must be opened with a Boss Key. SMALL GREEN ARROW - A ledge that can be jumped down the direction it's pointing, but can't be climbed back up. Pay attention to them when you need to get somewhere in a hurry - don't waste time trying to go through them if you're going the opposite direction it's pointing. LINE OF BLUE ARROWS - An allied unit is advancing to wherever the blue arrows lead. LINE OF RED ARROWS - An enemy or group of enemies is advancing to wherever the red arrows lead. LINE OF YELLOW ARROWS - A rogue unit or group is advancing to wherever the yellow arrows lead. ================================================================ DETAILED LIST OF MAP ALERTS [dtldlrts] ================================================================ IN TROUBLE! - The allied unit in question, usually a captain or Bombchu, is at 50% health. This doesn't necessarily mean the mission is about to fail or even that you need to do anything about it, but you may consider going to that location to back the unit up for a strategic advantage. IN DANGER! - The specified allied unit (usually a captain or Bombchu) is at 25% health. At this point, a green ring will form around their physical location; entering this ring will "rescue" them and restore their health. If the mission will fail if the unit in danger flees, this map alert is a pretty good indication to drop what you're doing and rescue them. FLEEING! - I am fairly certain this means an allied unit is strategically moving away from the fight, not that their health has been depleted. Agitha does this in Chapter 5-B in Legend Mode, but it's entirely scripted, so don't worry about her compromising the mission. FLED! - The allied captain or commander has permanently left the battlefield as a result of losing all their health. You may see this message a lot as captains all over the battlefield meet their match, but don't let it stress you. It's impractical, if not impossible, to save absolutely all of them. However, if your commander or a mission-centric captain flee, you'll lose the battle, so don't let it get that far. (To paraphrase the George of the Jungle movie, "Nobody dies in this video game; they just get really big boo-boos.") AT RISK! - The allied keep or base is at half health. Horrible and important as "at risk!" may sound, it doesn't always mean the keep will fall or that you need to drop what you're doing to defend it. However, it does mean it's fallen under enough of a hard time to reduce it down to half health. IN PERIL! - The allied keep or base is at quarter health. If its health is totally gone, of course, it'll fall under enemy control. To be fully honest, it may be more strategic to let the base fall at this point, then immediately recapture it to place it both under your control and at full health. Merely defending it will leave it at the crumbling point. FALLEN! - The allied keep has lost all of its health and is now under enemy control at half health. From here, it's treated as a regular enemy keep and must have its keep boss defeated in order to be retaken. APPEARED! - A specified unit has appeared on the battlefield. This alert is often accompanied by a picture to clarify what's just appeared, like a Stalmaster or boss character. DEFEATED! - A powerful enemy unit, captain, or commander has lost all their health and been permanently removed from the battlefield. An icon will usually accompany this map alert to show you what kind of enemy has been defeated. RETREATED! - A powerful enemy unit, like a captain, has disappeared from the battlefield without having its health reduced to zero. Sometimes this means they'll be back later...sometimes they're stronger for it, so stay on your toes. CAPTURED! - A keep's boss has been defeated, placing the keep under allied control. Unlike when enemies capture an allied keep, the keep your forces just captured will be at full health. KEEP BOSS! - An enemy keep has had all its health reduced, causing its keep boss to appear. If the keep boss is defeated, the keep will fall under your control. GATE OPENED! - An impassable gate or wall has been removed due to your actions. Most commonly this is done by either completing the current mission (i.e. defeating all enemy captains) or by unlocking the gate with a Boss Key. UNIT MOVING! - A faction is advancing to a specified location. The color of the text will tell you whose side the faction is on; blue for allied, red for enemy, yellow for rogue. CHEST SIGHTED! - A treasure chest has appeared on the battlefield, or at least you've been officially notified that one exists. What it contains varies from mission to mission and whether or not you've opened that chest in a previous run. (Of course, where we're dealing with Cia, "chest sighted" might have a different meaning, if you catch my drift...) MAGIC CIRCLE! - A Magic Circle has become active, allowing you to stand within it and use it. Magic Circles exist only in Legend Mode and usually either wipe out large numbers of enemies or strip powerful enemies of buffs. FAIRY SAVED! - A fairy has appeared as a result of capturing an enemy keep, or in certain DLC content, defeated a Fairy Hunter. This doesn't mean you HAVE the fairy, only that it's appeared in the specified location. ================================================================ FAQ [qstns] ================================================================ If you have any other questions about the map or alerts that I didn't answer here, you can email them to me, and I'll see about addressing it directly here, as well as perhaps adding it to the guide proper. ================================================================ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ================================================================ - Thanks to all those Warriors who have come before and spread the knowledge and fun of this action-strategy game. It's a neat game that I'd look forward to seeing more of.