Posted October 22, 2015
One of my favourite characters in the game, Bia has some real challenges to run as a captain. I have observed some strategy that works for her, but would be happy to get observations from other people. Her issues:
-Capable of dealing massive amounts of damage to a single target in melee, but very vulnerable to Speech, meaning you have to run her forward when she is weak to most abilities in the game.
-Practically designed to kill Bosses, with late-game abilities that allow multiple attacks, but only triggers her strongest abilities against Terrified targets.
-Her Captain ability (+1 Prestige when winning Aggressive) gets you a pile of Prestige, but if you want to be able to spend it effectively you need to take her through the Hungarian mission to unlock the second follower lists, and she is very weak on this map.
-You really want to double down on the Fighter science that adds bonuses when you win Aggressive, but you also want the preparation bonus to reduce Prestige upgrade costs, and the Prestige bumps that come from the Speaker science advancements. Even assuming you get a lot of research, it's hard to maximize her abilities in a timely fashion.
So Bia's in a weird place as a captain, very strong and also delicate, with a captain ability that is hard to exploit effectively. Some strategies I've come up with:
-Team her with Anna, who can Terrify targets for Bia freeing her up to attack immediately.
-Get her a decent momento as soon as possible to protect against Monkeys and Cultists.
-Anna and Harry can also use their area abilities to quickly clear away the minor targets (esp. Monkeys and Cultists!) who can quickly kill Bia with speech. This also gives you a reasonably balanced team.
-Always try to get one of the Swords in the first mission, as both have abilities that stack well with Bia... the Sword of Justice or the Ulfberht Sword.
-Research prep for the discount on Prestige upgrades and then hunt for Specialists who give you additional bonuses for Aggressive wins, then grab as many followers as you can to maximize your bonuses.
-Research the additional Speech bonus for Terrify, causing targets of Anna's Terrify to lose Armour, then run in and quadruple strike!
-In Hungary or Transylvania if she goes down to Speech attacks, consider leaving her down. Three Cultists will just kill her immediately once she gets back up, especially if the mood is dropping your Speech Defence.
-Capable of dealing massive amounts of damage to a single target in melee, but very vulnerable to Speech, meaning you have to run her forward when she is weak to most abilities in the game.
-Practically designed to kill Bosses, with late-game abilities that allow multiple attacks, but only triggers her strongest abilities against Terrified targets.
-Her Captain ability (+1 Prestige when winning Aggressive) gets you a pile of Prestige, but if you want to be able to spend it effectively you need to take her through the Hungarian mission to unlock the second follower lists, and she is very weak on this map.
-You really want to double down on the Fighter science that adds bonuses when you win Aggressive, but you also want the preparation bonus to reduce Prestige upgrade costs, and the Prestige bumps that come from the Speaker science advancements. Even assuming you get a lot of research, it's hard to maximize her abilities in a timely fashion.
So Bia's in a weird place as a captain, very strong and also delicate, with a captain ability that is hard to exploit effectively. Some strategies I've come up with:
-Team her with Anna, who can Terrify targets for Bia freeing her up to attack immediately.
-Get her a decent momento as soon as possible to protect against Monkeys and Cultists.
-Anna and Harry can also use their area abilities to quickly clear away the minor targets (esp. Monkeys and Cultists!) who can quickly kill Bia with speech. This also gives you a reasonably balanced team.
-Always try to get one of the Swords in the first mission, as both have abilities that stack well with Bia... the Sword of Justice or the Ulfberht Sword.
-Research prep for the discount on Prestige upgrades and then hunt for Specialists who give you additional bonuses for Aggressive wins, then grab as many followers as you can to maximize your bonuses.
-Research the additional Speech bonus for Terrify, causing targets of Anna's Terrify to lose Armour, then run in and quadruple strike!
-In Hungary or Transylvania if she goes down to Speech attacks, consider leaving her down. Three Cultists will just kill her immediately once she gets back up, especially if the mood is dropping your Speech Defence.