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Vanillaware’s new installment, Unicorn Overlord, is a game that’ll task you to guide a rebellion to victory. While many might be familiar with some systems if they’ve played games such as Tactics Ogre Reborn or Fire Emblem, there are still new features that newcomers and even veterans might find daunting. That’s why having a few tips and tricks under your sleeve for your first Unicorn Overlord playthrough can make a difference when leading your band of rebels.
A Beginner’s Guide for Unicorn Overlord
If you didn’t know, Unicorn Overlord is a tactical RPG that puts you in the shoes of Alain, a prince destined to reclaim his throne after an evil empire took over the continent of Cornia. In tactical RPG fashion, you’ll be amassing your armies, recruiting characters that range from beastmen to angels, and taking the fight to the oppressors of this land. While it sounds epic, there are so many things to learn that can be confusing for many during their first hours. Still, with the right tips and tricks, your time in Unicorn Overlord will be as smooth as butter.
Understanding the HUD
Unicorn Overlord has a somewhat cluttered HUD for those unfamiliar with the tactical RPG genre. With so many buttons, numbers, and options, it is normal to feel a bit stressed. However, you can get the hang of everything in a few minutes.
- Valor Points: Valor Points are necessary to deploy units at certain forts or garrisons. You can also use them to activate skills while on the battlefield. Valor Points regenerate after liberating towns or defeating enemies.
- Enemy Information: This part shows the enemy’s unit and formation. You can press X/Y/Triangle to see the unit’s details, which include skills and characters. Furthermore, it also shows enemy characters’ health and AP and PP points.
- Stamina Points: Each unit (group of characters) has a certain amount of stamina points determined by their leader. As you fight, you’ll lose stamina points and you will need to rest or garrison to restore them.
- Battle Outcome: When facing another unit, this bar will show the battle’s outcome. It shows the damage you’ll do and take, as well as any healing you might receive. If you see a purple skull on any unit, that means defeat.
- Player Information: Similar to enemy units, here you can see the same but for your own characters. You can check details to equip items and change your characters’ abilities.
- Map and Terrain Information: The top right corner shows the map and displays everyone’s location as well as points of interest. Below the map, you can see the current terrain you’re at and the bonuses it provides for certain units.
- Combat Options: Before engaging an enemy, you can use any of the options to rearrange your characters, use items, and start the battle. If you’re moving on the map without engaging an enemy, you can use abilities by spending Valor Points and buff characters before a fight.
While this is only the HUD during battle stages, explaining the one on the open-world part is unnecessary. It is quite easy to understand as it lets you move freely, and you won’t have any issues with it.
Combat Guide
With the HUD basics out of the way, let’s get into the meaty part of the game: its combat. Contrary to other tactical RPGs, most of the game’s planning occurs before the battle. In games like Fire Emblem, you must prepare your characters and plan their attacks while on the field. In Unicorn Overlord, you only need to equip them with the best skills and weapons and let them guide themselves to victory. We’ll give you a rundown of how it works.
Preparing Your Units
Units are groups of characters that’ll fight on the field. Each unit can have a total of six characters, and how you line them up will affect the battle’s outcome.
- Character Selection: Here, you can see a character’s name, level, class, and the experience needed to level up. You can switch between active characters by pressing your controller’s triggers.
- Unit Formation: This part allows you to rearrange your units by pressing Y/X/Square. This is crucial as certain units perform better in the front and others in the back. For example, a Great Knight can be great in any line, whereas an Archer is better at the back.
- Leader Information: In the abovementioned part, you can also pick a unit leader. Once you choose them, you’ll see their information in this section. Each character has effects that provide bonuses in or outside of battle. Furthermore, you can see the character’s stamina, which will determine the unit’s overall stamina points and mobility.
- Equipment and Stats Screen: Here, you can see a character’s equipment. You can switch it at any time before a battle; it doesn’t matter if you’ve already engaged an enemy. You can change a character’s loadout if combat hasn’t started. Also, you can check the characters’ stats here. Learning about a character’s stat growth before equipping them with something is important.
- Tactics: In this section, you can see your character’s tactics. The skill order will depend on how you organize them. Characters will always prioritize red skills and use AP points for them. Blue skills are passive skills that use PP to activate. Also, passive skills are only triggered if certain conditions are met. For example, Chloe only heals once the battle ends.
Starting a Fight
Once you’ve configured everything, characters will move on their own. The way they act depends on their mobility. It is important to check enemies first to see if they are faster than you. If they are, you can always use Valor skills to change the tide of battle. Furthermore, your formation will affect a battle’s outcome considerably. Even if you have the same characters in a unit, rearranging them can make a big difference. For example, separating characters when facing polearm attackers will reduce the damage your characters take. Each formation serves a different purpose, so experiment with them before starting combat.
Before we move on to the next section, here are a few general combat tips for any stage in Unicorn Overlord:
- Always have two units march close to one another: There are times when one unit won’t be able to defeat enemies, but they’ll manage to push them back. Doing so will leave them open for a first-strike attack that makes all your characters attack first.
- Bring a unit with an Archer leader: Once you unlock your first Archer, make them a leader. You can use their skill to damage from afar when starting a fight, even if they are not part of the unit starting combat.
- Send your cavalry to liberate towns and points of interest: Characters like Joseph can move faster than other early-game characters. You can send him to liberate places and unlock garrison areas for your other units by putting him as a leader. Do this with every cavalry unit you have.
- Rearrange your units before every battle: While the battle’s prediction might show one thing, try moving your characters around to see if the outcome improves for your units. A simple position change for your characters can make a huge difference.
Liberating Towns and Points of Interest
Even if you have a limited time to beat a stage, you can still do some exploring while fighting. You’ll do this to unlock garrison points and liberate towns. Most of these areas provide you with a safe spot for your units to heal and rest and allow you to deploy more units if you feel overwhelmed.
Open-World Exploration
Before we wrap this up, it is important to mention the importance of exploring the game’s open world. In Unicorn Overlord, you can guide your units through the game’s map to do side quests, hire mercenaries, get tips for certain quests, and progress the main story. There are certain important locations you should watch out for:
- Forts: They allow you to spend Honors to expand your units and hire mercenaries.
- Towns: They allow you to make deliveries to upgrade them, as well as purchase equipment and consumables. If you upgrade them enough, you can also travel between towns fast.
- Glowing Spots: These areas usually have materials for deliveries and other treasures you might need for certain quests.
Contrary to a combat stage, exploring the open world doesn’t have a time limit. You can roam freely until you encounter a battle stage. If you face an enemy in the open world, the battle stage will begin. Always finish an area’s battle stage before exploring it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Beyond our usual tips, we’ve gathered a few common questions to guide Unicorn Overlord newcomers in their adventure.
Is Unicorn Overlord on PC?
As we’ve stated before, Unicorn Overlord isn’t on PC. You can only play it on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.
Is Unicorn Overlord on Game Pass?
Right now, the game isn’t on Microsoft’s subscription service, nor are there any indications that the game will be coming soon.
What is the Game’s Best Difficulty Mode?
Even for beginners, we recommend choosing Tactical difficulty. Story mode is extremely easy and trivial.
How Long Does it Take to Beat Unicorn Overlord?
According to early information and personal playtime, the game might take 45 to 50 hours if you focus only on the main story.
