The Battle Panel
The battle panel presents you with several options for resolving the upcoming battle - fighting on the battlefield or seascape, resolving the battle automatically via a comparison of each force's statistics and withdrawing from the fight. If you withdraw when attacked there is a good chance that the attacking force will attack you again. If you have attacked a castle town (or settlement in Fall of the Samurai) there will also be options to continue the siege or break it off. If you have more than twenty units they will automatically be fielded as a single force. If you wish to field twenty units and have any others appear as reinforcements you must uncheck the box on the battle panel.
Click here to view a video tutorial about this subject.
Auto-resolving Battles
Select the auto-resolve option to automatically determine the victor without fighting the battle personally. Auto-resolving compares the statistics of all the units or ships involved to calculate who has won.
Fighting Battles
Select this option to fight in 3D on the battlefield. The topography of the battlefield is a direct representation of the corresponding area on the campaign map, where the attack was made. Click here to learn all about battles.
The Retreat Button
The retreat button enables you to avoid fighting a battle if you think you cannot win. If under attack it is usually only possible to use the button once, so if the enemy attack again in the same turn you will be forced to face them in battle.
The Quick Save Button
The quick save button enables you to save the game immediately before going into battle, so you can fight it again if things don't go your way on the first attempt.
Night Battles
A general can sometimes choose to fight at night. It is, naturally, much more difficult to see what is going on at night, so the range of missile weapons is reduced, and an army will suffer a morale penalty if not led by a general who has the "Night Fighter" trait. Any reinforcements will not be available in order to reflect the communication difficulties that arise when attempting to conduct a battle in the dark. Generals can acquire the ability to fight night battles by gaining the "Stealthy" skill. They can be fought at sea after mastering the "Way of the Sea" art. It is only possible to conduct an ambush at night if you are the attacker, never if you are the defender.
Reinforcements
A very large army or fleet spread over two or more unit stacks may not be able to fight as a single force, as a clan can only field a maximum of twenty units at one time. In this instance, additional units will arrive for battle piecemeal, joining the fray to replace units that have been routed or destroyed. Siege weapons cannot be used as reinforcements as they are fixed in position during the deployment phase, so are therefore unable to move onto the battlefield once this phase is over.
Losing a General
If a general is killed in battle whilst units or ships are routing they will become shattered, meaning that it will not be possible for them to be rallied from then on. Any units or ships that rout following a general's death will automatically become shattered, and even the presence of a more junior general cannot prevent this. Armies or fleets fielded without a general present at all will always become shattered if routed at any point.
Click here to view a video tutorial about this subject.
Battle Replays
Immediately after a battle has ended there is an option to save a replay of it to watch later.
Post-battle Statistics
When a battle is over the post-battle statistics panel is displayed. Numbers of casualties, kills, and any captured weapons are listed here.
Famous Battle Markers
After a heroic or crushing victory a commemorative statue will appear on the campaign map at the site of the battle. Mouse over it to see a tooltip containing the details.