Arena of Honor | A new era begins - N0X vs LEG

It's a new era and a new adventure that begins for Xarsh, who has just joined his new alliance N0X. The welcome was very warm, and this brief period of calm between the last season of the Siege of Winterfell and the upcoming season of the Alliance Conquest has allowed him to find his bearings and get to know his new allies, with whom he hopes to perform even better in future events.

And what better way to learn to play together than the Arena of Honor event, where communication and cooperation are paramount? So, along with three other members of N0X—Sansa, Mansao, and Eva Martell—Xarsh is ready to enter the arena with a well-crafted strategy that might evolve during the match.

The Arena of Honor is a highly tactical event where sheer brute force is not enough to secure victory—teamwork is key. Roles must be clearly defined, and everyone needs to know their responsibilities. Everyone seemed ready, and it was time to head to the battlefield without delay. House Lannister was assigned to them, and they had just over 5 minutes to assess their many opponents, including those who might pose a serious challenge to N0X.

Each N0X player now knows their role, which are as follows:

Xarsh: He will be the rally leader, attempting to capture the City of Glory and secure victory for his house. He will always keep an eye on the battlefield to guide his allies and make strategic decisions.

Eva Martell: She will be responsible for defending her house's altars. Her enemies will constantly try to capture them, making it crucial to secure these positions.

Mansao and Sansa: They will focus on capturing as many altars as possible, both from their own house and their enemies. They will maintain constant pressure on their opponents, forcing them to defend on all fronts. The best defense is a good offense.

Their other allies have received some general strategy guidelines, but being solo mercenaries who joined their group, they are somewhat free to act as they see fit, while reinforcing the rallies against the City of Glory, which remains crucial.

As for their biggest rivals, they appear to be House Stark, represented by the FVG alliance, and House Targaryen, represented by a majority of players from the LEG alliance. These are two alliances renowned for being very well-organized and having excellent players. What truly concerns House Lannister is that their enemies best players seem to be infantry specialists, while Xarsh will rely solely on his spearmen, making this a challenging task. They must be wary of two players in particular: Vrednaya from the LEG alliance and House Targaryen, and Dalton07 from the TIS alliance and House Greyjoy, while also withstanding the assaults from all the other houses.

The game begins, and so does the race to construct the first strongholds. The strategy for N0X, like many others, is to start with trading posts to secure points early in the match. An exception is House Greyjoy, which seems intent on building only spearmen camps, likely aiming to capture all the watchtowers and catapults, which provide many points passively when occupied.

The second line of strongholds shifts the battlefield dynamics. House Greyjoy sticks to their strategy, continuing to build more spearmen camps, while House Stark opts for infantry camps, likely to counter House Greyjoy’s spearmen. N0X, representing House Lannister, decides to adopt a similar strategy and constructs infantry camps of their own.

The first altars become available, and all houses calmly capture their own while keeping a close watch on each other. Is this a strategic calm before the storm?

More altars open in turn, while House Greyjoy quickly captures their first watchtower thanks to their horde of spearmen. The battle for the altars begins, with warriors scouting on each other and everyone attempting to steal buildings from others, always in search of more points and combat bonuses. 

On the N0X side, the Lannisters are playing well, focusing hard on defending their altars and waiting to capture the watchtower near their camp. House Baratheon, their direct rival, isn’t posing significant problems at the moment, with attacks on the altars that are manageable as long as they stay focused.

The match progresses quickly, with time flying by, and now all the altars are available on the battlefield. House Greyjoy has been locked in a long struggle against House Stark for control of the watchtowers, but eventually, and logically, Stark’s infantry, despite being fewer in number, wins this war, allowing the Starks to occupy several watchtowers.

A problem persists for the Lannisters, prompting Xarsh to question his strategy: why haven't they managed to capture the still-neutral watchtower with their infantry? After a thorough analysis, the answer became clear—he hadn't noticed that the neutral troops defending the watchtower were entirely cavalry. It was a gross oversight on his part. This mistake cost them time and points and would have to wait to be rectified because now the focus shifts from strongholds and watchtowers to the imminent battle for the City of Glory, a pivotal moment that will define the rest of the game.

As Xarsh has just launched his rally against the City of Glory, his allies, particularly Mansao and Sansa, continue to capture enemy altars to increase their point gains and expand their control on the battlefield. Meanwhile, Eva is doing an excellent job defending their camp's altars. Xarsh's rally is about to strike, but first, a status update on the battlefield is necessary:

House Lannister (N0X and allies): N0X and its allies have a strong grip on their camp and are expanding as much as possible. They haven't managed to control any watchtowers or catapults but are aiming for the City of Glory for the victory.

House Stark (FVG alliance): A top contender for the final victory, the FVG alliance, is holding their altars well and has control over all the watchtowers, catapults, and some dragon pits. They have the strongest presence on the battlefield and will do everything to capture the City of Glory and stay in the lead.

House Targaryen (LEG and allies): A significant threat to N0X, the LEG players are struggling to maintain control of their buildings and are relying on their trading posts for now. They have a good chance of capturing the City of Glory. Maintaining their Point Yield Boost bonuses from their altars is enough to keep them in the race with a high score.

House Greyjoy (TIS alliance): They are lagging due to their strategy based on spearmen, which was countered by Stark's infantry. They are likely rebuilding their strongholds and focusing on trading posts while securing more altars. They will also attempt to capture the City of Glory to turn the match around.

House Baratheon: A group of mercenaries forced to play together, struggling with organization and decision-making. They are heavily focused on the Lannisters' altars but can't make a significant impact and are gradually losing control of their camp. The future looks challenging for them.

House Tyrell (LBE alliance): Composed almost entirely of the LBE alliance, unknown to N0X, they seem to be in great difficulty from the start. Like House Baratheon, they struggle to defend their altars but are slightly better organized in capturing others in various enemy camps.

The tension is rising, and everything will be decided in the City of Glory. Xarsh and his allies are the first to capture it and quickly reinforce it before the arrival of the first enemy rallies. They will need to be very quick with reinforcements to hold out for three minutes against the enemy assaults, as in the beginning, all the houses are likely to try their luck, multiplying the defenses for House Lannister.

The first assault arrives, and the defenses are rapidly deployed by Xarsh and his allies. The initial battle reports show cavalry, which, despite having T5 troops and good commanders, are not very effective against Xarsh's spearmen. The following assaults are more concerning, as Xarsh now faces infantry rallies. His defense will need to be fully reinforced to hold the line, especially if multiple rallies come in at the same time.

It is then that the rally from the LEG player, Vrednaya, manages to defeat Xarsh's spearmen. This is a major concern for House Lannister. They realize they are still lacking many reinforcements, even though Vrednaya's rally didn't seem to be filled either. Despite this, they decide to attempt a counteroffensive with their spearmen against an infantry formation with bleed synergy and T5 troops, a risky gamble.

A bit surprised but reassured at the same time, the N0X rally has defeated Vrednaya's, who, in turn, also suffered from a lack of reinforcements. Thus, a new race against the clock begins, and this time Xarsh and his allies will try to be more attentive and responsive with their reinforcements.

Meanwhile, House Lannister had also decided to implement a Plan B in case of a major failure in capturing the City of Glory. They replaced their infantry camps with cavalry camps, aiming to reclaim watchtowers currently occupied by House Stark's infantry. This move would allow N0X to stay on the podium even if they are unable to hold the City of Glory.

With only a few seconds left for Xarsh’s team to capture the City of Glory, the final enemy rallies are arriving. All his allies are working tirelessly to keep their regiment at full capacity and to update it as quickly as possible. The last two infantry rallies are about to strike—holding out is crucial.

And what a formidable defense from House Lannister, finally securing the City of Glory after enduring relentless enemy assaults.

Now they must refocus on their altars and battlefield control to keep the pressure on their enemies and force them to defend their position on the podium. N0X is wary that their opponents might attempt to attack the City of Glory once the protection period ends.

At the same time, their strategic shift to strongholds worked, as they managed to recapture a watchtower from House Stark using their cavalry camps, securing an additional point boost. The victory is now assured, as the probability of anyone reclaiming the City of Glory and defending it for 3 minutes is virtually impossible. Other houses are now fighting for second and third place with their respective initial strategies, except for the Greyjoys, who had to revise their plans midway through the game.

In the end, House Lannister, led by the N0X alliance and their allies, emerged victorious after a hard-fought battle, securing the City of Glory and demonstrating exceptional strategic adaptability. Their successful shift to cavalry camps allowed them to reclaim a key watchtower and maintain their lead, ensuring their triumph.

House Targaryen, represented by the LEG alliance, claimed a surprising second place. Their effective use of trading posts and altar boosts proved crucial, allowing them to capitalize on their point gains and secure a strong position.

House Stark, represented by the FVG alliance, finished in a disappointing third place. Despite dominating the battlefield, controlling the watchtowers, catapults, and dragon pits throughout the game, they were not able to claim the second place.

House Greyjoy, represented by the TIS alliance, took the predictable fourth place. Their strategy centered around spearmen camps did not yield the desired results, and their late switch to trading posts could not compensate for the lack of a City of Glory capture, leaving them too far behind to challenge for the top three positions.