The Guild CBT may have faded into memory, but let us not forget the accomplishments of Blutschwur - not just the most dominant house on the EU server, but one that ended up securing twice as many territories as its closest rival. We sat down with founder Arukaa soon after Blutschwur’s victory, to see what the future might hold.    

HOW DID YOU FIRST FIND OUT ABOUT CONQUEROR’S BLADE AND WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THE GAME?

Honestly, I can't really remember how I found out about Conqueror's Blade, but, after discovering the game I visited its official website and subscribed to the newsletter. I found the game very attractive, as it's very similar to another game I liked, although I hope (CB’s) community will be bigger. In my opinion, the success of a game depends on a healthy community, which is the reason why I try to have a positive impact on it.

WHY DID YOU SET UP A HOUSE?

Blutschwur (blood oath) was originally founded to find fellow German players as, at the time, there was no German-speaking fraction in Maoyang.

WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES YOUR HOUSE DISTINCT?

I think that our community is very special as people think beyond borders. When I refer to "us", it's not only about the “house” of Blutschwur as Blutschwur is Blutsturm and Blutsturm consists of three houses which form our community. Thus, Blutschwur founded the alliance Blutsturm, which consists of a large community and not of three separate houses. Blutschwur is only a part of the whole group. The alliance is also managed like one group which is why no house has its own issues. We strive to solve problems jointly.

YOUR HOUSE WAS A CHAMPION OF THE GUILD CBT STAGE. CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW CAME TO DOMINATE THE OPPOSITION?

Blutsturm has always tried to form healthy communities. That is why we have a common server for diplomatic affairs, where all the leaders can communicate with each other (if they want) – irrespective of their attitude towards Blutsturm. We wanted to make sure that leaders can find one another fast to sort out problems or maybe even to merge groups so that there aren't 1000 different smaller groups - which would’ve been rather disadvantageous at the time. During the war we communicated internally with our members from Maoyang, as well with our allies, which was why we were able to rely on our own strengths and on the assistance of our allies while avoiding other conflicts at the same time.

WHAT ARE YOUR AMBITIONS FOR THE HOUSE WHEN THE GAME GOES LIVE?

This is a very good question. Blutsturm itself will continue recruiting members and try to find a territory which matches our ideas and which we can  defend. Furthermore, since we are interested in having a healthy community, we don't generally exclude possible wars within Maoyang, but we strive to avoid conflicts on a personal level (in our opinion, it's possible to fight with fair means).

Therefore, we will continue to support the diplomatic Discord server and offer help and advice if necessary. In order to take care of diplomatic relations, we have established a separate area within our alliance which can be changed in size if necessary.

According to how the territories are organized, we will try to establish similar structures in other areas where we are present, too. The success of this kind of project depends on the whole community, of course.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CLASS TO PLAY AS AND WHY?

My main weapon is the glaive. Why? I am used to commanding troops, which is why I am quite aware of their strength and I use them not thinking of it as a 1-vs-1 simulator. Also, the glaive is the proper weapon for a commander, as it's suitable for eliminating other units and buffing allied units.

WHO ARE YOUR MOST TRUSTED WARLORDS AND WHAT ROLES DO THEY COMMAND WITHIN THE GROUP?

Within the (Blutsturm) structure, I'd say there are my three area managers who manage one of the three main sectors within the alliance. Together with me, they take care of everything that concerns the alliance and manage the leading positions of their respective sectors: everything that has to do with warfare, diplomatic relations, internal structures, member management, resource management, conflict resolution, etc.

IF SOMEONE WANTED TO JOIN YOUR HOUSE OR START A DIALOG TOWARDS FUTURE TRADE OR ESTABLISHING A PACT, WHAT SHOULD THEY DO?

I am always the person to contact first. If necessary, I will delegate questions to the respective section within the alliance. This also applies to future leaders of houses in Maoyang (the Eastern region) who are interested in joining the Diplomatie server. In any case, I am always available via Discord (Aruka#7792).

ARE THERE OTHER HOUSES THAT YOU CONSIDER TO BE NATURAL ALLIES OR ENEMIES?

Since we currently don't have a fixed position (neutral, friendly, hostile) towards most of the other houses and this will only develop during the actual game, at the moment we are watching the behaviour of the several groups. On the basis of this information, our diplomats will make decisions.

Apart from that, many mechanics are not yet clear enough for detailed planning. Many players still don't know in which territories they are going to start or even which territories will be available at the time the OBT starts, which makes diplomatic planning very difficult. Furthermore, there are some factions which try to stay hidden, as they are probably afraid of spies (as they don't want others to know where they are going to go).

Many thanks to Arukaa for answering our questions. If you know of a house that is deserving of similar recognition that we should profile in the future article, please make your nomination via our Discord channel.