Basic combat mechanics

Understand Peons/soldiers: Treat them as a resource to charge your Bravery and Musou (special gauge) rather than primary targets. Focus on officers first and use peons for recharging. Be wary of unique troops like Chariot and Cavalry, as their attacks can interrupt your combos.

Recognize Orange power attacks: These attacks from soldiers cannot be blocked. Counter them with your Palm Strike, Power Shot, or other special (Sp.) attacks, or evade them. This interrupts the soldier and allows for an Assault attack (Strong attack button), during which you are invulnerable. This is crucial for weapons with less effective area-of-effect (AoE) abilities, like the Pole and Sword, when fighting in large crowds.

Identify Officer attack patterns: Officers have a white aura during attacks, granting them super armor, making them immune to stagger from normal attacks and most battle arts (special moves). Only specific strong attacks, battle arts, and Musou attacks can interrupt them. These attacks can be blocked, parried, evaded, or perfectly evaded.

Counter Orange aura attacks: Officers can perform more dangerous attacks with a glowing orange aura. These cannot be blocked or parried and must be evaded or countered with battle arts with the "Sp." prefixes. Some specific battle arts or strong attack combos on certain weapons can also interrupt them, but this is difficult to time. Evading or using "Sp." battle arts is the recommended approach.

React to Red attacks: These attacks can only be evaded or interrupted by Musou or very specific battle arts. Evading is generally the best course of action.

Prepare for Musou rage: Named officers can enter Musou rage and unleash a massive AoE damaging Musou attack. You must break all their Fortitude (the little shield icon above their health bar) to stop this. Alternatively, you can evade or run out of its very large range.

Manage Officer Fortitude: Emptying an officer's Fortitude by damaging them will cause them to enter a down mode (kneeling). You can then unleash a powerful Assault attack. Weapons like the Pole may be good at destroying Fortitude with combos, even if their direct damage is lower. Focusing on Fortitude damage and executing more Assault attacks is a viable strategy.

Influence Officer morale/courage: Enemies in a high morale state (indicated by upward arrows) have increased attack, defense, health, and additional Fortitude (Red). You can reduce their morale by succeeding in Grand Tactic requirements during large army combat (some stages do not lower morale) or by using your own Tactics. Enemies in a low morale state have reduced stats and Fortitude, making them easier to defeat.

Approach Combat Encounters defensively: When you first encounter an officer, approach defensively by evading, blocking, parrying, or countering their attacks, unless you are using battle arts that can interrupt them.

Exploit Vulnerable States: After an officer finishes an attack sequence, is parried, or countered, they enter a vulnerable state where your attacks can stagger and combo them, dealing Fortitude damage. They will not be able to attack back for a while.

Utilize Vulnerable Windows: If you wait too long, the vulnerable window will pass, and your attacks may not stagger them. They will still take health damage, but not Fortitude damage from normal and strong attacks (battle arts still work).

Adapt combos to Vulnerable Situations: After a parry, the vulnerable window is longer than after a normal attack recovery. After a counter, the enemy is down for a long time, allowing for extensive combos. The number of hits in a combo will vary depending on the situation; for example, you might perform a 20-hit combo after a counter, but only 15 hits after a parry, and fewer after a normal attack recovery. During their recovery phase, enemies will not take additional Fortitude damage from normal and strong attacks and cannot be launched.