At dawn the camps smell of lamp oil and damp leather. Trumpets call the levy to muster; sergeants check pavises and pikes while horses stamp frost from the earth. Across the valley, rebel banners twitch in the wind. This is where Conqueror’s Blade’s PvE sings—when you and a handful of captains take a slice of medieval chaos and bend it to rhythm. In 2025, the best PvE builds aren’t about pure damage or fashion alone; they’re about tempo, survivability, and the way your hero and units braid into one unstoppable push.
Below is a practical tour through the strongest PvE archetypes right now in Conqueror’s Blade, how they work, and when to field them—whether you’re running Expeditions with friends, clearing seasonal event stages, or farming open-world raids. I’ll explain the “why” for each pick so you can adapt it to your roster and leadership budget, then finish with a compact “at-a-glance” comparison.
What Conqueror’s Blade “PvE” means in 2025—and why the meta favors control + sustain
Conqueror’s Blade has multiple PvE loops: five-player Expeditions that play like scripted mini-raids, rotating event modes, and open-world raids/camps where you tackle AI armies for rewards and unit XP. Expeditions remain the backbone for steady progress and cooperative challenge: five heroes coordinating lanes, protecting artillery, and handling boss mechanics. That’s why builds which stabilize fights—frontline control, reliable healing/sustain, and safe ranged damage—rise above greedy glass cannons.
2025 also introduced Season 23 Dynasty Awakening, which added three thematic units—the long-range Qin’s Footbow, the bruising Halberd Elites, and the momentum-driven Empire Chariots—each with clear roles you can weave into PvE squads. In particular, Footbows mark enemies with Spark stacks and detonate for AoE, while Halberd Elites snowball via on-kill buffs, and Chariots crash through lanes with stamina-tuned charges. These flavor the PvE meta by rewarding safe setup (Footbow batteries), controlled attrition (Halberds), and map-aware flanking (Chariots).
Takeaway: Builds that anchor lanes, keep units alive, and capitalize on clumped AI waves are your best friends. With that lens, let’s break down the top archetypes.
Conqueror’s Blade Build 1: “Guardian Marshal” — Longsword & Shield + Pike Wall + Archer Core
If PvE had a patron saint, it would be the longsword captain: the steady marshal who refuses to die and refuses to let allies die either. Longsword & Shield is widely regarded as the most comfortable hero class for PvE because of its team sustain, forgiving defenses, and ability to shepherd units through ugly pushes. You become the metronome—setting the pace so your line never breaks.
Core idea: Your hero keeps formation integrity and buys space; your pike wall arrests waves; your archers delete the arrested waves.
Recommended unit spine
- Imperial Pike Guards (4⭐) or Modao Battalion (5⭐) to hold/puncture the lane with brace/impale tools. Both are dependable wave-stoppers with veterancies that harden their frontline role.
- Imperial Archers (4⭐) as the workhorse ranged DPS. They’re accurate, responsive, and scale well in PvE because AI tends to clump and channel into kill zones.
- Flex slot: A second pike or a utility elite like Halberd Elites (Season 23) for pick pressure and on-kill recovery during longer pulls.
How it plays: You open by claiming ground with your pikes—brace toward the heaviest traffic and let the AI impale itself. Your hero hovers just in front or just behind the pike heads, soaking strays, peeling elites off your archers, and dropping your defensive/heal tools when the line sags. Once the pikes root enemies, call Focus Fire for your archers to erase priority targets. On bosses, kite backwards in measured steps, leapfrogging brace positions so your formation never collapses.
- Keep archers slightly oblique to the pike wall so their cones stay clear; slide them as a block between pulls.
- Use your hero to body-block charging elites that try to thread the pike heads; your sustain lets you “eat” a stun that would otherwise reach the archers.
- If your server has Dynasty Awakening unlocked, slot Qin’s Footbow on maps with long sightlines and low mobility demands; they need setup time but melt bosses when Spark stacks detonate.
Why it’s S-tier for learning and carrying: This build forgives mistakes while teaching unit spacing, line discipline, and how to chain pulls. It’s also incredibly consistent across Expedition tiers; you don’t rely on gimmicks so much as iron fundamentals.
Conqueror’s Blade Build 2: “Crimson Reaper” — Nodachi + Iron Reapers + Modao
Where the marshal is stone, the Nodachi is storm. On PvE maps that favor sweeping lanes and constant contact, Nodachi thrives: cleave everything, heal off the carnage, and grind forward behind shock infantry. The class’ identity is woven around lifesteal and healing after each attack, letting you stay in the blender longer than most weapons. You play like a scythe—cutting wave crests off before they swamp your line.
Core idea: Your hero is your sustain engine and wave clearer; your heavy infantry batters through choke points; your second line cleans up and guards flanks.
Recommended unit spine
- Iron Reapers (5⭐) as your shock anchor. Their Very Heavy Armour trait, flail/saber kit, and Shock order let them crash into dense packs, debuff, and survive the grind. Great in sieges and tight Expedition corridors.
- Modao Battalion (5⭐) for catch-and-cut control. Modao lock mobs in place so your Nodachi and Reapers can work at max efficiency.
- Flex slot: A ranged lane cleaner (Imperial Archers) for maps with long approach lanes, or a mobile melee like Dagger-Axe Lancers for flanks and interceptions.
How it plays: Lead with Modao on brace, then signal Iron Reapers’ Shock to slam the clump. Step in with the Nodachi and cycle your sustain windows to keep swinging while your units chew. When a boss flags your units, peel its gaze with your hero and kite around the braced pikes; keep Reapers on Regeneration/Recover between waves to avoid attrition. Reapers are sluggish to reposition—plan your lanes so they don’t sprint between corners.
- Open every large pull with control first, damage second: brace → shock → hero combo.
- Save your hero’s i-frames or parries for elite telegraphs; your lifesteal repays any chip damage once the spin starts.
- On maps with many stairwells, run Modao + Archers instead of double melee; Iron Reapers’ slow pivots can bleed time if you’re forced to relocate constantly.
Why it’s top-tier: The build clicks with aggressive players who still want a safety net. It turns dense waves into health batteries and refuses to stall out on beefy objectives.
Conqueror’s Blade Build 3: “Wings of the Khan” — Cavalry Sweep + Archer Finish
Not every PvE stage is a corridor. In open fields and wide plazas, shock cavalry shine—sweeping adds off objectives, intercepting ranged packs, and punishing spawns before they form ranks. The “Wings” build marries fast strikes to reliable finishing power.
Core idea: Hit fast with lancers to scatter and strip health; rotate to the next spawn while your archers finish the stragglers from safety.
Recommended unit spine
- Companion Cavalry (4⭐) for fast, repeatable charges with manageable leadership cost. Great learn-to-lance unit that punches above its weight in PvE.
- Dagger-Axe Lancers (4⭐) as the second punch; they combine mobility with anti-infantry chops and hold targets in your cav’s charge path.
- Imperial Archers (4⭐) to tidy up every sweep and contribute safe DPS to bosses.
How it plays: Park your archers on good ground with clear sightlines. Alternate cavalry charges: Companions first to crack the wave, Dagger-Axes to trample and pin survivors. Use your hero as the quarterback—tag spawns, intercept elite gunners, and body-block anything that makes it through. On boss phases, stow cav behind the boss’ back to avoid cleaves, then time a charge when the boss animation roots.
- Always charge across rather than straight into gunlines; clipping at 45° preserves more horses and still ragdolls the pack.
- Never let archers stand flat on a ramp; bump them to the crest so their arrows arc over your cav.
- If the map is tight and your cav keeps bottlenecking, swap one lancer unit for Halberd Elites or a pike line to regain control in corridors.
Why it’s excellent: Speed turns into safety in PvE—dead mobs can’t damage your artillery or objectives. This build farms open environments quickly and feels fantastic to pilot.
Season 23 units in Conqueror’s Blade PvE—where they slot
- Qin’s Footbow: Treat them as a stationary artillery battery. They set up, layer long-range volleys, apply Spark stacks that detonate for burst AoE, and excel on boss maps with breathing room. Keep melee off them; they move slowly and can’t do siege chores.
- Halberd Elites: Hybrid control/damage infantry with a “hook-thrust-tear” style. Great as a lane bully that grows stronger off kills; in PvE they stabilize pulls when paired with pikes or a durable hero.
- Empire Chariots: Niche but spicy. On wide plazas and straight avenues they crush waves with charge strings; on stairwells and cluttered siege maps they lose value. Use where the map lets them breathe.
Gear, veterancy, and doctrines—principles that matter more than any one tree
It’s tempting to copy a veterancy chart, but understanding why matters more:
- Frontline infantry (Modao/Imperial Pike/Elites) profit most from veterancies that boost bracing power, control, and ranged resistance. You want them to hold the lane long enough for your DPS to erase it.
- Shock infantry (Iron Reapers) love nodes that enhance Shock impact, attack speed, and sustain. Their Very Heavy Armour trait lets them face-tank initial fire; build to keep them dangerous after the slam.
- Archers (Imperials/Footbow) scale with flat damage and penetration; in PvE, survival nodes that reduce incoming ranged damage also pay off because AI trades volleys often.
- Cavalry desires charge damage and the stamina/charge-uptime nodes that make repeated sweeps possible. Companions in particular feel much better once you invest in repeatability.
Doctrines follow the same logic: lean into your unit’s job. Reapers favor blunt/impact doctrines; archers take damage/penetration; pikes take bracing/defense.
Hero weapon choices—what fits PvE best
You can clear PvE with almost anything, but some weapons smooth the learning curve:
- Longsword & Shield: The default PvE captain. Team sustain, forgiving blocks, excellent unit shepherding. New players feel immortal, and veterans can carry shaky groups.
- Nodachi: AoE lifesteal king. If you like to dive to the hilt and live in the spin, Nodachi rewards confident timing and snowballs through waves.
- Any sturdy midliner (Poleaxe, Pike, Maul) can stand in as a frontline body and CC bot if you prefer their feel; just remember PvE most rewards uptime and control over flashy solo plays. (For truly ranged play, keep your hero focused on commanding and positioning—your units, not your headshots, win PvE.)
Expedition fundamentals that separate clean clears from scrappy ones
Think like a quartermaster as much as a champion. You aren’t just swinging a weapon—you’re conducting a column.
- Phase your pulls. Stack two or three packs only if your control is set; otherwise, chain single waves faster.
- Move as a formation. When the frontline advances, the DPS advances with them, not ten meters behind. Walk your archers forward between waves.
- Protect artillery. Expeditions often hinge on keeping a ram/treb alive. Park pikes in brace toward likely spawn angles; carry spare artillery if the map allows.
- Call focus. Use voice or pings to erase enemy gunners/spear elites first; PvE AI melts if you decapitate its ranged wing.
- Stagger ultimates/orders. Don’t overlap “Shock,” “Brace,” and big hero cooldowns on one small wave—layer them so every pull has a backbone.
Troubleshooting: if your run keeps derailing
- “My archers die every pull.” You’re setting them on flat ground with no cover, or pulling without hard control. Tilt them behind a pike wedge and widen the angle so melee can’t slip straight through.
- “We get overrun on stairs.” Stairs eat cavalry value and compress your frontline. Swap a cav slot to Modao/Pike, and fight from landings, not the steps.
- “Bosses delete my melee.” Rotate brace positions during boss phases, and kite in U-shapes so telegraphs miss the formation. Use Footbow/Spark detonations to chunk safely when space allows.
- “Reapers feel sluggish.” They are. Pre-stage them at the next choke while your hero cleans the tail of the previous wave; use Shock to reposition aggressively rather than jogging the whole way.
Builds at a glance
| Archetype | Hero Focus | Unit Core | Best Maps | Why it Works |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guardian Marshal | Longsword & Shield | Imperial Pike/Modao + Imperial Archers (+ Halberd Elites flex) | Corridors, siege lanes, boss arenas | Safest line control + steady ranged melt; captain sustain carries shaky groups. |
| Crimson Reaper | Nodachi | Iron Reapers + Modao (+ Archers/Dagger-Axes flex) | Tight lanes, sustained combat | Lifesteal hero + shock infantry converts big pulls into health and tempo. |
| Wings of the Khan | Any sturdy midliner | Companion Cavalry + Dagger-Axe Lancers + Imperial Archers | Open fields, plazas, wide streets | Fast clears via charge-and-finish loops; excellent add control. |
Final notes on progression and season flavor
- Unit progression: Don’t rush to three 5-stars if your leadership is strangling your formation. Two polished 4-stars (Imperials + Companions) often out-perform a messy five-star menagerie.
- Season 23 choices: Try Qin’s Footbow when your team can protect a static battery—Spark detonation shreds boss health bars. Use Halberd Elites when you want a more aggressive, snowballing lane bully that rewards clean kill chains. Empire Chariots are fun on big open event maps—less so in rat’s-nest sieges.
- Class comfort > theorycraft. If Longsword’s shield wall makes you yawn but Nodachi makes your heart race, play Nodachi. PvE rewards execution and coordination more than a few percent on paper.
When the valley fills with smoke and the first wave breaks on your line, you’ll feel the difference a real PvE build makes. The pikes bite, the archers speak, and you—the warlord at the hinge—keep the machine breathing. In 2025 the good news is simple: whether you’re the patient marshal, the crimson reaper, or the winged raider, there’s a path to clean clears and satisfying loot. Muster well, call your focus, and keep the column moving.