Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends

Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends (戦国無双2 猛将伝) is the Xtreme Legends expansion for Samurai Warriors 2. It features new Story Modes, new stages, and a new charge attack for each character (usually dubbed by players as C5 or C9).

Changes

 * Characters can now level up to 70 rather than the previous 50; the bodyguards' maximum level is now 30.
 * Katsuie, Kojiro, and Toshiie's former models in the older stages are replaced with their new redesigns.
 * Some voice actors were changed for the new recorded lines.
 * Alternate colors are added for each character though most of these previously appeared in Empires. New characters also have alternate victory pose animations and quotes during their story modes.
 * The game also introduced an Orb system, which allows weapon customization.
 * Personal skills can now be purchased from the Shop and can be individually collected for each character.
 * Like most other Xtreme Legends titles, a fifth weapon can also be obtained yet many players call them "alternate fourths" since the base attack power is the same as their fourth weapons.
 * For better or worse, the "Demon" element was changed to do damage based on set percentages of the enemy's lifebar. If an enemy's lifebar is long and full, their life will drain quickly. On the other end, elemental damage becomes pretty transparent when they hit lower life.

Modes
Choosing to Import info from the Samurai Warriors 2 disk allows all characters to be available for Story Mode and unlocks the title's previous Modes.

Mercenary
An endless mission driven mode made exclusively for the expansion. The player can choose any character as their main hero. Using this hero, they can perform odd jobs for various daimyo, the shogun, villagers, and various other NPC characters. Many players consider this the fastest way to gain levels, earn money, learn skills, and obtain Orbs. Difficulty will gradually increase as the player progresses, meaning that opponents will also get tougher.

If the player stays loyal to a particular lord, they can choose to serve them and help them unite the land. The other ending requires the player to collect ten precious swords from the missions they do.

Each officer has a special skill he/she can use. Players can learn up to 4 Mercenary skills, depending on the personal level.


 * Stonewall: Damage received is reduced.
 * Leadership: The attack increases after an order was given.
 * Willpower: Musou gauge fills up constantly
 * Extinguish: Cancels fire attacks by the enemy.
 * Musou Wall: When the musou gauge is full, pressing SELECT will erect a barrier around the player's character.
 * Charisma: Saves the extra Gems at the end of the mission.
 * Lockpick: Allows the player to unlock the prison doors.
 * Adulation: Player receives a gem for every 50 enemies vanquished.
 * Sandbag: Disables swamps enemies.
 * Healing: Objects, giving new life appear more frequently.
 * Marksman: Cancels the effects of rules of the battle.
 * Rage: The attack is increased when life is in the red.
 * Tenacity: Defense increases when life is in the red.
 * Poise: Cancels the effects of stunning and disgusting enemy attacks.
 * Stun: Stun enemies after they have been attacked by the lancers allies in battle formation.
 * Reload: Recharge time is shortened for muskets.
 * Inspiration: Defense increases after an order was given.
 * Acceleration: Mobility stat is maxed.
 * Antidote: Cancels the effects of attacks based poison enemies.
 * Resilience: The life gauge fills constantly.
 * Thrust: Increases attack power of spearmen allies in battle formation.
 * Bounty: Luck stat is maxed.
 * Stimulus: Musou gauge is full of labs a short time after the order was given.
 * Momentum: The attack increases after a raid on the enemy.

Characters
All characters from the original game return with six new additions.


 * Toshiie Maeda
 * Motochika Chosokabe
 * Gracia
 * Katsuie Shibata
 * Kojiro Sasaki
 * Yoshimoto Imagawa (returning from Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends)

Battles

 * Okehazama - returns with a new map and event layout
 * Shikoku

Related Media
Aside from the guide books, Koei officially funded the following publications for this game:


 * Comic Sengoku Musou 2 Moushouden ~ Samurai Soul Vol. 1 - collection of four panel parody comics created and illustrated by fans. ISBN: 978-4-7758-0624-1
 * Comic Sengoku Musou 2 Moushouden ~ Samurai Soul Vol. 2 - ISBN: 978-4-7758-0625-8

Free samples of these books -as well as the previously mentioned fan publications for this series- can be seen here.