Chapter 5

Chapter 5 reveals backstory on Dark Mercia, and advances the plot revealing that the few Floran incursions in Aurania weren't random acts of violence or isolated incidents; an invasion force is coming. The Floran are mounting an army at the Channelwood, and with war now seeming inevitable after the events that transpire in Chapter 4, Side Castle 3, invasion of West Florania through their front gates now seems like a prudent preventative step to cut them off at the roots!

Chapter Five Background
The chapter consists of 1 main mission in West Florania, and 3 side missions based in Dark Mercia's past in Aurania, connected to prior missions. The main mission follows Dark Mercia into a complex battle in the Channelwood, one of the largest natural spawning grounds for Floran (in this alternate universe set in TinyGroove) with unique rules that plays similar to a side castle (although it isn't one). The side missions follow the search in Dark Mercia's past for answers and three fragments of Artefact 'X'. The artefact provides some benefits progressively in Chapter 5's side missions, and are found by unlocking Chapter 5's side quest missions to explore Dark Mercia's past. The three pieces of the Recollection Reflection Cipher can be found in the three flashback missions (one hidden in each). These side missions can be unlocked relatively early in the campaign by following the hint provided in Ragna's Recall, by achieving Achievement 23, deciphering, and following the hints Ragna gives the player about: 1) Mercia's facial scars, 2) her path to becoming Dark Mercia, and 3) how she became leader of the Outlaws. Finally, once all 3 pieces of the artefact are found and combined, all Signs with Floran glyphs across Aurania are translated, and Chapter 6 missions are unlocked! Finally, of note, one commander may be recruited in this Chapter, Nuru. She is unlocked on Map 21 (Chapter 5, Mission 1) if you have beaten her twice before, and if you seize control of District 7 by Day 7, and District 6 by Day 10 in the Channelwood.

Chapter 5 Missions
The four missions in Chapter 5 feature small to medium-sized maps depending upon whether you are early or later in Dark Mercia's journey (relatively speaking, the flashback side missions are smaller maps, representing the much smaller number of Artefacts Dark Mercia has at that stage in her journey):

Map # | Chapter | Mission | Title | (Size)
 * 1) Chapter 5, Mission 1: The Channelwood (9x19)
 * 2) * Unlocked after completing Chapter 4, Side Castle 3.
 * 3) Chapter 5, Side Mission 1: Insult to Injury (4x7)
 * 4) * Unlocked by obtaining Achievement 23, then applying Ragna's clue to Map 1 to unlock.
 * 5) Chapter 5, Side Mission 2: Requiem's Revisionist History (5x8)
 * 6) * Unlocked by obtaining Achievement 23, then applying Ragna's clue to Map 11 to unlock.
 * 7) Chapter 5, Side Mission 3: Dr. Bones' Rue-fest (8x13)
 * 8) * Unlocked by obtaining Achievement 23, then applying Ragna's clue to Map 17 to unlock, also looting the mountaintop grave site is a prerequisite Map 13. That side quest, in turn, also has prerequisites of: Achievement A8, to get the villagers in the northwest village to tell you about the mountaintop grave site, and Artefact 'B'.

Chapter 5 Artefacts
There are two Artefacts hidden in Chapter 5's four maps, and three fragments comprising a third, Artefact 'X', strewn across Dark Mercia's past in Map 22, Map 23, and Map 24. Here's what they are, where you can find them, and what they do once you've got em':
 * Q. Reflective Ribcage (Map 24: Chapter 5, Side Mission 3)
 * Enables backup commanders (such as Elodie or Mercival) to spawn where their counterpart fell in battle (instead of at the purple flag by the player's stronghold). *This is useful as forward advances aren't stalled as much by the loss of your primary commander as the maps become larger at this later stage in the campaign. Also with this artefact, the commander's spawn point can't be blocked since the prior commander was standing where they fell (unlike if a unit is blocking the purple flag upon Dark Mercia's defeat, which would normally end in a loss).
 * W. Channel-Wood Planks (Map 21: Chapter 5, Mission 1)
 * The fire resistant Channel-Wood Planks enables one of your barracks in the final mission in West Florania to construct 2 units per turn.
 * X. Recollection Reflection Cipher (Map 22, Map 23, Map 24: Chapter 5, Side Missions 1-3)
 * This unique set of translation tablets is used to decipher Floran runes scattered on signposts throughout this alternate version of Aurania. Possessing all three pieces of the cipher will trigger a cutscene in the achievement castle to assemble the parts of Artefact 'X', translate the Floran language, and serve as an automatic translation of all signs you see after assembling the artefact. *It is also worth noting that the player can actually translate the Floran glyphs themselves using the Artefact Library in the achievement castle. The in-game lore and artefact descriptions corresponding with each alphabet letter end with what seems like a random symbol; its actually the corresponding Floran glyph for that letter in the cipher. Also, the creator posted the translation key on Reddit with the release of Version 9 (b4DLC), noting that players reported some minor differences in character symbols between the Switch, Xbox, PS4, and PC versions.

Chapter 5 Achievements
There are five Achievements in Chapter 5, and they should pose a significant challenge to WarGroove players, as a few (A26 and A30, in particular) require some sleuthing: Good Luck!
 * 1) A26: Only You Can Prevent... Asbestos Warriors - Crack the Channelwood's Secret in Map 21 to set it Ablaze. Then, let the forest fire rage for at least 15 days before acquiring Artefact 'W' to quell the blaze. The game will let you know when this happens and award this achievement. You need to recruit Nuru in this mission to get this achievement (even if you have recruited her before on a previous play-through of the map), so make sure you have defeated her twice before on Map 11 and Map 17 to satisfy the prerequisites to recruit her.
 * 2) A27: All Your Base R Belong 2 Us - Capture all of the Channelwood's 25 Strongholds across all 7 districts and win on Map 21. Don't be overzealous in your late-phase advance. You need to have other Floran units remaining on the map when you topple the last Floran Stronghold to get this achievement, as the final victory conditions in the Channelwood are to defeat all enemies. Make sure the Floran aren't only left with one Stronghold remaining (and no units left), or else the map will end before you can erect one of your own in its place to get this achievement!
 * 3) A28: Forest Villager Rescued - Escape from near-death with your injured subject in under 6 days on Map 22.
 * 4) A29: Briskly Back from the Brink - Swiftly recover from your injuries by pulling off a victory within 30 days on Map 23.
 * 5) A30: Amicably Peaceable Retribution - Aid the three outlaw faction leaders and tend to their respective militia's needs/side quests to gain their support on Map 24.

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