Types of enemies, their behavior and how to eliminate them Shadow Tactics Guide
Last update: 05 December 2016
Civilian An unarmed enemy. Most of the time, we see him engaging in some work, or traversing a set route. When a civilian notices one of your heroes, he won't fight. Instead, he'll start to shout and call nearby guards. If there aren't any guards around, he'll run in the direction of the nearest patrol to inform them about your position. Such a reaction will not cause an alarm outright, but will put the guards in search mode. Any type of decoy or disorientation will work against them.
Soldier A basic type of enemy. Throughout most missions, he comprises a majority of enemy troops. Most of the time, he is armed with a musket, but sometimes we encounter a melee variant (pikeman), or an officer (sometimes with a flag on his back; but this element is strictly cosmetic). Most of the time, he appears as a lone guard, but often is a part of patrols, comprised of 2 or 3 soldiers. It's a weak enemy, susceptible to any type of distraction - as a result, it is the easiest enemy to outmaneuver. If he detects your hero, he'll begin attacking immediately, and will call nearby guards to help him.
Straw Hat - a characteristic enemy, easily recognizable thanks to the titular hat. Armed with a musket. Most of the time, we see him as a watchman, as he rarely patrols the area. Straw hat is a harder enemy, as he is resistant to almost all distraction methods. Only disguised Aiko or her sneezing brew work on Straw Hats. Other tools work for a short while, or not work at all. For example, he will turn for a moment if you throw a stone, but returns to his post almost instantly. Your tools will not be totally ineffective, but they will work only for a short while.
Samurai - the toughest type of opponent, especially if Mugen is not at the scene - he is the only one able to defeat this heavily armored enemy with his basic melee attack or through a shot from his hand cannon. Other methods include taking a shot at him with a pistol and then finishing him off using any character. Samurai is invulnerable to all distraction attempts, but he will also turn his head for a while if he hears a flute or a noise. This is the only type of enemy who can recognize Aiko in disguise. Samurais are armed with katanas and pistols. As a result of all these traits, they are a tough enemy to counter.
Behavior Types
During the game, you will notice that enemies assume one of a few types of behavior. After a short while, you will notice certain "trademark" personalities instantly. Such knowledge is especially useful for quicker planning and elimination of enemies.
Guard - The most common type of enemy. Mostly, he keeps to one direction, and looks about from time to time until he sees something suspicious. The second type of a guard switches directions in turns - first, he watches one area for a moment, and then switches to a different direction. To effectively deal with such an enemy, watch their movements to create a plan that will allow you get through or eliminate them discreetly.
Patrolling Guard - Acts similarly to a normal guard. Only difference being the fact that he has a set route which he patrols. When he reaches a waypoint, he looks about for a while, and returns to the first position. Elimination of these enemies is sometimes troublesome (e.g. in a situation where the given guard keeps to his inconvenient route) but most of the time you should easily catch the guard in a convenient location.
Patrol. Patrol is a group of a few guards (2-3 soldiers), which also follows a set route, sometimes consisting of more than just two points. Eliminating such groups is not an easy task, mainly because of having to deal with more than one enemy at once - if a single member of the patrol is down, the rest is instantly alarmed. For smooth elimination, use area of effect abilities, or plan an approach that involves more than one hero.
Investigator - A very irritating enemy who will cost you a lot of nerves. Not only they traverse a large area, with their paths often having a number of waypoints, but to make matters worse, they scrutinize and converse with some of the guards along their patrol routes. This means that if the guard is not present at his post, the investigator will start a search, or even sound the alarm. At first, only ordinary soldiers or officers are delegated to such tasks, but later, investigator duties may be taken up by a samurai, which only further complicates the situation.
Unique Behavior - Sometimes, an enemy with unique behavior and movement paths is introduced, mostly related to the mission objectives. For example, an escort for an important enemy (whose elimination may be one of the objectives). The soldiers handling the security will follow the target, and will constantly guard his safety. Once such a group reaches a waypoint, the escort will position themselves as to be able to see their target. Most of the time, you are going to distract them, or eliminate the target when he is out of their reach. Typically, such party is composed of samurais.
Skill combinations and Shadow Mode
Our heroes have a wide range of abilities that are useful when attempting to eliminate opponents. I am not going to include every possible combination, but the list includes those most effective. Shadow Mode is also useful if you want to perform a complex action, or engage more than one opponent.
Shuriken and sword (Hayato). A great combination for eliminating two-person squads, or two enemies that are not far from each other. Begin with throwing a shuriken, and then engage the opponent who is in melee range. Keep in mind that the first target's death animation will last a moment, so choose duos that are apart from the rest. Additionally, a stone may be used to distract a squad, and as a result, stopping them in a chosen location.
Flute and trap (Yuki) - Lay the trap in a narrow corridor, a corner, or a bridge. The trap can be laid in an open space, but first look for a location from which Yuki will play the flute in order to lure the enemy. Avoid laying the trap in bushes, as the enemy only visits these locations when in search mode/ in alert. The trap can be also placed on a patrol route - the remaining enemy can be executed using the dagger. You can also play the flute to make the enemy follow your footprints.
Trap and shuriken - the trap is laid on the patrol route, while Yuki throws a shuriken at the remaining enemy from a safe location. Perfect combination for eliminating a mobile two-person group.
Trap and Kuma Place the trap on the route leading to the animal, e.g. under a ladder. Then, let Kuna lure an enemy who will die along the way. It works similar to the flute + trap combination, but the enemy won't begin a search (yellow field of vision) but is going to get interested/captivated (pink field of vision) which will make him approach Kuma with less mistrust. Aside from that, Kuma cannot be too far from your heroes, as the decoy ability can only be activated within the effective range. This combination is one of the safest for your party.
Sneezing brew (Aiko) and basic attack. The powder limits the enemy field of vision, allowing you to approach him quickly. You can also use it to eliminate duos, by blinding the first enemy, and eliminating the remaining one, who would instantly react if something happened to the first one. Then, get rid of the blinded enemy, and you can order Yuki or Aiko to carry the bodies.
Sword Wind (Mugen) and any luring method. The ability works incredibly well versus enemy groups. You can enable the ability even. Use Sword Wind when e.g. you are standing behind a corner of a building, and need to sure method to eliminate an enemy instantly. Employ luring methods (flute or Tanuki) when the enemy is outside of your range, or you want to lure a few of them in a convenient location.
Throwing objects/bodies (Mugen) If you read the earlier pages of the guide, you already know that Mugen is strong enough to carry stones. These can be used to eliminate groups of enemies. You can also throw corpses at enemies to stun them. Very useful skill, considering that Mugen is able to put items/corpses onto areas that are higher than him. Rest of the characters also have this ability, but they have to stand above in order to use the skill.
Shadow Mode is typically utilized in two types of situations - you need to execute a more complicated operation, without having to rely on interface buttons, e.g. eliminating one enemy, and then performing a chosen action on the second enemy in shortest amount of time possible. Shadow Mode is especially useful when taking care of an enemy group. You order each character to perform a basic attack onto a different enemy. When everybody are on their positions (make sure they are in equal distance from their targets to avoid any unwanted attention), press the button to execute the operation. However, keep in mind that once your heroes performed their actions, they become idle - make sure that there aren't any witnesses, and that you still have to move the bodies.