En Garde Arena mode has many different possible stages you can be put into. This guide will give some tips & strategy as well as enemy encounter information so you can plan your approach accordingly.
Modifiers
There are 21 negative modifiers & 45 positive modifiers. I will list down all the modifiers below for you to look at. At the start of every stage. You will be inflicted with 1 negative modifier at random & you will have 3 random positive modifiers to choose from. You can only pick 1 positive modifier out of the 3 random ones. Whenever you complete a stage, the previous modifiers will carry forward until you complete the entire arena or get defeated. You can always pause and check the modifiers you have currently at any point of arena mode. When you start a new arena you may not get the same modifiers, as it is always random.
List of all negative modifiers
1. Armored soldiers – Soldiers can appear with a Locked guard bar
2. Hidden Enemies – Lackeys may appear out of destroyed Crates or Barrels
3. Call Reinforcements – Defeating a Captain will make an extra soldier appear
4. Lethal Captains – You take more damage when hit by a Captain
5. Dauntless Lackeys – Lackeys’s attacks are Unparryable
6. Lethal Grenadiers – You take more damage when hit by a Grenadier’s Bomb
7. Martyrdom – Defeated enemies may drop a lit bomb
8. Shameful Hits – Whenever you take a hit, you lose some Panache
9. Zaida’s Mysterious Trick – Lackeys are replaced by Zaida’s illusions
10. Performance Anxiety – Your Panache meter slowly decreases over time
11. Unyielding Enemies – Enemies are harder to Weaken
12. Adrenaline Rush – Soldiers can use Unparryable attacks
13. Tenacious Enemies – Enemies take less time to recover from being Weakened
14. Leg Ache – The Panache skill surprise Kick I now unavailable
15. Shoddy Sword Tip – The Panache skill Secret Attack is now unavailable
16. Tunnel Vision – The Panache skill Tornado Strike is now unavailable
17. Reinforced Plates – Captains resist Cannon fire
18. Henchperson Solidarity – Defeating a Lackeys heals other enemies near him
19. Duelist’s Scorn – Hits from Duelist also make you lose a lot of panache
20. Stun Grenades – Grenadier’s bombs also stun you
21. Stunning Blows – hits from Captains also briefly stun you
List of all positive modifiers
1. Bouncy Projectiles – Projectiles you throw can bounce between enemies
2. Heavy Pitchers – Pitchers are so heavy they stun enemies
3. Hidden Gifts – Projectiles may appear out of destroyed Crates or Barrels
4. Counter parries – Parrying deals increased guard damage to enemies
5. Stunning Kick – Kicks stun enemies after knocking them back
6. Revitalizing Parries – Heals you after X successful parries
7. Stain of Defeat – Slippery Areas appear under defeated enemies
8. Tricker’s Strike – Attacks against stunned enemies are always Critical Strikes
9. Dazzling Recovery – Whenever you heal, 2 nearby enemies become stunned
10. Retaliation – Successful parries make you next attack a Critical Strike
11. Mindblowing – Hitting a stunned enemies with a Projectile causes an explosion
12. Contraband – Defeated enemies may drop a random Projectile
13. Masterful Thrust – Guard damage from Critical Strikes is increased
14. Touche! – Defeating an enemy fills half a Panache chunk
15. Agile Riposte – Whenever you Dodge, you next attack will be a Critical Strike
16. Fancy Footwork – Dodgin an attack stuns the attack
17. Comeback Attack – Whenever you heal, your next attack will be a Critical Strike
18. Low Kicks – Successfully kicking an enemy will Weaken them
19. Heavy Crates – Crates are so heavy they Weaken enemies
20. Deep Puddles – Slippery Areas disappear after 3 enemies slip on them
21. Chaos Enjoyer – Explosions heal you 1HP and no longer damage you (except for Grenadier’s bombs)
22. Astonishing Panache – Whenever you fill a Panache chunk, stun 3 nearby enemies
23. Gusto – Whenever your attack removes HP from an enemy, you heal 1 HP
24. Fencer’s Dance – Weakened enemies fall to the ground when you dodge near them
25. Spectacular Flourish – Special skills can stun nearby enemies
26. Finish the Fallen – Attack a knocked down enemy instantly removes 1 HP from them
27. Very Vigorous – Whenever you heal, healing occurs twice
28. Empowered Kick – Defeating an enemy makes your nex kick unblockable
29. Panache is Life – Whenever you fill a Panache chunk, heal 2 HP
30. Cape of Wonders – Whenever you heal, a random Projectile appears
31. Land with your Head – Weakened enemies are instantly defeated if you push them down Stairs or Holes
32. Filled to the Brime – Projectiles hitting enemies create a Slippery Area
33. Smuggled Wine – Stunning an enemy causes a Slippery Area to appear under their feet
34. Stunning Parries – Parry an attack to stun the attack
35. Stunning Strikes – Attacks that remove HP from enemies also Stun them
36. Weakening Strikes – Attacks that remove HP from enemies also Weaken them
37. Flamenco of Steel – Heal for every 2 attacks you dodge
38. Lick THESE Boots! – Heal whenever you successfully kick an enemy
39. Energizing Flourish – Increased healing from Special Skills
40. Secret Win Stashes – Destroying Crates or Barrels creates Slippery Areas
41. Never Gets Old – Heal whenever you hit an enemy with a Projectile
42. Bursting with Pride – Whenever you cause an explosion, you gain some Panache
43. Black Powder Crates – Crates explode when you kicked into a stunned enemy
44. Astounding Flourish – Special skills Weaken the enemies they hit
45. Final Flourish – Special skills instantly defeat Weakened Soldiers they hit
Map RNG & Enemy encounters
When you spawn into arena. There are many possible variations you can get. You may spawn in on the same map but the enemy encounter is different. The maps you get spawned into are random. The enemy encounter is tied to what map you spawned into. I am unsure if I have seen all possible variations but I have recorded down what encounters I have seen. I am only 1 person so I am prone to making mistakes or overlooking something. If the information provided wrong please kindly point it out so I may correct it.
I heavily apologise. I just can’t get Steam Guide formatting to behave and work properly for me. I have it here on my Google Drive. The Google Docs file have a screenshot of the arena maps & lists all enemy encounters tied to it.
Tips & Strategy
These are some general tips & basic strategy to help you. You probably completed story mode so you should be familiar with the game’s combat.
• Always keep the modifiers at the back of your mind during fights
• You can always check the modifiers at any point if you forget.
• Make full use special skills (Panache skills) during the stage as you won’t retain special skill meter (Panache meter)
• You can check refer to the map stages in the guide to see the enemy encounter & plan accordingly.
• Enemy priority is important. It will depend on your enemy encounter. Generally, take out the weaker enemies like lackeys & grenadiers to thin the wave. Then, work your way up to the more difficult enemies.
• Make sure to fully use your environment in the map. Once you move to the next area. There will be a fresh set of items/environmental interactable objects for you to use. Don’t afraid to use your environment.
• Isolate enemies & take out as many as you can quickly to lower their numbers.
• Don’t waste your time poking your enemy’s health not taking off a health bar/finishing off as they will regenerate health if you stop attacking for awhile
• Weakened enemies cannot regenerate health however they do eventually recover from being weakened. When they stop being weakened they regenerate health.
