Shogun Showdown is a samurai game where you fight your way through the Shogun's underlings one turn at a time. Those enemies are the foot soldiers, archers and fast attackers that fill each battle. Each one fights in its own way, and learning their patterns is the key to planning your turns.
Spawn pool
Standard Wave Enemies
Ashigaru
A basic swordsman that moves in close to attack.
- HP (Days 1–4)
- 3
- HP (Day 5+)
- 4
- First region
- Bamboo Grove
- Attack tiles
- Sword
- Traits
- -
- Can be elite?
- Can be Elite?
Twin Tachi
A dual-blade fighter whose wide slash can hit nearby enemies.
- HP (Days 1–4)
- 2
- HP (Day 5+)
- 3
- First region
- Bamboo Grove
- Attack tiles
- Swirl
- Traits
- -
- Can be elite?
- Can be Elite?
Spike Charger
A spiked fighter that charges through the lane.
- HP (Days 1–4)
- 1
- HP (Day 5+)
- 2
- First region
- Bamboo Grove
- Attack tiles
- Charge
- Traits
- -
- Can be elite?
- Can be Elite?
Yari Master
A spear user whose long reach can strike through a row.
- HP (Days 1–4)
- 4
- HP (Day 5+)
- 5
- First region
- Whispering Caves
- Attack tiles
- Spear
- Traits
- -
- Can be elite?
- Can be Elite?
Yumi Sniper
A ranged attacker that fires a volley at a marked cell.
- HP (Days 1–4)
- 3
- HP (Day 5+)
- 4
- First region
- Hibiku Wastelands
- Attack tiles
- Volley
- Traits
- -
- Can be elite?
- Can be Elite?
Guardian
A sword fighter that closes in after attacking.
- HP (Days 1–4)
- 5
- HP (Day 5+)
- 7
- First region
- Moonlit Port
- Attack tiles
- Sword
- Traits
- Aggro
- Can be elite?
- Can be Elite?
Ashigaru Archer
A back-line archer that waits for a clear shot.
- HP (Days 1–4)
- 2
- HP (Day 5+)
- 3
- First region
- Moonlit Port
- Attack tiles
- Arrow
- Traits
- -
- Can be elite?
- Can be Elite?
Grappler
A hook fighter that pulls targets close before following with a sword.
- HP (Days 1–4)
- 5
- HP (Day 5+)
- 6
- First region
- Spirit Gateway
- Attack tiles
- Grappling Hook; Sword
- Traits
- -
- Can be elite?
- Can be Elite?
Shinobi
A quick ninja that attacks with either a shuriken or a smoke bomb.
- HP (Days 1–4)
- 4
- HP (Day 5+)
- 5
- First region
- Spirit Gateway
- Attack tiles
- Shuriken or Smoke Bomb
- Traits
- Quick
- Can be elite?
- Can be Elite?
Shielder
A support fighter that gives shields to nearby allies.
- HP (Days 1–4)
- 4
- HP (Day 5+)
- 5
- First region
- Hot Springs
- Attack tiles
- Ally Shield, or Shield when no unshielded ally is near
- Traits
- -
- Can be elite?
- Cannot be Elite?
Warden
A lantern carrier that explodes when it dies, hurting anything next to it.
- HP (Days 1–4)
- 1
- HP (Day 5+)
- 2
- First region
- Forsaken Grounds
- Attack tiles
- Summon or Mark
- Traits
- Explosive
- Can be elite?
- Cannot be Elite?
Strider
A fast-moving foe that dashes as far as it can in its chosen direction.
- HP (Days 1–4)
- 4
- HP (Day 5+)
- 5
- First region
- Forsaken Grounds
- Attack tiles
- Sword
- Traits
- Dash
- Can be elite?
- Can be Elite?
Kabukai
A trickster that copies a tile from the player's moves.
- HP (Days 1–4)
- 5
- HP (Day 5+)
- 6
- First region
- Theatre of Illusions
- Attack tiles
- Copycat Mirror
- Traits
- -
- Can be elite?
- Can be Elite?
Shadow Charger
A fast fighter that charges into range and slashes with a sword.
- HP (Days 1–4)
- 5
- HP (Day 5+)
- 7
- First region
- Hideyoshi's Keep, Nobunaga's Fortress or Ieyasu's Garden
- Attack tiles
- Charge; Sword
- Traits
- Quick
- Can be elite?
- Can be Elite?
What Are the Enemies in Shogun Showdown?
The enemies are the Shogun's soldiers, and they fall into a few groups you can spot quickly. Swordsmen step up and strike, archers and snipers fire from the back, and chargers and ninjas close in fast. A few trickier fighters shield their allies, copy your moves or call in help. Knowing which group an enemy belongs to tells you how it will reach you, and that shapes where you choose to stand.
Regular enemies have only a few health points (HP) each. Days are the game's difficulty levels, and from Day 5 on every enemy gains a little extra HP. Enemies arrive in waves during a fight. Each area of the map brings in its own mix, and the Shadow Charger only appears in the areas of Hideyoshi, Nobunaga and Ieyasu.
How Enemies Attack and Take Their Turns
Enemies take their turns after you do, and they use the same kinds of moves you have. They can step, turn around, set up an attack or use a move they've already lined up. Enemies show their moves before they act, which gives you a chance to plan your next turn around what's coming.
Waiting moves the clock forward for everyone, which lets enemies step closer and bunch up. That's useful, because a well-timed attack can catch several of them at once.
Enemies can also hurt one another. Twin Tachi and Yari Master keep attacking even when their strike lands on another enemy, which can clear out their own side. You can use this to your advantage, since a well-placed swap can send one enemy's spear into another.
What Elite Enemies Change
Elite enemies are tougher versions of the regular types, and they start appearing on Day 2. Every regular type has an elite form except the Warden and Shielder. Each elite gets extra health, adding one or two points depending on its trait, along with a special trait that changes how it fights.
Quick elites can attack as soon as they add a move to their queue, so they strike sooner than usual. Heavy elites can't be turned or moved, which takes away one of your ways to reposition them. Double-Striker elites attack twice, and enemies with several attacks double strike with their last one. Reactive Shield elites gain a shield every time they take damage, which makes them tougher to finish off.
Corrupted is the odd one out. It only appears on Day 7, and when a Corrupted enemy dies, a Corrupted Progeny takes its place.
Which Shogun Showdown Enemies to Take Down First
Some enemies are worth dealing with early, because they make the rest of the fight harder. The Warden, Shielder, Kabukai and Yumi Sniper are the ones to handle first, since each one makes the fight messier in its own way.
The Warden can summon or mark spaces, and its explosion hits anything nearby when it dies, so it causes trouble both while it's alive and when it goes down. The Shielder puts up shields, including ones that protect its allies, which makes the rest of its group harder to finish off. Kabukai copies your moves, so your own plan can end up working against you. The Yumi Sniper fires volleys from the back line, so it keeps chipping at you while you deal with the front.
Chargers and ninjas are a different kind of problem. They are often what catches you off guard, especially when they show up as elites.
How to Handle Archers and Fast Enemies
A slow melee enemy can act as a buffer between you and archers, grapplers, shinobi and shadow chargers. Standing behind one helps keep those faster or ranged fighters at a distance.
Swapping places with an enemy that's about to attack can make its strike miss, and it leaves you standing in the middle of its group. This is one of the simplest ways to get out of a hit without much movement.
When the field gets crowded, clearing enemies first keeps their attacks from breaking up your dodges and combos.
FAQ
How do you tell an elite enemy apart in Shogun Showdown?
Each elite trait comes with its own aura and color change. Quick elites have a yellow aura, Heavy elites are gray, Double-Striker elites have a dark-red aura, and Reactive Shield elites have a blue one. Corrupted elites get a pink palette with a corrupted energy aura.
What happens when a Warden dies?
Its explosion deals 2 damage to anything in the spaces next to it. If a Smoke Bomb is what kills it, the Warden first swaps places with the attacker, and only then dies and explodes.
Can Kabukai copy every tile?
Not quite. Its Copycat Mirror can't take tiles like Lightning or Trap. An elite Kabukai with the Double-Striker trait also can't double-strike with tiles like Grappling Hook.