Wu Xing Compass

The Wu Xing Compass is a unique gameplay mechanic for Grand Cathay.

Overview

Directing the Wu Xing Compass grants bonuses for the faction until it is realigned, which cannot be done for several turns after the previous realignment.

With the exception of The Warpstone Desert, the regions have four tier levels of strength that will gradually increase the effects each turn when the compass is aligned with the selected region. Conversely, the strength of the effects of the unaligned regions will decrease over each turn.

Each region also has a set of effects that are only active when currently aligned with the compass.

The challenge then, is to maintain balance of the Compass' effects that correspond with the changing gameplay situations the player finds themselves in throughout their campaign.

Addtional Notes

• After aligning the Compass towards the chosen region, the effects of an alignment start in the following turn. The alignment will not be finalized until the player ends their current turn.
• The player need not change the compass' alignment whenever it is available. The realignment notification can be bypassed to proceed with ending the current turn.
• The number of turns required for the realignment cooldown can be decreased with researching certain technologies and occupying the Great Bastion Gates. (seems to be outdated, cooldown seems to always be 9 turns)

Alignments

Name	Active Direction	Strength Rank I	Strength Rank II	Strength Rank III	Strength Rank IV
Great Bastion	Great Bastion Threat -2% per turn Recruitment cost -10% (Cathayan-owned regions) Army ability: "Ancestral Warriors" (Cathayan-owned provinces)	Defensive supplies: +0 (Cathayan-owned regions) Casualty replenishment rate: +0% (Cathayan-owned regions)	Defensive supplies: +500 (Cathayan-owned regions) Casualty replenishment rate: +2% (Cathayan-owned regions)	Defensive supplies: +1000 (Cathayan-owned regions) Casualty replenishment rate: +4% (Cathayan-owned regions)	Defensive supplies: +2500 (Cathayan-owned regions) Casualty replenishment rate: +10% (Cathayan-owned regions)
Dragon Emperor's Wrath	Dragon Emperor's Wrath: extreme attrition applied to armies beyond the Great Bastion (unlocked when energy reserve is full) Army ability: "Celestial Intervention" (Cathayan-owned provinces)	Corruption: +0 (Cathayan-owned provinces)	Corruption: -2 (Cathayan-owned provinces)	Corruption: -4 (Cathayan-owned provinces)	Corruption: -6 (Cathayan-owned provinces)
Celestial Lake	Income from all buildings: +15% (Cathayan-owned provinces) Chance of Winds of Magic increasing in strength: +40% (Cathayan-owned regions)	Control: +0 (Cathayan-owned provinces)	Control: +2 (Cathayan-owned provinces)	Control: +3 (Cathayan-owned provinces)	Control: +4 (Cathayan-owned provinces)
Warpstone Desert	Sale value of cargo: +20% Maximum Caravan cargo capacity: +20% Lord recruit rank: +1 for Caravan Masters	None	None	None	None

Jade Court Directions

With the addition of The Jade Court faction, the Wu Xing Compass gets four new Directions that are only available to them. These directions however, require specific special landmarks built before they are unlocked in the compass.

Name	Astromantic Relay Required	Active Direction	Strength Rank I	Strength Rank II	Strength Rank III	Strength Rank IV
Broken Lands	Dragon Fang Mount (RoC)	Character experience gain: +50% (Cathayan-owned characters) Unit experience gain: +33% (Cathayan-owned armies)	Recruit rank: +0 (Cathayan-owned regions)	Recruit rank: +2 (Cathayan-owned regions)	Recruit rank: +4 (Cathayan-owned regions)	Recruit rank: +6 (Cathayan-owned regions)
Nongchang Basin	Uzkulak (RoC)	Construction cost: -15% for all buildings (Cathayan-owned regions) Construction time: -1 for all buildings (Cathayan-owned regions)	Growth: +0 (Cathayan-owned provinces)	Growth: +6 (Cathayan-owned provinces)	Growth: +16 (Cathayan-owned provinces)	Growth: +30 (Cathayan-owned provinces)
Dragon River	Wei-Jin (RoC)	Characters are immortal Attrition: -75% casualties suffered from all attrition	None	None	None	None
Ashshair	Tower of Ashshair (RoC)	Gain access to Winds of Magic Manipulation Winds of Magic power reserve: +5 per turn (Cathayan-owned armies)	None	None	None	None

See also

• Devotion, for Kislev
• Rites, for New World factions.
• Meat, Ogre Kingdoms equivalent