The Wind and the Wilting Blossom is very much a "below the radar" game for which there are (at present) no organized FAQ's or wiki's. While this document is not a strategy guide per se, it provides insight and opinions about the various Allies you can encounter in the course of the game.

Full disclosure- I have never posted a guide, whether on Steam or other platforms, so this document will admittedly be lacking in aesthetic qualities. I still hope it is readable. For now, my priority is just to get the information posted. When time permits, the document can be dressed up.

Ranks are according to JRPG convention, with S and A being at the top, B being in the middle, and C and D being at the bottom. Some units can have different ranks depending on leader layout and charm.

In general, my ranking is determined by how useful a unit remains through all stages of the game (i.e. duration of utility), their performance in the endgame, and how quickly it takes for the unit to be useful (e.g. how much you have to level the unit and what scrolls cost is required to get to that point).

Given that there are so many factors (e.g. layouts, charms, terrain) that can influence the performance of a unit, be aware that these rankings are just "broad strokes" impressions. The nuances will be discussed later.

Rank S- palace guard, onmyouji, noble, concubine

Rank A- soldier, archer, hunter, gambler, pharmacist, lieutenant, court musician (hovers between A and S)

Rank B- ninja, sohei, artisan, bandit

Rank C- poet, spearman, merchant

Rank D- Shinto priest

Farmer- rank unassigned because utility is even more variable than with other units.

1) Palace Guard (tier 2 rare): Rank S.

Starts off slightly fragile (more armor than health) but rapidly becomes a stone wall. Does good damage at all levels. Average mobility. Being able to knock units into others (causing additional damage to both) can be helpful and can kill enemies that might otherwise withstand his initial strike. Highly resilient and reliable at all stages of the game, even with only average scroll investment.

Can be found in rare events. The earliest I ever received one was in the second node of the first map but this was a fluke. Will likely have to be purchased rather than encountered. Kagetoki 2 starts with one, which makes that layout one of his better ones.

Palace Guard helps in one random event - a procession of people with bodyguards, who are actually bandits in disguise. In this situation, he allows you to reverse the situation and ambush them.

2) Onmyouji (tier 3 rare): Rank A initially but progresses to S.

Exceedingly rare (as in, recruited 3 times in 360 hours of gameplay) but pretty great damage dealer by endgame. Damage is mediocre in the beginning but range compensates to some degree. Heavy investment is required but by the time you get one, you will be facing battles that grant a lot of scrolls, so he can advance at a fairly reasonable pace. Does as much damage as the palace guard, at maximum level, in a crescent shaped, 3-hex arc at decent range.

Fragile, but survivability is decent if used properly. And it is not overly difficult to protect a ranged unit. Takes some practice to understand how to use his AOE attack, which actually extends one hex further than the stated range may suggest- i.e. the outer edge of the crescent can target 5 hexes away at onmyouji's max level but each point of the arc uses the stated maximum range. Suffers from the range penalty of an archer but this is not a difficult weakness to overcome.

3) Noble (tier 3 uncommon): Rank S.

Yes, he’s slow and fragile. But the ability to duplicate your party’s strongest attack or any other attack that would be most useful in a particular situation offers unparalleled tactical value. At maximum level, adds 1 damage to the extra attack. Particularly godly if the leader has a kiseru, as the noble allows him/her to use it twice on any ally, essentially allowing that ally to attack three times, for increased damage with each iteration. Especially devastating if the ally is a gambler (3+6+9 points of damage in one round, with 33% chance of each hit granting double damage) or a concubine (4+7+10 points of damage in one round, in addition to bleed).

Even without a kiseru, the ability to duplicate your most useful attack in a particular round (and add one damage on top of that, at highest level) is a wonderful boon to have. Other strategies with the noble: he can duplicate the buff from the gunsen (war fan), allowing your leader to give all units in range +2 damage (and actually make that item worth using). He can duplicate the AOE attacks of ninja, sohei, and onmyoji. If you have max level spearmen or an ono, he can provide an extra attack that ignores armor, allowing you to cut down elite kijos, jubokkos, nuppepos, armored skeletons, and even Seito Taicho with ease.

He has a special option during an event with an innkeeper, but I never had a noble at that time (event can take place quite early in the game), so I don’t know what he does in that situation.

4) Poet (tier 3 uncommon): Rank C most of the game, becomes A at level 5. Her unique skill is to enable allies who had already moved to move again.

There is chance of spawning a Point of Interest (Cape Ashizuri) in the second map where she is among 3 random female units that may be recruited- the other 2 are a farmer and concubine.
Used to be rank S , as she offered significantly improved mobility (and "hit and run" ability) at relatively limited cost and could reactivate units, by level 3, at a range of 3 hexes. A patch eventually reduced the range and AOE of her ability significantly- to 1 hex from level 1 to 4 and 2 hexes at level 5. It used to be that many units could move at least 3 hexes and still be in range of her ability but, now, they can only move 1 or 2, especially because she is very slow. She’s really only useful at level 5 now, and the cost to get her there remains very high.

The latest patch allowed her to gain movement much earlier in her level-up schema, which was welcome, and added 1 damage in a later level, which was puzzling, given that she is used primarily for her special ability, not her attack power. I would have preferred if the AOE of that ability was extended, instead, at level 3.

Previously, she made an all-melee party very viable as they could move in, hit enemies, then move out of range of retaliation. She also allowed a party, in the final battle, to close with Takiyasha in one round. She can still do this to some degree but not as efficiently.

Poet provides a special option in an event with an innkeeper, which allows the party to rest for free. In another event, she is able to break the party out of an enchantment but I don’t recall the consequence being especially dire even if she is not present.

Poet with Kiyomori 2 and 3 tier 3 allies


5) Sohei (tier 3 rare): Rank B by the time you can recruit him (would have been awesome if available earlier).

Becomes Rank A at level 5. Difficult to acquire reliably but there is a dedicated recruitment event at Mount Koya (Point of Interest) that can spawn in Kansai, so there is a better chance, in theory, to find him compared to the other tier 3 rare units. However, probability of recruitment, even with that event, is around 10 to 20%. Rarely appears in shops.

Starts out with good armor (4), mobility, and decent damage (2) in a 2-hex (later 3-hex) arc but takes a long time to level. Most of the levels offer only minor improvements to stats, making his progression chart feel quite barren, despite the high number of scrolls required for each level. Damage does not reach 3 until the final level.

Quite a mixed bag overall. I consider single target damage useful in more situations than AOE but it is not too difficult to maneuver him so that he strikes more than one enemy, so there is that. With Kiyomori 2 and the right setup, or Shikibu 3, he goes up to Rank A. At level 5 with those leaders, he becomes Rank S.

Sohei helps with an event where you can fight a hulking foreigner (“the greatest fighter in the world”). Reward is quite a bit of wado and ki.

Sohei with Kiyomori 2 and 3 tier 3 allies. He is not normally this powerful otherwise.

6) Ninja (tier 3 rare): Rank B if recruited early, Rank C if not.

An interesting novelty but the most difficult unit to find, next to the onmyouji. Event to recruit him, if it spawns, may take place around the Kansai region, sometimes a little earlier, and yields an extremely low chance of success- around 10% by my best estimate.

Very weak and squishy at low levels, requires much investment in scrolls to be really useful. I believe he requires more scrolls than any other unit to advance a level. His gimmick of low damage in a large, circular AOE is, in my opinion, less useful than higher single target damage. Invisibility does provide nice tactical options and can help you to set up chokepoints, just like with the leader Kagetoki, but is available only at level 3, which takes a long time to reach.

Another mixed bag like the Sohei and just like the Sohei, really benefits from Kiyomori 2 or Shikibu 3. At level 5, barely gets to Rank A. But value goes up to rank S at level 5 with aforementioned leaders.

Ninja helps with a few events. One event, the one which involves locating people trapped in a building on fire, yields quite a nice reward of ki, food, and ammo (without the ninja, there is almost no reward from said event). Another event involves the ninja sneaking a woman, accused of being a witch, out of a village but I do not know what rewards are granted, as I personally never had him in the party when I encountered said event.

Update: Ninja is now potentially recruitable in shops (but extremely expensive) if game is completed on Hard mode. He's not worth the price in my opinion and competes with the onmyouji.

The only reason he is this good is- you guessed it- because of Kiyomori 2. It should be obvious by now that Kiyomori 2 is The Man.


7) Pharmacist (tier 3 common): Rank A (used to be B).

Has almost no armor but gains a significant amount of HP with levels. Being a common unit, level up scheme is relatively cheap for its tier (same as gambler's). The purpose of this unit is to be a meatshield and his abilities support that role quite well. Ability to gain 1 and later 2 HP per kill keeps him in the fight, especially as it stacks with the Shadow Touch charm. At max level with this charm, he can gain 3 HP per kill. Other special ability, which is to inflict Vulnerable on enemies adjacent to a unit killed by the pharmacist, is extremely situation and, in practice, hardly useful, as your other units will likely have killed the surrounding enemies by then.

His charm, which heals party members adjacent to the kill is similarly situational but was improved in the latest patch to also give the pharmacist +1 damage for 1 round after a kill.
Previously, what kept the pharmacist from ascending to Rank A was his mediocre damage of 2, which never improved. Doing damage is more important overall than tanking, in my opinion. But the latest patch improved his level up schema and raised his damage to 3 at a later level.
His rank rises significantly with Kiyo 2 and Shikibu 3. Overall, I still prefer the gambler, a unit of comparable availability and tier.

Pharmacist helps with an event with a sick child but I am not sure yet about the reward. Typically, the event occurs well before you have a chance to obtain a pharmacist but Kagetoki 3 now starts with one.

8) Gambler (tier 3 common): Rank A to S (if the right leader, party and items are present).

I have a soft spot for this unit even though it is fragile. Can potentially do the most single target damage of any ally- a 33% chance to do so at maximum level adds up, especially if damage is enhanced with a kiseru or gunsen. I once did 27 (!) points of damage in one round with a gambler (3 for standard attack, 6 with kiseru, then 9 for second use of kiseru in the same turn, which a noble on the team enabled. The double damage occurred on that second use). Also, quite common in shops and events on the last 2 maps before the palace.

9) Concubine (tier 2 uncommon): Rank A initially, becomes Rank S at maximum level.

Used to be mediocre but was significantly buffed and is now quite deadly. Damage 4+ bleed at maximum level means that, for susceptible targets, she now does the equivalent of 5 damage (since the bleed applies before the target takes their next action). Fragile and slow at low levels, but gains both movement and some armor with levels, which are not overly difficult to achieve.

Especially godly with Kiyomori 2 and right set up, as she can do 6 damage + bleed, which is equivalent to doing 7 damage to susceptible enemies. Bleed is especially welcome against bosses. Her charm is very situational and not worth buying as you generally do not want her to be hit. Even if you acquire it, it will likely see little use, especially if you are skilled enough to eliminate enemies quickly.

Concubine has a special option during one event, which prevents the party from being ambushed. But actually fighting the bandits (all of whom are weak) yields a better reward (more wado and scrolls) than avoiding them.

Did I mention that Kiyomori 2 is The Man?

10) Court musician (tier 2 rare): hovers between rank A and S (and was less ambiguously S before his Absorb ability was nerfed).

While I lean more towards damage than tanking, the sheer amount of survivability that this unit offers the entire party cannot be ignored. He acts like the Onusa in that he allows allies to absorb damage. Used to be rank S because, at higher levels, his ability could absorb up to 3 points of damage. Now it can only absorb 2, which is still not bad.

Previously, max level Absorb could completely nullify the dreaded Seto Taicho's strikes, which normally ignore armor. Now the protection is only partial (2 absorb vs. Seto Taicho’s damage of 3). Unlike the Onusa, his ability doesn't seem to work against bleed or burn however, which is something of a letdown. Ability to make attacks at range 4 gives his damage of 2 good utility.

I have not used his class-specific charm but I don't consider it particularly useful as there are other ways to deal with status effects (the best of which is to kill the enemy before they can inflict those effects) and that charm will likely compete with less situationally useful ones.

11) Artisan (Tier 2 common): rank B.

Main purpose is to tank and to buff the other tanks in the party, which can be useful. However, I lean towards dealing damage and ending fights quickly, rather than taking hits. His poor damage makes him much less useful in the later maps. With Kiyomori 2 (and the right configuration), Kiyomori 3, Shikibu 3, and Lady Nijo 1+ hunter, rank may go up to A, as he can then deal decent damage (2 to 3) and tank, but he is still outclassed by most other units under those same conditions.

His charm, which allows him to regenerate armor each turn, plays well to his strengths but you could arguably save up for a less situationally useful charm in the long run.

12) Bandit (Tier 2 common): rank B.

Mobile but fragile. Traps can be very helpful but depend significantly on terrain and presence of chokepoints. Swamps, mountains, and barricaded battlefields are the bandits' playground. Synergistic with ninja (level 3+) and Kagetoki, who have stealth abilities that allow them to function as living obstacles (and create chokepoints). Direct damage is weak and goes up to 2 only at highest level.

I have not personally kept bandits in the party long enough to benefit from their unique charm, Ambush Tactics (which increases chance of mounting an ambush by 20% per bandit in the party). Its benefit seems rather situational. To adequately improve the chance of an ambush, you would need quite a few bandits. Being able to ambush the enemy is welcome but having to fill your party with an otherwise mediocre unit does not seem like a good trade-off. The extra time permitted by an ambush does allow for additional traps to be laid and I know some players like doing this. But I personally prefer direct damage to relying on traps.

He can be pretty good with Kiyomori 2 and 3, Shikibu 3, and Lady Nijo 1, as- in those layouts- he is not just mobile but can do decent damage. He would be rank A under those circumstances.
Bandit provides some special options to a few events, like leading a bear away from a family (granting a better reward than would otherwise be possible) and saving villagers from other bandits.

13) Spearman (Tier 2 common): rank C with no enhancements. Goes up to B with Spear Wall. Goes up to A if there is more than one with Spear Wall or if there is a way to inflict Vulnerable (hunter or the leader's blowgun). Goes to Rank S with the above and Kiyomori 2 (with the right setup) or Shikibu 3.

Starts slow, with low armor and HP, does exactly one damage and will never gain damage bonus on level up. Gains Ignore Armor at level 5, which is pretty useless unless you find a way to buff his damage (leader layout, support weapons like kiseru and gunsen, vulnerable status on enemies as mentioned above).

If all the right conditions are met, this is unit will tear through what would normally be the most dangerous or annoying enemies, like nupeppos, jubokkos, kijos, armored skeletons, and even Seto Taicho. And striking at 2 spaces, with the AOE of the yari, means that you could potentially kill 2 of these types of enemies with proper positioning.

Tomoe 3 starts with 2 spearmen and can use them quite well. They make up for her lack of range (as does the yari she has in that layout) and, being present from the beginning, have opportunities to be leveled up to a useful state. Just hope that she finds the Spear Wall charm early.

14) Archer (Tier 2 uncommon): Rank B to A.

Slow, low damage, lacks range at low levels but not too difficult to find or to advance. Ranged attacks are always helpful and that is the only reason I have given him his relatively high rating. Rank of A, at level 4 to 5 is solidified by his class-specific charm, Flare, which allows him to do equivalent of 3 damage to vulnerable enemies (which are practically all of them, including bosses. Only the katawaguruma is immune). With Flare and the Holy Trinity of Kiyomori 2, Kiyomori 3, or Shikibu 3, he can reach Rank S.

He is useful to Hidesato 2, as each ranged unit will improve that leader's damage by 1. Too bad Hidesato is such a mediocre unit for most of the game (reliance on ammo, low mobility, fragility at early levels).

Archer provides benefits for a few events- e.g. one where you can whittle away approaching yokai if your leader also has a bow. He also offers a shortcut to one quest, where he can scout out a safe path on behalf of some villagers.

15) Hunter (Tier 1 uncommon): Rank B to A.

All the drawbacks of the archer and lower range but does equivalent damage at most levels. Easier to get to level 5 than archer. Ability to inflict vulnerable, which is highly useful for most the game, is what elevates him. Vulnerable even affects the bosses (except for one).

He benefits Hidesato 2 like the archer.

Rank S when accompanied by one or more of the following: a suitably enhanced Spearman (i.e. Spear Wall charm, right leader setup), Lady Nijo 1 (+2 damage to Vulnerable enemies), Shikibu 3, Kiyomori 2 (with majority tier 3 allies), or Kiyomori 3. Unfortunately, loses his luster in the first and final battles of the palace (as Takiyasha is immune to Vulnerable).

16) Soldier (Tier 1 rare): Rank A, just because of how early he can usually be found and how useful he is for a large chunk of the game.

Present in the default parties of some leaders. Uniquely, Shikibu 3 starts with a level 5 Super Soldier. Not too uncommon in shops or events, can tank. OK damage. Requirements to get him to a useful level are not too steep. Especially a godsend to leaders who start alone. While there is nothing special about him, he is ranked this high just because of how long he remains useful/reliable (can be used even in the endgame if necessary).

In addition, he provides some nice rewards for a few common events- e.g. during the “greatest fighter in the world” event, he is able to achieve a stalemate with the foreigner, which gives the party some wado and a few scrolls. Also, he can stop some villagers from being conscripted by the local army, which yields money and a random weapon.

17) Lieutenant(Tier 1 rare): If found at roughly the same point of the game as the Soldier, would carry similar rank of A, possibly a high B (mainly because of lower damage potential in his level up schema).

His special ability (which consumes an attack action) is to repair his own armor. I do not really care as much for tanking as I do for damage but he can serve as a useful distraction before the party develops heavy hitters. Really plays like a modified Artisan but higher damage gives him a higher rank. Would have been great if he could self-regenerate armor without having to give up a turn.

A notable weakness: even though his armor is strong, his HP will never go beyond 3, which makes him extremely vulnerable to Seto Taicho.

Charm seems OK- more movement and damage is good but he gets these benefits for only one round, if he repairs his own armor. In other words, he has to give up one turn to buff himself. This mechanic makes him somewhat reminiscent of Tomoe Layout 2 (who has a defensive charm that regenerates her armor and gives additional damage if you just take the hits). He seems OK (rank B) for the endgame but lack of damage is really limiting. Like everyone else, becomes significantly more valuable with the usual leaders (Kiyomori 2 and 3, Shikibu 3, Lady Nijo 1) that boost party damage either directly or indirectly (in the case of Nijo).

Kiyomori 3 now starts with one and can get quite a bit of mileage out of him.

18) Merchant (Tier 1 common): Rank C.

Used to be between Rank B to A as he was cheap, could tank in the early stages of the game, and drove the economy in a powerful way. Rapidly became a shadow of his former self, with later patches, due to reduced range of wado collection and loss of armor. Reduction of scroll investment helped, in that, although he remains at Rank C, he can reach level 5 much more quickly, which is when his Rank goes up to B (lack of armor and ability to fight prevents him from going further). Covetous charm is great and results in impressive wado collection and high scores (if one cares for the latter).

19) Shinto priest (Tier 1 uncommon): Rank D.

Arguably the worst unit in the game. Slow, fragile, low damage. The enemies that inflict really harmful status effects (bleed, burn, immobilize, stun) tend to cluster in the mid to late game, at which point he will likely be replaced by a more useful unit.

Even if you level him to the point where he can heal HP if a status effect is present, he is still not very useful as the damage from the monster that inflicted the effect will outpace the healing granted. Moreover, as the game progresses, you will have other ways to counter status effects (namely, kill the monsters first or stun and disarm them until you can do so). Early on, ensnare (-1 movement) is the only status effect encountered with any regularity and its consequences are generally negligible.

Only useful for the Create the Rainbow achievement, as the Divine Consequences charm allows him to inflict random status effects. To be fair, he is not totally without merit but I usually cannot justify keeping him in favor of someone else.

He does have more value with Minamoto 3, whose Impetuous ability requires someone to remove that leader's immobility after he makes a kill, so that he can chain kills more easily. With this leader, his Rank goes up to C or B but after Minamoto gets a bow, drops back down to D (as he can then take down a succession of weak enemies without moving).

Recent patch which gave priest the ability to absorb 1 damage at a later level is not very consequential unless you are unlucky enough to be stuck with a priest for the entire game, in which case any additional benefit is welcome.

The priest actually sees use in a few events but, sadly, I cannot comment on any of them, since he is always gone from my party by the time they occur.

20) Farmer (Tier 1 common): Rank "F".

Farmer gets a unique ranking of her own, since how powerful she is depends heavily on circumstances- even more so than other units (except for the spearman). Without any special enhancements, she is a solid C. With the Bloody Harvest charm (+1 damage, 20% to acquire food on a kill) and other ways to buff her damage (e.g. Kiyomori 2 and 3, Shikibu 3), she can rise to as high as rank S just from her sheer cost effectiveness.

Consider level 5 farmer with Shibiku 3 and Bloody Harvest. Armor 2, HP 9, move 4, damage 4. Add in Shadow Touch and she behaves like a low level pharmacist. Shikibu 3's farmers can potentially reach end-game levels of damage by the end of the 2nd map.

Level 5 farmer with Kiyomori 2+ Bloody Harvest+ at least 3 tier 3 units is similarly awesome. Armor 2, HP 9, move 3, damage 5 (!) All for a grand total of 8 scrolls. Most cost-effective unit in the game, bar none.

Farmer helps with one event, where she can stop the party from being cheated by a seller of cheap produce, allowing them to obtain food that would otherwise be lost.