Zombie Legion Changelog (v1.0.1 · 2026-09-01)

1. Infantry Behavior Rework & Army-Wide Damage Reduction

Shield Logic: Driven by Elites, Not Formations

• Infantry shield-raising is no longer tied to formations or doctrines. The sole condition is whether elite enemies remain on the field (paper combat power ≥ 60, Iron Golem tier): elites alive → the whole army holds shields; the moment the last elite falls → shields drop and the army goes on the offensive immediately.

Shield Wall Retired — Counter-Parry for All

• The old "Shield Wall" mode has been removed. Every infantryman now uses Counter-Parry: a successful block opens a 3-second counter window — the soldier lowers his shield, delivers a riposte (knockback retained), and raises the shield again instantly.
• Counter-Parry scales with armor tier:

Elite Infantry Aura — Damage Reduction (Passive)

• Each living elite infantryman grants the entire army (including the Leader) 0.5% damage reduction, capped at 85%.
• The aura recalculates within 1 second of an elite's death, scaling in real time with casualties.

Companion change: dynamic doctrine switching now follows a 2×2 "elite × enemy count" matrix — elites + many enemies → Square Formation; elites + few → Crane Wing; no elites + many → Arrowhead; no elites + few → Crescent Moon.

2. New Tier-4 Infantry: Healing Aura

Elite infantry who reach max equipment tier (tier 4) unlock an active ability — Healing Aura:

• Trigger: activates when the soldier's own health is not full (35-second internal cooldown).
• Effect: heals all friendly units within a 3×3 area (including the Leader and mounts) for 4 HP per second, lasting 8 seconds.
• Stackable: each aura ticks independently — multiple elites standing together multiply the healing.
• Visuals: lava-smoke particles burst outward on activation. Particle output is throttled by regional load-balancing, so dozens of simultaneous triggers won't cause client lag.

3. Combat Reward Settlement Overhaul

• Combat merits now settle automatically every minute mid-battle: wounded soldiers are healed first (most injured priority), and any remainder is converted into fresh recruits at a rate of 20 HP per soldier.
• Wars of attrition no longer starve the army of rewards just because combat never ends — the legion grows tougher the longer it fights. Any remaining merits are settled as usual upon leaving combat.

Upgrade Notes

• Fully compatible with existing saves: the legacy "Shield Wall mode" NBT tag on soldiers is silently ignored.
• All new values (damage-reduction ratio/cap, aura duration/cooldown/healing, settlement interval) live in ModConfig and can be tuned freely.