Morale (SoW1)
Morale in Symphony of War is a game mechanic in combat which has a profound effect on troop performance. With high morale, they are able to deal more damage, take less from other and have chance to attack a second or third in ranged or melee combat respectively. At low morale, these are significantly lower.
Morale stages
 Morale: |
% |  Force Surrender? |
Bonus Attack? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fearless | 100%+ | No | Yes, High Chance |
| Excellent | ~90% | No | Yes, Moderate Chance |
| Good | ~70% | No | Yes, Low Chance |
| Fair | ~40%+ | Only with  Silver-Tongued |
? |
| Fearful | ~30% | Yes, Low to Moderate Chance | No? |
| Shaken | ~20% | Yes, Moderate to High Chance | No? |
| Shattered | ~0% | Yes, High to Max Chance | No? |
Items and traits affecting morale
Colossal, dragons and Diana's Titan cannot avoid attacks and they will deal an unspecified extra 
morale damage. Similarly to Morale damage caused by cavalry charges; this damage is applied before combat starts, and can be visibly checked in the pre-combat preview. Which can enable a squad with Colossal to successfully drop a squad from Fair to Fearful Morale before a battle starts, and gain a shot at a Force Surrender attempt working. This Morale damage still requires the squad following through, if a Colossal squad backs out of the combat window and a standard squad attacks, the Morale damage from Colossal won't apply.
Overpower, when the Strength score of the attack is higher, there is more morale damage dealt against dependent on the difference (delta) in the score.
Tundra Warrior and 
Desert Warrior can also aide in maintaining Morale in their respective parts of the world, against harsh weather conditions. This is especially noteworthy in the case of Desert Warrior in regards to Legends Chapter 6: Queen of Dragons: a sprawling map with a recommended turn count of 21, with massive heat waves that will reliably and frequently assault Morale.
Skull of Rowdain locks morale of the squad into Fearful status. Usually a downside, though for any squad seeing significant action and thus significant Morale damage: this is better than dropping to Shaken or Shattered Morale. Even better: this artifact also causes defeated enemies to automatically surrender (if able), generating the core benefit of enemy squads having low Morale, without any of the work.
Boots of Tyranny starts squads with significantly reduced , though enough combat successes (or other Morale-boosting events or effects) can take squads into higher Morales.
Technology
Phych Warfare increases morale damage when the enemy squad leader is taken down.
Strategic Maneuvers increases morale damage done by Cavalry squads with a charge attack. Requires Army stables as well.
Popular Support gives Squads a morale bonus within three tiles of a base, village or town controlled/owned by faction of the player.
Morale strategies
- The best strategy is to target the leader and take him out, in order to lower morale significantly. In case the leader is light infantry, a mage or support unit, this can most likely being executed by an archer unit.
- In case the leader is on the front line, on can try to execute a cautious attack if only one attack of your units is not likely to kill the leader in a failed-surrender attempt. Another squad after this,, must perform the surrender attack.
- If the leader can be taken out, then a failed surrender attack can do it. If the squad good tanking capabilities, the odds of success can be increased with the Duelist's Contract. This will add an extra turn to all adjacent (melee) units, thus also to the enemy squad.
- If the leader is heavy infantry and not on the front line, it could be done by crossbow squad.
- Archery squads can be used to pelt down arrows on the enemy. If one or two archers or perhaps even a Dark Mage has the trait Overpower, they can lower morale a bit more, even if they kill no enemies.
Other Notes:
- Some chapters feature enemies that will always refuse to surrender, even at Shattered Morale. The cavalry squads under General Trihan's command, during Chapter 26: Stormrook Looms, are one such example.
Cultists of Zanatus tend to be another, though given most of these are Fearless Morale regardless of the situation, that mechanic does more than enough to prevent Force Surrenders from working in the first place.
Risen squads (present in Legends Chapter 3A: Whispers from Grothnor and Legends Chapter 3B: Life and Unlife); are an interesting case were their Morale text is ~hidden, or represented as a dash -, though the coloration of each Morale phase is still present, such as Good Morale appearing as -.
Force Surrender chances are greatly reduced against Fearful, Shaken, and Shattered troops: though not impossible, resulting in cases were Risen squads can have a few members captured.