Fantasy novels often include epic battle scenes, whether it be to advance the plot or characterize or world-build. Whatever the reason, epic battle scenes help to captivate readers and the best of them are intense, suspenseful, and pivotal. If you are interested in writing fantasy, your ability to create compelling and immersive battle scenes can mean the difference between a phenomenal story or not. Here are a few ways you can create a proper epic battle scene that can help advance your story and make it fantastic to read.
1. Make Sure Your World-Building is Good
When you go to craft an epic battle scene, your setting is very important in creating an experience that is immersive for readers. Your goal as a writer is to transport readers into a vivid and believable world surrounding the battle that will advance the intensity of the battle. When you are crafting the scene of the battle, you need to talk about things like the geography, climate, and cultural influences on your world.
For example, you can describe the terrain, weather, and whether there are advantages/limitations for your characters in this environment. Remember to show the readers what the field of the battle looks like: If you were there, what sights, sounds, and smells are there in the battlefield? How can the reader feel like they are standing in the heat of the battle alongside your characters?
Additionally, you should expand on the cultural and historical context behind why the battle is taking place. You should highlight the political tensions, religious beliefs, or social dynamics that are contributing to the reason why the epic battle is happening. You should explore these factors and how they shape the motivations of the opposing forces and add layers of complexity. Once you do that, you can give readers a sense of further understanding. No battle just happens without motive, so make sure the readers are aware of the reasons.
2. Talk Strategy
Realistic and engaging battle scenes are not limited to the actual battle. It’s not just about swords clashing, arrows flying, and catapults raging; an epic battle is also about the tactics, planning, and execution that influence the ultimate outcome of the battle. You should consider what the opposition will use for their military formations and how these formations can impact the battle.
I know this sounds a bit silly, but playing military strategy games like Warhammer can actually help. You have to actively think about your battle strategy in Warhammer, which can be a bit of an immersive experience as a writer and ultimately help you craft a good battle.
Don’t limit yourself to the perspective of the main characters alone. Mention how the commanders and strategists are working towards making their decisions in the battle. Explore the motivation behind their choices as well as the ripple effects their choices could have on the progression of the battle. By showcasing the brilliance or flaws of these strategies, you can create great tension, surprise, and twists that can give readers that sense of suspense that should come with epic battle scenes.
3. Emotions Are Important
When you think about an epic battle scene, you’re probably considering the conflict itself. However, the emotional impact on the characters involved is extremely important as well. When you’re writing a battle scene, you have to give readers a glimpse of what the characters are feeling: Rage, fear, courage, determination, hopelessness, despair, etc…
These emotions all help give a sense of humanity to the characters in the battle. At the end of the day, a battle is an emotionally charged moment with violence, and no human being will just go through the motions in a battle. All people will feel something when they’re in such a difficult situation like this. Consider this quote from my book, Soldat:
“The sun was beginning to rise, signaling that it was almost dawn. I fired more shots at the oncoming Mutants. Most of them hit their target, but many missed. I cursed under my breath. My aim was off. That was probably because I was panicking and freaking out. My heart would not end its racing. I took in deep and ragged breaths. Even through my mask filters, I could smell the awful stench of corpses and metallic blood.”
Soldat, Page 227
As you can see, the main character in this scene, Joel, is terrified as the battle rages on and he keeps missing his shots. Although he has been in war for many years of his life and has served in the military for a long time, he is still prone to panic against this inhuman foe that he is facing.
When you develop the personal stakes and emotional arcs of the characters involved in your battle, you allow readers to connect on a deep level. You give a sense of humanity to the character that a reader can relate to. Highlight their fears, vulnerabilites, bravery, etc… and showcase their relationship with fellow soldiers, leaders, and loved ones and how these relationships are tested in battle.
Here’s another quote from Soldat to give you a sense of this:
“I could see that his nametag was the same one Rench had. I recognized his voice as he said, “No problem. You good?”
“Just peachy, Rench. Just peachy,” I sarcastically answered as I shot another Mutant dead in the forehead.
“What’s good Saint Joel the Slayer? I’ve got your back man,” he said to me.
Soldat, Page 227
4. Showcase the Magic and Unique Abilities
Fantasy battle scenes often involve characters who have extraordinary abilities or magical powers. These abilities help to add a layer of excitement and wonder to the impending conflict. However, it is certainly important to ensure that you are remaining within the magic system you have designed and that the powers do not overwhelm the battle. If you want to learn how to design a proper magic system, you can check out this post of mine here to see how to do it.
When portraying unique abilities, provide the readers with vivid descriptions to give them a sense of what’s involved in the magic and how it applies to the fight. This does depend on your magic system, of course, but you should understand your system and how to describe it in the heat of a battle scene.
I’m going to put an example from Malware, Book 1 of my series, below for you to see how this works:
“Myth launched a wave of fire at me, and I brought up a defensive column of fire to break it. The flames wrapped around me but didn’t touch me. I combined both of my swords into one and used my now second freed hand to create a Mage symbol in the air, throwing it upwards. Lightning blasted downwards and onto the bridge. Myth countered it with rain and then ran at me once again.
And once again, the swords were caught in a secondary crossfire. I pushed him away, slashing at him several times before he grabbed hold of my arm and tried to break it. I unleashed the knife contraption at my boot and slammed it into his leg.”
Malware, Page 272
As you can see, there are mentions of the magic as these two characters duel. By showcasing the abilities they use, I heightened the stakes of the battle and remained within the limits of the magic system I developed.
5. Talk About the Aftermath and Consequences
When you are writing an epic battle scene, the aftermath of the battle is a great opportunity to expand your story. Go beyond the physical impact and delve into the emotional, societal, and political ramifications of the battle that just took place.
In your writing, explore the physical impact on the land and structures, showcasing how massive the toll of the battle truly was. Unveil what societal shifts occur as a result of the conflict. This can include power struggles, leadership changes, or social dynamic shifts.
Characters involved in the battle will likely have psychological changes as well, including trauma, survivor’s guilt, or the burden of responsibility if they were involved directly in the formation of this battle. Allow your characters to have moments of growth and evolution in response to the consequences, creating arcs that extend beyond just the battle scene.
6. Work on Pacing and Rhythm in Your Battle
In the heat of the battle, pacing and rhythm are crucial to maintaining reader engagement. By playing with the tempo of the battle, alternating between high intensity and brief respites, you can create a sense of realism and grab the reader’s attention.
During intense moments, use shorter and more impactful sentences that are fast and allow for the reader to feel like they too are going quickly with the story. Use descriptive language to convey to the reader the urgency and chaos of the battle. In quieter moments, slow the pace down and allow for things like character interactions, displays of thought, and potential strategic development. This will allow readers to stay hooked from one battle scene to the next.
Here’s an example from Soldat:
“We all grappled down to the ground, soaring through clouds of smoke until we hit the floor. Those alien soldiers that looked like Spartans immediately sprung to attack us and just as we were about to engage, a massive screeching noise followed by a whistle slammed through the air and something black flew straight through the line of soldiers. Their heads all flew off at the same time, blood spewing everywhere like a sickening wave as their bodies dropped to the ground. From the carnage, a flaming figure rose upwards, a roar sounding from it.”
Soldat, Page 240
Conclusion
When you craft an epic battle scene in fantasy writing, you need to be aware that it is a complex but rewarding endeavor. The battle scene is an important component of fantasy stories and the effort you put into crafting it will show. By employing immersive world-building, strategy, character emotions, the aftermath, and more, you can create battle scenes that readers will find unforgettable. Be sure to keep pacing and rhythm in mind, as they can really help curate the scene in a proper way.
Happy writing!