How do I get started?

[NorrecV]

Hello,

How do I get started? I've been playing Warband since yesterday. At first I ran around trying to get missions to get money. After I got some money I recruited a bunch of peasants. I joined a faction as a mercenary but they never seemed to want me to do anything. So I went out killing bandits instead. I built up a hefty fund(8000 monies) and had a good sized troop(40 men, upgraded at least once past peasants).

Then I'm out wandering around and get attacked by a giant army my "faction" was at war with. I lose, try to retreat, lose again, run away, lose again and get taken prisoner. When I finally escape all my companions were dead, they took half my monies and it was like starting over again with a single guy.

So how do I get things off the ground? The big problems I'm having are:

1) Recruiting troops. It seems like the only way to get sizable amounts of units I want is to recruit tons of peasants and wait for the "trainer" skill to level them up. Or fight bandits and hope they live to get upgraded. Does it eventually become easier to recruit guys? Are the mercenaries scattered about in taverns that much better that 4 of them outclass 10 upgradable peasants?

2) How do I participate in a war? The faction I joined(Green one) is out attacking another one(The grey one) but don't let me help out. I tried to loot a village they were standing out front once, but they left and I got killed by the defending army that came.

Should I just be doing what I've been doing untill I've got enough reknown that a king contacts me? I'm at 89 right now with 15 Right to Rule and 1 honor.

[Zikron]

Originally Posted by NorrecV

Hello,

How do I get started? I've been playing Warband since yesterday. At first I ran around trying to get missions to get money. After I got some money I recruited a bunch of peasants. I joined a faction as a mercenary but they never seemed to want me to do anything. So I went out killing bandits instead. I built up a hefty fund(8000 monies) and had a good sized troop(40 men, upgraded at least once past peasants).

Then I'm out wandering around and get attacked by a giant army my "faction" was at war with. I lose, try to retreat, lose again, run away, lose again and get taken prisoner. When I finally escape all my companions were dead, they took half my monies and it was like starting over again with a single guy.

So how do I get things off the ground? The big problems I'm having are:

1) Recruiting troops. It seems like the only way to get sizable amounts of units I want is to recruit tons of peasants and wait for the "trainer" skill to level them up. Or fight bandits and hope they live to get upgraded. Does it eventually become easier to recruit guys? Are the mercenaries scattered about in taverns that much better that 4 of them outclass 10 upgradable peasants?

In the early game I find it best to recruit peasants and level them up. So it is helpful to have the training skill or have someone in your party have that skill. Once I have a decent size army and have some money to spend either from getting a tax collection mission or from trading valuables I go from tavern to tavern recruiting soldiers, mostly Calvary to fight for me.

It is also helpful to try and engage deserters whenever you see them as after you beat them you can often recruit some calvary from them cheap! Whenever you can recruit the lady farmers I grab them too because they level up to calvary fairly quickly. Make sure all my companions have their own horses and that my path finding skill is always being added onto so I can move as quickly as possible so when those monster armies come around I can get away.

Originally Posted by NorrecV

2) How do I participate in a war? The faction I joined(Green one) is out attacking another one(The grey one) but don't let me help out. I tried to loot a village they were standing out front once, but they left and I got killed by the defending army that came.

Should I just be doing what I've been doing untill I've got enough reknown that a king contacts me? I'm at 89 right now with 15 Right to Rule and 1 honor.

I believe you have to be in good standing with the king and/or marshall as well as be renowned. Usually the kind contacts me and wants to throw money at me for me to join him. I beleive you can also pledge your sword to him. Go to a castle and talk to any woman there and ask where they are so you can talk to them so they know you. You will then be summoned by the marshal and usually asked to scout for him usually while he rids to invade a castle. Follow him around and wait for the castle raid to begin and you can engage in the battle.

[tekka1987]

Originally Posted by NorrecV

Hello,

How do I get started? I've been playing Warband since yesterday. At first I ran around trying to get missions to get money. After I got some money I recruited a bunch of peasants. I joined a faction as a mercenary but they never seemed to want me to do anything. So I went out killing bandits instead. I built up a hefty fund(8000 monies) and had a good sized troop(40 men, upgraded at least once past peasants).

Then I'm out wandering around and get attacked by a giant army my "faction" was at war with. I lose, try to retreat, lose again, run away, lose again and get taken prisoner. When I finally escape all my companions were dead, they took half my monies and it was like starting over again with a single guy.

So how do I get things off the ground? The big problems I'm having are:

1) Recruiting troops. It seems like the only way to get sizable amounts of units I want is to recruit tons of peasants and wait for the "trainer" skill to level them up. Or fight bandits and hope they live to get upgraded. Does it eventually become easier to recruit guys? Are the mercenaries scattered about in taverns that much better that 4 of them outclass 10 upgradable peasants?

2) How do I participate in a war? The faction I joined(Green one) is out attacking another one(The grey one) but don't let me help out. I tried to loot a village they were standing out front once, but they left and I got killed by the defending army that came.

Should I just be doing what I've been doing untill I've got enough reknown that a king contacts me? I'm at 89 right now with 15 Right to Rule and 1 honor.

To answer your questions:

1. Troops can be recruiting from villages (as peasants), from taverns, given to you from other nobles for quests and rescuing prisoners from enemies.
From these, you will want the bulk of your army trained up from peasants, as the faction troops are normally of higher quality AND cheaper wages than non-faction units (bandits, caravan guards, sword sisters, etc.)

When you first start out, it will be a priority to find or train up a companion with the 'medic' type skills, namely Surgery. If your companion with surgery is alive at the end of a battle, your troops have a higher chance of being knocked out instead of outright killed. Having troops wounded instead of dying will mean you can continue to train them, instead of starting with a whole new batch of peasants all over again. Once you are done with the early portion of the game, you will normally keep a small contingent of elite troops (tier 4/5) that do most of the front-lines heavy fighting, and your weak new recruits will be at the back, again giving them more chance to gain experience and level up.

Without surgery it can be very hard to maintain an army, as any battle with heavy casualties will set you back quite far.

2. To attack a faction, you must have negative relation with them. This normally occurs when the faction you are aligned with (either as a vassal or mercenary) is at war with them. If you are an independent, you can loot a village or attack a caravan to gain negative relations.


From your current position, I would reccomend building up your renown. At around 150-250 renown, you should be able to become a vassal of any faction, allowing you to hold fiefs (land). At this stage, most people do the following (in no particular order):
- trade, to make money
- create productive enterprises in towns, to make money
- hunt sea raiders, steppe bandits, etc. for loot, to make money
- join tournaments, for money (~3k for winning with max bets), renown and relations with ladys at feasts
- build relations with lords/kings by doing quests for them

EDIT: forgot to mention you can also train troops at the training grounds. Its safe, but very slow.

[azxcvbnm321]

In the early game, it's best to only recruit companions and only enough peasants and the like to be able to win battles against looters and bandits. Your training skill is just too low so you'll never be able to upgrade your peasants and recruits up to a level where they can actually be of use. They'll just end up getting killed eventually. Plus the more people you have, the less XP each person earns from winning a battle as XP is divided evenly between your troops. That's why I recommend having only companions, which can't be killed, and a minimum amount of others in the beginning.

This is the time to make money and stock up your treasury because you'll need lots of money later on. Mercenary work is good as it basically allows you to get paid while doing whatever you want. You are only required to join the Marshall every once in a while, the rest of the time you can do as you like.

Never join or fight a battle you can't win. Just run away, no need to engage at all. There is no penalty for not joining a battle or helping your allies at this point. Only after you become Marshall will there be controversy added if you don't join and help out.

Join battles where your side is sure to win. That way you gain XP and some loot. Talk to all your allies after the battle and you'll get +++ to relations. That will help you later on. Just keep on fighting and making money and leveling up and exploring.

[Allomorph]

Lots of good tips and suggestions have been given by the above posters.

The way I start a new character now, after doing the mini-intro quest, I participate and full bet in all tournaments I find to make lots of easy cash (and meet the ladies ). Another thing I do is take on quests from lords, though I avoid the quests "without honor", such as attack a village. You can ask certain innkeepers about job offers and they'll usually say what lords are in need of help (of their own faction). I like making as much lords as possible happy from all over the land, so I can have friends and allies in the future, which can come in handy.
I also recruit villagers, as much as possible, usually Swadian for cavalry purposes and make sure I have lots of food, as well as variety, to keep them happy. I don't recruit any mercs from inns, nor prisoners.
Moreover, I try to find companions that like each other and level their party skills - one's a doctor, another an engineer, another a scout and so forth, so I can use my own points into making me a better fighter.

Regarding fighting purposes, I take on robbers, pirates, deserters, etc. - those who are pretty much hated by all factions. I choose not to raid villages, as I don't really need, nor want, to do so and that keeps my honour points up, even when at war with a certain faction, though it can be profitable if you are willing to undergo the risks involved.

After having a considerable force, I choose a faction to start doing mercenary jobs for whoever I'm interested in helping. If you keep asking them for quests, they'll eventually offer you some merc work.
If you keep them happy, show up for fights, etc., they may ask if you'd like to join as a vassal - then the game pretty much takes a more "serious" turn after that point onward, as you're not only an adventurer, but part of a kingdom.

Have fun!

[NorrecV]

Thanks for the tips guys.

I hadn't realized my troops got less xp if I had more of them. I've been running around with 50 peasants wondering why only a handfull leveled up at any given time. It also sounds like I should've gotten "Trainer" past level 2.

So when the Marshal does a seige, I just hold spacebar while standing outside of the castle and eventually it'll turn into a battle? There was one time I tried to join a seige, but the only option I had was to sneak into it disguised. I thought, "That must be what he wants me to do" and it ended poorly.

Also, I had noticed companions don't die, but how come I lost all of them after my last surrender? Did they "die" and go back to the places I recruited them from? Are they gone for good? How do I know what losses will "kill" them and what losses won't?

[Allomorph]

Companions are never gone for good. You can always find them later on and re-hire them. They only disappear if you are captured or are not happy with things (though they'll warn you if they leave on their own), from my experience, at least. This means they'll always only be wounded in battle.

By the way,I forgot to mention, another activity I find nice to do, mostly when I'm not allied to anyone, is go around and ask ladies if they need a champion. If they have a relative in jail, I'll rescue him for them, which will award 2000 units of money, plus honour and good relations. I've never gotten a negative bonus with anyone, even with the place I create a prison break on, so it's always a decent quest. You'll have to fight a bunch of guards, though, but you can speak with a nearby village to create a distraction, which will reduce the number of foes.

[tekka1987]

Originally Posted by NorrecV

Thanks for the tips guys.
So when the Marshal does a seige, I just hold spacebar while standing outside of the castle and eventually it'll turn into a battle? There was one time I tried to join a seige, but the only option I had was to sneak into it disguised. I thought, "That must be what he wants me to do" and it ended poorly.

When your side tries to besiege a fortification, they need to build either seige ladders or siege towers to storm the walls, the latter of which can take up to like 48 hours to complete. So your marshal or another other lord will start building the siege equipment, it will take some time, then when the preparations are made, he will go into battle. Until he goes into battle, you cannot participate in the siege itself.

Do note however that you CAN be attacked on the world map while waiting for the siege structures to be built, so be careful with using spacebar to pass time - a powerful enemy lord or bandits could walk by and gank you.

[FlyLikeDash]

Originally Posted by tekka1987

Do note however that you CAN be attacked on the world map while waiting for the siege structures to be built, so be careful with using spacebar to pass time - a powerful enemy lord or bandits could walk by and gank you.

Wouldn't my allies join in the battle to help me out?

[Almainyny]

Originally Posted by FlyLikeDash

Wouldn't my allies join in the battle to help me out?

Assuming they're in the area, yes, I believe so. You could use them as meat shields if that ever happens, but the enemy's archers could still bring you down. Or a random Swadian Knight riding in your general direction.

[Asphe]

Originally Posted by NorrecV

Hello,

How do I get started? I've been playing Warband since yesterday. At first I ran around trying to get missions to get money. After I got some money I recruited a bunch of peasants. I joined a faction as a mercenary but they never seemed to want me to do anything. So I went out killing bandits instead. I built up a hefty fund(8000 monies) and had a good sized troop(40 men, upgraded at least once past peasants).

Then I'm out wandering around and get attacked by a giant army my "faction" was at war with. I lose, try to retreat, lose again, run away, lose again and get taken prisoner. When I finally escape all my companions were dead, they took half my monies and it was like starting over again with a single guy.

So how do I get things off the ground? The big problems I'm having are:

1) Recruiting troops. It seems like the only way to get sizable amounts of units I want is to recruit tons of peasants and wait for the "trainer" skill to level them up. Or fight bandits and hope they live to get upgraded. Does it eventually become easier to recruit guys? Are the mercenaries scattered about in taverns that much better that 4 of them outclass 10 upgradable peasants?

2) How do I participate in a war? The faction I joined(Green one) is out attacking another one(The grey one) but don't let me help out. I tried to loot a village they were standing out front once, but they left and I got killed by the defending army that came.

Should I just be doing what I've been doing untill I've got enough reknown that a king contacts me? I'm at 89 right now with 15 Right to Rule and 1 honor.

1. You don't want a large army at first. Large = slow, expensive, easy target. Don't 'waste' points on the training skill. Or Trade and that sort of thing. Try to concentrate on leveling yourself/companions up... you'll find that as you level, it takes more and more XP. You'll start to wish you hadn't spent that skill point on Training.

The cheapest/fastest training is 'on the job'. Participate in battles. In peacetime, you can chase bandits.

The relative strengths of troop-types depends on the game difficulty level. At above 100%, a Swadian Knight can take on four to seven peasants and win. At the typical difficulty level most players seem to pick, that knight can probably slaughter a hundred.

2. Green = Rhodok? At least try to know the name of your country ^-^. Just wait for the Marshal to give you a quest or mission. Or attack anything or anyone belonging to the 'grey' faction.

3? A king will 'text' you about joining him when you have about 200 renown. Unless you're the wrong gender. But... aren't you already part of a faction?

Originally Posted by NorrecV

Thanks for the tips guys.

I hadn't realized my troops got less xp if I had more of them. I've been running around with 50 peasants wondering why only a handfull leveled up at any given time. It also sounds like I should've gotten "Trainer" past level 2.

So when the Marshal does a seige, I just hold spacebar while standing outside of the castle and eventually it'll turn into a battle? There was one time I tried to join a seige, but the only option I had was to sneak into it disguised. I thought, "That must be what he wants me to do" and it ended poorly.

Also, I had noticed companions don't die, but how come I lost all of them after my last surrender? Did they "die" and go back to the places I recruited them from? Are they gone for good? How do I know what losses will "kill" them and what losses won't?

I'm going to assume you're not cheating/editing saves/etc.

You and your 'companions' never die. You just get knocked unconscious. Should they leave.. they'll turn up in a tavern somewhere, somewhen.

PS Training skill? Leave it at 0. 8000 denars is not hefty. That's what you throw to beggars. 1 million is hefty and you'll run through that quickly if you don't have a lot of revenue.

[Majickthyse]

Originally Posted by Zikron

In the early game I find it best to recruit peasants and level them up. So it is helpful to have the training skill or have someone in your party have that skill.

My experience so far has been that it's best to have all party related skills, including training, pathfinding, spotting, prisoner management, healing etc on my own character, and concentrate mainly on fighting skills for my hemchmen. The reason for this is that if I do get captured and lose men, the skills don't disappear with them.

However, I haven't played far enough into the game (day 550 or so is my limit so far) to have reached a cap in my own skills development, so this may be a flawed approach.. Any opinions out there?