What clan is good to start with?

[A Disappointed Horse]

I bought Shogun 2 a few months ago and haven't been able to stick with a campaign. What clans do you guys think are good to play as? Because I really want to get into this but haven't found the right clan yet.

[🐾Humulus🐾]

Most of the time the clans who are located in the corners of the map are the easiest to play with. I would recommend shimazu as a good starter clan. They are located in the lower left corner (green with a cirle and a cross). Their military bonusses are very useful and they are easily reached by the christians (if you want to convert to christianity). In general, the shimazu clan is the best clan for converting...you get the nanban port and early access to gunpowder. Moreover you can reach the trade nodes within a couple of turns, so making some good cash isn;t gonna be a huge issue.
Besides, do you use any mods? I would recommend the darthmod. It really enhaces the gamy play. For more opinions about a good starter clan, search through the internet. There are plenty conversations discussing this issue ;)

[Destin Faroda]

Probably the Otomo. They start with 2 provinces, their gunpowder units are superior and they can recruit Portuguese Tercos Arquebusiers as well as Donderbuss Cavalry.

[crackdaddy69]

If you have them, my favorite clan to play as is the Hattori clan. Their starting location isn't great for becoming an early economic powerhouse like the Shimazu mentioned above, but they are protected on one side by mountains and chokepoints are easy to launch ambushes from. They start near the Ikko Ikki, and a large war with them is inevitable; the Ikko Ikki, however, are relatively weak and will not have any allies. It provides a fun challenge at the beginning of the game for newer players. The clan bonuses are also awesome. During battle deployment, Hattori units can deploy outside of the normal deployment zone, allowing you to launch a battle right in front of the enemy, flank them, or claim the high ground in the middle of the map. All generals can also fight night battles, which prevents any reinforcement armies from being used.

[traveller]

I'm a Oda fan, but the Chosokabe worked well for me. They gain control of their island and with a good navy they are safe and it is easy to cross over to the mainland. Remember to build a couple of good fleets. One to keep others from invading you and the other to do your own invasions.

[TearfulSultan]

Date has been my favourite for a long time. Good offensive capabilities and a good starting position.

[Mads]

I like the chosokabe aswell, they have a pretty good start aswell.

[A Disappointed Horse]

Thanks guys, I'll give these clans a try.

[Odeum]

Do NOT start as the Otomo clan. Although potentially powerful, their superior matchlock infantry require advanced tactics to use properly. Also, they start with two enemy clans to the north(Shoni and Ouchi, who start out at war with you), and a very soon to be enemy clan to the south(Shimazu, who has only one way to expand: Through you).

I recommend the Ikko Ikki if you have them. You have cheap ashigaru for early rushing, although you should switch to warrior monks as soon as possible. And your ronin are poor replacements for samurai, so don't bother with them.
You have two excellent province specialties. Artisans and Blacksmiths. I recommend upgrading them to fletchers and armorers, respectively.
Non-warrior monks can incite unrest, and for the ikko ikki, succesful attempts will cause the rebels to join you once they take the province.
Beyond that, I recommend using Naginata units over yari or katana units in general. You'll never be caught off guard that way.

That's my recommendation anyway, you may find another playstyle easier.

[Xsonic]

chokosabe, spam cheap archers with meatwall yari ashigarus. I did that 2-3 yrs ago when I started to play the game. Didn't need no expensive samurai. You can learn about the rest of the mechanics later.

[Prognatus Dīs]

Try Shimazu or Date for the easiest intro campaign.

[Beyornce]

shimazu works best for beginners. this is because of there position on an easy to secure and powerful island and because of their supperior samurai

[A Disappointed Horse]

I should probably point out that I'm not a Total War novice. I've been playing all of them since the first Medieval. I've just been having some difficulties deciding who to be in Shogun.

[Dingdongpo]

For beginning, Shimazu/Date for being on the far sides is very helpful. You simply move forward and don't have to worry about anybody coming from behind. Shimazu can easily ally with Chosokabe and get an early trade agreement for a nice alliance through Realm Divide.

BUT, if you believe you're already experienced in Total War, and can handle fighting on multiple fronts, just use Oda. Oda is the best clan, they have the best bonuses, and they have the best spot if you're experienced enough to use it to its full advantage.

[mergele]

Depends on what you want to do. ormally I would suggest Shimazu, since they have a very good position and good bonuses. On the other hand I myself started out as Oda and you will certainly loose, but you will loose fast, going throught several iterations in a short time and learning fast.
PS: Not to say, that you don't learn as Shimazu, it is just a question of focus:
As Shimazu you learn many things, as Oda the things you learn you get clubbed in your head hard.

[MajinSoul]

I recommend the Shimazu, they're the only clan I managed to beat the game with so far. They have a really good postion and I recommend rushing for harbours to secure the trade posts asap