How To Beat Challenging vs Baron (May 2025)

[Malorish]

I'm bored so here's an updated guide / plan on how to beat challenging mode given the previous guides are outdated with all the changes.

This guide isn't going to spoon feed you. You should have beaten the game on normal and know how to do so easily before attempting. As I write this, just 0.7% of the player base has beaten challenge mode vs the Baron.

1. Key differences between challenging and default difficulty
* Upgrading a house will incur a penalty if your town cannot supply the needs of not just that upgrade level, but the next one as well. For instance, Level 2 plots that don't have enough food, clothing, church level for a Level 3 upgrade will give you negative approval. Thus you only upgrade houses when you need to for progression/bonuses, or when you can support the next level. Note that approval is an average of all plots, so building more happy level 1 plots will reduce the impact of unhappy level 2 plots.

2. The Baron will immediately begin raiding bandit camps, thus giving him influence and speeding up his claiming of territories. He will also try and claim your territory once neutral ones are claimed. We will use this against him.

Map Selection - You must get a good map with resource nodes close together. My strong recommendation is Rich Iron and Rich Clay close, with Stone somewhere close. We must start near the non-moveable food resource (fish/berries). Remember you can move the wild animals.

Rich Resource Tier List
S-Tier - Iron
A-Tier - Clay
F-Tier Salt (removes Iron), Farming (NEVER FARM, it's total garbage output for resources invested), stone.

Early Game Objectives
1) You MUST progress +1 family per month every month. There are guides on how to do this starting with the first month. Follow them. (EDIT - I'm not happy with those guides so see the basics below). Learn to save every month, as bad RNG will essentially end the game. Often rain will destroy your tools before you can get down the stock yard. Reload and try again.
2) You MUST stop the Baron raiding bandit camps ASAP, even if you lose all but 1 soldier (to claim the camp). Best units are Shield+Spear militia. Get one guy mining, then throw that person into making bars. Upgrade two single houses next to your storage yard and make them the large shield and spear manufacturing plants. 10 militia is minimum.
3) You MUST start building your treasury to hire mercenaries ASAP. Everything goes in there. Build that as fast as possible.
4) Build influence ASAP. I do 20% tithe. Learn to micro manage your food.
5) Start trading ASAP. First dev point should go into lower trade route costs. Second into a food source like Apples. Third is better deals to lower import costs.
6) Once we have enough Treasury to hire two sets of mercenaries worth 90 s each (dual melee + archer units), we wait until the Baron tries to claim a region. We challenge his claim, defeat him in the field, and we get the region and it costs us 0 influence. This is critical.

Food - Comes from hunting (low), Berries (high), and most importantly set up large burgage plots for veggies and apples. I use 4x corpse plot squares for veggies and apples, and I use a grid pattern centered around the granary which is next to the berries (I use a farming field to cover the berries. My plots are no more than 1 square side length away from the granary. Once I have money, every other plot (except for 4 production plots - shields, spears, cobbler, brewery) is a single plot with chickens.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3480031094

Start Guide
1. Pick the right map. This might take 20-50 rerolls (or more). Rich iron, with everything else very close. Must start close to immovable food resource (fish or berries, I prefer berries). You can move the wild animals using the cosmetic shrine tool, just remember to delete the shrines so they don't get built.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3480019454

2. Order an Ox while the game is paused, then save. When the game reloads it burns one day before you can pause, so this will ensure we don't delay the ox should we need to reload.
3. Place a field over your berries. With the berry building selected, zoom in until you can see the plants. I place 4 berry buildings on each side, then use that to draw my field (since we can't see the berries when selecting the field tool). I then construct a square/rectangle around the field and berry buildings. Delete the buildings.
Typical Berry Production Square
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3483069646

4. Figure out where the logging camp is going to be. Needs to be close and we strongly prefer not to move it in the first year (we're busy!).
5. I use a square grid that is the size (roughly) of 4 corpse pits. The berry area is always a little larger. I use one square for my core town resources (granary, brewery, malt, church, tavern, often the well and stalls). That one gets located right next to the berry square.
Typical Town Center - Granary, Brewery, Malt House, Tavern. Stalls, Well & Church optional
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3483068801

6. Once that is laid out, construct 2 hitching posts and your lumber yard. Before you unpause, remove all corpse pits and other things you don't want to build now, then save the game. Don't forget to save, as there is about a 50% chance of bad RNG that forces us to reload.
7. Unpause, allow the first two logs to get delivered to the logging camp. As soon as the second hitching post is constructed, pause and change the importance of the logging camp to "highest". This prevents your folks from going back to their tents.
8. As soon as the the second log is delivered, pause the game. Construct 3 double burgage plots very close to the logging camp. Make a road from log supply to each one. Also, delete the original hitching post as this now resets the task of the ox and it will go to grab a log rather than return to the hitching post. Unpause and your ox will begin to deliver logs to the houses.
9. As soon as the logging camp is complete, pause and assign 3 families there. We need logs as fast as possible. Family assignment is random, sometimes it grabs the family guiding the Ox, but shouldn't be an issue.
10. As each plot gets built, once you have 2 logs, get ready to click the add house button to get logs going there. I start doing this after the Ox has delivered the first log to the third plot to keep our builders on task. Always keep the Ox moving even when no one is available to build if you have the resources.
11. As soon as we get logs going to all 3 double burgage plots, and we get 2 logs, lay down your storage yard. Note the burgage plots must get finished by April 1 to get a family. Once the storage yard is up, get a family in it but de-select stone before doing so in the advanced tab. We must get the tools in the yard ASAP as rain will destroy them. 0 tools = we lose and reload. Once tools are in, if our storage yard is closer to the church/granary square than our supplies, then we can re-select stone. Otherwise leave the stone closer to where it needs to go. Don't forget to re-enable stone later. Same thing can be done with planks if the sawmill is closer to the church than the storage yard.
12. As soon as we get 2 more logs, we set down the granary. After construction, put a family in to pick up the food. Once tools and food are safe, create the market place stall area.
13. The next log goes into the berry building which is placed in the square with the berry field, and also put down a hunting camp with priority to the berry field. Once that is done, assign a family to get food moving. Pull families out of the logging mill as needed.
14. Make sure to build your next burgage plot by May 1. I typically do my first veggie large plot using the corner method to massively reduce the housing and maximize the plot area. At some point before August, create a veggie plot. Note these large plots will reduce that family's work output while they till the soil.
15. Keep the ox moving all the time delivering logs, even if no one is available to build the building. Always ensure 1 open burgage before the 1st of the month. And I typically get 3 production single plots built right next to the storage yard ASAP after my first farm. I usually go - Sawmill > create planks > Church (pull all woodcutters/sawmill workers out to build this) > firewood > iron mine > bloomery > upgrade 2 houses > spears & shields. During this period the 5th and 6th burgage plot you build (3 double to start, 1 double food production) should be single plots right next to the storage yard for weapons production.
15. Save every month. If you miss a family one month because of low approval or didn't build a house in time, reload and try again. It's a race, so sometimes you also realize that the map is just a bit too spread out, and maybe rerolling is better. Welcome to challenge mode.

Mid Game Objectives
1) Keep raiding all the bandit camps, counter-claiming the baron, until all neutral territory is gone. We built up to 6K influence which is enough to raid the baron's 3 regions.
2) Build Fully upgraded and armored shield + spear troops. We wait until we can hire the best mercenaries, then we attack.
3) Turn your town into an economic powerhouse. Buy most everything - helms, mail, yarn, etc. Buy barley (I go for 30 units), turn it into malt (I set limit to 30), and have 1 person brewery (set to 40 beer max).
4) Increase happiness by bringing in 10 units of yarn, 10 units of clothes. Use happiness to convert to treasury by increasing the tax rate.

End Game
1) We start with the region furthest away and will finish with the closest region to our base. We want to fight the final fight in our region if possible to get the +90 home region bonus for our troops.
2) First two fights will be easy, but protect the mercenaries from losses. Your troops regenerate quickly.
3) Final fight is going to be brutal. Save the game before hand. Focus on keeping your forces together while harrassing his archers (he does a crap job protecting them, dedicate a footman unit to be stationed in the forest away from your lines and RUN at them after his melee forces engage).

My Final Cities and Their DP Points. Note Deep mining was a mistake, game doesn't last long enough.

Main City
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3479790272

Main City DP
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3479791351

Second city
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3479791878

Second City DP
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3479792796





Good luck.

[Malorish]

I plan to update this a bit more in the coming days and add additional details that aren't easily apparent in Early game and mid game on challenging.

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Originally posted by Malorish:

Farming (NEVER FARM, it's total garbage output for resources invested)

Im doing this achieve atm.
My starting territory has Rich Iron & Fertility. I only managed a 6-2 territory split on the Germanic map.

Ive taken 2 from the Baron since,making an even 4-4 split now. He has attacked me twice & obviously i successfully defended.

My capitol supplies the other 3 territories with bread,cloth, & ale.

Those 3 supply my Cap with essentials it needs-Fish, xtra Meat, Clay Tiles, Dyes, etc. so i can have a robust economy. I sell Tiles, Iron Ore, Cloaks, Firewood- so far.

If you have a Fertile region, FARM the hell outta it.

[DevanBot]

What does your final army consist of? Do you invest in Retinue at all or just focus all on spearmen. And by fully upgraded, do you mean all armour upgrades in the tech tree?

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Need a Manor&Tower in each territory to build 24 Retinue. Upgrade their armour for gold. If you have Better Deals perk armour upgrade is -5g ea.

Almost 100 fully upgraded Retainers(4 territories) cost a bit so a good economy is needed.

[Malorish]

Originally posted by Sheik Yerbouti:

Originally posted by Malorish:

Farming (NEVER FARM, it's total garbage output for resources invested)

Im doing this achieve atm.
My starting territory has Rich Iron & Fertility. I only managed a 6-2 territory split on the Germanic map.

Ive taken 2 from the Baron since,making an even 4-4 split now. He has attacked me twice & obviously i successfully defended.

My capitol supplies the other 3 territories with bread,cloth, & ale.

Those 3 supply my Cap with essentials it needs-Fish, xtra Meat, Clay Tiles, Dyes, etc. so i can have a robust economy. I sell Tiles, Iron Ore, Cloaks, Firewood- so far.

If you have a Fertile region, FARM the hell outta it.

Farming is too slow and takes far too many resources, especially labor which is in direly short supply. You should be able to buy anything you need immediately once your economy is up and running. The game must be pushed to end quickly otherwise the Royal Tax will decimate your treasury.

[Malorish]

Originally posted by DevanBot:

What does your final army consist of? Do you invest in Retinue at all or just focus all on spearmen. And by fully upgraded, do you mean all armour upgrades in the tech tree?

EDIT - I was wrong, I only used 2 merc units as no more were available.

I won with 2 regions. I decided I probably didn't need the second.

My final Army was all max spear militia with fully upgraded (helm, mail . . . maybe a couple still rocking gamblesons) and 2 merc units - 1 dual melee + archer and the dual archer unit. I had one 24 retinue with full equipment upgrade, and one 12 member with no upgrades.

The armor upgrades in the tech tree just help you produce the items yourselves, so I didn't take them. I just bought everything except the shields and spears (which I had been producing since very early game to stop the Baron raiding bandit camps).

[Malorish]

Here are my cities at the end and their development points. I use a 4x Corpsepit squares for food production. 4 of them veggies, and 4 apples. I position them within a one square distance from my Granary. All other plots have eggs except for my production plots: 3 next to the storage yard for Cobbler, Blacksmith, and Joiner, and one next to the Granary for Brewery.

Main City
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3479790272

Main City DP
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3479791351

Second city
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3479791878

Second City DP
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3479792796

[sdismorr]

Good guide, 1 thing I do differently on challenging is make my 1st unit pole arms so I only need 1 L2 building for my 1st unit. Also worth mentioning if you want fast easy money (especially with out rich clay) charcoal is amazing.

[Malorish]

Originally posted by sdismorr:

Good guide, 1 thing I do differently on challenging is make my 1st unit pole arms so I only need 1 L2 building for my 1st unit. Also worth mentioning if you want fast easy money (especially with out rich clay) charcoal is amazing.

Maybe I'll give the polearm guys another shot. The couple times I tried to use them they got wrecked vs bandits.

And yes, charcoal is insanely good.

[Malorish]

Made some minor tweaks to the start guide. Added some screenshots.

[ry]

Which policy do you take, if any
Edit: It's always hunting, because you are never really using crops for anything

[Airborneguy]

How are you getting that single house plot out of that 4 pit grid? I can only get it to cover 3/4 of the way