Is animal worth it?

[OKOK]

For every unit i have, enemy team will have one as well. Since warhorse and alpha wolf is not that powerful i find them a burden.
i have 1 sword, 2 axe2 1 mace 1 spear 3 dagger and 3 bow. + 3 alpha wolf and 4 warhorse

[zAcEz]

Pack horse to increase your total carry capacity, bears as cheap meat shields mid game. Otherwise no.

[Spawnling]

War Horse - No
Bears - great tanks
Wolves - in groups they get bonus crit chance
Boars - Hammy can unlock a bard song
Other critter - something to play around with.

[Lampros]

Originally posted by Spawnling:

War Horse - No
Bears - great tanks
Wolves - in groups they get bonus crit chance
Boars - Hammy can unlock a bard song
Other critter - something to play around with.

I tried some bears, but you can't control their actions? They randomly do their own thing - and also they move whenever.

[mrmolotov07]

Originally posted by Lampros:

Originally posted by Spawnling:

War Horse - No
Bears - great tanks
Wolves - in groups they get bonus crit chance
Boars - Hammy can unlock a bard song
Other critter - something to play around with.

I tried some bears, but you can't control their actions? They randomly do their own thing - and also they move whenever.

You can control their actions with a passive skill of the archer if i remember

[Lampros]

Originally posted by mrmolotov07:

Originally posted by Lampros:

I tried some bears, but you can't control their actions? They randomly do their own thing - and also they move whenever.

You can control their actions with a passive skill of the archer if i remember

So you have to select a skill? Jesus...

[Arctuhris]

In general, sadly, no---animals are not really worth it.

They can still be fun to play with, though, especially late-game, when every merc can drop 5-15 enemies each, it doesn't really matter how many enemies the game throws at you then---except in regards to your actual play time, since giant battles take longer to complete.

It can be interesting to run several bears & wolves with 4-6 Beastmaster Archers, but the real problem is that animals cannot even remotely compete with mercs in regards to dealing damage, and the entire combat meta is about dealing damage to avoid taking damage. If there were more robust systems for tanking and healing, animals might be more viable. As is, however, whatever an animal is doing for your team, a mercenary could be doing a better job of it.

[Tlewnipla]

Originally posted by Lampros:

Originally posted by mrmolotov07:

You can control their actions with a passive skill of the archer if i remember

So you have to select a skill? Jesus...

You can also give them a bacon bound collar to control them. You get the receipe in Ludern IIRC.

But a merc is always stronger than an animal. You get them just for fun.

[Lampros]

Originally posted by Tlewnipla:

Originally posted by Lampros:

So you have to select a skill? Jesus...

You can also give them a bacon bound collar to control them. You get the receipe in Ludern IIRC.

But a merc is always stronger than an animal. You get them just for fun.

Ah, thank you.

[pd28]

It's definitely a challenge to use animals and you need to pay attention to how units interact with them. Until you get a level 5 archer they will act independently, which is pretty useless, unless you pick up the bacon bound collar in Vertruse. All the tracker faction armour and weapons are designed to boost your animals in some way.

The trade offs for using animals are that whilst they can't learn book skills, or have professions, or use oils, and they eat more than humans, they don't need to be provided with increasingly expensive weapons and armour, they don't need to be paid, and they can be recruited in big numbers for the cost of a bit of rope - if one dies you just rope another one.

Having said all of that I would never bother using warhorses - apart from their performance in battle I just can't cope with the idea of a riderless horse doing anything other than bolting when the arrows start to fly. A group of three alpha wolves is handy for tearing the throats out of light armoured enemies. With proper support bears can be great fun - just have enough first aiders around to ensure that they never take the damage from status effects. Regular boars are trash in combat, but an incomparable source of food and grease if you take the livestock option and stay out of combat until they get fat. The regular animals also provide decent bonuses in camp when they hit certain levels - although I wouldn't be so keen on bedding down next to a plague rat/molerat/crocswine!

[Lampros]

Originally posted by pd28:

The regular animals also provide decent bonuses in camp when they hit certain levels - although I wouldn't be so keen on bedding down next to a plague rat/molerat/crocswine!

ROFL! ;)

[Ichthyic]

animals have skills humans literally do not. bears can generate valor points on rest, for example. mossies can generate fury on any unit(s) you wish during rest (and in combat). I hate how people always only focus on the combat aspects. animals are fun, and quite worthwhile. don't listen to these cretins.

[OKOK]

War horse are tanks as well with great armor value at level 5. I usually use them against shield user.

My problem is game match your head counter and constantly increase difficulty. Even on fix difficulty. I add one member enemy get one too that.
So I need each member to be able to handle one enemy. Animals just cannot.

Understand adaptive difficulty is worst. I beginner area, I am facing level 6 enemy with over 10 member each while I only have 8 humans and 3 wolves

[Ichthyic]

"So I need each member to be able to handle one enemy"

lol you'll need to do better than that. you will need one of your crew to handle MULTIPLE enemies soon enough. better git gud scrub.

[pd28]

Originally posted by OKOK:

War horse are tanks as well with great armor value at level 5. I usually use them against shield user.

A sentinel with improved ovation is so much better value in this role, simply because it's far more versatile

[krunjar]

Yes they absolutely are. One of the most meta defining build is 8 bears a few beastmasters and a bunch of buffers. But even if you don't look at meta .. and I don't animals have huge advantages. Do they stack up with a well equipped merc? No .. of course not they aren't meant to. They win in several fields.

1. Maintenance .. since tavern dlc this is sort of a non issue but in the early game it can be a lot easier to get food than crowns.

2. The beast master skill. Not only can the beastmaster pick up a passive that lets you directly control them but they get a skill that causes all animals next to the target to get a free attack. This can be a lot of dmg.

3. They're cheap don't need to make them gear. Animals can't use a lot of gear. But they have way better stat growth than humans. Meaning they can be competitive and useful without pulling from resources needed to upgrade your team. Literally just feed them though I acknowledge some of them do eat a lot XD

4. Utility, This will be much better when they finally allow some animals such as boars/wolves to be non combat like ponies can be. Animals could have a real niche for camp utility if them counting towards your party or cluttering up the battles was optional.

5. Animals are way better on region locked. Since your party size doesn't really affect what you face. And a wolf on your side is still better than without one.

It's true if you just compare stats level for level animals underperform but that's just looking at one aspect of things. Animals are good and have their place in the game. They could stand to receive some tlc though. I'll grant you that. There's a mod called wartales remastered that handles them WAY better. It has dogs and boars taking a lvl 3 skill which flags them as a livestock animal or camp guard. And they don't join battles. Haven't tried it with bears yet.