What do I do with equipment and prisoners?

[Graurabe]

Hi, I keep capturing equipment, can I use it for my squad somehow? Or are they only for the character? I don't actively fight anyway, so as little as possible, the real-time battles just get on my nerves. And what do I do with the prisoners? The game tells me that I can recruit them, but how? How long do they have to travel with me?

Would be great if someone knew :)

[MasterShake]

Looted equipment can be used for yourself, your family members and your companions (hired named persons in the taverns). Common soldiers in your party upgrade their equipment automatically when you raise their tier after they level up.
Whatever gear that is worse - simply sell, or get the perk to give it away to your soldiers for experience (quartermaster tree).

Prisoners travel with you, and with time their recruitment meter rises (you can see it if you clicj in the prisoner in party window and expand (just like leveling up soldiers).
The more high tier prisoner, the more it takes. Also you lose party morale when you recruit them. Some perks affect the recruitment time and morale.
You can't recruit named prisoners (lords) as soldiers. There's another content about recruiting lords.
Prisoner soldiers can't run from your party as long as you don't exceed their number over limit. They will slow you down tho, so unless you realy want specific units or constantly fight and have no other way to replenich numbers, you probably should sell them in the nearest tavern.
Lord prisoners can and will run unless you have some special perks, so in that case sell or donate them, there's no point to wait until they simply off. Also consider releasing them after battle, if your character is focused on charm and social stats, or you want serious increase in relations with their clan.

[MrMinMax]

If you click on the prisoner it has a bar, which shows the recruitment progress. There are also perks to speed up recruitment and convert bandits to normal troops. Like vikings can be converted to nord infantry, which is very good. Not as good as sturgian noble infantry, but close.

I personally only bother with tier 4+ prisoners, so i take the perk to speed up that. On my knights I take the perk to speed up tier 1-3 as they lose troops much faster and need any recruit they can get.

[Ruffio]

I don't go much into smithing in my campaigns, but in the early game it could be worth it to just smelt down some of the early crap loot and turn it into something a bit more value crap and sell on the market. Later on I just sell it all on the market, unless there is some good items I save for later to equip future family members, companions etc.

[Hammer]

Normal

Originally posted by Graurabe:

Hi, I keep capturing equipment, can I use it for my squad somehow? Or are they only for the character? I don't actively fight anyway, so as little as possible, the real-time battles just get on my nerves. And what do I do with the prisoners? The game tells me that I can recruit them, but how? How long do they have to travel with me?

Would be great if someone knew :)

will try to answer in order...

- Equipment can be used by hero companions hired from a tavern, or with Steward perks (Giving Hands / Paid in Promise) can be given to your troops and turned into experience to level them up faster

- Prisoners take time depending on your perks to convert, or you can ransom them for gold at a tavern district in town.

- Normal prisoners wont escape unless you go over your max capacity, which is influenced by perks and the amount of troops you have. Basically 1 prisoner for every 2 soldiers in your party plus any additional perks.

- Noble prisoners will try to escape, unless you have Keen Sight (225 Scouting) and Mounted Patrols (225 Riding)

-*Personal Preference* Instead of recruiting prisoners i like to combine Partners in Crime (150 Roguery) and Veteran's Respect (150 Leadership) to instantly recruit entire bandit parties, and convert them into some of the best troops in the game (Forest Bandits can be turned into Fian Champions) Hope this helps