what's your starting strategy?

[shmewdog]

I'm making the transfer from beginner to veteran ironman and the challenge has been significant for me. not just the lower starting resources either. I could swear that the mobs are tougher. I'm running into brigand raiders very early, like the first couple days, I usually just run but I don't even encounter them on beginner. and there was the time that a two skull contract ended up being like 7 brigand thugs and a NECROMANCER...anyway i digress.

so the way I figure it, there's a couple different ways of going about your first recruiment and equipment drive:

1) buy three guys (for six total) then buy two or three big ticket items like basic chain mail, give it to your best guys, then make due with whatever you have left over.

2) buy three guys to have 6 and kit them out about as evenly as you can. usually this involves gambesons or padded cloth for all your men, and a shield.

3) buy as many men as you can reasonably afford (8-10) total, then just give them whatever you have laying around for weapons and armor.

which is the best? I lean towards #2 but i could be wrong. also, what weapons are the best early on? i try to use my woodcutter's axe but that guy usually ends up getting killed. i try to grab as many spears and swords as I can, then I look for flails and maces. I rarely equip my starter guys with butcher's knives, hatchets or pickaxes.

anyway, I'd appreciate your input.

[Sarissofoi]

Basic advice.
>always wear helmets or caps - unless you like your soldier dead from unlucky hit to the head
>spear or sword and board is your friend, shield help survivality and spear and sword basic attacks have bonus to chance to hit, flail also ignore enemy shields
>more guys is better because of resolve and sourround mechanic - also more soldiers=more attacks but they cost more in upkeep and food and they level up slower
>big axe is good only for a spliting shields but for that grab long axe its safer to attack form behind your own shields
>for early twohanders you want heaviest armor/helmet you have and a warbrand

[Sathra]

I go for about 8, usually the cheapest I can find, and try for 30-35 armours and hoods/sunhats.
Then just whatever I can find. Buying damaged gear, any shields (even bucklers) I can find, etc.
I do try to have every second guy in the front to have a spear, one guy with a 2-tiler and the 2H axe with him. The rest have whatever. Flails, butcher's knives, bludgeons, etc.

Then later equipping is mainly from loot. The only early armour I'll buy is cheap padded leather (usually damaged stuff). I try for 10 reasonably equipped guys with 1k to 1.5k crowns in the pocket before hiring more. 3 archers if possible. Keep all the daggers in case of nice armour and a safe mob-kill. Though most of the armour I loot is from lucky archer shots and cleaver decapitates. Or knock-outs on really injured guys.
You can take raiders on early, as long as it isn't even numbers (and even then if mostly just risky). One you're at mail and padded leather then even numbers is a bit safer. It how I usually get proper flails before day 10.

As for early raiders, its kinda random. Some of the bandit camps are higher level, but others spit out Raider patrols yet have garrisons of Thugs.

[WastedTrojan]

In veteran my basic strategy is get 3 recruits for 6 man squad. 1 of them at least needs to be a ranged recruit, preferably poacher or bowyer because cheap but witch hunter or hunter if I can't find any. The other 2 recruits are pretty much anything.

I get javelins for the starting spear bro because he usually starts around 45 ranged skill. After that I get whatever armor is affordable, but I try to get at least 2 padded leathers (80 armor) Everybody also gets a hood but ill buy the akenton caps if I can afford. I try to get 2 shields, and then I get whatever cheap weapons I can find. Usually some damaged clubs from the market that cost like 70 gold but I prefer to have at least 2 spears for the spear wall. Lowest melee skill get the spears.

I start 3 in the front line and 3 in the back. 2 ranged in the back with the 2 handed axe because he has no shield. I give the lowest ranged skill the light crossbow, higher gets the bow. With 3 ranged weapons in the hoggart fight, the thugs will just charge and you can usually pick a few off before even engaging in melee. Then just surround hoggart and win. Usually with this strategy hardly anybody even gets hit in the first battle.

From there I just bully groups of thugs and take easy contracts. Whenever I have more armor ill just expand the roster. I aim for at least 3 guys with high ranged skill early. Even if some of my potential ranged rucruits end up with no ranged stars but they have stars in health and melee attack, ill give them javelins. Early game on veteran its very easy to just shoot everybody down and hold a spear wall.

[Steel]

I try to have at least 7, I switch the axe on my companion with a shield, keeps him safe,have 1-2 pitchfork guys on the back if I can afford it.

Have at least 1 spear guy in the frontline, rest of them equipped with maces, possibly a dagger at least on the start, reinforced wooden flail if available

I only have a two hander guy once I get at least 90 body armour and helmet of similar value

[Whatever100500]

>spears and shields on 1st line (I sell the 2h axe. 2h is too fiddly and risky early game)
>1h weapons other than spears are used only if I loot higher level stuff, particularly swords and flails.
>pitchforks on 2nd line.
>cheap armor (preferably 55+) and helmets (preferably 40+) for everybody
>get 12 guys as soon as possible: 6 frontline , 6 backline.

[Ironwithin]

As others have said, you need shields and men, and more shields and some more men. Spears are also awesome early on. Swords are a nice upgrade for any brother going beyond 55-60 melee skill.

I tend to go for 8 brothers at the start and stock up to 12 as soon as feasable. Full front row and the guys in the back get pitchforks or whatever other polearm lies around.

Don't use 2h-weapons, that brother will just be a pincushion or sliced to bits.

Everybody needs a hat.

Hire guys that cost around 200 crowns or less. You can't afford to go talent hunting yet anyway so just take what you can get.
If you're lucky and come across a lot of brawlers or cheap wildmen you should have a great start.

Some of your men will die (I really only try to keep the companions alive at all costs). Just get new ones.

If you happen to find a good archery recruit don't bother trying to shoot anything with him until his ranged skill is 60 or more, just give him a shield and spear for now.

Stay away from any contracts that are not 1-skull and don't do caravan escorts.
Don't fight goblins, orcs or direwolves.

Once your guys are lvl 4-5 and packing some early chainmail/padded leather you can try harder stuff and specialising your men (2h, snipers, axes/flails etc).

[Dunnit]

i buy first the cheapest BBs in hope i will get someone with usefull skills. whos not usefull get sacraficed in the first battles to avoid the costs to send them back.

depends on what skills your BBs will have im always focus for the beginning to have:

1 -2x 2 hand center (2 hands always with high melee, melee defense and initiative, dodge, fast adaption and brawny are my keyskill on this "class" to start)

2-4 x shield and spear/swords/cleaver left and right of my center guy (always high melee, melee defense and fatigue, colossus and later shield expert are my keyskills - if those guys survive long enough i will specialize them on things like hammer or flails. besides the starting guy, this is always my sergant)

special ,the sergant: he will go with resolve, melee defemse and fatigue. colossus, fortified mind and ralley the troops are my key skills.

2 x archers in the second line (always high range attack, range defense and initative, keyaskills are fast adaption, bullseye and anticipation - i always take one crossbow and one bow - for night missions i like to have 2nd hand polearm weapons for them)

optional: if i can get is a monk or cultist for beeing my banner guys ( in the beginning like the shield guys for leveling, but his key skills are fast adaption, fortified mind and ralley the troops. i like to have high resolve, high melee and range defense on him)

at the beginnig i will buy mostly damaged weapons and armor, to keep it cheap. otherwise i will use everything that looted!

avoid to attack in the beginning roaming bandits for example, the raiders are ♥♥♥♥♥♥ for your weak company at the start. take just diffivult 1 missions to avoid to much kills in your ranks.

this should be like a little help until your start characters are like level 3-4, then you should be able to easily take harder missions, as long they are bandits, undead or just goblin ambushers.

[The Iron Duke]

Expert Ironman I go #3. 8-10 men, shields and bucklers as much as I can. I don't care if half of them just have a basic knife.

[Barahur]

8+ guys with spears and shields, thick tunics and hoods or better if I can get them damaged and can repair them. As for mercs I prefer to hire the cheapest possible who have decent melee skill and hit points. Farmers, fishermen, daytalers, miners, messengers, brawlers, etc.

PS - Bring a knife or dagger so you can shank any bandit raiders to try to get their armor and helmets once you have them surrounded and fleeing. Bandit armor and helmets are amazingly​ good if you can get them really early.

[Blastom]

I've started with 7-8 guys.
Buy all shields for front row. Buy pick forks for the brothers with the best melee skill and put them at the second row. To me, the pick forks are the key in early game.

I was in love of spears, but later, I found other weapon worked fine in early game and better against raiders and other tougher threats. So the weapons for shield guy don't matter much. The spear wall is good, but costs too much on fatigue.
With support of polearm from second row, in some exhausting battles (eg.heavy armored raiders, undead, etc), I just put all my front row in shield wall and never attack. So they have enough fatigue to tank all day long, while the forks impaling the enemy one by one with focus fire.

Also try beta version or wait for release, the quests are much more smooth than last early access build. I never get a convoy mission running into 2 orc warriors before day 20 or a camp clean mission with 8 raiders supported by marksmen in day 16 after I switched to beta.

[Serulin]

Originally posted by Ironwithin:

As others have said, you need shields and men, and more shields and some more men. Spears are also awesome early on. Swords are a nice upgrade for any brother going beyond 55-60 melee skill.

I tend to go for 8 brothers at the start and stock up to 12 as soon as feasable. Full front row and the guys in the back get pitchforks or whatever other polearm lies around.

Don't use 2h-weapons, that brother will just be a pincushion or sliced to bits.

Everybody needs a hat.

Hire guys that cost around 200 crowns or less. You can't afford to go talent hunting yet anyway so just take what you can get.
If you're lucky and come across a lot of brawlers or cheap wildmen you should have a great start.

Some of your men will die (I really only try to keep the companions alive at all costs). Just get new ones.

If you happen to find a good archery recruit don't bother trying to shoot anything with him until his ranged skill is 60 or more, just give him a shield and spear for now.

Stay away from any contracts that are not 1-skull and don't do caravan escorts.
Don't fight goblins, orcs or direwolves.

Once your guys are lvl 4-5 and packing some early chainmail/padded leather you can try harder stuff and specialising your men (2h, snipers, axes/flails etc).

This is something I was about to make a post on. It feels like the game really underestimates direwolfs in terms of contract value. They can literally 1 turn your early brothers yet show up in 1-2 star contracts for like 200 gold.

Originally posted by Blastom:

I've started with 7-8 guys.
Buy all shields for front row. Buy pick forks for the brothers with the best melee skill and put them at the second row. To me, the pick forks are the key in early game.

I was in love of spears, but later, I found other weapon worked fine in early game and better against raiders and other tougher threats. So the weapons for shield guy don't matter much. The spear wall is good, but costs too much on fatigue.
With support of polearm from second row, in some exhausting battles (eg.heavy armored raiders, undead, etc), I just put all my front row in shield wall and never attack. So they have enough fatigue to tank all day long, while the forks impaling the enemy one by one with focus fire.

Also try beta version or wait for release, the quests are much more smooth than last early access build. I never get a convoy mission running into 2 orc warriors before day 20 or a camp clean mission with 8 raiders supported by marksmen in day 16 after I switched to beta.

Yeah the contract difficulties seem wonky. When I am able to take on basic bandits easily, it is already giving me raider quests. By the time I can take on raiders, it suddenly feels I can take on fully armored greenskins. Your rep seems to grow far too quickly or these quests have too low of a rep trigger in the early access version. I realize skipping quests is always an option, but I do not believe so many of them should be an uphill battle. You already have the food supply and merc payment forcing you forward as is.

[Sendos]

Here is my approach:
- Hire high base fatigue recruits so they can wear better armor and last longer in fights. Avoid low resolve recruits, but if you happen to get a trait that inhibits resolve, you'll have to make do with it.
- For frontline, if melee skill below 50, equip a spear. If around 50s, equip sword. If 60, choose between flail, mace, axe as well as sword.
- For ranged, use crossbows for starters. If you have a recruit with good talents in ranged skill, consider using them for ranged, provided their base range skill is decent (at least 50 or above). If not, consider throwing weapons.
- If you encounter a battle in progress, engage in it. Make sure you're in between the groups, otherwise the game will think you're solely attacking an enemy with no reinforcements.
- When encountering enemies on road or doing beast hunt mission, see if you can get backup. It may less loot but it also means less risk and easy completion of contract.
- Taking someone else's advice from different post but forgot name (probably Sarissofoi or Yggdrasil, or both), rotate archers depending on your opponents. Avoid ranged skirmishes with goblins and brigands because then you risk losing your aspiring ranged recruits.
- With gaining money, look for relic missions. Fighting ancient undead is quite easy. I recommend having some axes and/or throwing axes. Looting from ancient undead is very good, mainly the expensive luxury items.
- Unless you really need cash, store luxury items and find a town with a raided caravan problem. That means market there is a seller's market. Having local relations is a plus. Sell luxury items there. DO NOT SELL OR BUY AT TOWNS WHERE PUBLIC IS SCARED AND/OR SUSPICIOUS ABOUT WEIRD SIGHTS OR DISAPPEARING VILLAGERS.
- To buy good gear for less, find a town that sells good gear, then find another that offers a caravan mission to it. Complete caravan mission, get well supplied buff in the town and market becomes a buyer's market. Buy whatever stuff you need there. If there is a contract in same town offering a relic mission, completing it will also provide high spirits buff too which means better deals.
- See if you can get 12 recruits up and running as soon as possible, but prioritize decent armor first (around 100HP, being early game).
- If you have a decent amount of gold (around 3k or something) at early game. Prioritize better armor, then recruits. I don't recommend buying new weapons because you get good weapons from brigands anyway until you get more money.
- If Ironman mode, game discourages breaking contracts a bit more because each town is under control of a noble faction and if you piss off the town, you piss off the noble faction owning it as well. There's also the risk that the town may hire a rival merc band to kill you.

[Bantak Kor]

Early on, decking everyone out in cheap armor and some sort of head protection as well as a shield. I don't buy ranged weapons, way to expensive for the early on. And if possible as much as 30-50% of the team get pitchforks, they are a little cheaper than spears and you can save the money for the shields, just put these guys in 2nd row and you can use the forks to lvl them rather savely. Also spears and clubs are cheap and pretty good in early game because of spearwall and stuns.
To me the early game is all about "how cheap can I operate" while I travel around and check out the market prices while doing low wage jobs, as soon as I figured out what to buy where and where to sell I try to get on good standings with these places and invest my saved money in a big trade-run and then I buy better equip... if it's cheap and damaged.