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Do note that nearly every class has hidden bonus events associated with their class.
Fodder/Trash Recruits/What to do with them:
Don't get too discouraged by crap recruits. They still have their uses on the flanks, your high mortality rate positions where you don't want your valueble boys till they get a few levels under their belt anyway!
Daytalers are only so-so. I tend to avoid them unless nothing else is affordable at the start of the game. Beggars and cripples are good fodder, but you don't want to load up on too many of them early. Cripples have nice events if a bro is perminantly injured and make decent reservists. They also tend to roll really good stars for some reason. Their low morale kind of makes them hazardous--Resolve is a very improtant stat and cascading defense failure as a result of your line breaking is dangerous for everyone. I'd either put these recruits in high mortality rate positions (front flank) and load them up with perks like Nine Lives, Gifted(I only take gifted on trash recruits), Rotation, and if they survive past that? Just keep loading them down with defensive perks.
Finally, there is a class I build people into that has really how stat recruirements. Something of a Flankguard for the 2nd row. Bags + Belts + Quickhands + Gifted + Backstabber. They get a crossbow, polearm, shield, and a club or some nets. Their whole job is contribute to damage (mainly with the polearm) while defending squishy investments (archers or crossbow hybrids). If something gets to close they pull out their shield and stall for time with their shield + club + nets. They are basically just fodder for the back row--you only ever need two..If they die? no big deal. Easily replaced.. A Polearm/Crossbow hybrid only needs 60 in Ranged and Melee to be effective enough---more is better, but this is early game subpar recruits we're working with.
Coward or Dastard? Instant fire. They'll do you more harm than good. They'll lead to Cascading resolve/defense failure for everyone.
The only Backrounds that offer no value what so ever are Miners and Peddlers. Neither of which are very cost effective. Maybe shepards.
Early-Mid Backbone:
I try to spend no more than three days gearing up for the fight with Hogart.
So, going after Hogart and for a few missions after, I tend to hire 3 bros. I keep six for a few missiosn for the xp. My first purcahses include a cheap batch of tools, two pitchforks (Unless I manage to get find a 750 Witcherhunter) 2 shields, and whatever 1 hand weapons, armor, and helmet are affordable. For that first fight having your back line wear clothe shirts and aprons that some of your recruits come with is no big deal. Just don't skimp on the helmets.
Farmhands, Brawlers, Fishermen, Butchers, Gravediggers, and cheap* Wildmen are the go-to early game hires They are cost effective and have the potential to last you until late game. Farmers start with +10 Fatigue and +10 Health. Wildmen start with tons of fatigue. They are a gamble, but since their so cheap in the early/mid game you can afford to gamble on them quite abit. Some of your early-mid and maybe even late game two handers and shield brothers will come from this stock. If they roll bad stats, just put them in the same role you would beggars/cripples. Butchers aren't bad either (+5 melee +5 resolve) during your first recruiting spree--you can give his apron to your archer, the cleaver to a companion, and give him spear and shield.
If you manage to find a lot cheap broken gear it might be worthwhile to pick up a 750 gold Witchhunter (just for the crossbow, it's a force multiplyer). If not, a 500-ish Squire, Militiaman, Poacher, or Caravanhand can also be a good buy. You can probably (and not always) only afford one such recruit. So choose one if the opertunity rises. A Houndmaster (350ish) usually comes with good starter armor and helmet, so also a good early game hire in that first recruiting run.
Ranged Characters
I recommend investing in ranged characters till the mid game. But I'm weird- I favor Crossbow/Throwing weapon hybrids since they are great everyone and throwing axes makes that true vs. undead. Crossbow/Pike hybrids are also tried and true. I generally only make a dedicated bowman if his stats are *perfect for it.
Poachers are ok, but I much prefer trying my luck with Witchhunters or Hunters. Witchhunters have high resolve and tend to have high melee and ranged attack--so if they don't make the cut for an Archer they can easily fill the role of Polearm/Crossbow hybrid or even a Bannerman with the right stats.
Hunters will be more consistantly good at filling this role, Witchhunters are a safer gamble since they can fill multiple roles (Bannerman/Tank/Archer/Hybrid) quite well.
Bannerman
Bannerman/Sarge/Rally Spam role can be filled by a number of classes. You want at least 45-50 starting resolve and two starts in Resolve.
Butchers have +5 melee and +5 resolve. Gravediggers and Graverobbers tend to have high resolve. Cultists and Monks too, though monks tend to have bad stats---Monks, do, however have many great events assosiated with them. They can often intervene on a bad event and calm down your other brothers. My top pick for Bannerman would be Witchhunters. Witchhunters have huge resolve bonuses and tend to be geared towards Ranged/Melee hybrid so giving your bannerman a crossbow to fire when he's not rallying is great.
Resolve is a great stat for shield brothers too, so don't
Situational Hires/Events/Potential Spoilerz?:
Ratcatchers are worth picking up for the net if you can't find a Fisherman for the Hogart fight.
Jugglers and Killers on the Run have a bonus to hit the head. So, they can make decent pikeman/hybirds or flial masters. Juggler tends to be a good early game hire if he is cheap.
Apprentices can learn from higher tier classes and inrease their skills through events. They also level up quickly, so if you roll a good one use him as a pikeman with Student. If not, just use him as fodder.
Cultists are solid when they are cheap and don't come with a dagger and come with many events.
Monks are cheap, often have bad traits and bad stats, but they often save you from events that cost you money.
Tailors can make Direwolf armor, but it's rare so I wouldn't bank on it. I tend to avoid them.
Masons and Messengers are solid if nothing else is affordable.
Thief + Historian have an interesitng event together. Thieves make great tanks or duelists (high dodge)
Mid-Late Game Hiring:
Late transitioning is hard to nail down because your needs are usually always different depending on who survived, who didn't and what you rolled.
Ok. So. When you get to 12 men, any time after that, start transitioning into higher grade troops once you have a comfortable nest egg built up.(you need insurance for the bad times)
Look at it sort of like fantasy football--Pick the weakest link in your squad and either fire him or move him to reserve and roll for something to replace him. Don't try to upgrade everyone all at once, do it slow, one peice at a time. If they guy you get was not what you were looking for, is there anyone else he could replace? If yes, move that guy to reserve instead.
https://steamcommunity.com/app/365360/discussions/0/1480982971170140220/
The wikia section for Backgrounds as mentioned by Chomiczek is a good resource as well. There is now an additional table there for quick comparison between backgrounds based on the spreadsheet data that Chomiczek linked.
As a rough guide, early on just recruit whatever is available nearby. Brawlers and Farmhands are standard decent picks as they are cheap and have sizable bonuses to Fatigue and HP. Other early recruits with Fatigue bonuses and no particular weaknesses include Messengers and Vagabonds. Butchers come with small Melee Skill bonuses and are pretty affordable as well. Houndmaster offers a slight Melee Defense bonus in addition to above average Resolve. For early ranged combatants, have a look at Poachers and Bowyers.
Apprentices/Masons are also not too shabby if you're focussed on getting levels a little faster.
Once you have a little more disposable cash in hand, you should be looking at recruits with some Melee Skill snd Melee Defense bonuses to have more hit reliability and a sturdier frontline.
Militia is in general a fairly well rounded background with modest bonuses to several stats that can serve in quite a few roles well depending on talent stars.
Wildman has great Fatigue, HPs with a small Melee bonus and is quite popular amongst some players but is saddled with bad defense.
Lumberjack is a more toned down version of the Wildman in terms of Fatigue/HP bonuses but does not suffer defense maluses or a lower XP gain rate.
Thieves can be excellent dodge tanks with their moderate melee and ranged defence bonuses alongside their high initiative.
Deserters can be a strong asset as well as they often have one the best melee skill + melee defense tallies in the early-mid game and are quite affordable for the most part. They do have horrendous Resolve though and can come with traits that further worsen it, and so their battlefield exposure needs to be managed carefully.
Hunters are a standard pick for ranged combatants in the early-mid game.
Beyond that when it comes to the late game it really depends on what your party needs and how you approach battles, which are all very personal choices.
Standard late game meleers like the Hedge Knight and Sellsword have great boosts and no real weaknesses but really cost a lot to hire and maintain.
Raider is essentially a cheaper Sellsword without Ranged Skill bonuses. If you already have enough ranged combatants and don't need a hybrid either, a Raider could fit your needs.
The Adventurous Noble can make an excellent Sergeant or a great frontliner but his low Ranged Defense will require you taking extra care whenever facing enemy ranged units.
Disowned Noble and Bas-tard are also fairly similar with significant melee skill bonuses and can serve as decent mid game picks.
It also depends on how long you intend to play. Retired Soldier and Swordmaster have below average Fatigue and acquire the Old trait after many days in-game but before that event their great melee accuracy and defenses are a strong boost for any party.
I wouldn't bother with expensive backgrounds until your team is well-equipped and you're trying to improve on an already good team. The exception to this is hunters - they're by far the most reliable way to get effective archers. This is why a good map should have a hunter's cabin, which increases the rate you'll find them in that city.
The most cost-effective recruits are brawlers and wildmen for melee. They have a better chance to be endgame material than other low-cost recruits. Wildmen can have defense problems without stars in melee defense, but excellent fatigue. Cultists for sergeant. Fishermen and butchers are good melee recruits too. Gravediggers, caravan hands, graverobbers, farmers, houndmasters and flaggelants are probably the next tier in terms of cost-effectiveness. Thieves maybe - have higher melee defense than other low-tier backgrounds.
I think swamps increase the chance of both cultists and wildmen.
On average, squires will be higher quality than the above, but they are expensive usually. Squires and militia I'll hire somewhat early if they're cheaper than usual or have titles that suggest they could have a good trait.
Once I am ready for expensive, I prefer hedge knights and adventurous nobles in terms of a chance to get even better stats than the best inexpensive recruits I found. Sellswords and raiders less often - they're expensive but have problems with fatigue and resolve, respectively. Disowned nobles and b@stards are awful for their cost. Retired soldiers and swordmasters I haven't bothered with because of the "old" trait.
Does anyone know the way talents work? Is it random? Seems like high tier backrounds like hedge knight rarely have talent stars.
It's random.
Prem backgrounds can have high star talents too. You usually hire far fewer of them then crappy backgrounds. So it's easier to get cheap background with good talents.
That's just RNG fcking with ya. Battle Brothers is pretty heavy with RNG.
As for ranged unit I don't bother with other than hunters. Even with out stars they will usually end up with 80-90 ranged attack witch is fine.
I think a good number of backgrounds which have appropriate stars in the stats that you want can be pretty good in the late game. I certainly don't play with only Hedge Knights and Sellswords (my current group has none of those actually). Every additional star can be thought to be worth about 5 points on average at L11. A regular L1 Farmhand with an average score of 52 Melee Skill and no stars will probably just be a middling character at L11 with an average of 72 Melee Skill (+2 on average per levelup). If that same L1 Farmhand, had 3-stars in Melee Skill, he'd be expected to hit 87 Melee Skill by L11. That's definitely good enough (at least for me) in late game encounters and said Farmhand's Fatigue and HP scores won't be an issue as he has innate bonuses there. Even if he has crap Melee Defense and not-so-great Resolve, you still have the option of making him a good backliner with a reach weapon.
EDIT: Back in the old days, in build 0.6 or so, talent stars did not exist. There was no Gifted perk to further boost stats and melee skill range was slightly lower, nor were there Veteran levels to further increase stats after L11, which is why perhaps a good number of oldtimers stuck with premium backgrounds towards the endgame.
Back then I remember anything close to 80 Melee Skill I considered pretty good... xD
Of course things have changed since then...
Talents are random as stated by Gazo.
Every background has talent stars in 3 stats. The only issue is those stars may not be placed in stats that you prefer. Of course one way is to change your plan a little and levelup backgrounds according to their talent strengths instead (again this isn't always a good idea).
For example I've seen Poachers with 57 Melee Skill and 2 stars in it whereas Ranged Skill started at 47 with no stars. Traditionally you'd want a Poacher as a ranged combatant but here perhaps it might be a good idea to level up Melee Skill as well in case you get really crappy rolls for Ranged Skill along the way. It would also make the character a little more useful in the early levels as ranged hit chances tend to be rather lowish.
If Ranged Skill turns out ok, you have the option of making him a hybrid, with Quick Hands. If Ranged Skill turns out poorly, I'd probably make him use a crossbow instead (has a hit chance bonus) and focus mostly on melee.
And if everything is super RNG based, is there a method to effectively get good people? I think the recruit sections of towns refreshes every now and then with new people, but I have no idea what dictates the tier of recruits thatll be there. I guess that means I need to stop at every settlement, and do a ton of save scumming. It just seems stupid to spend a bunch of gold and gamble on some recruits who could all suck and be insta disbanded anyway.
That's right.
For example for Melee Skill:
With no stars, you would get 1-3 on levelups
1-star: 2-3
2-star: 3
3-star: 3-4
You can check the wiki[battlebrothers.wikia.com] for further details on each stat.
Recruits are not guaranteed to be good and yes it is possible to hire everyone in town only to find that they all have bad starting stats, talents and traits. And yes it is one of the fairly often cited complaints about the game.
I believe the devs balanced the game around this though, that you WOULD have to waste some money when hiring men. You can certainly save scum your way through it if you think you'd have a better playing experience that way. Likewise, Ironman mode is an optional setting in the game.
Finally you don't necessarily have to immediately fire every unsatisfactory recruit. Some players use them as disposable meatshields and put them in the most dangerous spots in battle. To quote a certain fictional boxer: "If he dies, he dies" xD
Getting some use out of less desirable recruits and working with less optimal conditions is part of the game too, till you get men you want to keep for the long haul.
EDIT: Regarding recruit types/backgrounds for each settlement they are mostly random but also influenced by adjacent locations to that settlement and settlement size and type.
Settlements with Wheat Fields nearby tend to have Farmhands for hire (and Millers too at times). Settlements near a wooded area with a Lumber Camp and/or Hunter's Cabin tend to have Lumberjacks and Hunters/Poachers respectively.
If you're looking for men with martial backgrounds (Militia, Deserters, Retired Soldiers, etc) going to a settlement with Barracks and Watchtowers would be a safer bet.
Larger settlements tend to have a bigger selection of recruits. For the most expensive premium recruits like Hedge Knights, Swordmasters, look for them in the biggest military settlements (ie Strongholds).
They do sometimes: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1208597247.
That's one hell of a unit!
/Drath is starting to think perhaps worshipping RNGesus is a better idea than venerating Davkul :p
When you got money only buy hunters for archers poachers suck.
militia are as good as brawlers if not better, but only buy them if they have a weapon or armor you need. It's real nice when you get a militia for 1200 whos carrying a billhook early on.
brawlers are by far the best. cheap as hell and they almost always the stats you want. wildman are really really good imo, they can be cheap or a little expensive, but they tend to have good qualites like iron long or strong
The most cost effective recruits for the early game:
- Brawler (city)
- Farmhand (farmland)
- Wildman (if naked; northern lands)
- Messenger (city)
- Thief (often overlooked, great Defenses; city/village)
Squire and Militia can be worth it for about 500 Crowns. Lumberjack are slightly better Farmhands (worth 100/150 more Crowns I'd say).
For ranged, go with Hunter (1000 Crowns; Hunter lodges). If you really need a unit and are on a tight budget, Poacher.
For the late game, you know what's good. Hedge Knight is king, Sellsword is prince. Don't bother with Swordmasters, they get Old and they have very low Fatigue.