Did they NERF or BUFF the starting stat ranges / averages for some backgrounds?

[Chat Is Muted, Sorry]

I don't have time for a spreadsheet, but I did some informal testing.

I am noticing some differences in the stat ranges for some backgrounds. You can't get the average from just a few dozen recruits, but you can learn something if you see a stat which was previously not within their stat range.

Cripples, beggars, historians, peddlers ~ still the same?

Miners ~ still the same but got a new event to partially fix fatigue?

Tailors ~ still bad but lost an event

Fishermen, Daytalers ~ improved, kind of a baseline tier one unit now, seeing a lot of 57 melee attack rolls, fatigue and HP more competitive?

Farmhands ~ fatigue and HP even more consistently high, resolve more consistently low? I am still seeing 57 melee attack rolls and 5 melee defense rolls.

Apprentices ~ Stayed the same, which means they are nerfed because other backgrounds rose, low fatigue and HP

Militias ~ improved, fatigue less bad than previously, more of a straight upgrade?

Post more observations please!

[Silverbeard]

I think hedge knights are a bit cheaper now. I found one at level two with a two handed mace for the low, low price of ~9000 crowns.
Of course when I hired him he turned out to be fainthearted.

[Estieukua]

Farmhands, fishermen, militia and daytalers all seem the same as before to me. I've still been seeing some FHs with 120 max-f and others with only 100, some daytalers and militia with barely over 90 max-f and others with 100-105, and fishermen are always either just above/below 100.

Messengers seem to very consistently have 105-110 baseline max-f now, and shepherds always seem to start with 40+ ranged skill.

[Lampros]

I don't see any difference.

Check with this spreadsheet:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1k_izGk9h9r3OMlOmnmiOwrmK7EmHu2eni08JpULf-os/edit#gid=604473640

[Decado]

Brawlers seemed to be nerfed. Used to regularly get 70+ HP (up to 80). I've hired a lot of them and I've yet to see one even hit 70 HP.

[Abel]

Originally posted by Silverbeard:

I think hedge knights are a bit cheaper now. I found one at level two with a two handed mace for the low, low price of ~9000 crowns.
Of course when I hired him he turned out to be fainthearted.

That's a cheap HK :D : https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1587349080
On topic, we know that Backgrounds stats have changed but for whom, how and by how much is the unknown.
So good call with verifying stat ranges! I myself didn't pay much attention to the whole thing. I guess I recruited much more Militia than before though because I found many of them and for decent prices.
And I recruited a few Beast Salyers that seemed very expensive for their worth.

[Tephros83]

Keep in mind that it's daily wages that really matter, and they rise by 10% per level until 11 and then a lot slower per level. Means cheap guys are really cheap and expensive guys are even more expensive. A talented daytaler or cultist is great.

[Morbleue]

Hunters seem more expensive to keep - Brawlers seem nerfed. Others I cannot say - too low sample that seemed in range.

[sanyaskillpro]

Originally posted by Tephros83:

Keep in mind that it's daily wages that really matter, and they rise by 10% per level until 11 and then a lot slower per level. Means cheap guys are really cheap and expensive guys are even more expensive. A talented daytaler or cultist is great.

Still their base stats are pretty low. I like my 15 gp per day lvl 11 gravedigger, but he's there just to hold the banner. For a fronliner even a slightly more expensive background like a thief or a militia can normally spawn with overall better stats that equal to 2-3 levels of increases or so.
I kinda wonder now if it's possible to stay afloat late game with bros that cost 7 or less. Building 2handers would be quite hard. Same for ranged. You would probably need gamblers as your tanks, any physical labor background as dps shielders, resolve background as sarge, maybe ratcatchers as pikemen just to save even more money, go nimble dodge and abuse their initiative.

[turtle225]

Originally posted by Morbleue:

Hunters seem more expensive to keep - Brawlers seem nerfed. Others I cannot say - too low sample that seemed in range.

You need hunters though, unless you are going to fish around for a bunch of 2/3 star poachers and bowyers. Hunters are good enough to justify paying above average.

I've hired a lot of squires this time, might be the map seed, but I've seen way more than I did when I played pre dlc.

I don't have any farmers this time and I think all of my brawlers died. The farmers I hired were all garbage, some had less than 30 resolve iirc.

I think my frontline right now is the two companions, a miner, butcher, and a couple of squires. I forgot what background my two Taunt tanks are.

In my game pre dlc I had nearly a full team of companions, sellswords, hunters, nobles, a hedge knight, two swordmasters, you get the idea. That's not really feasible anymore.

You really want to get the best out of the low to mid recruits as you can and only hire 1-3 expensive guys. Squires might be my new favorite background. Above average stat line with no glaring weakness and wages that don't break the bank. Haven't tried militia, I'll keep an eye out for them.

[Scathe]

I've had good luck with lumberjacks and apprentices, both in stars and starting rolls. my company is 4 apprentices, 3 lumberjacks, 1 hunter, 1 poacher, 3 companions, 1 houndmaster, 1 ratcatcher, 1 butcher, 1 daytaler. the daytaler only had a base roll of 52 and had fragile for 42 starting health. but he had good melee attack, and one of my best sets of stars.

lumberjacks seem worth the cost to me, they do have a wide range for their starting resolve now though, one of my lumberjacks I think started with 33-36 resolve and one is my sargeant with 45 starting resolve and two stars in resolve. both did not have their resolve effected by traits.

[Estieukua]

Originally posted by Decado:

Brawlers seemed to be nerfed. Used to regularly get 70+ HP (up to 80). I've hired a lot of them and I've yet to see one even hit 70 HP.

I always recruited lots of brawlers, and their base HPs always ranged from 55 to the low 70s (70-75) and might get to 80 with the Tough trait. They've been exactly the same in the DLC.

[Estieukua]

Originally posted by Scathe:

lumberjacks seem worth the cost to me, they do have a wide range for their starting resolve now though, one of my lumberjacks I think started with 33-36 resolve and one is my sargeant with 45 starting resolve and two stars in resolve. both did not have their resolve effected by traits.

The resolve of lumberjacks ranged from 30-45 pre-DLC.

[Lampros]

Originally posted by Estieukua:

Originally posted by Decado:

Brawlers seemed to be nerfed. Used to regularly get 70+ HP (up to 80). I've hired a lot of them and I've yet to see one even hit 70 HP.

I always recruited lots of brawlers, and their base HPs always ranged from 55 to the low 70s (70-75) and might get to 80 with the Tough trait. They've been exactly the same in the DLC.

Yup. Brawlers are really my go-to low-tier Background characters.

[Panzerechse]

Bastards have lower resolve now.

[Decado]

Originally posted by lycotos:

Bastards have lower resolve now.

Wasn't their resolve really low pre-dlc?