Your Favorite Origin, and Why?

[mpkinton]

I had been playing vanilla BB forever (because I'm cheap you see), but just recently treated myself to all the DLC's when Blazing Desert dropped. So now I am seeing all these different origins for the first time, and I'm paralyzed with the abundance of choice! I'm currently on my first playthrough, which has been the Peasant Army origin with 8 back-row Gunners (Because hell yeah), but I'm already starting to think about what to try next.

I see people championing various different origins (lots of Lone Wolves and Poachers) which is good. I was just curious to hear from the community about which of the origins you like the best, and why?

[TKbio]

I love playing Northern raiders. Really pushes you for an agressive early game with raiding caravans and can snowball quite nicely. I like lone wolf and gladiators but find that the 12 men limitation towards the endgame is kind of annoying

[Scathe]

peasant militia all the way !

I just prefer using mostly the backgrounds peasant militia is limited to anyway, only a few cheap backgrounds are left off their list that I'd have liked to have. they are just the origin that I identify with best, feel most like I like my company. some of the other origins are bad guys and turn me away.

after my peasant militia game I think I'm going to play lone wolf next, I just feel like challenging myself and maybe finally picking up lone wolf specific achievements.

if you're looking for another origin and achievements interest you, cultists and lone wolf are the only other two besides peasants, as far as I know, that have origin specific achievements tied to them.

[Cat®]

I wont go into my favourite because I am sure I very recently already said that in another thread, there's one you can look up by just searching for origins. However, will give a quick breakdown of all of them because I'm bored!

Rebuilding A Company: Vanilla, you know this. RIP Captain Bernhard.

A New Company: Alternate universe, Captain was always Captain. Skip tutorial.

Southern Mercenaries: Alternate universe, Captain was always Captain and now things make more sense lore-wise.

Peasant Militia: You get to have tons of dudes because you're a dirty peasant, which means you miss out on some of the better origins but you mass cheap backgrounds. Interesting stuff if you like swarming.

Band Of Poachers: You are faster and travel lighter, origin for people who know what they want and don't waste their time (or inventory space). You've also been poached lightly to enhance flavour.

Trading Caravan: For people who wanted to play Mount & Blade but they had Battle Brothers at home.

Deserters: This origin is ideally suited for people who are not dumb, and know how the game mechanics work. It's pretty much just A New Company: Spicy Edition.

Northern Raiders: Baby-mode for big babies, I play this usually. Every game starts with the great migration south, but metagamers love it for complicated reasons that boils down to "No reckless stabbings and you have a monk."

Manhunters: The challenge game mode for people who saw goblins and wanted to play as them. Requires you to not be bad at the game to play effectively, this is probably the spiciest origin in terms of mechanics.

Davkul Cultists: This origin is ideally suited for closeted cannibals. Not for people who think Davkul is cool, instead it's for people who embrace the end. Embrace it. EMBRACE IT.
EMBRACE IT!

Beast Slayers: For people who wanted The Witcher 3 but they had Battle Brothers at home. They are just really good at fighting beasts and that's about it. If you want a game where you fight beasts a lot that's good. The Northern Raiders equivalent for non-humans.

Gladiators: For people who wish they were at the gym when they were playing videogames. This is like Lone Wolf if you thought Lone Wolf was not exciting enough, and lacked sexual tension. A challenge run.

Lone Wolf: A very unexciting background for people who can't roleplay and wish they had something other than Battle Brothers at home. Yeah I said it. Possibly a noob trap?

[Winger]

I think I play Beast Slayers 90% of the time because I like doubling down on the misery aspect of battle brothers... Until I finally graduate to predator status from prey -being able to hunt multiple lindwurms and schrats consistently- which only happens in uh... like 1 in 10 playthroughs. But if I can make it there, it's time for money b***es hoes and gold rims on donkey carts.

[Hairy Coo]

Originally posted by Cat®:

I wont go into my favourite because I am sure I very recently already said that in another thread, there's one you can look up by just searching for origins. However, will give a quick breakdown of all of them because I'm bored!

Rebuilding A Company: Vanilla, you know this. RIP Captain Bernhard.

A New Company: Alternate universe, Captain was always Captain. Skip tutorial.

Southern Mercenaries: Alternate universe, Captain was always Captain and now things make more sense lore-wise.

Peasant Militia: You get to have tons of dudes because you're a dirty peasant, which means you miss out on some of the better origins but you mass cheap backgrounds. Interesting stuff if you like swarming.

Band Of Poachers: You are faster and travel lighter, origin for people who know what they want and don't waste their time (or inventory space). You've also been poached lightly to enhance flavour.

Trading Caravan: For people who wanted to play Mount & Blade but they had Battle Brothers at home.

Deserters: This origin is ideally suited for people who are not dumb, and know how the game mechanics work. It's pretty much just A New Company: Spicy Edition.

Northern Raiders: Baby-mode for big babies, I play this usually. Every game starts with the great migration south, but metagamers love it for complicated reasons that boils down to "No reckless stabbings and you have a monk."

Manhunters: The challenge game mode for people who saw goblins and wanted to play as them. Requires you to not be bad at the game to play effectively, this is probably the spiciest origin in terms of mechanics.

Davkul Cultists: This origin is ideally suited for closeted cannibals. Not for people who think Davkul is cool, instead it's for people who embrace the end. Embrace it. EMBRACE IT.
EMBRACE IT!

Beast Slayers: For people who wanted The Witcher 3 but they had Battle Brothers at home. They are just really good at fighting beasts and that's about it. If you want a game where you fight beasts a lot that's good. The Northern Raiders equivalent for non-humans.

Gladiators: For people who wish they were at the gym when they were playing videogames. This is like Lone Wolf if you thought Lone Wolf was not exciting enough, and lacked sexual tension. A challenge run.

Lone Wolf: A very unexciting background for people who can't roleplay and wish they had something other than Battle Brothers at home. Yeah I said it. Possibly a noob trap?

This should be pinned. Its beautiful.

[Rude$t]

Poachers. Hands down. Everything about them plays into my strengths as a player:

1) Scouting reports always work. You always know what you're going to fight or raid before you fight it. You always fight on your own terms which means you will snowball faster and harder. Exceptionally useful for scouting out and clearing out camps. Invalueble.

2) Time is money, and with the new Scout retinue you move faster than any other origin in the game. This also plays into only ever fighting on your terms. You can run from anything you don't want to fight. This saves you loads of money over the course of the game and makes exploration a much cheaper venture. Helps with trading too.

3) You start with three fantastic ranged brothers. Fishing for good ranged bros is expensive. For Poachers? You can stick to your three or find one more and you're set.

4) As far as weaknesses go? Inventory space isn't a big deal, especially with the new retinue. Blacksmith will keep you from having to carry extra shields or as much spare gear.

5) While really good? It's not as roflstompy as say Lone Wolf, Gladiators, or Barbarians. You still get to experience early game growing pains that more standard origins get to face which to me is the meat of the game.

[Minim]

Poachers or Militia - they offset the rng of the early game to a significant degree without outright handing you the first 20 days and their abilities stay useful all the way to the end (whatever end that may be - usually death).

[Hastar]

I've enjoyed Lone Wolf, Gladiators, Peasant Militia and Davkul Cultists. You guys have talked me into Poachers for my next campaign.

I didn't think I would enjoy the Cultist one but it had a nice role playing flavor. I will also have to try Northern Raiders again. I didn't get very far the first time.

[mpkinton]

I'm piqued by this Gladiator origin now, I didn't know I was missing out on sexual tension.

Originally posted by Rude$t:

1) Scouting reports always work. You always know what you're going to fight or raid before you fight it. You always fight on your own terms which means you will snowball faster and harder. Exceptionally useful for scouting out and clearing out camps. Invalueble.

Does this mean you get to see what's waiting for you in all those abandoned towers and ruins and such? If so that's awesome!

[Eranak]

Poachers: Movement speed. The 100% scout reports are extremely powerful as well, but really it's the movement speed. You can't have enough movement speed.

Beast Slayers: They are just that badass.

The 3-man generic starter origin as well as the one in the south: Sometimes all you want is potatoes.

[Centurion58]

Originally posted by Rude$t:

Poachers. Hands down. Everything about them plays into my strengths as a player:

1) Scouting reports always work. You always know what you're going to fight or raid before you fight it. You always fight on your own terms which means you will snowball faster and harder. Exceptionally useful for scouting out and clearing out camps. Invalueble.

2) Time is money, and with the new Scout retinue you move faster than any other origin in the game. This also plays into only ever fighting on your terms. You can run from anything you don't want to fight. This saves you loads of money over the course of the game and makes exploration a much cheaper venture. Helps with trading too.

3) You start with three fantastic ranged brothers. Fishing for good ranged bros is expensive. For Poachers? You can stick to your three or find one more and you're set.

4) As far as weaknesses go? Inventory space isn't a big deal, especially with the new retinue. Blacksmith will keep you from having to carry extra shields or as much spare gear.

5) While really good? It's not as roflstompy as say Lone Wolf, Gladiators, or Barbarians. You still get to experience early game growing pains that more standard origins get to face which to me is the meat of the game.

Poachers no doubt- for exactly the reasons you listed. Good job.

[Meeky]

Also gonna simp for Poachers here. They're really fun, and I love the theme of them. I mean, the logic of the Poacher run is great:

"It turns out that it's more dangerous to kill small animals in the woods to feed your family than it is to kill guys for money. Guess we're gonna be mercenaries now, boys!"

I mean, that says something about the setting, doesn't it? Like... damn. So, Poachers is my favorite, both for flavor and for mechanics.

For a balance of starting power and late-game potential, the Northern Raiders are the best. Their bonuses are solid and their negatives are practically non-existent, and they get a unique event to get yet another Barbarian bro later on. They're not as uber as the Gladiators, but they're pretty dang tough and are allowed a normal company size. Definitely a powerful start, great for players who know the basics but need a leg up in starting the game. (Always features a great migration south.)

Peasant Militia... is really fun in theory. Potentially, the power of having 16 boys with various polearms, handgonnes, and crossbows on the field could lead to some magnificent pike-and-shot roleplay and kickass gameplay. However, uh... the start for Peasant Militia is pretty damned dangerous. It's easy to lose guys.

Honestly though, I want to try playing Southern Mercenaries and Deserters more. Those starts look interesting to me. Also interested in trying the Trading Caravan.

I'm gonna save the Gladiators run for way later, though. I need to develop a playlist to properly enjoy the sexual tension + beastmode combat from those dinguses.

[SaurianDruid]

I am really into the fantasy archetype of the ranger. A man living outside the city who ventures confidently into the deepest parts of the most dangerous forests in the world and slay creatures that would make most men wet themselves at the mere sight of it.

So there are two origins I just gravitate to purely for that theme; Poachers and Beastslayers.

Poachers have already been talked about so I'll keep it short. I love their start. Just a bunch of woodsmen who've realized they can't make a life as poachers anymore and need to change their profession. They give you three solid ranged bros at the start which is great for me since I tend to build range heavy companies anyway, and the better movement speed and scouting plays heavily into the ranger concept I enjoy.

Beastslayers is a bit different. Almost the reverse. You begin as men who've dedicated themselves to the slaying of beasts only to get screwed over by yet another wealthy man who thought they could rip you off. You don't kill for money, but you do need money to live and continue your hunt. So why limit yourself? It is a very Witcher-esque background. A protector of mankind who's been forced to work as a common mercenary just to get by.

Mechanically Beastslayers can also be pretty fun. I like the better tracking, and the economic penalty you get, while frustrating when you're in a pinch, does kind of force you to take on more beast contracts so your bonus to beast loot balances it out. I also just get a kick out of seeing my whole company decked out in the pelts of direwolves with troll-fur and lindwurm scale cloaks. Looks badass as Hell. While any company can technically do this Beastslayers are uniquely suited for that kind of playstyle and aesthetic.

Beastslayers seem to have only gotten better with the new DLC too. Now we can get bombs and hire an alchemist to use our additional materials more economically and create snakeoil to sell people. Adds a bit of a conman vibe to them, which just enhances the flavor of your company being willing to take advantage of people the same way people kept trying to take advantage of them.

[Rude$t]

Originally posted by mpkinton:

I'm piqued by this Gladiator origin now, I didn't know I was missing out on sexual tension.

Originally posted by Rude$t:

1) Scouting reports always work. You always know what you're going to fight or raid before you fight it. You always fight on your own terms which means you will snowball faster and harder. Exceptionally useful for scouting out and clearing out camps. Invalueble.

Does this mean you get to see what's waiting for you in all those abandoned towers and ruins and such? If so that's awesome!

Yus

[Krick]

dakvul cultists is my favorite, makes nimble builds a lot better, which I far prefer over battleforged brothers, and the voice of dakvul stamina regeneration shout for your bannerman pretty much frees up recover for every other unit.

the downsides though is you starting bannerman is sorta treated like the lonewolf hedge knight, last devotion level for dakvul usually takes around day 150 to 200 to get or much later.

also makes the early game sorta more RNG with sacrifice events fireing of at the worst possible moments, with not having found good cultist brothers but other backgrounds you want to keep.

a third downside is sorta recruitment wise downside when you reach mid game and get plenty of gold, finding a hedge knight, sellsword, or other that needs dumb trait to be converted is like searching for a needle in the field, not to mention fishing for brain damage is about just as bad.

haven't really played all backgrounds mostly focused on cultist, lonewolf and militia, if i wasn't using a mod to see whats in the enemy camps, I would prefer poacher start to.