Companions and fights

[Cabman12]

Hi everyone,
I'm trying to focus myself on building the companions group, because I did so much crap with it in my early games.

For now, I found out how to have every spec I needed (the pathfinder, the medic, the merchant, the tactician, the engineer who likes to go away from the group because of Jeremus, I hate him.).

BUT reading a few posts here made me realize that a lot of people use the companions as soldiers.
I'm always afraid of them being killed (wounded) during fights, so I usually give them bows/crossbows and keep them behind the infantry line.

So here's my question : is it valuable, at high levels, to train the companions in order to make them go to melee fights ?

[Esce]

Cabman12 eredeti hozzászólása:

So here's my question : is it valuable, at high levels, to train the companions in order to make them go to melee fights ?

They will become the strongest soldiers next to the player:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1766206501
So, yes, totally worth it.

[Cabman12]

Sounds good. I thought they were too fragile, especially the intelligence-based ones.

[Esce]

Cabman12 eredeti hozzászólása:

I thought they were too fragile, especially the intelligence-based ones.

They do not get that strong, or I do not get them that strong, but they are at the same level as top tier units:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1766212359

[Cabman12]

Thank you for these answers, I'll make them fight a little more then !

[bunny de fluff]

Cabman12 eredeti hozzászólása:

I'm always afraid of them being killed (wounded) during fights, s

They never die. Put them to the battle every chance you got.

[ÄmJii]

Cabman12 eredeti hozzászólása:

BUT reading a few posts here made me realize that a lot of people use the companions as soldiers.
I'm always afraid of them being killed (wounded) during fights, so I usually give them bows/crossbows and keep them behind the infantry line.

So here's my question : is it valuable, at high levels, to train the companions in order to make them go to melee fights ?

Actually, Power Draw + bows is what you should strive for if you want a killing machine of a companion. Mileage may vary, but I personally like to give my archers two-hander weapons just so I can put two stacks of arrows on them. My archer companions can easily hit double digit kill count on most field battles and thus level up way quicker than melee-focused companions.

I won't send them in the frontlines, even when they're highly skilled they can get overwhelmed and stunlocked when hit repeatedly. Two-handers gives them bit more reach, with modest AGI + Athletics they can fend off few enemies at a time.

As for your second question, it can be valuable to train high level companion who solely focuses on sword & shield style. If you have high Shield skill and a good quality shield, you can tank ludicrous amount of arrows to the point of wearing out enemy archers ammo stocks. No joke.

[Grundlator]

The nice thing about using companions as soldiers is they're literally immortal, so you can use them in assaults that would normally be too dangerous for mortal troops. It takes a lot of effort and grinding to train them into competent fighters though. Still, their immortality will always make them better than any regular troops.

[Tuidjy]

Even Intelligence based companions can become strong enough to easily take out any Native troop in hand to hand combat. But I prefer to give them a bow, so that they can rake in the experience even early on.

Here[i.redd.it] is something I posted a while ago, about Jeremus.

In that same play-through, on game day 40 something, Alayan's archery skill is close to 300, if I remember correctly.

[Cabman12]

I see, that's interesting. I will see wether I keep some heroes for hand to hand combat or give bow to the whole group for my next games. For now, I made a 50/50 choice.

[Cabman12]

(Your day 29 Jeremus is terrific, I'm day 80 and he is barely to 5/6)

The (+1) are due to your character's own skills, that's right ?

[Tuidjy]

Cabman12 eredeti hozzászólása:

I see, that's interesting. I will see wether I keep some heroes for hand to hand combat or give bow to the whole group for my next games. For now, I made a 50/50 choice.

The dirty little secret is that when companions are specc'd as combat beast archers, they advance so quickly that they become better sword and boarders than dedicated sword and boarders.

Here[i.imgur.com]'s a screenshot of Alayan in my current game. He is nowhere as powerful as Esce's, but mine is on Game Day 42... he is advancing at a breakneck pace, because of his prowess with a bow.

Two handed users can also be devastating, but they are a lot less versatile than someone with sword, board, bow and quiver.

Cabman12 eredeti hozzászólása:

(Your day 29 Jeremus is terrific, I'm day 80 and he is barely to 5/6)

The two reasons that he is advancing so quickly is that I recruit no mortal troops in the early game, so experience does not get diluted, and that I give bows even to my eggheads.

That whole play-through was being posted on YouTube, and then I broke my wrist...

The (+1) are due to your character's own skills, that's right ?

Yes, player bonuses to party skills. I try to have +1 or +2 in the important ones. I have no +2s on day 42, but he'll get there, despite being a combat beast build.

[Morkonan]

Cabman12 eredeti hozzászólása:

...I'm always afraid of them being killed (wounded) during fights, so I usually give them bows/crossbows and keep them behind the infantry line.

So here's my question : is it valuable, at high levels, to train the companions in order to make them go to melee fights ?

The answer is, obviously, "Yes."

Your companions can not "die." They can be one of the most powerful combat units in the game, often "more powerful" than you until the very late game. You should not worry much at all when sending them into combat.

The only downside to combat-companions is that they don't really have much of a better AI than other units. For this reason, group them appropriately and give them orders suitable to their role and equipment. For some, you can even just group them with others of their unit type. For instance, if I have a companion with a siege crossbow and I want to be sure they continue to play that role, I'll stick them in the same group with other foot-archer units. For mounted companions, which is usually the largest grouping of companions, I'll usually group them all together in one group and either send them out to break a charge (Like the initial charge of Desert Bandit types) or keep them with me and launch them at an opportune moment.

Properly leveled up and equipped companions are devastating against the enemy. They can break a siege line on the battlements by themselves, in many cases. Having troubles because all your offensive siege troops are dying on the ladders? Send your companions out to break the line. (Well, the heavy melee ones should have been sent first, if you hadn't gone yourself, since ladders are terrible death-traps...:) )

In vanilla'ish play, I usually arm Jerumus with a crossbow and keep him in the back lines for "roleplay" reasons. But, he's a companion like any other and could be leveled up to be a beast, as posted above. :)

https://memeworld.funnyjunk.com/pictures/Your+average+mount+blade+day_8b5b54_5257672.jpg

(Wanted an actual straight image link instead of garbage dynamics, so sorry for "Funnyjunk" ref. :) )

[Esce]

Tuidjy eredeti hozzászólása:

Here[i.imgur.com]'s a screenshot of Alayan in my current game. He is nowhere as powerful as Esce's, but mine is on Game Day 42... he is advancing at a breakneck pace, because of his prowess with a bow.

I was looking for nativ companions in your screenshots, because you make them more powerful than me.
But I had to take the "weaker" one with over 4 ingame years of experience.

[Cabman12]

Tuidjy eredeti hozzászólása:

Cabman12 eredeti hozzászólása:

I see, that's interesting. I will see wether I keep some heroes for hand to hand combat or give bow to the whole group for my next games. For now, I made a 50/50 choice.

The dirty little secret is that when companions are specc'd as combat beast archers, they advance so quickly that they become better sword and boarders than dedicated sword and boarders.

Here[i.imgur.com]'s a screenshot of Alayan in my current game. He is nowhere as powerful as Esce's, but mine is on Game Day 42... he is advancing at a breakneck pace, because of his prowess with a bow.

Two handed users can also be devastating, but they are a lot less versatile than someone with sword, board, bow and quiver.

Cabman12 eredeti hozzászólása:

(Your day 29 Jeremus is terrific, I'm day 80 and he is barely to 5/6)

The two reasons that he is advancing so quickly is that I recruit no mortal troops in the early game, so experience does not get diluted, and that I give bows even to my eggheads.

That whole play-through was being posted on YouTube, and then I broke my wrist...

The (+1) are due to your character's own skills, that's right ?

Yes, player bonuses to party skills. I try to have +1 or +2 in the important ones. I have no +2s on day 42, but he'll get there, despite being a combat beast build.

Do you have the link for the youtube play-through ? I would like to see how do you manage the ealry game without any mortal soldier. I tried, and bandits killed me wathever I did before I could set up a team of companions.

[Esce]

Cabman12 eredeti hozzászólása:

Do you have the link for the youtube play-through ? I would like to see how do you manage the ealry game without any mortal soldier. I tried, and bandits killed me wathever I did before I could set up a team of companions.

Here is his playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLds0jddk6cXSMQr1L9fOSJDErJ-qMca2m
And here the forum thread about the playthrough:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/48700/discussions/0/1742227898987704298/