So how do I start with this game ?

[Andrew Tate]

Hey, bought this game because it looked interesting and always wanted to try one of those Total War games, its also pretty much my first strategy game so im kinda overwhelmed, is there any guides for this game ? i literally know nothing, would be very thankful for some help and beginner guides

[Inardesco]

Just start with Tyrion on easy/easy and advisory settings on high.

There'll be people that'll divert you to youtube but that will only teach you to play like other people. Whereas I find it better if you just go at it and learn from the mistakes you make.

[Lunos]

Despite what Inardesco is saying youtube is still your best bet for learning how to play. Actually seeing someone build up cities, move armies and scroll through the different menus while explaining the mechanics can be extremely helpful.

If you have any specific questions regarding something though, feel free to ask here. We can usually answer things pretty quickly.

One tip I can give you though is to pause and slow time in the battles. Don't be afraid to take your time viewing the units and issuing orders.

[Friends with Benedicts]

Oh boi... First Strategy game or fisrt Total war game? TW series ain't for everyone, sadly. It'll frustrate you a lot if you never saw a friend playing or had the chance to try a game first. Smells like refund spirit.

Joking aside, youtube will be a good place to learn the basics. I recommend Zerkovich "Why you suck at total war" series, then go for his other tips for the game.

You can just charge in the game as Inardesco suggested, but you'll need to set the game difficulty to easy, if you never touched any Strategy before. I think a lot of the elements will overwhelm you.

[Gluttóny]

if u were gonna watch youtube, dont watch it for tactics, watch it to learn mechanics

[Friends with Benedicts]

Originally posted by Thorek Ironbrow:

if u were gonna watch youtube, dont watch it for tactics, watch it to learn mechanics

What's the deal with this? As if you guys didn't copied your tactics from history documentaries... Please.

We've got some Napoleons over here...

[Gluttóny]

Originally posted by Dumb ol'Door:

Originally posted by Thorek Ironbrow:

if u were gonna watch youtube, dont watch it for tactics, watch it to learn mechanics

What's the deal with this? As if you guys didn't copied your tactics from history documentaries... Please.

We've got some Napoleons over here...

ok

[staszekalcatraz]

ok

[BlackBone]

Originally posted by Dumb ol'Door:

Originally posted by Thorek Ironbrow:

if u were gonna watch youtube, dont watch it for tactics, watch it to learn mechanics

What's the deal with this? As if you guys didn't copied your tactics from history documentaries... Please.

We've got some Napoleons over here...

I imagine that most youtubers (especially the ones that play on legendary) use a lot of chessing in battles which I would never recommend anyone to start off playing total war games like that. So yeah sounds like sound advice.

[Cat]

I'll pitch in and say 'youtube' but just campaign gameplays, not tutorials. Watch someone play (not teach best and brightest tactics) and you will get an idea of what the game is about.

Get a faction that feels right , start on easy settings

[Ruinae Retroque Rursus]

Originally posted by BlackBone:

Originally posted by Dumb ol'Door:

What's the deal with this? As if you guys didn't copied your tactics from history documentaries... Please.

We've got some Napoleons over here...

I imagine that most youtubers (especially the ones that play on legendary) use a lot of chessing in battles which I would never recommend anyone to start off playing total war games like that. So yeah sounds like sound advice.

stares at LegendOfTotalWar :P

I would tend to agree with Inardesco:

Originally posted by Inardesco:

Just start with Tyrion on easy/easy and advisory settings on high.

There'll be people that'll divert you to youtube but that will only teach you to play like other people. Whereas I find it better if you just go at it and learn from the mistakes you make.

Most of the stuff in WH2TW is pretty self-explanatory.

A word of warning: the difficulty shown is very out-of-whack. Mazdamundi should be considered "Hard" yet is shown as "Easy," and Malekith should probably be considered "Easy" as well."

For your first playthrough I'd reccomend:
- Tyrion (High Elves) (Safe starting position with few enemies)
- Tiqtak'to (Lizardmen) (No threats near you)
- Kroq-Gar (Lizardmen) (His starting Stegadon is absurd)
- Malekith (Dark Elves) (Very powerful lord, very powerful starting settlement, friends nearby, powerful faction)
- Lokhir (Dark Elves) (Surprisingly easy starting position with natural allies)

I would stay away from almost anybody else though; Teclis, Mazdamundi, Alith Anar, any Skaven, etc. This isn't because they're that hard (Alith Anar especially), but just because you need to know how to play the game. Lord Skrolk (Skaven) is easy but only if you know specific Skaven strats and what to do with them.


Providing you don't tell them, nobody will know you're playing on Easy difficulty ;)

[archmag]

Don't be scared of restarting. If you played a campaign for 50 turns and feel that you "lost" don't be scared of starting from the beginning. You usually can salvage the campaign but it may be more enjoyable to learn which mistakes you did in that campaign (or ask people on forum about what you did wrong) and then start a new campaign using what you learned so that it goes easier from the very beginning.

Try all factions before choosing one that you like and investing into very long campaign with it. To better fight against some faction you need to know how that faction works. So trying all factions will help learn how to fight against them or at least to understand what they are doing on the battlefield or campaign map.

Don't start Mortal Empires campaign if you already have it. Start with smaller Old World campaign in WH1 or Vortex in WH2. ME is good when you want to play a very long campaign, but for short ones when you are still trying to learn things it is really bad - overwhelming and slow.

And now some advices about actual gameplay:
1. At the very beginning don't spread out. One army with 20 units is better than 2 armies with 10 units.
2. Use garrison buildings in level 3 minor settlements, they provide walls and extra units which give you ability to defend against enemy armies or at least hold them for few turns before your armies arrive to protect the settlement.
3. Learn hero actions - Assault units action is great in softening a besieging army or army that you are going to attack soon. Assault garrison is great to softening a town that you plan to attack. Steal science allows you to research faster by stealing research speed bonus from your enemies. Assassinate and wound lets you remove enemy heroes either from map or from enemy army.
4. Check unit abilities at the bottom of unit cards. Regeneration or Siege attacker are game changers. Regeneration on a unit allows it to restore hitpoints in the middle of a battle, Siege attacker allows you to attack a settlement with walls without spending turns preparing for a siege and building rams and siege towers. There are many other useful abilities.
5. During battle press Space and on the window that appeared on the right side of the screen mark which extra visuals you want to see. I like to see ranged arcs of fire and leadership icons.
6. Enter settings and remap Pause key during battle to something more comfortable or just find the default button for it. I don't remember the default, but I remaped it to "`" and it was very useful during large battles when I was just trying to learn how to flank enemy units and how not to lost control over the battlefield.
7. Control public order in your settlements, if it goes down to -100 rebel army will rise in the middle of your territories. And unless you are prepared to deal with them it is much easier to avoid them spawning by controlling public order. There are some reasons when you want them spawn (for extra exp or money, for example) but at the beginning of learning it is better just to avoid that.

Originally posted by aidenpons:

- Lokhir (Dark Elves) (Surprisingly easy starting position with natural allies)

Wait, what? Lokhir's position is easy? If I remember right (I tried to start him on legendary in ME, but I thought his position is similar in Vortex) he is in the middle of lizardmen territory (who are his main enemies) with skaven (who are positive to him, but create a ton of corruption which reduces public order, so not actually allies), Teclis (who is an enemy), Khalida (I am not sure about her relationship but she is always weak in my campaigns), dwarves (enemies, but minor and passive), crazy Luthor Harkon (positive but also with corruption that reduces public order). All other dark elves are on the other side of the world. Who are his natural allies that you are talking about?

[Ruinae Retroque Rursus]

Wait, what? Lokhir's position is easy? If I remember right (I tried to start him on legendary in ME, but I thought his position is similar in Vortex) he is in the middle of lizardmen territory (who are his main enemies) with skaven (who are positive to him, but create a ton of corruption which reduces public order, so not actually allies), Teclis (who is an enemy), Khalida (I am not sure about her relationship but she is always weak in my campaigns), dwarves (enemies, but minor and passive), crazy Luthor Harkon (positive but also with corruption that reduces public order). All other dark elves are on the other side of the world. Who are his natural allies that you are talking about?

Ah yes, it's different in Vortex, mostly because you get a whole province to yourself that you don't have to share with Skaven, don't need to care about Teclis, and can pick off the HE down below at your leisure. Khalida's sufficiently far away for you to not care about her.
Picking off the LM is reasonably tricky but once you've done that you can leave Skrolk to, if nothing else, keep the other LM at bay.
Allies include Skrolk and Harkon, but now that you have your own province you can hold your own PO happily. In any case low PO => rebellions => slaaaaaaves :P

It's true that it's very different in ME as everything is sandwiched closer together.



Also, solid advice in your above post!

[archmag]

Originally posted by aidenpons:

Ah yes, it's different in Vortex, mostly because you get a whole province to yourself that you don't have to share with Skaven, don't need to care about Teclis, and can pick off the HE down below at your leisure. Khalida's sufficiently far away for you to not care about her.

Ohh, ok, sounds much better than ME then. Starting with just a minor settlement with one of your potential ally being skaven and having a capital town in the same province was really hard. Even trying to farm rebels was annoying as they spawn as skaven and just flee from the battle so you had to attack them two-three times per turn.