High Elf Lords Question

[AcidLite]

I just started a high elf campaign for the first time. When I go to recruit a new lord, the lords have negative traits. Like -50% to leader ship aura or -5 melee defense to lords armor.

I am fairly new to learning this game but when I played with the dark elves and lizardman, all new lords only had positive traits?

What am I doing to cause this?

[Inardesco]

If you want High Elf lords with good traits you will need Influence. This also applies to the High Elf heroes (handmaiden/noble/wizard/loremaster of hoeth)

https://totalwarwarhammer.gamepedia.com/Influence_and_Intrigue_at_the_Court

[zefyris]

Basically to keep it simple, it's a mechanism only for HE. You can get ridiculously good traits (far better than what you get for DE lords and heroes) for your lords and heroes if you have enoiugh influence, or simply good ones with a bit of influence, but it you don't spend any you'll get only bad ones following you. HE culture is a bit of a game of diplomacy and intriigue,and only those influents enough gets the talented to follow them.

[cb4n28]

For High Elves you have to spend some political capital at court to get the best Lords and Heroes. Without Influence in the court of the Phoenix King, the only Lords you can get are somebody's disgraced uncle or somebody else's incompetent sister.

The benefits of Influence far outweigh this handicap though. By spending it you can get better Lords than most other factions and your ability to use it to break up your enemies alliances or encourage feuding allies to make peace is invaluable. Get some heroes to start farming Influence on the campaign map ASAP

[Aelies von Saladir]

It is the usual High Elves shenanigans. The talented ones tend to be somewhat arrogant and like to play hard to get. If a lord just walks into the White Tower and says 'Hey, I want a Mage in my army. Is anyone interested? I will pay well, I promise', he would only get the bumbling idiots who have failed to accomplish anything noteworthy in their studies and desperate to prove themselves on the field of battles while the start pupils just turn their noses up and scoff at the offer. Any who desires their service would have to gently and subtly woo and court them; throwing lavishes balls in their honour, giving them sparkly keepsakes,speaking of them favourable at public gathering and perhaps even put in a good word about them in the Phoenix King's ears. Basically, you need to do something for them politically before they would even consider working for a you.

[AcidLite]

Ok got ya, thanks