Best early-game army comps.

[CTDemon]

What I would like to know is what are the best army compositions for the early game if one isn't playing as Liu Bei, Dong Zhuo, Ma Teng, or the Yellow Turbans?

All of my other ideas either are too bloody expensive or get thrashed in night fights...

[Vormina]

Strategist w/ flaming shot - 4 trebs, 2 archers
Sentinel w/ fire arrows - 4 archers, 2 swords
Vanguard - 2 cavalry, 4 spear militia

That always works for me till I can afford better.

[yuzhonglu]

Yellow Turbans: 3 healers @ level 2 (knowledge of the body) and another army of 3 heroes.

Don't need anything else. Bring your starting yellow turban swordsmen and nothing else. Keep the swordsmen hidden away. Have your healers wreck face. Your six heroes by themselves will DESTROY even Lu Bu's army.

They can't die.

[Salty Nobody]

I play on records.

Early game for me at least involves using whatever I can throw together. Early game usually means a lack of money and limited characters with desirable traits so there is a good amount of improvisation when throwing an army together.

For a non YT faction Ji Militia, Archer Militia and Lancer Militia/Mounted Sabre Militia make up the bulk of my forces. If I can I might throw a treb in an army or have a purple general with a mix of axemen and expensive Jian Sword Guards.

Regardless, my early game armies all follow the same format. Six things to shoot the enemy with, six things to hold the center line backed by what is usually a blue general, and six cav units split between both flanks, with each group lead by a combat oriented general. The specific generals do not matter other than only one blue general per army. Use whoever is available.

Have the archers shoot up what should be the outnumbered enemy archers and whatever else presents a good target (enemy Ji units, Records mode generals, etc.) Let the melee infantry block tie the enemy down and don't forget to counter charge the enemy infantry. Then have both wings of cav sweep around the flanks and win the battle. When the archers run out of ammo send them in to melee to bail out your likely outnumbered center line. Direct, simple, easy to use, and it works. My favorite kind of battle formation.

[WildArmsFx]

Defense. Fight every battle you can on your turf, replacing your standing army with free garrisons. The AI always takes unfavorable battle on offense because the equation is largely based off units largely undercounting the benefits of the defender.

Also alot of defensives lack something specific but usually cheap like archers or a sole commander. Enemy cav is basically made useless with checkpoints. Archers under a yellow commander make good defense because they boost morale for all.