Why are my levies so small?

[SkoomaAddict]

My first run playing as Delmetia trying to form Illyria. I just conquered a pretty big region with lots of pops. But my army is still the same size as it was in the beginning. I really do not understand what is going on haha. Thanks to anyone who helps.

[el viejo woopy]

The reason being is because you have to build barracks to have more freeman but not just that, you also would need the pops their integrated with your culture. Also forgot to mention during wars lots of people die meaning less pop meaning less levies it takes time to grow it

[sammwich]

Levies are based solely on non-slave integrated culture pops. You need roughly 12 pops per 1 levy cohort (500 troops). Manpower and freemen are now irrelevant to levy\legion size. To increase your army size, there are five methods from slowest to quickest:

1) population growth
2) assimilating foreign pops
3) integrating a foreign culture with at least 50 non-slave pops
4) conquering a territory in a region that you did not previously have any territory (requires at least one integrated pop in the region)
5) hire mercenaries
6) tribal magic

[SkoomaAddict]

Thank you both for the help, this game is really challenging my monkey brain hahahaha

[makromate]

pls dont build barracks, they are useless, better build marketplaces.

[lemurs2]

Do not listen to him, barracks are very nice in a high population settlement. Marketplaces only really do one thing now (which makes very little sense historically), they speed up integration.

Find a high population settlement with maybe leather, wine, something you maybe don't need, or don't need more of, and build a barracks there.
This will add to your levy size and to your manpower for keeping your army up to strength.

[Petrovich2049]

^early game when manpower is the problem, you don't have spare money to build those. Later in the game manpower is not a problem anyways. I never build it, and other same class buildings either unless it's a capital or other really big city

[sammwich]

Originally posted by Petrovich2049:

^early game when manpower is the problem, you don't have spare money to build those. Later in the game manpower is not a problem anyways. I never build it, and other same class buildings either unless it's a capital or other really big city

Agreed. Training grounds would be useful early game or for a small-only playthrough. Otherwise, when you need them you have better things to spend your gold on. When you don't, you have better things to spend your gold on.

Maybe if you are really getting beaten up, you will find yourself short on manpower. But even then, a manpower recovery speed modifier increase is more useful than increasing your manpower.

[lemurs2]

Again, disagree. If you are the Roman Empire, sure, you do not need a training ground.
I tend to specialize two or three inland cities as manpower centers. Something like Court of Law, Forum and two training centers.
This both increases your levy size and your manpower.

[sammwich]

Originally posted by lemurs2:

This both increases your levy size and your manpower.

Manpower no longer has any effect on army size. Buildings and laws that decrease the level of slaves desired will increase levy size, but only because they increase the number of non-slave pops. Training camp has no effect on pop class desirability. Academies, courts of law, forums, and barracks will somewhat increase your levies because they reduce the number of slaves. Barracks have the largest effect, but a high pop settlement is about 20 pops. If you build only barracks, it will have a substantial effect, but it's still small.

[makromate]

Originally posted by lemurs2:

This will add to your levy size and to your manpower for keeping your army up to strength.

No this will not.. its lots of factors like integrated pops or laws, but no manpower.

https://imperator.paradoxwikis.com/Army#Levies

You are limited by building slots, better build marketplaces early on...it helps levy size and trading. With the trading money you can hire merchs and save manpower too.
And more assimilated pops means more levys..... so again," pls dont build barracks, they are useless, better build marketplaces."

[Truggs]

Forget levies, focus on getting a legion and use mercs as mainstay of your armies. Literally one legion supported by merc armies can carry you... at least playing as a civilized nation like rome, carthage, successor states(most who start with legions and huge levies anyways).

[Shad]

Too many mercs tanks your military tradition gain though, so you do want to avoid relying on them too much.