Tips for beginner

[Nyxos]

Well yeah, if you can afford the brute force approach it is extremely effective.

I was referring more to the situation where you only have a few knights and men-at-arms. If they get bogged down, then you may end up taking unnecessary casualties.

how yeah, of course, but then I take my precautions

[Dubh the dark]

Since you're playing as Swadia, be aware that your knights are most effective on the charge. They can fight in a general melee but if there's a lot of elites (ie: Rhodok Sergeants, Vaegir Knights, Nord Huscarls, or Saranid Mamelukes) you will take heavier casualties than if you have them charge, pull back after they lose momentum, and charge again.

I tend to use the knights on the battlefield and get armored footmen with crossbowmen from my castles for the walls, works well!

[avion365]

if you go fast enough on your horse you will notice that your rider lowers his lance(with out you doing anything) continue doing nothing and hit some one with the tip for a bonus, called jousting

[Kawee]

I've never had any problems, just have about 60 to 80 swadian knights, and there you go.

This.

By the time you can afford 60 swadian knights, just don't bother with anything else.

[Van Daan]

I have done that for my entire career in M&B, and it is really all you need. I tend to use thirty as my "honor guard". When I see a big group of enemy lords, I nab all of the knights I can hold and have a ball. Watch as massed infantry flee as your cavalry tears through them like rice paper

[shikaka]

As I bought a retail version of M&B (1.01), I would like to ask a few noob questions.

1.
Since with a bow I pretty much suck (I can't even hit the targets on the practice field with a bow) I will take a light crossbow (for horseback fire) a shield and a one handed melee weapon. At the moment I have a normal northern longsword. What should I keep from the loot?
I will use 1handers only, because I am in trouble in battles and arena fights when I am with a 2hander weapon, and 2-3 enemies attack me at once. (though 1 on 1 I think I am doing better with a 2hander)

2.
Can I get more prisoners (not dead) with a blunt weapon?

3.
Why does it happen, and how do I prevent the enemy 'hitting the shield off my arm'?

4.
Is there a meaning behind having an own coat of arms? If I am not starting as a noble, is it possible to get one? (I think it's cool)

5.
How to raise money easily in the beginning?
I sold 6 looters to a slaver for 300 gold. I won an arena fight for 400.
However a horse is 1000+, a companion is 300-400...

6.
What kind of band I should aim to gather?
I was thinking that when I get the money, I will pay a smallish band of cavalry only (horse archers and lancers) so that I am quick on the strat map.
Does that make sense? Or will I suffer because of the lack of combined arms?

7.
If I have say 20 men in my band, how many food will be consumed per day? Does it matter if I can offer a choice (say fish/honey instead of fish/fish). What are the food types what will not rot? (dried meat? smoked fish or something?)

9.
From the skills, at first sight 'iron skin' (or something, +2HP) doesn't make much sense to me (if I am hit it is usually not 2HP...), also 'shield' seems bad too (there are always shields in the loot). Or am I not right?
Is persuade a useful skill?

10.
are there any mods for 1.01, which are tested, bug-free, and in early medieval europe? (preferably with Hungary included)

[HeroSK]

1. It depends on your playing style. However, having a lance on horse back helps a lot.

2. Yes. Blunt weapons don't kill.

3. Turning your body to counter the strike maybe?

4. Yes, it means your noble. At the begining of the game if you had chosen my father is noble, you would start with one. Now, you should be a vassal of a king to be able to get a flag.

5. I don't recommend arena fights. You need to fight for money. Also, you can trade. If you have enough army to cover yourself then go and buy some good some city and sell that to another. In 1.01, I do alot of trading by buying fur from Khudan region and selling it to Veluca. Most of the time, I bought a unit of fur for 24 denars and sell it to a price that is over 300.

6. Cavalry rules the filed. However, lancers and horse archer combo a bit weak. I recommend a good core band of Swadian Knights. They are basicly tanks. Raising them is a bit troble so keep lancers in your army and take some swadian recruits and lets them get some experience points.

7. Vareity is good for morale. Also, some food types provide more morale bonus. Rootable goods are beef and chicken as far as I remember.

8. Ah, you forgot that question.

9. If you play it like "I am a lord I dont fight, it is soldiers work." then adding points to iron skill is waste of skill points. However, if you want to charge with your soldiers then you may need it. For example, 5 points means +10 hp which is not that bad. At some point, dieying may cost you so harsh that you may wish you had few extra hps.

Shields have some coverage area. Skill point will increase that area and cover you from missles better but you dont have to put too much points on it.

10. I dont have enough information to answer this one.

[shikaka]

Thanks for the answers mate!

[Odovacar]

There is a medieval Europe mod including Hungary. I cant tell its name from herart now, as I have it on laptop. But search MB mods and you will find it.


A tip: in mounted fight when you are chased by someone quickly turn back to run right into him, in the opposite direction which you faced before, and that way you can successfully hit them with your sword.

[shikaka]

I am sooo annoyed.

I won a foot knight tournament (yellow faction) and a jousting tournament (orange), and I entered an other tournament. These Vaegir (or something, green) tournaments are very annoying! Lots of guys got lances but I got cr.ppy javelins and bows all the time.
I still made it to the final (semi-final: a completely desperate, lucky and unexpected headshot a second before the successful charge of the enemy), but there I lost. I managed to kill the horse of the local lord, but I got beaten up in the process, and he managed to hit me with his lance while he was on foot and I was aiming my bow.

[HeroSK]

Solution is simple: Avoid them. It is not needed to enter every turnament you face. I never attend infantry turnaments, for example. They are really risky. Praven and Uxkhal of Swadia and Khergit cities are making cavalry turnaments thus I always attend those. (However, you may not attend Khergit ones since they require a good skill with missles)

Also, remember you can lead your teammates as if they are your soldiers. That maybe help you a bit.

Last, this is nothing when compared to following scene; last round, enemy has a shield and you have only a bow without a back up weapon.

[Kamos]

For me those Cavalry tournaments are risky unless it's in Swadian territory where everyone will have a lance. I'm just a terrible horse archer or horse javelin guy.

[shikaka]

OK, I managed to win mounted tournaments


And I also found a worse then those: in the yellow cities, there was a pairing when I was _on foot_ with a shield and an axe, and there was a guy on a _horse_. How fair is that?
(I could barely win, and only in a cheesy way - I ran to the entry point which looks like a gate and hoped the rider will hit the wall, not me)


The horse tournaments went better when I realized that if you stay close to the enemy rider and stop, he will just run around you in circles not doing any damage. Then I just aimed my bow and when the crosshair was on him (the rider never tried to evade my shot, just run in circles) I just shot and killed the horse. After that it was easy



A question though:
At the moment I have 3 companions. Jeremus, Firentis and Borcha. Borcha is OK, but Jeremus and Firentis are constantly complaining _because I fight too much_. This is kind of annoying, since they are - in theory - a battlefield surgeon and a cavalryman, and I was actually _protecting_ a caravan (and a village before) when they complained.

I don't want them to leave and take their gear with themselves.

Do you know companions, who
- can be trained to a good surgeon quickly (high intelligence and low level I guess?)
- doesn't mind lots fighting
- doesn't hate Borcha

[HeroSK]

What type of fights they are complaining about ? Usually if you loose too much men then it is normal. Also, jeremus hates you if you loot villages.

Sorry but I have no idea which companions are passionate fighters.

[Sir Winston Churchill]

I keep getting taken prisoner. There are bandits all over the damn place, and the looters I can handle but every time I get a good party and army going some stupid deserters or other high-level guys come in and rape me. I get no chance whatsoever, and soon I'm broke. It gets ing irritating spending half the game watching you being dragged all over the place without control. Doesn't seem like I'm ever able to catch a break.

[HeroSK]

Yeah, also you loose money and some of your items. To prevent this, add a companion with good spotting and path-finding skill. That will provide you good seeing area and speed bonus on campaign map respectively. So you can avoid unwanted conflicts. Borcha and Deshavi has highest points at that skill at the begining of the game. Also, having cavalry heavy party will give you a bit more speed on map and with high morale your party will move even faster.

[Sir Winston Churchill]

Could you explain how after I was knocked out defending a village from bandits, and there was only 1 bandit on horseback left and like 20 peasants with 8 of my own Khanate mercs that somehow they lose the battle, only one bandit is killed, and the entire village is razed?

I'm sorry but that's just stupid.

[HeroSK]

Hmm, auto battles are mostly like that. High tier infantry units such as swadian/rodok seregants and nord huscarls may help .

Btw, what game are you playing ? Warband or 1.011 ?

[Sir Winston Churchill]

Hmm, auto battles are mostly like that. High tier infantry units such as swadian/rodok seregants and nord huscarls may help .

Btw, what game are you playing ? Warband or 1.011 ?

The demo. -_-

[Solid Snake]

I used to get owned by bandits, damn sea raiders, but then I got them back with my party containing over 30 huscarls....