Starter troops for a Mercenary Captain

999 but only one will be King of Calradia.



That is after his brother fall in battle against the Sturgians. Soon.

When history was written..

Troops that are so good already at lower tier, they need not be upgraded for the longest time. Not to be confused with the best fighters from the elite tier, but troops that can work for half the pay and work close or equally to one tier above.

Saving money in one army can buy another army, and two armies can make baby armies :)

Good starter troops.

Battania
Noble Line Archers already at tier 2 and can be found in the villages as tier 3 and tier 4


Sturgia
Warrior with metal helmet at tier 2 and round shield.


Aserai
Mameluke Soldier at tier 2 metal helmet, some body armor and big shield.

Mameluke 2H Axe at tier 3, only shock troop at its tier.


Vlandia
Gallant Cavalry tier 3, don't buy the tier 2 Squire. Gallant comes for 250 Denar with WAR MOUNT.
You will not need to buy a horse for upgrading to knight.


Khuzait
Nothing to see here, moving on.
Of course already at tier 2 they get horse archers and even tier 4 can be found in the Castle villages, that upgrade into the Khans Guard. Again try buy them after they got their War Mount.




Empire
"You here for playing Empire?"
"yes..?"
"Boo this man!"

If you are lucky over 1/3 will spawn with mail coif but then at tier 3 they are all back to handkerchief for helmet and some will wear a scarf, because its cold.

Just kidding, Will write something here one day for you. Just waiting for TalesWorld to make a good low tier troop.

If one was to argue for early use of Empire troops, it would be the availability. The Empire factions cover the most land and have the most towns and villages, which troops can be recruited from.

Current Army

Had a few good fights, so far one siege defense of a Castle. Where the Sturgian Warriors did really well.

At the start of the game, I can only have 20 troops in my party, so having a good enough troop composition for scaring away bandits is one thing, but I want troops good enough for robbing them. I mean make the road safe for fellow travelers :)

I like to pick up the Battanian noble archers and a few skirmisher, ONE of the skirmisher hopefully will be a Falxmen "the Falxmen", and then I pick up some Sturgian Warrior or Aserai Mameluke, depending on my travels. I only upgrade one trooper to tier 4, the Falxmen, keeping the rest of the troops at tier 2 for the longest time, saving Denar. I don't need the tier 4 Falxmen, its just because I like to see him run around chopping. I hire the Vlandian tier 3 Gallant Cavalry as needed. If I go with horse archers, I like to make it pure horse archers. The low tiers are very fragile but the horse archers show their true strength, when micromanaged on battle fields. And I often use them in field armies, so its better to just have one troop type.

I get the needed exp for the future upgrade against looters and the odd hideouts I come upon.

Battanian Castle Villages got the noble line archers, that already at tier 3 become Supermen. Good bow and a 2 handed sword, that can chop down a rider and his horse.

Sturgian Warriors are famous for their large round shields and the Shieldwall. Another thing they should be famous for, is that they got helmets. At tier 2 they got the metal helmet with 18 armor.
In my test the round shield seems to cover more of the Warrior, when he moves forward or charges, than most other troops shields at low tiers. Its perhaps the shape and size, that makes it so a part of the shield is always in front of the Warrior.


Aserai got the Mameluke Soldier at tier 2, sporting a pointy metal helmet with 22 armor. Again same as the Sturgian Warrior, Mameluke got a good shield that covers him well on the move.

The Aserai also got better overall armor and got a spear to complement his one handed weapon. They can upgrade into a 2 handed axe shock troop at tier 3. Its the only tier 3 shock troop and shock troops are the best for killing horses and camels.


Sturgia, Battania, Vlandia and Empire all get their 2 handed at tier 4 and they are all really good.

The Sturgian and Aserai tier 2 infantry troops always spawn with a metal helmet. Unlike other factions, where you can get a lucky helmet or a handkerchief or nothing. For comparison the Enemy.. I mean Empire one tier higher troop :)


Vlandian Gallant gets his war mount at tier 3 and can be found easily in the villages as tier 3 for only 250 Denar. A War Mount often cost over 500 Denar.

When I get some mercenary work and find a large battle, I can choose to upgrade the tier 2 for tier 3. But they do surprisingly well at tier 2 against higher tier troops, in part because of tactics and the use of Captains.

Its an army that I can replace from scratch at anytime, so casualties don't mean much. Saves me lots of money in daily wages. I often switch sides in war, sometimes right on the spot. There are no limits or penalties for renegotiating mercenary contracts.

Be aware that the jump in gear from tier 2 and 3 is small, for some troops. But going fighting against tier 4 can bring a lot of pain. Many troops get good armor and weapons and some get big two handed or swingable polearms. The Cavalry armor and War Mounts also bring chaos to the low tiers. You must use the army in favorable terrain and with tactics or else..


Wages
18 troops 48 Denar
Golden 40 Denar
(just a random companion to show what it could look like. He is not worth the money in the party, but I can send him out as Caravan Captain)

Day 9 level 4
Saved the Northern Empire Town of Amprela from the Khuzait Horde.
Got 20.000 Denar and a Wife.
Life is good.

Just kidding

So you are raiding Calradia to save up for a new GPU

Remember the Gallant Cavalry of Vlandia?

Once I got a few pretend good soldiers, I make sure to fight easy battles. Like enemy Lords that just fought a battle against my buddy and took him and many of his men prisoner. Now I could have helped him, in fact my buddy only attacked the superior Lord because he thought "we got this". Do not trust mercenary Captain named Grum, who spends all his spare time, raiding horse villages. Well lesson learned.

"Conan what is best in life?"
"To see your buddies taken prisoner, save him and hear his praises"

And take all your buddy's old troops for yourself."

Grum wearing Battle Loot only, in part thanks to Roguery extra %.

Free horses, best horses!

The Highwayman Bandit can be upgraded into the Vlandia Banner Knight Cavalry and again, you do not need to buy him a War Mount. Even upgrading a Mountain Bandit into Highwayman only requires a normal mount. The Highwayman upgrades into a Champion etc without buying any kind of mount, since the Vlandian Noble Cavalry Line already rides a War Mount from the tier 3 Gallant and the Highwayman being a tier 4.

Even a party member with the Leadership perk Veteran Respect can upgrade them for you. Someone you trust with 30 Cavalrymen.

Like your brother.. where are the rest of the horses?
Don't tell me you got hungry for horse burgers again.
Oh well who can say no :)

Just in emergency, one horse gives 3 meat, no hide or anything.

Had a meeting today, with forest bandits. I tried to be nice and gentlemen like. I used fine words and was very polite. They just dont understand that being nice, dont mean being weak and scared. So..

Saving money where you can.

Which to pick, Mercenary Troops from Towns or the roaming Bandit rabble.

Thing is with Mercenaries you get an average trooper with a low salary, If you take the perks.

With Bandits you get a trooper with no hiring cost and if you don't like him, you can trade him in for good money in a Town, where the gangs need new recruits. So consider having bandits like having premier horses, where ever you go, somebody wants to buy them off you.



Picking up a few bandits on the way, can be the best loot you found.
Looters, 16 of them trade for 3600. That is 225 Denar for each Looter.


Bandits are low level but have some armor and/or skills, and you can increase Leadership skill by upgrading them, and you will also get Medicine skill, because many of them are fighting in cloth armor.

Once you upgraded them, you can get more money for them from the quest. Then go out and pick up some more loot.. I mean bandits, and repeat the leveling of your skills, with raiding for Roguery and exp for the troops from beating the village militia, upgrade bandits and then back and sell both loot and bandits.

So when you get 150 Roguery, you can take the Partners in Crime perk, for the 100% chance that Bandits will join your party. Now you are set to go, as the number one Gangster.. I mean Mercenary Captain.

We all seen it in auto resolve and shaken our fist at Taleworld.

Well last night looters were on my side and not only did they help win against Empire. They smacked that last Cataphract of his horse, when he came charging at them. I have no idea how much health he had or how much speed influenced the hit but that guy stopped right there.


The picture is from the second phase of the battle. For some reason the Lords in their wisdom sent these guys in to the fray, while none of them showed up being wounded and all.

Also found new helmet.

At start I pick on looters, then bandits and hideouts and in wartime the village militia. That way I have easy fights, where I have control over how many get hit or not. Its sadly so, that we need to get some wounded and fights that are tough. Too easy fights don't give so much exp for Tactic skill, and we need wounded for training Medicine skill.

After fighting the village militia, I only raid the village to around 90% then stop the raiding to not get the minus to relations hit. Perhaps TaleWorlds will patch this one day.

If there is a chance for small Lord vs Lord fights, I see what is best for me and will either join my ally to defeat the enemy or wait for the enemy to beat my ally, then attack the weakened enemy and take all the loot for myself. Including my "allies" troops that were taken prisoner and even rescuing my grateful ally :)

If there are large scale battles between faction armies. I see if there is a good chance we can win and join for "free loot". I can join the fight separately or join the army and let the commander use my forces. In return I can captain one of the formations and ensure its put to good use. Any troops lost is medicine skill +. Some large battle will often have rescued prisoners, that can replace the fallen troops.

Post Card from the lands of the Khuzait.


The feared armies of the Khuzait have problems of their own. After our successful defense of the Empire lands against the Khuzait. My Mercenary force is now aiding the Khuzait get rid of their horsethieves. In return our relations have greatly improved.

Its fast becoming a thing in Calradia now.



Everybody and his horse wants to be famous honest Rogue.

Finding the best troops for my party can be difficult and at times I need to travel far. So from time to time I hire what is available.

Such a man was the Aserai Light Archer. We rescued him from a Steppe Hideout, North West of Akkalat, in the lands of the horse lords. This man served well and fought many battles, all the way to Vlandia, where we found some peace in the Town of Sargot.

While in Town, I had all my men go through the doctor and see if they are okay. A good leader should do this often. Sadly The Aserai Light Archer, who had advanced in rank to a Master Archer, failed the Doctor test. His time spent in captivity and perhaps all the battles, had taken their toll on him.

It seems that while he could easily wield the Iron Scimitar sword they use as Light Archers. The new sword as Master Archer is rather large. So our slightly cross eyed archer could not wield it very well. I had no choice but to let him go. I paid his retirement fee of 20.000 Denar and gave him two horses and some goods.

*playing sad music*

Mercenary Captain Grum has been resting and doing some reading of old strategies and tactics used by ancient forefathers.

Now he is out with his crack force of the most elite well trained, equipped and disciplined troops.


The enemy Lords can only flee and they know it, so they flee even at mere rumors that Grums party is in the lands near them.

But sometimes they gather up larger forces and try. Luckily we got there in time and some Lord had been careful to drop Fian archers for Garrison duty.


First picture is from a 300 man nobles and T5 elite party, second picture is from an all out bandit party.

Testing Units in Bannerlord
Some YTer named LyonExodus
https://www.youtube.com/@LyonExodus

Related to the retirement of Aserai Master Archer.
https://youtu.be/AsL46Jzd1k0