dragoness said:
I just started play M&B Warband for like a week now, and I've got a few question regarding the gameplay.
1. "The Longer, The Better", in which situation would it be true? and in which situation would it be false?
1a. Is 80 for horse back too short?
1b, Is 140 for infantry too long? (other than anti-cavalry infantry)
2. I undestand Blunt and Pierece does extra to armor, by how much?
3. What exactly does Proficiencies increase? Attack spead? Damage? Better aiming reticle for archery?
4. Athletics vs Weight, how are they calculated in terms of you movement speed?
5. "bonus against shield" and "can crush through blocks", what exactly do they mean? how are they applied? when do I need to crush blocks?
6. Is it true that there is no AI tactic specially designed (ie. hit and run) for your own horse archer?
7. Two Handed Polearm [Polearm (No Shield)] vs Two Handed Weapon?
8. Do companion know how to use Throwing Axe as a melee weapon?
9. If I give my companion 2 different weapon (for example, Siege Crossbow and Light Crossbow, or Great Lance and Throwing Axe), does the AI knows which situation to use which weapon? (like when on foot, use Siege Crossbow instead of Light Crossbow, or when in close combat, use Throwing Axe as melee weapon instead of the Great Lance)
10. I understand most ppl equip their companion for melee pit, I find it totally defeat the purpose of cavalry. If the answer to question 9 is "yes", then will this work for cavalry companion weapons? (Lance - for initial charge, Two Handed Polearm - for ride-by and mid to long range melee, Throwing Spear - for ranged and close combat, and a Shield)
11. What is a reasonable level you will achieve in game?
12. Khergit Arrows vs Bodkin Arrows? (other than the ammo number difference)
I want to express my gratitude for time and effort you took to answer the above question.
Your help is much appreciated.
Now this is how you correctly make a newbie question thread. Kudos to you, good sir, excellent post. Don't do it like munchiepoo and make 10 threads in a day. You are a
(cool) person.
That said, I think Somebody answered your questions quite adequately. I think I can add a few things, though.
On his answer to #5, his answer was cut off. What I think he was trying to say was that block crush allows you (if you have sufficient force behind the blow) to strike someone and still do damage even if they are blocking your attack
. That's where things like momentum and weapon weight come in to play.
Here's my advice when it comes to melee weapons (as you had multiple questions about their attributes and merits). This is my personal strategy when I play a melee oriented character and I find that it works quite well. However, bear in mind that this is purely my personal feelings, it's by no means the "best" strategy. It's just food for thought.
First of all, invest in Athletics and Powerstike, the former because you'll want to wear heavy armor for survivability, and the latter for stopping power. Anyway, on to equipment.
Armor: Generally, the more protection the better. Plenty of points in Athletics should balance this out.
Shield: I like one that I can use on horse and on foot, even though I'm primarily an infantryman. I particularly like Reinforced Huscarl's Shields. Even if you plan on using mostly a 2-hander, you definitely want to carry a shield to stop you from becoming a pincusion for Sharpshooters.
Arms: Here's where things get interesting. I carry both a 2-hander and a 1-hander, for reasons I'll explain now.
2-hander - I'm a fan of the big axes for this (particularly the Heavy War Axe), because they have nice reach, destroy most shields in 3 or 4 hits, and have an insane bite. A Sword of War is not a bad choice either. Once you reach level 5 Powerstrike and decent proficiency, you'll start to one-shot most lower level troops with these axes, and even a lot of charging horses
. It's also an absolute beast from horseback. This weapon will be your primary death-dealer.
1-hander - Here I like a blunt weapon, the heavy military hammer in particular. I have several reasons for having this as a backup. 1. You need to have a weapon to use if the enemy has tons of archers, and hence a shield. 2. Prisoner collection. Nuff said. 3. Situations like sieges and other clusterf*cks, a shield really helps as well. In addition, the range is 90 or so, which allows you to use it from horse if need be, but plenty short for close in fights. 4. If you are using a shield and 1-hander, you are unlikely to be killing enemies in 1 hit. So why not go with a blunt weapon that can get prisoners while you are at it?
Anyway, that's my strategy. I hope you can find pieces of it that you like and adopt it in your style, and improve it while you are at it
If anyone has questions or comments about this loadout, I'll be happy to answer them.
