What's the deal with leveling? I've read that you should start leveling steward immediately because it's easy if you just keep morale high. But what does that mean? Like do I have to put a focus point in it to actually level it or do I just keep morale high and it will keep going up?
If you want to level something fast put focus on it, easy as that.
The thing with stewardship, as now, is that it levels passively if you have different food on inventory (so it's very easy if you want to level that, otherwise use a companion as quartermaster)
Is leadership not as much of a priority now as it was in Warband?
After 120h, I havent found a single skill that is as strictly necesary to acomplish anything in the game, not even a priority (kudos to TW for that)
I was thinking about starting an Aserai trader with bow edit: AND SPEAR, but I'm hesitant to just start yet another horse archer, did that a lot in Warband (yeah I know it's like the best..)
It's still the best for a DEFENSIVE (high survivability) character, fits ok for a trader IMO.
Also, so is marriage a much higher priority now that your character will die of old age (should have a family to succeed them)??
For current state of the EA all the family thing is of zero importance, you would never play enough years for it to be of any relevance. Although a lot of possible couples are a nice adition to your clan as companions (plus having children is kinda cool) and theres a limit age to get married.