Normal difficulty is impossible

[Garlan]

Well, the archers I raised didn't last **** in the battlefield, but it worked out, kind of.

I just had to get lots of recruits and use them as cannon fodder.

Also, riding in circles around them (with my Heavy Sumpter Horse rofl) helped out a lot, atleast half of them was trying to hit me while my lads were charging at them 

I'll just have to get used to it, I guess, leaving my men to die and not to charge in first.

@DogSoldieR : I do use mostly Vaegir/Swadian units in the beginning, then after I get some respectable equipment move to another faction territory and get a mercenary contract.

By the way, what kind of melee weapon do you recommend for a horse archer? (Two-hand, One-hand, Polearms?)

 

[Argeus the Paladin]

Get a Balanced Long Awlpike, a good bow and two quivers. That's enough to last you for the whole game. Two handed weapons are not worth it with their slow swing speed, and I just feel awkward with a one hander and no shield.

Bah. Them Franks and Danes have nothing on PoP's Snake Cult or Jatu parties. The pinnacle of player-raepage M&B has to offer, no doubt. 

It was cold, wet morning when we arrived to Larian fields. We were supposed to intercept some noldor patrol. Thirty men we had, hardened men and women, all mounted and ready to fight. We were fighting all possible scum of Pendor: Jatu, cultists, even rogue knights. We tought we were ready for everything. Then we saw pointy ears. 20 men strong group, mostly bowmen only four of them mounted. This looked perfect. The fog was so thick that we barely could see ourselves. Not even a challenge, said one of my finest men, knight named Sir Roland, who was able to fend off three enemy knights at once other day. I set my men to stand in line, and ordered charge to commence. The sight of  cavalry gaining full speed was alone worth taking this job. The weather did not allow me to do it this time, so instead i found beauty in fast rhytm of hooves and wind. Sir Roland yelled something, and was blasted from his horse. With a single arrow. Before we even saw them, we lost ten men. We heard that noldor were good archers but that was just ridiculous. Those still alive raised a warcry. After all even best archers were nothing but meat when hit by cavalry. Well, not the noldors. They drew swords, and few moments later, it was all over.

Still getting chills when hearing the noldor theme song. Oh, and there's heretic army.

Well, they are supposed to be descendents of First Age elves if you are like me and think the Pendor and Middle Earth timelines are parallel. First Age elves that, among other things, had a high king who forged precious gems out of the light of trees that formed the sun and the moon, another high king who wounded THE embodiment of evil in open combat, and founded a number of kingdoms in the North that made the greatest of later realms of men look like a barbaric rabble living in thatched huts and leaky longhouses.

Of course they are meant to be overpowered. 

 

[Filou]

Get a Balanced Long Awlpike, a good bow and two quivers. That's enough to last you for the whole game. Two handed weapons are not worth it with their slow swing speed, and I just feel awkward with a one hander and no shield.

He's having trouble to survive on normal difficulty and you're telling him to go fight without a shield ?!?
As a horse archer I only swap my 1h/shield for a 2h + quiver when my offence is really good (about 200 in archery), and when I have a strong armor.  Having a good horse is also a good idea in order for it to survive and to be fast on the field.

Before it's best to stick to a shield and a 1h (I like scimitars). 
The Alwpike is really good, but you can't do much if your horse is sawrmed by enemies.  (also I suck with it if I get dismounted so I need something to switch to).

 

[argyre]

Do not get rid of your shield. I never ever get rid of my shield and always have high shield skill to make the most of it. There is absolutely no battle where a shield isn't useful - in the field it lets you be much, much more daring with charging towards enemies before the melee begins, makes you more or less impervious to archers, and acts as an oh **** button when you realise you're a second away from attempting an attack that will fail and get you hurt. In a siege you'll be lucky to ever get through the fortifications without a shield until your company finally manage to clear them, because archers behind fortifications have a natural advantage versus archers on the ground if you're trying to outrange them, and your men are too stupid to run past the chokepoint and kill all the archers if you tell them to charge.

If you want to use a bow, then go with a bow/quiver/long arming sword, morningstar or something with a lot of reach and good damage/shield. But I wouldn't even bother trying to use a bow on horseback at the start of the game, it takes too much of a skill investment to become effective at.

Really, DogSoldieR? Most of my characters start with 7-10 agility, most of them already got 3 riding. Raising the agility to 12 and riding to 4 is  much easier and faster to do than, say, establishing an army.

Getting 4 in riding and a war horse for you and each of your companions takes more time and money than raising a few dozen effective cavalry. I haven't played a game yet where my main character and heroes managed to stay ahead of my regular troops in terms of equipment and level. However, a strong mount for the main character should be a priority.

 

[Suspicous Pilgrim]

To hell with riding and cavalry. What I did is form a 100% Rhodok crossbow man army, then got Jeremus, Borcha, and Marnid. Each one has some surgery and training. Combined, I van get veteran crossbow men by the end of the week. Here's a tip for anything- recruit in bulk. 20 recruits will train a lot faster than 2.

 

[zwierzor]

Well, the archers I raised didn't last **** in the battlefield, but it worked out, kind of.

I think i know where your problem lies. You did not use Mount and Blade tactics.

I just had to get lots of recruits and use them as cannon fodder.

warmer...

Also, riding in circles around them (with my Heavy Sumpter Horse rofl) helped out a lot, atleast half of them was trying to hit me while my lads were charging at them 

I'll just have to get used to it, I guess, leaving my men to die and not to charge in first.

Bingo! Now, get a better horse so you will survive longer!

By the way, what kind of melee weapon do you recommend for a horse archer? (Two-hand, One-hand, Polearms?)

Any, to be frank. As long as you will train the weapon to 100-200 proficiency you will be alright. If you still have problems with surviving however, invest in shield instead of additional quiver.

To hell with riding and cavalry. What I did is form a 100% Rhodok crossbow man army, then got Jeremus, Borcha, and Marnid. Each one has some surgery and training. Combined, I van get veteran crossbow men by the end of the week. Here's a tip for anything- recruit in bulk. 20 recruits will train a lot faster than 2.

So you put cheap dirty sheepf...sheep herders with their inexpensive dirty thunk-making machines and fair priced helmets that look like chamberpot over incredibly expensive warriors, steamrolling horses that required years to train, clad in armours that cost was similar to small village?

Are you out of your mind? 

 

[argyre]

Ranged troops are a poor recommendation for someone who's having trouble just surviving in the game IMHO. An advancing enemy shield wall almost never fails to neuter archers completely. A cavalry charge will slaughter them if they're on flat ground; cavalry with shields turn archers into a joke unless they get stuck at the base of a cliff. From my own experiments with archers I've honestly seen no advantage to using them in the field at all, except for added challenge and attempts at increasing the game's level of strategy.

 

[Argeus the Paladin]

Thing is, OP is still in the "kill bandit and make money" phase. At this point, the risk of facing a proper shield-wall is almost nil save for maybe, MAYBE sea raiders. I still put my money on the mass crossbow as the final solution to all bandit problems.

Get a Balanced Long Awlpike, a good bow and two quivers. That's enough to last you for the whole game. Two handed weapons are not worth it with their slow swing speed, and I just feel awkward with a one hander and no shield.

He's having trouble to survive on normal difficulty and you're telling him to go fight without a shield ?!?
As a horse archer I only swap my 1h/shield for a 2h + quiver when my offence is really good (about 200 in archery), and when I have a strong armor.  Having a good horse is also a good idea in order for it to survive and to be fast on the field.

Before it's best to stick to a shield and a 1h (I like scimitars). 
The Alwpike is really good, but you can't do much if your horse is sawrmed by enemies.  (also I suck with it if I get dismounted so I need something to switch to).

True to a degree. Though I thought I've mentioned that this is my personal choice. Even staring down an army full of Rhodok sharpshooters cannot persuade me to forgo one bag of arrow in favor of a shield nowadays. 

 

[Suspicous Pilgrim]

In MB, a ton of inexpensive ranged units with okay melee stars (Rhodoks) will beat every bandit party.

 

[Sven-Mjolnir]

Not at all, its just a matter of practice, I can take on up 40 men by myself when leveled up and with a horse, on foot with some luck 20 given they don't have many archers... (all this with the most difficult setting possible) keep playing and you'll become aquiles once again

 

[Filou]

But I wouldn't even bother trying to use a bow on horseback at the start of the game, it takes too much of a skill investment to become effective at.

Ironically it's at the very start of the game when you can find plenty of looters that the bow is the safest and easiest since they have no shield and they only throw rocks.  They're great to build up proficiency and you don't really need any HA since you can stop to shoot them.

Also since it does take a while for a horse archer to come into his own, the faster you start at it the quicker you get to a point where you dominate.  But really its about the initial start, IMO starting with ~4 PD is pretty much mandatory if you're going to use a bow.

 

[bakters]

As far as I can tell, the main mistake the OP does is charging straight on against ranged troops.  It sort of works in warband, but fails totally in WFAS, and that was the game I started.  Since then I tend to get my cavalry to follow me and charge at an angle, so archers can't simply line up their shots.

I play now at max difficulty, with added challenge of not buying anything but food, with 0 points in looting (just to let you know, that I'm not a noob).  Best and simplest strategy early on is 100% cavalry army.  You  have to micromanage them a little against big odds or in difficult terrain, but it's still the easiest way of winning battles.  Just do not charge straight on.

I tend to ride on a fast horse first and start skirmishing bandits.  If you ride at full speed perpendicular to their line of fire, they will miss you.  Once they face me, I order a charge.  Other times I get my men follow me and time my charge order in such a way, that when they turn toward a line of enemies all of them will attack at the same time.  It's hard to explain, but the idea is to simply make a beeline of enemy and a beeline of your army parallel, and then order charge.  For minimal casualties you should watch for "New enemies arrived" message and stop one or two of your men being unhorsed and killed when they singlehandedly attack the whole reinforcement.

Against mounted bandits you must remember to give "mount horses" order at the beginning of the battle (F2-F5).  A bunch of your troops will get stuck in the crowd, and they will dismount without it.  If you give this order, only the bandits will dismount and all your men who lost horses will happily mount anything free.  So the whole encounter should go like this.  Bandits charge against your men and everybody gets stuck in the middle.  You ride around and attack them in their backs.  Bandits dismount often and get slaughtered.  Your men don't dismout, so they are effective at mopping up.

I do believe that I gave you the easiest ways of winning early on, but people differ, and some are more effective with slower paced archer/infantry warfare.

 

[RalliX]

Everytime Argeus comment on something it feels like he is pulling something off a dictionary.

Not sure whether I should take this as a compliment or a criticism, but okay.

As to the "get more cav" comment: In my experience, this is rather counterproductive in the earlier stages. The only early cavalry you can get your hands on that are worth the effort are Mercenary Cavalry, which cost an arm and a leg to hire and another arm and leg to maintain. Not to mention, they are a hell of a kill-stealer. When you factoring in the fact that loot after a battle is somewhat (not tested, though I have a very strong feeling that it does have an impact) affected by how many guys you the player drop personally, this could mean that unless you invest a lot on Looting you'll be bringing back nothing more than scraps. Even if that isn't true, at that stage you want those experience.

I've always played my games massing archers. Much cheaper, much safer and there is something inherently awesome about seeing green text scrolling after every volley. Though that could be personal preference.

Loot goes something like this...

Your character gets ten shares.
Companions get three each.
Soldiers get one share each.

So, more troops means less loot for yourself.

 

[LeRoux]

Really.

I've been playing this game for a few months now, and I love it, but it was in the 1/4 damage taken difficulty. I wanted a challenge, so I created a new character and changed the difficulty to normal.

Now, everytime I go to sleep I have nightmares with Forest Bandits in them. Arrows take half my hp each, and my horse dies in a few shots. My soldiers last seconds on the battlefield until they get pwned.
There's nothing I can do.

I'm afraid to leave the safety of Veluca, Forest Bandits could be anywhere, at any time.

I need some tips about how to survive in this nightmare they call "NORMAL" difficulty.

P.s : English isn't my first language so go easy on me.

I agree, warband is too hard.

 

[KaosProphet]

Loot goes something like this...

Your character gets ten shares.
Companions get three each.
Soldiers get one share each.

So, more troops means less loot for yourself.

Pity they don't actually *do* anything with the loot.  Everything outside your share just disappears.

 

[The Hunchback of Praven]

So, after ~ 60h playtime I started my first game on normal difficulty.

Expecting lots of trouble, I decided to play a game as a Rhodok Merc Captain of a small archer company. Not one of those Condottieri, fielding whole companies of well equipped calvalry, but an over-the-top leader of a ~25 platoon.

Equipped with a cracked board shield, a battered kettle hat, heavy crossbow & cleaver, I'll try to make a fortune in rural regions of Rhodok by hunting down bandits and training peasants.

Long story short: I was pwned by stick-wielding peasants, face-smashed by stone throwing looters and chased by dozens of deserters. Lessons learned. Ouch.

 

[LeRoux]

Well, obviously you arent playing the game the way it should be played.
I've been playing on hardest setting on SP for a long time, and I fool arround allot, just fight impossible battles that I'm gonna lose anyway.

And that's the way you'll die.


You shouldn't fight mountain bandits or deserters or w/e in the beginning, just do lame quests, and gather yourself Rhodok Crossbows, to fend of looters till you can train some betters cav or melee.
The game, on hardest difficulty, obviously is ****ing hard.




Tbh, you shouldn't buy a cleaver and heavy crossbow until you have the cash to fund decent troops, and affort armour for yourself.

 

[Garlan]

Having to run from a 10-man Forest Bandit party with your 25 man third tier soldiers feels terrible. 

 

[LeRoux]

I always hunt down them forest bandits with mah cavies!

 

[malacka07]

Having to run from a 10-man Forest Bandit party with your 25 man third tier soldiers feels terrible. 

Imo mid tier troops are cannon fodders if they are in the players party. Of course AI parties can use them more effectively. My favorite example is sarranid skirmisher. In my party they are totally useless even I have a bunch of them (in an epic battle my 20 skirmishers wasnt able to hit more than 6 troops) while if they fight in a lords party they can be deadly. I've tested it once in 1v1 situation and 6 in 10 cases he pwned me with headshot (I was cirling around him with full speed, on a champion sarranid horse) what is ridiculous. Imo.