* Get a few thousand thalers and start sending caravans. I found that Warsaw and Koningsberg are the easiest cities to send caravans to and from. There is small distance, expansive goods and almost no bandits in that area.
* Try to get ~50,000 as fast as you can. Don't send caravans with expansive goods at first since you will need a trade patent. It costs 4,500 thalers that appears to be a typo as it's 45,000.
* Once you have trade patent you can stop picking up loot and trading through inventory.
* Taking prisoners and selling them is useless. If you need a place to sell them you can always sell in Kafa (It was a huge slave market at that time)
* Villagers are now upgradeable, but don't expect them to become top tier units. They can be upgraded into mercenaries. The ones you find in taverns. Peasant women however, can not be upgraded. (update from Ruben Thomas)
* Mercenaries in taverns are not customizable only merc from mercenary camps. Those are expansive so have lots of cash.
* Best armor and weapons are bought from Weapon-master and Armor-master.
* I have found these npcs (companions) to be good for both storylines. Names might appear a little different since I don't know how they will be spelled in English version.
* When you have money and npcs, send them to university in Warsaw and while they study run some caravans to Koningsberg.
* As soon as you own a city start hiring officers and building barracks and stable. After you have officers you can start hiring specific types of troops. These troops are upgradable.
* Use wagon fortification if you know you will be attacked.
* Once you Engineering skill is higher you can try to rush into the city or blow a hole in the wall, those options save you lots of troops since you don't have to scale walls.
* If you decide to use ladders for assaults carry small grenades 3 or 6. try to climb farthest ladder and while your troops fight kill enemy with grenades.
* Be prepared for drastic map changes when beginning a new mission later in the story.
* I would suggest not to worry too much about building a super army, with amount of fighting you will have to do and amount of imprisoned troops you can take from enemy use what you can since most of troops will die soon.
* How do you start the Black Mace quest? Cossack story)
* To start a Polish storyline:
* Muscovy Storyline
Any of these 3 storylines start after you have 10+ relations with their kingdom. I posted the easiest ways.
Another great way of making Khmelnitskyi your friend is taking the "save sivash" quest from a Crimean lord and not saving it.
Doing Swedish quest to bring Clermont to king makes you loose relations with Cossacks.
Another easy quest for Cossacks is from Zolotarenko (deliver prisoner to Sich).
* Clermont gives you a Moscovy quest after your relations with Moscow will be 5+.
* Try to get ~50,000 as fast as you can. Don't send caravans with expansive goods at first since you will need a trade patent. It costs 4,500 thalers that appears to be a typo as it's 45,000.
* Once you have trade patent you can stop picking up loot and trading through inventory.
* Taking prisoners and selling them is useless. If you need a place to sell them you can always sell in Kafa (It was a huge slave market at that time)
* Villagers are now upgradeable, but don't expect them to become top tier units. They can be upgraded into mercenaries. The ones you find in taverns. Peasant women however, can not be upgraded. (update from Ruben Thomas)
* Mercenaries in taverns are not customizable only merc from mercenary camps. Those are expansive so have lots of cash.
* Best armor and weapons are bought from Weapon-master and Armor-master.
* I have found these npcs (companions) to be good for both storylines. Names might appear a little different since I don't know how they will be spelled in English version.
Fatima, Yelisei, Fedot, Sarabun, Karlsson, Priest Spasokukotsky +Colonel Zagloba when doing Polish Storyline or Mamai when doing Cossack one.
* As soon as you own a city start hiring officers and building barracks and stable. After you have officers you can start hiring specific types of troops. These troops are upgradable.
* Use wagon fortification if you know you will be attacked.
* Once you Engineering skill is higher you can try to rush into the city or blow a hole in the wall, those options save you lots of troops since you don't have to scale walls.
* If you decide to use ladders for assaults carry small grenades 3 or 6. try to climb farthest ladder and while your troops fight kill enemy with grenades.
* Be prepared for drastic map changes when beginning a new mission later in the story.
* I would suggest not to worry too much about building a super army, with amount of fighting you will have to do and amount of imprisoned troops you can take from enemy use what you can since most of troops will die soon.
* How do you start the Black Mace quest? Cossack story)
1. Receive a quest to burn Maslov brod (village near Kyiv) (this quest is given by Polish lord). When you get to the village, talk to elder and refuse to burn it.
2. Get quest to bring treasury
3. From Crimean lord you get a quest to defend village Sivash, when you get there and talk to village elder, cossacks appear ready to raid it, if you let them your relations will rise with cossacks.
If relations with Cossacks are 10+ talk to first lord you see and he gives you a defend a village quest. Storyline started.
2. Get quest to bring treasury
3. From Crimean lord you get a quest to defend village Sivash, when you get there and talk to village elder, cossacks appear ready to raid it, if you let them your relations will rise with cossacks.
If relations with Cossacks are 10+ talk to first lord you see and he gives you a defend a village quest. Storyline started.
1. Complete all 3 village quests.
2. Burn Maslov Brod. (Ask any Polish Lord for a special mission)
3. Ask any Polish Lord "Tell me - what news do we have of the Polish republic?"
Or raise your relations to +10.
2. Burn Maslov Brod. (Ask any Polish Lord for a special mission)
3. Ask any Polish Lord "Tell me - what news do we have of the Polish republic?"
Or raise your relations to +10.
1. Level up to lvl5, get a recommendation to Trubetskoi (from Clermont), burn 3 Polish Villages.
2. Bring supplies to Naum V. (quest from any Moscovy lord)
3. Ask any Muscovy lord about Time of Troubles.
Or raise your relations to +10.
2. Bring supplies to Naum V. (quest from any Moscovy lord)
3. Ask any Muscovy lord about Time of Troubles.
Or raise your relations to +10.
Any of these 3 storylines start after you have 10+ relations with their kingdom. I posted the easiest ways.
Another great way of making Khmelnitskyi your friend is taking the "save sivash" quest from a Crimean lord and not saving it.
Doing Swedish quest to bring Clermont to king makes you loose relations with Cossacks.
Another easy quest for Cossacks is from Zolotarenko (deliver prisoner to Sich).
* Clermont gives you a Moscovy quest after your relations with Moscow will be 5+.
