Why is there no plate exactly ?

[BattanianDruid]

Full plate is a dime a dozen. It is almost ubiquitous in pop culture fantasy. I say let Bannerlord showcase an era that isn't seen as often.

Personally the Early / High Medieval aesthetic of mail armor, long cloaks, and rugged beards is my favorite historical aesthetic to use. It feels both more mythic and more harsh as the warriors aren't completely encased in steel and are still fairly vulnerable. Even the great lords risk much when they go into the field against peasant levies.

My current character is wearing some lovely Celtic mail with green plaid coverings for decoration and a great black bear head and cloak over his head and shoulders and I couldn't be happier. He looks like a beast both figuratively and literally.

 

[kalarhan]

TW has explained the time period of reference (general), plus the special cases per faction. You can read that on the old blogs.

 

[Kräuterbutterlord]

As a big fan of plate amour myself (especially northern Italian white amour), I will just wait for a mod that brings the late middle ages to Calradia. I would not want them to add it into Native because I appreciate the style they are going for, and while I do not mind anachronism, it would just break the visual style of the game, to see Vlandian Knights in plate amour (since they are the closest to western European Kingdoms visually) trample over anything in their way.

Also, real plate amour is insanely strong, this could prove an issue balancing wise since you would have either to give all Factions plate or buff up their high-tier lamellar/mail stuff (which would just feel weird if it is as good as plate).

 

[gathomas88]

If we try to guess what century the game is in, mine would be the 13-14th century because of the Mongol Empire aka Khuzait. But that would also mean that plate should really be in the game as it came in fashion again after the fall of the Roman Empire in the 13th century, Vlandians and Imperials i could see using plate with their vast economies and strong factions.

Even if not, i think that plate would be a game changer as archers tear through the toughest units in the game right now like butter.

Negative. My guess would be that the game is meant to be set more in the 10th or 11th century, with the original M&B WB being set in the 13th or 14th Century.

 

[Faenwulf]

The answers to this is pretty simple, I'd say.
The game needs lorica musculata, or the muscle cuirass. BAM, historically near-fitting armour for the Empire AND as close as it gets to a plate breast armour as possible without being plate.

Also, those Abs!

 

[Kräuterbutterlord]

The answers to this is pretty simple, I'd say.
The game needs lorica musculata, or the muscle cuirass. BAM, historically near-fitting armour for the Empire AND as close as it gets to a plate breast armour as possible without being plate.

Also, those Abs!

I am not an expert on roman amour, but my 2 cents:
1. Was lorica musculata not out of use by a rather long time when the eastern empire declined?
2. To my knowledge, lorica musculata was made out of bronze, not steel or iron. This would make it rather weak in comparison.

Also, why would you want Abs when you could look like a bird? Lorica plumata is where it's at.

 

[kekkuli5]

I am not an expert on roman amour, but my 2 cents:
1. Was lorica musculata not out of use by a rather long time when the eastern empire declined?
2. To my knowledge, lorica musculata was made out of bronze, not steel or iron. This would make it rather weak in comparison.

Also, why would you want Abs when you could look like a bird? Lorica plumata is where it's at.

Actually it was often made of brass, but i guess bronze was used too.

 

[Faenwulf]

Both points are true, but bending accuracy a bit by having it Made of steel and including it isn't so far off and fits much better than plate. That said, there are already armour pieces Made of bronze/brass in the game that are higher rated than some steel pieces. And the leather armours are also rather inaccurate since there is literally no proof for the it and good leather for a half decent armour would be way more expensive than an equally good or better gambeson (which are rated really Bad in Bannerlord.... Poor Gambeson).

That said... Yes to lorica plumata!

 

[EzKarn]

guess that you'll have to wait for mods then as TW has a clear direction with this game. Don't want to break it for you, but other than visuals, plate wasn't really more defensive in Warband when compared to high tier armours of other factions. There is a thing called balance my friend separately, all infantry melts to archers in this game. My Imperial archers and horse archers dominate the battlefield

My calvery have dominated completely in this game I only seem to have issues with the Asari who use a lot of spears. My army is 300 + strong with 100+ cav units 30 horse archers 30 ground archers and the rest infantry mostly empire units too fyi.

 

[Kräuterbutterlord]

Both points are true, but bending accuracy a bit by having it Made of steel and including it isn't so far off and fits much better than plate. That said, there are already armour pieces Made of bronze/brass in the game that are higher rated than some steel pieces. And the leather armours are also rather inaccurate since there is literally no proof for the it and good leather for a half decent armour would be way more expensive than an equally good or better gambeson (which are rated really Bad in Bannerlord.... Poor Gambeson).

That said... Yes to lorica plumata!

Well, I have not really paid attention if there is leather "amour" again, but leather amour did exist, there is proof. But most historians think they were rare (Brian Price being the exception), and most leather amours were for the limbs, not the torso, but there are a few pieces that survived to this day. But that's a whole rabbit hole to go into.
And yes, Gambesons are underrated, which is sad.

But I think we are going off-topic.

 

[TrashMan]

You seem to miss the point. Each scale overlaps the next, so the laces for each scale are hidden UNDER the one above. You can't simply cut the laces with a slashing weapon. Striking a scale transfers MOST of the impact to the two scales in the row below, which it partially overlaps, so it spreads out impacts amazingly well. I've worn the stuff, been struck by a rattan "sword" swung with force, and wasn't even sure where it hit until afterwards (it left a mark on the metal), although the force of the impact did stagger me to some small degree. You don't simply break off a scale with an arrow or bolt

Oh no?

 

[GrasSclammPferd]

Now you've mentioned it. Pretty sure people data mined the files during the MP beta and found plate armour there, I wonder where that went?

 

[Tovias]

You are wrong.

 

[Ryotarou]

If we try to guess what century the game is in, mine would be the 13-14th century because of the Mongol Empire aka Khuzait. But that would also mean that plate should really be in the game as it came in fashion again after the fall of the Roman Empire in the 13th century, Vlandians and Imperials i could see using plate with their vast economies and strong factions.

Even if not, i think that plate would be a game changer as archers tear through the toughest units in the game right now like butter.

Lorica segmentata

 

[Ryotarou]

Am I the only one recalling seeing a dev blog that mentioned that the equipment, and units, are based on the 9th century Europe?

Chinese fire lances