Mount and Blade: Warband already from the start throws you into somewhat deep waters, asking you where do you wish to begin your adventure. The choice might feel like purely a “starting point”, since you can go anywhere you wish on the map, do whatever you like, without any “national constraints”. But to the more careful observer, each nation, both as a starting point, ally and unit choice has its individual strengths and weaknesses. In this guide we will look briefly at each nation, so that you might have an easier choice deciding who is best sided with, at the beginning.
Map of Caldaria. Orange- Swadia, White- Vaegirs, Blue- Nords, Yellow- Sultanate, Purple- Khergit, Green- Rhodok.
These merry fellows, who look like Vikings, are the strongest shock troops you can find. A Nord Huscarl might not have a war-horse like a Swadian Knight, but his axe does the talking. When gathering a Nord force you will immediately notice a substantial lack in cavalry, as well as a general lack in proper ranged units. What they lack in those two areas they make up in high quality infantry. Nord infantry uses axes. Be it battle axes, two-handed axes, throwing axes, or forks with axes. They will also have a selection of blades and other thrown weapons. They will use exclusively round shields, and an orderly round shield wall will never be pierced by any attack. Nord Infantry also uses quality armour, which gives them a decent edge against enemy infantry and cavalry, while their shields will block most types of ranged weapons with ease. Due to their sturdiness and weapon choice Nords are useful both as an attack, and a defense force. A dense group of Nord warriors will create an impenetrable wall of shields and axes in the open. During an attack, Nords will storm a castle, and with mild ease destroy any shields the defenders could be using. Meanwhile, a Nord defense force guarding a castle might as well be outnumbered 10:1, given the right circumstances, and still win.
A Nord shield wall awaiting a worthy foe.
The Nord lack of cavalry and proper ranged weapons does mean they are slow on the outside map and during a battle. When commanding a Nord force, keeping a tight formation means everything. Dispersing your force could mean that enemy ranged weapons or cavalry will cut down individual warriors with ease. If you are severely outnumbered, or forced to fight a force made up of cavalry, your only hope is to bunch up as closely together as possible, and hope for the best. Hide behind a hill, so that enemy archers are not as effective, and once the enemy is a short distance away, charge.
As a starting point, the Kingdom of Nords is a good location. You can easily find good deals for Salt with your neighbours, as well as obtain cheap Iron and Raw Silk from the Kingdom of Vaegirs. Based on my experience, most business types do not work out in “Nordland”, so stick to trading goods. The main danger of Nordland are Sea Raiders. These are high tier outlaws which can with ease take out an inexperienced company of warriors. Stay clear of them untill you are certain you can fight them. As an ally, the Nords have a mildly good position. They have only two neighbours, and a sea behind them.
Swadians are something between the English, and the French. They rely on their cavalry, which in a full charge can break even the toughest foes. Although other nations have equally effective “Knights”, the Swadians appear to excel stat wise, and overall use better equipment. In other areas the Swadians do not appear to be that far off from other nations. Their higher tier infantry is decent in combat, and the Swadian sharpshooters make for decent ranged units. However, if you rely on Swadian cavalry too heavily you could wake up in a number of horror scenarios. For example, running out of funds, fighting on hilly terrain, fighting a highly experienced Rhodok force or being forced to “Auto Battle”. Training Swadian Knights is expensive, and their upkeep is terrifying. Their need for flat terrain makes them useless on hilly terrain, and against a forest of spears they will often get bogged down and killed. Often the best technique to win a battle as a Swadian force is to create an infantry main force to occupy the enemy. Then, while the enemy is fighting your infantry, flank with your Knights. Swadians make fine castle defenders and attackers. Although they lack the push of the Nords, or the spears of the Rhodoks, their armour and training cannot be underestimated.
Swadian Knights and Men at Arms, preparing for their charge.
On the other hand, Swadian cavalry *is* expensive. Rebuilding a lost force will cost you a fortune, and up keeping it might drain your coffers entirely. If you are poor, or have problems obtaining a decent income, you might wish to look for alternatives.
As a starting point, Swadia is in the centre of everything. This means you have equally far to all the other towns and nations, but it lacks any “special produce” which you could produce cheaply. As an ally, Swadians can shock, in the positive and negative way. Since they are surrounded from all sides, a war on multiple fronts will leave them broken and divided. On the other hand, when Swadians do come around to attacking a single nation, they can overwhelm with ease.
The Kingdom of Rhodoks are a fun bunch. Fun, because they are affordable and incredibly disciplined. Rhodoks have two strengths: their spears and their crossbows. Although it is easy to dismiss Rhodok units as “Core Infantry” that only means you fought against the AI. Rhodok crossbowmen are a terrifying sight to behold. Combined with your Rhodok infantry forming a shield and spear wall almost no force can push through them. Cavallery will be annihilated with a well placed Rhodok concentration. Much like the Nords, you do not want to spread your infantry too far. Unlike the Nords though, the Rhodok are not that good on the attack. Their weapons are not designed for assaulting but defending. On the other hand, Rhodok shields offer excellent cover during a siege attack or defense, allowing them to survive for much longer than usual. The strength of Rhodok Crossbowmen cannot be underestimated. They have incredible ranged abilities, while also being half-decent in combat, making it possible to use them as improvised close combat infantry.
Rhodok Infantry countering a Sultanate charge.
Rhodoks do lack cavalry. You might have incredible infantry, but you will be slower on the world map, and you will need to lend some horsemen from another nation if you want to flank the enemy. Rhodok forces can “turtle” forward. Taking on wave after wave of attackers, as they move steadily forward. The problem is that the AI often does not think that way.
The Rhodoks, just like the Nords, are in a nice tight corner. Their nation is often plagued by mountain bandits, and they lack a proper cheap trade good, but their natural terrain works well with their spears, creating a living nightmare for their neighbours, who incidentally rely on cavalry heavily: Swadians, Khergits and the Sultanate.
The Vaegirs are an interesting force to use. They have Infantry, Ranged and Cavalry units, on the other hand their elite units often lack shields, making them a force highly vulnerable to ranged attack. Vaegir archers are also the best foot bowmen in the game, as such you have a force which is mildly vulnerable to a ranged attack, while also being able to retaliate with their own barrage. Unlike other armies, Vaegir top-tier units prefer two-handed weapons, making them highly dangerous units to face off against, if outnumbered. Both Vaegir Knights and the Vaegir Guards will chop away at the competition. The question is how penalizing is their lack of shields? It all depends on the situation. When faced against Rhodoks you could find yourself losing more men due to the crossbow barrage, on the other hand you have something to counter ranged units, Vaegir cavalry.
Vaegir warband.
In a siege assault situation your main weakness is a possible lack of shielding, making you lose units much more quickly. In an open field that could also be a problem if you want to play defensively Use terrain to your advantage, or use your force just like you would play as the Swadians. Make your “main force” occupy the enemy while you flank with the cavalry.
As a starting point, the Kingdom of Vaegirs is not a bad place to be at. They might have tundra bandits and initially some very weak units, but the trade benefits are very high. Vaegir ports tend to have some lower priced Raw silk, making it a good place to trade for higher cash. Finding some cheap iron will also take you a long way. Trading with the Nords for Salt will only make you richer. Vaegirs tend to have little to no problems with neighbours. Although they could be considered surrounded they can cope with a single or two opponents at the same time.
The Khergits have one strength no other army can match, almost every single one of their units is on horseback. A fully developed Khergit force will have Lancers and archers on horseback, making it the most mobile force in the game. On the world map they will move quicker than other armies, and on the battlefield, open fields is what a Khergit commander would love most. However, this reliance on cavalry is risky, and although Khergits excel on the field of battle, during a siege they are much weaker than one would wish. The Khergits are masters of firing off horseback. Under the player’s control they can circle an enemy force indefinitely, untill the foe is so badly bloodied that a Lancer charge will finish them off. Under the AI, Khergits under perform, since they will often charge into an enemy force, making them easy prey for Rhodoks or Nords. The Khergit Lancers are weaker and less armoured than other cavalry formations, but they can still hold their ground, and during the initial charge, take out a number of foes with their lances.
Khergit Lancers awaiting the enemy.
Khergits are very poor while defending or attacking a castle. Their lancers will be outperformed by most equal or higher tier infantry. Although their archers will pepper away at a foe, it is a bad idea to assume that you can take out the enemy quicker than they can take out your infantry. As such, when protecting your castle, always include infantry from another nation. Lancers are simply unreliable. Meanwhile, if you face against them, bring a fast(er) horse, a high concentration of infantry or a very big shield.
As a starting point, the Khergits have the best towns to produce and sell dyed textiles. Although it is the most expensive business type, it is the most profitable in Khergit lands. Trade in their territory is risky on lower levels, due to Steppe Bandits. If you have a small caravan, or poorly trained men, Steppe Bandits will mob you with their horses. They are also incredibly quick, making it very hard to outrun them. As an ally Khergits are surrounded by foes all around. Swadians, Sultanate and Veagirs are all risky sparring partners. As a commander, you will have access to the fastest army around, so if you do not want to fight enemy armies, you might as well hit and run weaker lords or raid villages and flee before the enemy can retaliate.
The Sarranid are a new addition to Mount & Blade. Some would say that they are a mirror image of the Swadians. The Sarranid Mamluke and Swadian Knight go head in head for the title of the best cavalry in Mount and Blade. However, unlike the Swadians, the Sarranid suffer from a sub-par high-tier infantry. The Sarranid Guard is considered the weakest high level infantry in the game. This is because they lack any apparent weakness, while also lacking any strength. They are considered generalists, but as such, they can be adapted for different tasks. Meanwhile, Sarranid Master Archers are devastating ranged units. On the level, if not above, of the Veagir Marksman, Sarranid Master Archers are well armoured, with excellent ranged abilities. However, just like all other ranged unit types, the Master Archers lack any close combat abilities.
Remnants of a Swadian force are about to learn why does the desert belong to the Sultan.
What is the weakness of the Sarranid? Their infantry for one, but just like the Swadians, it is easy to be carried away and invest your money into elite cavalry. Not only that, but the upkeep will be comparable of a full Swadian force. If you do not have a substantial income you will become a very poor lord, very quickly.
As a starting point, Sarranids suffer a bit from the same problem as the Swadians. They lack any specific low-cost and profitable good. Another problem is the size of the Sultanate. Villages and towns are often dispersed, and reaching one end of the Sultanate from the other could take even two days. This is also a problem when fighting wars. Reacting quickly to events on either side of the Sultanate is nearly impossible. Among their neighbours you have the Khergits, Swadians and Rhodoks. With a trained force a war against the Khergits does not pose any threat, however Swadian and Rhodok forces will stand on equal terms with you. Let us also not forget about Desert Bandits, who, just like Steppe Bandits, will outrun you, and if you lack an experienced force, annihilate you.
Alexander “WriterX” Bielski
Rating:9/10
Pros:Huge Sandbox
Plenty of Choice
Fun
Multiplayer
Mods
Be your own King!
Cons:Might seem Grindy
Takes time to get used to
Game producer's website:Tale Worlds
Official website:Mount and Blade: Warband
Game available at:
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