Posted July 14, 2016
So I've "graduated" to playing on hard. And it's... hard. I want advice, but first, here's what I do...
I pick Elmal for the defence boost, but even with 2 pts. into War during Sacred Time, I find if I lose one key battle early on, the game snowballs down badly (i.e. I lose goods and cows, so I cannot build fortifications or sacrifice to learn needed rituals, thus causing me to keep losing in upcoming years).
My first turn, I reorganize the ring. Turn 2, hire weapon thanes (hire the max, up to 14). Turn 3, 4, 5 build Watch Tower, Stake Perimeter, Ditch (in that order, provided no one raided me and stole too many goods that I can't afford those any more). Then it's things like sacrifice, adjust farmland, explore for "special craft material", etc. Sometimes, if one of the starting "feud clans" is also the "weakest of the nearby clans" (according to the Clan Ring when in the Cattle Raid screen), I raid, or cattle raid, them.
It's turn 3 - 5 that seem so decisive. If I can't get through that first Fire Season without losing too many people, goods, or cows, things spiral badly.
So....does someone have a more effective way through the first year on Hard? As you can see, I tend to turtle up and cross my fingers. I'm here looking for something more reliable.
In defence battles, I tend to always choose sacrifice to Humakt, drive them off, and skirmish. Should I choose evade if they pass through my patrols? I never choose evade...
I pick Elmal for the defence boost, but even with 2 pts. into War during Sacred Time, I find if I lose one key battle early on, the game snowballs down badly (i.e. I lose goods and cows, so I cannot build fortifications or sacrifice to learn needed rituals, thus causing me to keep losing in upcoming years).
My first turn, I reorganize the ring. Turn 2, hire weapon thanes (hire the max, up to 14). Turn 3, 4, 5 build Watch Tower, Stake Perimeter, Ditch (in that order, provided no one raided me and stole too many goods that I can't afford those any more). Then it's things like sacrifice, adjust farmland, explore for "special craft material", etc. Sometimes, if one of the starting "feud clans" is also the "weakest of the nearby clans" (according to the Clan Ring when in the Cattle Raid screen), I raid, or cattle raid, them.
It's turn 3 - 5 that seem so decisive. If I can't get through that first Fire Season without losing too many people, goods, or cows, things spiral badly.
So....does someone have a more effective way through the first year on Hard? As you can see, I tend to turtle up and cross my fingers. I'm here looking for something more reliable.
In defence battles, I tend to always choose sacrifice to Humakt, drive them off, and skirmish. Should I choose evade if they pass through my patrols? I never choose evade...
