Total War: Warhammer 2

If it's a video game it goes here.

Moderators: LawBeefaroni, Arcanis, $iljanus

User avatar
Blackhawk
Posts: 43491
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:48 pm
Location: Southwest Indiana

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Blackhawk »

Paingod wrote: Tue Jan 12, 2021 2:53 pm
Blackhawk wrote: Tue Jan 12, 2021 2:52 pmThen look for constructions (such as roads) that boost trade.
Hol' up. Roads? Like Civ roads that speed up unit movement? Or just a clickie in the city building grid for "Roads"
They're built in the cities on the trees, yes.

Oh, building tip (I may have details wrong, but this is the gist): Some structures can be built and upgraded multiple times. IE - build a tavern, upgrade to an inn, upgrade that to a coaching inn. Some have only one level, some go as high as (I believe) 5. Some only start at level 4. Most settlements only have slots for up to level 3. Look at the capitols - they have slots that go up to level 5. Use them to build the structures that go above three or require higher level slots. Don't build low-level stuff in those high level slots that don't take advantage of them.

Also, many province capitols have a 'special' building that can only be built in that settlement. Those are usually very powerful.

And while you're at it, look for settlements with resources that let you build special structures. As an example, a city in the mountains with gold will let you build a mine, which rakes in a crapload of cash.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
User avatar
Max Peck
Posts: 13682
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2005 8:09 pm
Location: Down the Rabbit-Hole

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Max Peck »

Rebel armies build up over time, so you can nip the rebellion in the bud if you have nearby forces. The defecting rebels also bleed off unrest, so sometimes it can be worthwhile to let it go for a few turns before you crush them.

If you sack a settlement, you can also occupy it on the same turn. In most cases you probably wouldn't want to do that since sacking trashes the infrastructure, but for some factions (e.g. Wood Elves) it is a logical strategy because once you occupy a settlement all of the buildings are removed anyway.
"What? What? What?" -- The 14th Doctor

It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Paingod »

Armed with some new perspective and info, I opted to start over. I had only played for a few hours and made a mess of things.

I've gone further than before in less time, including building stronger diplomatic ties with other High Elves and capturing two additional territories I didn't have last night by the end of my session. I pushed my initial leader harder than before and skipped getting a second one until I absolutely had to be in two places at once, which got him to level 9 quickly, and kept a large influx of cash coming in. I've climbed from 78th in global military strength up to 4th with just two armies.

I opted to take advantage better of my leader's gift for 50% off maintenance costs for Archers, Spearmen, and Silver Helms (heavy Calvary) and his army is mostly made of these units. Some fights get hairy with 5 Spearmen against Anti-Infantry, but I've been working on flanking and doing well with it. My archers hose the enemy archers first, then shift out and behind to hose the enemies fighting my shield wall.

I did trip up a little and opt to pick a fight with an Elven territory over land attached to one city. I've smeared their forces and am about to roll through and take their last city. Rangers are no joke to fight against. Fast, anti-infantry, and spread out to avoid easy pickings by AoE and Arrow attacks. Taking out 5 groups of them was taxing and left my army (and reinforcements from the city) in tatters ... including killing my Phoenix. :( This fight was one of those dances like I had in Shogun. My enemies kept shifting to stay out of range of my bows, and my forces kept shifting to avoid theirs. In the end I think my single artillery unit forced their hand as they couldn't sustain being pounded by it without fighting back. In this fight, too, they had 2 of the Vanguard light cavalry, and I created a box formation with spears on every side to keep my ranged units safe. It saved me a lot of pain.

Stupidly, perhaps, once I had cleared the fight I opted to Raze the city so I'd have a Ruin I could explore inside my territories as often as it respawned. I wanted to see what it was about as I hadn't found one yet. It's been a few turns now with no recurrence, so I may decided to settle there.

Two Skaven generals landed on my shores out of the blue while I was waging war and they prompted me to hire on my second lord. After three turns of recruiting he made short work of them. I also tucked a -15% maintenance cost Hero in his army to help with his lack of discounts for normal units. He loves Axes and Vanguard - not Spears, Bows, and Cavalry. Good investment. When I defeated each general, it killed their faction. Weird.

Both lords are focusing early on the Blue skill line - getting to maintenance cost reductions - so I can support larger armies more easily. It helps that it also includes tax bonuses and influence perks.

Overall, I feel like I made a good choice in restarting. I feel like I'm not way behind the curve. I'm behind a couple other factions in the race to control the magical vortex, but I think I'm making good headway. Except for the one I picked a fight with, I established non-aggression and trade agreements with every other High Elf around. Three of my trade partners like me enough now to consider joining me outright, but refused on my first attempts. I have no Defensive Pacts crippling my diplomacy.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
Blackhawk
Posts: 43491
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:48 pm
Location: Southwest Indiana

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Blackhawk »

Make sure you watch a video on cycle charging your cavalry if you haven't yet. You do not just want to charge them into melee and leave them there.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Paingod »

Blackhawk wrote: Wed Jan 13, 2021 7:25 pm Make sure you watch a video on cycle charging your cavalry if you haven't yet. You do not just want to charge them into melee and leave them there.
This was a mistake I made in my first game. It's not a mistake I've made in my second.

I will admit, though, that I'm still not very good at accurately identifying the best uses for each unit at all times against all enemies. As an example, I had my light cavalry charge the back of a group of undead gunners that had "anti-large" as a trait - but assumed coming at their flank and them being gunners meant I'd have an advantage. I figured they were good at gunning down giants and monsters. When I hit them, I lost 2/3 of my cavalry almost instantly and ran for the hills.

Right now I'm struggling with having a limited army diversification. I have 4 Lords. Only 2 of them have any kind of force attached. The other two were acquisitions from merged lands and came with no troops. My armies right now are stuffed full of ranged units with spearmen to block for them, and a handful of light/heavy cavalry for flanking. Each has one artillery unit.

I suffer heavy casualties against heavily armored and/or anti-infantry units. I handle most other things easily. I try to use my archers to whittle down the anti-infantry before they get to my soldiers, but it's become impossible as more and more enemies use them. The last group of undead I fought had one blocking unit, 5 ranged/anti-large, and 4 anti-infantry. It hurt. I just haven't had the funds to replace half my troops with axe men and heavy Calvary. I only have two of each. Most of my cash has been going to buttering up friends to convince them to hand over their lands to me.

One of my Elven friends won't let me ask them to join me. I don't know if this is a bug or by design in the campaign. Our diplomatic relationship is up around 80. I've been assuming that they're too large for the question to be posed and I need to gain a few more cities.

Question: What am I supposed to do with "Uninhabitable" cities? I was given one in a merger and it looks like a miserable place.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
Blackhawk
Posts: 43491
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:48 pm
Location: Southwest Indiana

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Blackhawk »

You can hang on to uninhabitable cities if you want, but they'll rarely be profitable or happy. TWWH isn't a game where you can occupy the entire map - each race has regions that it doesn't do well in. If there is an important strategic need (it's blocking a major pass, for instance, or I really want the province bonus), I'll hang on to them, but most of the time it isn't worth the trouble. I usually just let those cities go. If an enemy takes them, I raze them.

My 'generic' army with with a race like the high elves would probably be the lord, one or two heroes depending (if the lord is a hunter that will be out and about, it'll be a 'leadership' focused hero, otherwise it is a damage dealer), and at least one spellcaster. The front line will be a mix of spear and melee, depending on what I'm facing. I often alternate them on the front line. I keep a couple of reserve specialty units - anti-large, anti-infantry, unbreakable, that sort of thing - that I keep behind my lines ready to move in to solve specific problems. Charged by a big monster? Wait until they commit and are on my front line, then send in the anti-large. A few heavy cavalry. A couple of artillery. The rest archers. If I'm facing artillery, I'll trade out an archer or heavy cav for a unit of fast skirmishers or fliers to take down cavalry. Again, though, I alter that based on the enemy. Facing an enemy with tons of armor (like chaos?) I'll swap out anything without armor piercing. Lots of cavalry? More anti-large. Lots of archers? More cavalry or fliers. Low leadership? Terror causing units and extra archers (let the cowards run back and forth in front of my lines, charging and routing, charging and routing, while my archers eat them up!) High elves going up against Skaven? I'm going to outclass their infantry regardless, so I'll dump my expensive small units for more of my larger units to help counter their numbers.

Of course, all of this varies with the race. If I'm playing dwarves, I'm going with a lot more artillery and a lot fewer cavalry (obviously.) Brettonnia will have lots of expendable fodder to hold the enemy in place while my cavalry does the heavy lifting.

After the early game, I usually keep multiple armies. Most are defensive armies that I keep sitting near fronts/passes. They're just there to intercept enemy troublemakers or reinforce city garrisons if a big army shows up. My forward army - my 'main' army - is usually two armies. The second is reinforcements, mostly archers, front line, and artillery, often cheaper troops that I can use to bulk out my main force. I also keep a variety of heroes solo on the map, cleansing corruption, disrupting enemy armies, breaking walls, and assassinating enemy characters. I love assassinating, and usually have a couple specially built assassins hanging around my lands, plus one that travels near the main army. The defensive ones keep enemy characters from disrupting my lands, while the forward one eliminates enemy characters out of their armies before I face them.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Paingod »

Blackhawk wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 9:51 amI often alternate them on the front line. I keep a couple of reserve specialty units - anti-large, anti-infantry, unbreakable, that sort of thing - that I keep behind my lines ready to move in to solve specific problems. Charged by a big monster? Wait until they commit and are on my front line, then send in the anti-large. A few heavy cavalry. A couple of artillery. The rest archers. If I'm facing artillery, I'll trade out an archer or heavy cav for a unit of fast skirmishers or fliers to take down cavalry. Again, though, I alter that based on the enemy.
I felt like a dunce for having to go look up how to rotate my Mage's spells (turns out there are two little buttons to cycle them left and right), and I'm feeling a little like I might be missing something when you mention trading out units. Do you mean you swap reserves from an army following your main? You mentioned a secondary army stuffed with backup units. Do you just cycle them out of there?
Blackhawk wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 9:51 amFacing an enemy with tons of armor (like chaos?) I'll swap out anything without armor piercing. Lots of cavalry? More anti-large. Lots of archers? More cavalry or fliers. Low leadership? Terror causing units and extra archers (let the cowards run back and forth in front of my lines, charging and routing, charging and routing, while my archers eat them up!) High elves going up against Skaven? I'm going to outclass their infantry regardless, so I'll dump my expensive small units for more of my larger units to help counter their numbers.
The first time I faced Chaos I had to swallow hard when I saw the armor on their troops. I specifically pushed my only Armor Piercing unit up front - my main Lord on his horse - and he kept them occupied while archers ripped them apart. It wasn't pretty, but it worked. Their units look horrific; I can't wait to see more of them.

The spearmen are good, cheap fodder. They seem to really hold their own against a lot of different things. They don't kill them, but they don't just crumple and run either. The only thing that has really shredded them were heavier-hitting anti-infantry units. "Sword" icons are bad, but anything with an "axe" icon is lethal to them.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
Blackhawk
Posts: 43491
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:48 pm
Location: Southwest Indiana

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Blackhawk »

Paingod wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 11:41 am I felt like a dunce for having to go look up how to rotate my Mage's spells (turns out there are two little buttons to cycle them left and right), and I'm feeling a little like I might be missing something when you mention trading out units. Do you mean you swap reserves from an army following your main? You mentioned a secondary army stuffed with backup units. Do you just cycle them out of there?
Sometimes. Usually you'll know what you're going up against. If I'm going up against dwarves, I'll leave my non-armor piercing units at home with one of my defending generals. I won't even march out with them, including in my reinforcement army. But sometimes when you have an enemy with a widely varied troop roster I'll use the backup army (or a third 'storage' army if I can afford it) and scout out the troops types before a battle. Usually I want my backup army to be full of the most useful units to my current situation, though (remember, if you have two armies adjacent to an enemy when you attack, you take both of them into battle with you, instantly doubling your force.)
Paingod wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 11:41 am The first time I faced Chaos I had to swallow hard when I saw the armor on their troops. I specifically pushed my only Armor Piercing unit up front - my main Lord on his horse - and he kept them occupied while archers ripped them apart. It wasn't pretty, but it worked. Their units look horrific; I can't wait to see more of them.
You will. Lots. Have Lightning Strike. Spoiler about an event that you've probably seen mentioned in every guide ever.
Spoiler:
When the Chaos invasion happens, you'll get groups of two or three completely full Chaos armies stacked on top of one another walking through. You pretty much need to bring everything you have to bear on them. Lightning Strike allows you to march up to one of those three-stacks and force them to fight your army one on one.

It isn't as bad as it used to be. It used to be that they'd ignore other AI factions and just beeline to the player. Now they'll fight along the way, which can work in your favor. But it also depends on how far away you are from where they spawn. The more they have to march through, the better for you.
Beware that Chaos armies like to raze as they go. This brings me to the next time of army: Settlers. Resettling a razed settlement takes a significant chunk of your troop population. I usually take one general, saddle him with one of the cheapest units in the faction, and have him march around resettling (I'll take a few more if unrest will be an issue.) When I'm done, I just disband that army to save the upkeep costs. Also beware that Skaven...
Spoiler:
...sometimes take control of razed settlements, but you can't tell until you try to enter them. Those rat bastards! Any razed settlement could be an enemy stronghold without your knowing it.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Paingod »

Blackhawk wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 12:08 pm(remember, if you have two armies adjacent to an enemy when you attack, you take both of them into battle with you, instantly doubling your force.)
This is a lesson I've learned, and one I'm working with actively. I've taken advantage of my own garrisons and a second army for fights against either larger forces or superior ones.

It sounds bad to say I lugged 9 units of spearmen and 12 units of archers into some fights just to cope with overwhelming "Elite" units. At the end of the engagements, I win - but have to spend a couple turns resting in a city to recover the losses. Just about everything I put on the field is the cheapest in its class. I only just added two anti-infantry and two heavy cavalry later last night.

The only reason I don't have more unit variety is (as mentioned above) I've been trying to buy my way into owning friendly territory. I have a surplus of about 2,500 each turn - and if I swapped in more than a few better units, that would rapidly decline to a point where I'd only be making money from killing things. I've got three friendlies that have a "Moderate" chance to simply hand over their lands to me. None have accepted that in 10 turns, and I think I need to wait a turn or two between requests to stop it from harming relations (I'm pretty sure I noticed a drop when I just asked each turn). I alternate between asking and gifting.

I suppose that for all I've invested in trying to bribe them, I could have conquered one of them outright by now. I figure that would harm my trustworthiness rating, though.

Re: Lightning Strike - My second in command has this, and I have no qualms with giving it to my main leader as well. I've put a fair number of skill points for each leader into those logistics abilities and they've helped.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
Blackhawk
Posts: 43491
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:48 pm
Location: Southwest Indiana

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Blackhawk »

Paingod wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 12:19 pm
Blackhawk wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 12:08 pm(remember, if you have two armies adjacent to an enemy when you attack, you take both of them into battle with you, instantly doubling your force.)
This is a lesson I've learned, and one I'm working with actively. I've taken advantage of my own garrisons and a second army for fights against either larger forces or superior ones.

It sounds bad to say I lugged 9 units of spearmen and 12 units of archers into some fights just to cope with overwhelming "Elite" units. At the end of the engagements, I win - but have to spend a couple turns resting in a city to recover the losses. I don't expect that to be a long term strategy.

The only reason I don't have more unit variety is (as mentioned above) I've been trying to buy my way into owning friendly territory. I have a surplus of about 2,500 each turn - and if I swapped in more than a few better units, that would rapidly decline to a point where I'd only be making money from killing things.
First, double-check where your money is going. Have generals standing around with no army? Disband them. Heroes without a purpose? Disband. You can always rehire these guys after a few turns if you really need them. Don't just go by memory - check the roster list. Sometimes you confederate and your new acquisition has an army or heroes out in the middle of nowhere. Every five to ten turns, check your diplomacy list. If there is anybody who isn't hostile and doesn't have a trade agreement with you, suggest one. If they're not enemies and are willing, offer them what you can - a non-aggression pact, for instance. Next, check into character abilities that reduce upkeep. There are several, both traits (inborn to characters) and skills. Look at enemy towns nearby and find those that have specialty buildings (landmarks, mines, fur, even ports.) Get these, and build them up ASAP. Work on completing full provinces so you can tax them.

My usual building plan is to take a central province and make them my military recruitment center, usually somewhere that has a unique level 5 military building in the capitol. I'll build every possible military building in that province, then set the commandment that boosts recruitment (+ ranks or whatever.) Other provinces only get those military buildings that provide garrisons, and only if I have a spare slot (although everybody gets walls.) That frees up the rest of my provinces for money. They build walls first, then whatever they have that brings in the most money (including boosting trade.) I do devote a slot to the anti-corruption building if needed. I set everything to growth until it's hit the sweet spot, then switch over to taxation. When I get big enough, I'll sometimes also devote a province purely to hero recruitment, as there are tons of special buildings and perks that boost them.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
User avatar
Blackhawk
Posts: 43491
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:48 pm
Location: Southwest Indiana

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Blackhawk »

Oh, and a diplomacy tip: If you're wanting to make friends with a faction, check who their enemies are. If Faction A, who is friends with you, is hated enemies with Faction B, making treaties with Faction B will piss off Faction A, sometimes badly. Make sure you and your friends share enemies.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Paingod »

Blackhawk wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 12:34 pmFirst, double-check where your money is going. Have generals standing around with no army? Disband them. Heroes without a purpose? Disband. You can always rehire these guys after a few turns if you really need them.
When you re-hire them, do they return with all the skill points you may have allocated still assigned - or do they come back at level 1 as blank slates. I do have two Lords sitting on their duffs in a remote corner I couldn't possibly defend well ... that's thankfully not being attacked at this time, but skirmishes keep happening around them. One is all by herself, a Shadow caster, and the other is an Archer I stacked a few spearmen and archers on that I'd probably repurpose and move into my main army instead. I even had a special bow for her to use. Neither has seen combat since I got them.
Blackhawk wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 12:34 pmNext, check into character abilities that reduce upkeep. There are several, both traits (inborn to characters) and skills.

This right here is why I had started over, and part of the reason I'm still floating so many archers and spearmen. The first campaign's Elven Lord has a 50% upkeep reduction on three units - Heavy Cavalry, Archers, and Spearmen. The second, the Lion, has 25% discount on Anti-Infantry forces. I immediately nabbed a 15% general reduction Noble when I found one and stuck him with the Lion. Same for skills as well, investing their first few points into getting them up to the upkeep reduction abilities.
Blackhawk wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 12:34 pmLook at enemy towns nearby and find those that have specialty buildings (landmarks, mines, fur, even ports.) Get these, and build them up ASAP. Work on completing full provinces so you can tax them.
I need to double-check the three provinces I have in completion. They may all be set to the "Growth/Construction" bonus instead of taxation or recruitment. My highest level province right now is just level 3. I may have been spreading out the population too much to the suburbs. I completely lack any Tier IV or V units.
Blackhawk wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 12:34 pmMy usual building plan is to take a central province and make them my military recruitment center, usually somewhere that has a unique level 5 military building in the capitol. I'll build every possible military building in that province, then set the commandment that boosts recruitment (+ ranks or whatever.) Other provinces only get those military buildings that provide garrisons, and only if I have a spare slot (although everybody gets walls.) That frees up the rest of my provinces for money. They build walls first, then whatever they have that brings in the most money (including boosting trade.) I do devote a slot to the anti-corruption building if needed. I set everything to growth until it's hit the sweet spot, then switch over to taxation. When I get big enough, I'll sometimes also devote a province purely to hero recruitment, as there are tons of special buildings and perks that boost them.
That's all good to know. My meta game in this has been lacking, apparently. How do you identify where a unique Level 5 military building will be? Just scroll over the capitals? I've also never built a single Garrison or Wall. I should probably correct that. I've been focused on adding income and trade options instead.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
Blackhawk
Posts: 43491
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:48 pm
Location: Southwest Indiana

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Blackhawk »

Yeah, retired heroes come back with everything they had.

Garrisons are important. They give you a free army to defend that settlement. In a capitol it can be top tier units and heroes, and as many as full army stack. In TWWH you don't need to keep nearly as many armies for homeland defense (I usually just keep one early on, more as I expand), and use those mainly to reinforce garrisons if a full stack of enemies walks up.

As for which cities, you have to examine them (I honestly don't remember how, and don't have it installed to check.) They'll all have unique names, IE - Instead of "Stables" you'll get "Sigmar's Pony Rides of Altdorf." I know there are Lists on the wiki. It's often worth building a province's structures to take advantage of special buildings there.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
User avatar
Blackhawk
Posts: 43491
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:48 pm
Location: Southwest Indiana

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Blackhawk »

To clarify one thing, Lords can be rehired after retiring. Heroes go *poof*.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Paingod »

Blackhawk wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 1:06 pmTo clarify one thing, Lords can be rehired after retiring. Heroes go *poof*.
Okay. Good to know! I don't want to "poof" my 15% upkeep reduction Hero some day if I cycle him out.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
NickAragua
Posts: 6100
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2009 5:20 pm
Location: Boston, MA

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by NickAragua »

I usually don't cycle heroes out. They can always be doing something useful - giving your armies XP, increasing income, reducing corruption, recon, assassinating enemy heroes/leaders, etc.
Black Lives Matter
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Paingod »

I'll have to explore their other uses. I've so far kept them strictly as combatants and army support. I've yet to try assassinations or espionage with them.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
Sepiche
Posts: 8112
Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2005 12:00 pm
Location: Olathe, KS

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Sepiche »

Paingod wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 2:25 pm I'll have to explore their other uses. I've so far kept them strictly as combatants and army support. I've yet to try assassinations or espionage with them.
It's a little riskier, but they can gain levels really fast doing missions. I tend to have some heroes focused on combat, and some focused on espionage.
User avatar
NickAragua
Posts: 6100
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2009 5:20 pm
Location: Boston, MA

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by NickAragua »

Assassination-specced heroes are great - walk up to an enemy army and kill the leader and all the heroes (over the course of a couple of turns), leaving them a couple units short and with a level 1 scrub for a leader.
Black Lives Matter
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Paingod »

Last nights progress was ... not good.

While I did have a friend agree to join me and my territory expanded, I lost my second in command and the Hero (15% maintenance reduction) with him. They survived the first fight and took down 1.5 enemies to each one I lost (they were outnumbered 1600 to 900) ... but then the enemy attacked again and I had nothing left to fight with. The Hero was lost and the Lord was wounded. I didn't think the whole army would vanish; a number of units still had enough health to be left alive - including the Hero and Lord.

Aside from my "Main" I still have two Lords left, but neither is on the front line. One of them needs to bulk up for 3 turns to take on a group of Skaven that just popped up out of nowhere and are Raiding my lands. The other is cut off from my main land by an enemy territory and recruitment options there suck.

How crucial is being the first to the finish on all of the rituals? Another faction is WAY ahead of me; I'm at 620 and they're probably at 900. I assume I need to, at the least, get an army over there to hammer them down if at all possible.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Paingod »

It was recommended here that I build walls. I now know why. I was running without them, but a determined enemy attack showed me the light. I've since remodeled every town and city.

With each subsequent ritual, the Chaos forces attacking me seem to get larger. I'm at the third Ritual and accidentally triggered it without paying attention to where it was happening (I was just clicking through confirmation messages). I ended up reloading, but not before seeing the three or four armies waiting to lay siege to my most remote outpost that I only recently acquired. Thankfully, all of my long-standing cities and villages have the best walls they can install. It's the remote and newly-founded areas that are ripe for decimation.

Previously, a single Chaos army walked through two of my villages and was a turn from a city before I got to them. Without walls, there was little to defend with. I had (falsely) assumed they'd have to push through the defensive gates to get to the inner circle.

I'm up to four armies. My main army is off in the greater wilds, searching and settling ruins - though a few turns of this is proving to be costly and maybe ultimately fruitless. For each settlement I take on, it seems like there's a nearby army that's happy to decimate it. I don't really want to park my most powerful lord (level 22) in a foreign land just to babysit a single city until it gets big enough to do it alone.

My main lord has a relatively diverse army - 2 dragons, 2 phoenix, 2 artillery, 3 archers, 4 spear/archer/shields, 2 axes, 1 greatsword, 2 heavy cavalry, and himself with a Life mage. My second is less diverse and is more of a home guard with a lot of defensive units and anti-infantry. My third is a pillager, running from shipwreck to shipwreck, annihilating the drowned forces with 17 archery units in different flavors. My fourth is relatively diverse and recently recruited. I'm still bringing in 6,000+ gold per turn, in addition to the shipwrecks.

Dwarven pirates are no joke to take on. Seemed like everything they had was anti-infantry and/or anti-large AND armored. The first time I encountered them it resulted in a complete wipe of my mostly-archer forces. The flamethrower units just strolled up behind a shield wall and cooked my soldiers like they were chickens. My second encounter went better as I knew what to expect and made their artillery and flamethrowers a priority, but the "army strength" bar at the top gave me a 25% of an easy with with 25% toss-up and 50% for them. It cost me a dragon and two horseback archer units to defeat them, in addition to needing several turns to revive my decimated forces (which is fine as it takes 3 turns to re-recruit the dragon). The after-action reports showing which enemy units killed most people can be eye-opening. I hadn't given much thought to the dwarven artillery units until after I had seen that combined they killed about 1/3 of the people I lost. After that I made them the utmost priority.

"Friendly" factions aren't handing themselves over to me anymore. I waver between being 1st and 2nd for military might and seem to clearly hold more territory than anyone else, but they won't join me. I'm sorely tempted to "Hulk Smash" them instead of being diplomatic. I really want to control the whole central island, not 65% of it. I had read online that declaring war on a bunch of remote factions and forcing your allies into war with you - then brokering peace with those remote hostiles would leave your allies with little "computational option" but to join you as they were at war with more people than you. All that accomplished for me was putting all of us at war with everyone else and leaving me the most distrusted MoFo in the world with no one willing to deal with me, peaceful or not. :hawk: As I write this out, I think I'm going to bring all of my armies home and pair them up - then set them loose on my "allies" and conquer the island cities in rapid succession. If everyone hates me I may as well live up to it.

I've also been playing for quite some time now and only just figured out how to switch my Eagle Bolt Throwers between anti-large and anti-infantry. What I had been missing before was the knowledge that I needed to highlight them by themselves, not with other units, to see the option. I was always moving them as part of a group and couldn't find the switch. I've had a number of "duh" moments in this game when it comes to using units. I used them for ~40 fights and only just figured this out. When I did - holy shit - they actually made a difference vs. infantry.

I also only discovered the "interrupt ritual" option on the bar as my enemies started their second one. I tossed 20,000 gold at that to prevent two of them from moving up - and it set them back quite a bit. I'm now far in the lead at the 3rd ritual while no other faction has passed the second one.

The game also mysteriously crashed on me twice last night - first time in several nights. Is there an increasing likelyhood of the game CTD without error or warning as the number of turns gets higher? I'm on turn ~90 right now. The first CTD was just after a battle was finishing loading and the second CTD was randomly during the AI's turn.
NickAragua wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 5:22 pmAssassination-specced heroes are great - walk up to an enemy army and kill the leader and all the heroes (over the course of a couple of turns), leaving them a couple units short and with a level 1 scrub for a leader.
I'm starting to test out a theory with one of my armies, keeping a Noble Assassin in the ranks and sending him forward to kill leaders. It's worked twice now, and then I rejoin him to the army.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Paingod »

Research online seems to indicate that if your "Reliability" rating in Diplomacy ever tanks, you're pretty much screwed. People claim to quit and restart campaigns over it. Others indicate that at least 10 turns need to be taken between opposing diplomatic actions to avoid it going down, and the ways they've had it go back up is to take no hostile action for 10 or more turns and/or bribe everyone in sight repeatedly.

My reliability has been "Very Low" ever since I tried to bump my allies into being at war with more people than me. It hasn't recovered.

Last night I made it through the Chaos and Skaven invasions after triggering the third ritual without even losing one suburb. They dropped in within one move of my second-in-command's army and a Gate to back him up. I scarified a lot of Gate guards and took a lot of conscripted soldiers, but wiped them all out in one turn.

I'm tired of my allies shuffling around and doing nothing safely inside the zone of influence I control and will likely opt to take them down simultaneously before I initiate the next ritual. My four armies have proven to be quite potent, and have become a more uniform mix of units. My allies have armies comprised of lots of monsters and units I don't seem to have access to despite also being High Elves, but that's not much of a concern.

1 Lord, 1 Caster, 1 Noble, 2 Greatswords, 3 Shield/Bows, 2 Archers, 2 Archer Cavalry, 2 Ultra-Heavy Cavalry, 2 star dragons, 2 fire phoenix, 2 bolt throwers. That seems to be a nicely capable mix. The dragons fly in early and rain down fire and either murder artillery or lead archers off away from the main body. The Phoenix fly in early and sweep over clusters of units, bombing them. While this is happening, the Bolt throwers are pouring in pain on Infantry. By the time the bulk of the enemy gets to my front line, it's usually in some form of disarray and badly wounded.

My main lord is level 25 now, with a fear aura and is a nightmare on the field. My second lord is riding a Star Dragon. My third lord is a Princess that uses a bow and has two anti-infantry abilities she can use three times per fight. My fourth lord uses a bow and is kind of meh, but kills things well enough - but he brings +12% to all ranged attacks in my faction. My casters are Life/Beasts/Loremaster/Loremaster. The Life mage is great, often healing my Monsters back up before the end of the fight and making my front lines potent. The Beast mage is good and uses a Great Eagle to distract enemies into clusters so she can blow them up. The Loremasters are a good blend with damage and healing.

The lands outside my central isle are a nightmare mish-mash of ruins and hellscapes. I have a single stronghold out there right now - a City/town cluster I can relatively easily defend with my main lord by moving between things in one turn using the sea.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
NickAragua
Posts: 6100
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2009 5:20 pm
Location: Boston, MA

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by NickAragua »

I don't recall my reputation mattering too much once I got the ball rolling, so to speak. Eventually, you reach critical mass with your armies where the only time you're under any kind of meaningful threat is during scripted events when you're limited to only one army at a time. And, with your description of your armies, it sounds like you've hit that spot. So at this point, I would just bee-line for ritual completion.

In my elf playthrough way back, I wound up taking over the dark elf territory to the west because they kept sending their S&M crew and big boat to harass my west coast, which meant I had two army groups - two armies on the western continent and two in "elfland". That was usually enough to take down the Chaos and Skaven running around during rituals. Initially, I just wanted to take over the habitable bits, but the dark elves kept counterattacking, so I decided to go ahead and wipe them out altogether. This also gave me a bunch of whatever the ritual resource is (tablets or something?), letting me shoot ahead in the ritual race. Although that was pretty tough because northern dark elf territory is pretty harsh - unless you're in a city or encamped, you're going to be eating major attrition every turn. Ironically enough, we became best buddies with the mummy factions - trade agreements, non-aggression pacts, military access, the works. Well, maybe it's not that ironic, the mummy factions have a major positive relations modifier with you the bigger and more powerful you get. Unless something goes weird, they usually wipe the floor with everyone in the desert - so all those tiny little Bretonnian kingdoms and the little dwarf enclaves are screwed in the long run.

The other thing to keep in mind is that, as you complete more and more rituals, your relationship with the other major powers will drop like a rock, even if they're normally inclined to be friendly with you, while your relationship with other elves will go up, reliability rating or not.
Black Lives Matter
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Paingod »

NickAragua wrote: Tue Jan 19, 2021 12:17 pmIn my elf playthrough way back, I wound up taking over the dark elf territory to the west because they kept sending their S&M crew and big boat to harass my west coast, which meant I had two army groups - two armies on the western continent and two in "elfland".
Despite having -223 relation with the Dark Elves, I don't really see much of them. The one full Province I control in the north/west used to be theirs - all the buildings are angry and purple when I rebuild them. When I got here, though, just about everything in sight was a Ruin. Whatever happened here happened before I opted to wander over. I just bat away the occasional Skaven incursion now. Once in a while a Dark Elf makes a prayer to some Dark God to grant them a floating city and I see it for a moment before it heads away from me.

No hostile force except the Chaos and Skaven are even attempting to attack my mainland. I'm quite solidly positioned at #1 for military might across the world and pulling down 10,000 gold per turn in some turns, not counting treasures and looting. I'm considering adding a fifth army to my roster just because I can afford it. I don't feel pressure to use one.

I'm at Turn ~100 and 3 turns from completing the third ritual. No other faction has started it. The Dark Elves are close - maybe next turn or the one after - but I'm going to drop a 10,000 gold interruption force on them and/or maybe send in my main Lord personally. The Lizardfolk have started the second Ritual and aren't really a concern right now. I've never even seen one of their armies - but I hear they can be filled with Dinosaurs.
NickAragua wrote: Tue Jan 19, 2021 12:17 pmIronically enough, we became best buddies with the mummy factions - trade agreements, non-aggression pacts, military access, the works. Well, maybe it's not that ironic, the mummy factions have a major positive relations modifier with you the bigger and more powerful you get. Unless something goes weird, they usually wipe the floor with everyone in the desert - so all those tiny little Bretonnian kingdoms and the little dwarf enclaves are screwed in the long run.
The desiccated undead's love for me was mystifying given how much the soggy undead hate me. If that's the trigger, then I suppose it makes sense. I was happy to initiate non-aggression pacts with them. They're the only ones left who like me, aside from the other High Elves. Literally everyone else in the world hates me and most of them are at war with me. No one will move to Peace. I tend to find AI in these games won't go for peace until you start shredding their territories.
NickAragua wrote: Tue Jan 19, 2021 12:17 pmThe other thing to keep in mind is that, as you complete more and more rituals, your relationship with the other major powers will drop like a rock, even if they're normally inclined to be friendly with you, while your relationship with other elves will go up, reliability rating or not.
I assumed as much given how big a deal it seems to be and how everyone's competing for it - but it's good to know it's just going to get worse. Given my annoyance with their complete uselessness to me, and me basically keeping every threat away from them, the other High Elven factions are going to be my next targets and won't be around to praise me for completing the rituals. Their citizens will be, but not their leaders.

Is there a campaign to play after the High Elves - or are you just repeating the Eye of the Vortex campaign from different perspectives if you do another campaign?
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
NickAragua
Posts: 6100
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2009 5:20 pm
Location: Boston, MA

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by NickAragua »

The High Elves/Lizardmen/Dark Elves/Skaven are all about the vortex. The factions play pretty differently from one another, but the ultimate objective is basically the same.

There's a Bretonnian FreeLC ("Repanse de Lyonesse" from looking it up) out there as well, (I think you have to create and link your Total War account or something, I forgot how to do it).

If you also own Total Warhammer I, there's also a "free" (other than the 40 bucks you pay for the first game) mortal empires campaign which is more of a global domination campaign with guided optional objectives.

The two full campaign DLCs that I'm aware of are the Tomb Kings (play as the mummies) and the Vampire Coast (play as pirate vampires). The rest appears to be extra faction leaders which don't really alter the overall campaign.
Black Lives Matter
User avatar
Blackhawk
Posts: 43491
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:48 pm
Location: Southwest Indiana

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Blackhawk »

Yeah, as I recall the objectives are usually different, and the starting locations are different. I found them to be distinct enough that it doesn't seem like replaying the same content. You'll face different enemies, conquer different lands with different strategic challenges, and approach the vortex in a different way with different resources. You may not even see the same enemies you were surrounded by in the first campaign.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Paingod »

I'm really enjoying the unit diversity in the game, even if the themes between factions are similar they're different enough to be genuinely different. When I catch it on sale, 80% off or something, I'm planning to pick up the previous title and any DLC's at reasonable prices. I can't justify dropping $120 all at once on this to get the "whole" game, but might have if I had been into it one step at a time as it was all released and I had started with the first one.

I've really enjoyed the tactical combat and evolution of my armies over time as I learn what works against who and why. It doesn't feel so much like Rock/Paper/Scissors but rather Rock/Paper/Scissors/Lizard/Spock. I love that I have it easier against some factions and harder against others. I actually liked it when the Dwarves kicked my ass so hard it forced me to abandon my escalating Shield Wall/Archer death spiral.

I look forward to trying other factions, even if the campaign is the same. The map is pretty darn big and I've only explored a small portion of it (the Northeastern corner)

I have appreciated all the help understanding this title. It's seemed like there are a lot of little things - tips/tricks/nuances/concepts - that you need to grasp in order to succeed, and not just in combat.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
Blackhawk
Posts: 43491
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:48 pm
Location: Southwest Indiana

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Blackhawk »

(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Paingod »

Blackhawk wrote: Tue Jan 19, 2021 3:31 pm Just watch here!
Interesting, and thanks! I never realized just how many places there are selling games.

Last night I completed the third ritual and started my steamroll of the "allied" territory around me. I hadn't factored in exactly how much I'd lose in trade, though. It's a lot. A lot was lost. I'm still in the green and can still support a fifth army, but need to get my new cities bulked up and producing income. I'm now a turn away from the 4th ritual, but my forces aren't in a good place to defend my territory from Chaos.

Before I started my assault, I brought home all of my armies and rebalanced them. Each is perfectly identical now. Lord/Caster/Noble and soldiers. To kick off the assault, I paired them up and sent them in opposite directions. In each fight the enemy is always facing two armies of 20 units. Nothing has even remotely given me trouble. The fifth army was deployed to thwart a Lizard incursion that tried to sneak in once I was well away from my southern border, and will likely spend time now cruising the high seas to collect experience and gold.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Paingod »

Ran into a hitch last night.

I don't have a good save to avoid a dilemma. I may have to just give up on an underdeveloped city and escape with whatever I can.

I tripped the 4th Ritual, spawning multiple Chaos armies. I gave up my quest of dominating former allies and ran to save two cities under threat.

Two of the Chaos armies slammed hard into two different suburbs, and though I was grossly outnumbered each time with no way to win, I was able to inflict permanent damage to their armies and strip away the larger units and artillery, leaving those two armies with just infantry... meaning no real way to take over the city in their way next.

Other Chaos/Skaven armies ran West, into territory controlled by my former allies. I arrived at my city on that side with a dynamic duo after a couple turns and almost got there with both. Instead I have one near enough to the city to be included in combat, but the other is a hair too far away. Problem is, I'm not fighting Chaos and Skaven.

My former ally took this opportunity to leave his lands undefended and attack me with two High Elven armies, stuffed to the gills with Elite Infantry, Phoenix, and Archers. He walked right past three Chaos and Skaven armies so he could slap me, and those Chaos forces, in turn, seem to be ignoring him. I've tried the fight twice, but it's neigh unwinnable. I'd take it easily if I could position my larger force before the enemies broke the walls - but they're blowing holes in my walls within seconds of arriving on the scene and my best units are rolling into the fight as backup at the far end of the map. By the time they get to the front lines, I've lost the walls.

My best option seems to be to Retreat, but the last time I did that I lost everything - including my Mage & Hero. I'd rather not when they're both over level 15. I haven't tried everything yet, but I worry it'll be a humiliating loss in the end. My next attempt at the fight might be to form up in the city and accept the walls as lost, using them as a kind of choke point for enemies.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
Max Peck
Posts: 13682
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2005 8:09 pm
Location: Down the Rabbit-Hole

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Max Peck »

Paingod wrote: Fri Jan 22, 2021 8:48 am My best option seems to be to Retreat, but the last time I did that I lost everything - including my Mage & Hero. I'd rather not when they're both over level 15. I haven't tried everything yet, but I worry it'll be a humiliating loss in the end. My next attempt at the fight might be to form up in the city and accept the walls as lost, using them as a kind of choke point for enemies.
IIRC when you're fighting a defensive battle at a settlement, any of your forces that retreat off the map are automatically lost.

In the situation you describe, if I didn't believe I could successfully defend the settlement I'd probably opt not to reinforce with the single army and just inflict as much damage as possible with the garrison, then counterattack with both my fresh armies on the next turn.
"What? What? What?" -- The 14th Doctor

It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Paingod »

Max Peck wrote: Fri Jan 22, 2021 9:56 amI'd probably opt not to reinforce with the single army and just inflict as much damage as possible with the garrison, then counterattack with both my fresh armies on the next turn.
I have a checkbox for "Control Large Army" but I don't have one for "Lightning Strike" or "Don't Reinforce". When I check or uncheck the box for the Large Army, nothing seems to happen on my screen (the reinforcements stay on the side panel). How do I stop my army from marching in to "save the day" and prevent them from being slaughtered?
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
Blackhawk
Posts: 43491
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:48 pm
Location: Southwest Indiana

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Blackhawk »

Paingod wrote: Fri Jan 22, 2021 10:07 am
Max Peck wrote: Fri Jan 22, 2021 9:56 amI'd probably opt not to reinforce with the single army and just inflict as much damage as possible with the garrison, then counterattack with both my fresh armies on the next turn.
I have a checkbox for "Control Large Army" but I don't have one for "Lightning Strike" or "Don't Reinforce". When I check or uncheck the box for the Large Army, nothing seems to happen on my screen (the reinforcements stay on the side panel). How do I stop my army from marching in to "save the day" and prevent them from being slaughtered?
If another army is nearby, they join in automatically. Control Large Army determines whether you control the reinforcements or the AI does. As to lightning strike, I don't know the exact situation, but it only works if you're the attacking army, and I don't believe it works if you're under siege.

If nothing else, go back one turn and don't approach.
Max Peck wrote: Fri Jan 22, 2021 9:56 am In the situation you describe, if I didn't believe I could successfully defend the settlement I'd probably opt not to reinforce with the single army and just inflict as much damage as possible with the garrison, then counterattack with both my fresh armies on the next turn.
That's what I'd do, too. If you've made it this far without losing any towns, you're doing well. Sacrifice the town, but make the enemy pay for it as dearly as possible. I'd man the towers and make them march through the fire, then pull back and pick a choke point in town (don't defend a bunch of breaches - just lock down a point somewhere.) They'll take the town, do whatever they choose with it, and then you can turn around and bring your armies in, stomp what's left of them, and retake the town.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Paingod »

Blackhawk wrote: Fri Jan 22, 2021 10:22 amIf you've made it this far without losing any towns, you're doing well.
I've yet to lose a city, but I have lost a few suburbs that I have to either rebuild or reclaim. The tip about building Walls everywhere has been probably the best thing for me.

Scratch that. After my last Ritual made use of a City out in the boondocks of Dark Elven territory that I had claimed for myself, I abandoned it and sent my forces home. The place was just crawling with Skaven and I was getting tired of running back and forth to defend something every time. I even picked a place with all the sites clustered close together for easier defense. It just ended up not being worth the investment in time or funds for one province so isolated from the rest. My main Lord got a metric load of experience out of it, though.
Blackhawk wrote: Fri Jan 22, 2021 10:22 amSacrifice the town, but make the enemy pay for it as dearly as possible. I'd man the towers and make them march through the fire, then pull back and pick a choke point in town (don't defend a bunch of breaches - just lock down a point somewhere.) They'll take the town, do whatever they choose with it, and then you can turn around and bring your armies in, stomp what's left of them, and retake the town.
I've done that before but the opposing force is two High Elven armies with multiple flying units, three mages, and mounds of Elite infantry. Without my larger force, I'd be trying to dent them with a handful of Archers and Spearmen. It's going to be a sad, sad loss.

I have an Elven Princess, an Archer, who is an absolute monster. She started with the ability that adds range and damage to her bow attacks, and has stacked on AoE ranged attacks that can decimate tight groups of enemies. I really want her to have a mount so she can move around better, but any mount I choose cuts her Ranged Damage back down to ~400 from ~600. I can't bring myself to do it, not even to put her on a Dragon. Is that damage showing me a base number that will get bumped back up by buffs and mods, or is that damage showing me the final outcome with the mount? I suppose I could save it before I level her up next time and find out.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
Max Peck
Posts: 13682
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2005 8:09 pm
Location: Down the Rabbit-Hole

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Max Peck »

If you deselect control large army, I'd expect the reinforcement army should be grayed out (but not disappear) in the side panel and not appear on the battle map. It may not work as I expect, though, since I don't recall ever actually being in this situation -- I may be mistaken in believing that it is possible to opt out of using available reinforcements.

If it doesn't work and the army had any movement left at the end of your previous turn, you could reload the autosave and move it out of reinforcement range.
"What? What? What?" -- The 14th Doctor

It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
User avatar
Blackhawk
Posts: 43491
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:48 pm
Location: Southwest Indiana

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Blackhawk »

Actually, I need to rescind my earlier answer. It's been many, many years since I haven't done 'Control Large Army,' and I misremembered what it does. Apparently what it does is put you on the field with only your main 20-unit army and no second army - but any time a unit is wiped out or routed from the field, one from the other army wanders in.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Paingod »

Blackhawk wrote: Fri Jan 22, 2021 11:52 amany time a unit is wiped out or routed from the field, one from the other army wanders in.
That's wildly inefficient.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
Blackhawk
Posts: 43491
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:48 pm
Location: Southwest Indiana

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Blackhawk »

I agree. It's probably why I always have large armies enabled. Some people prefer it because they don't like micromanaging that many units.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
User avatar
NickAragua
Posts: 6100
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2009 5:20 pm
Location: Boston, MA

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by NickAragua »

Blackhawk wrote: Fri Jan 22, 2021 4:28 pm I agree. It's probably why I always have large armies enabled. Some people prefer it because they don't like micromanaging that many units.
At this point, I'm so slow that I just reflexively turn all the battles down to half-speed unless it's almost approaching auto-resolve territory or I'm just running down routing infantry with my cavalry.
Black Lives Matter
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Total War: Warhammer 2

Post by Paingod »

NickAragua wrote: Fri Jan 22, 2021 4:33 pm
Blackhawk wrote: Fri Jan 22, 2021 4:28 pm I agree. It's probably why I always have large armies enabled. Some people prefer it because they don't like micromanaging that many units.
At this point, I'm so slow that I just reflexively turn all the battles down to half-speed unless it's almost approaching auto-resolve territory or I'm just running down routing infantry with my cavalry.
I only turn it down when the odds are against me, down to a 50/50 strength comparison. I find it's helpful in controlling the chaos of trying to order 12 units at once without excessive pausing. Otherwise I tend to keep it at full speed. When it's over and I'm just cleaning up, I hit the max speed.

The game kind of broke me a couple nights ago. I hit combat fatigue. I had something like 8 fights back-to-back-to-back in one turn (between Chaos, Skaven, and Enemies) on three fronts. I was halfway through the fourth or fifth fight when the game CTD with no error. After running through another four or fights when loading back in, I had to just save and quit. Too many combats, too similar, in too rapid succession.

I haven't gone back again to finish that turn. I needed a break.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
Post Reply