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Game:Medieval Total War-Viking Invasion Exp.
For: PC/Windows
Copyright:2006 Craig88
Begun:9th March 2006
Finished:10th March 2006
Author:Craig88
Email: craig_is_eya(at)hotmail.co.uk
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1.Author's Quick Word
=====================
Hi and welcome to my FAQ/walkthrough of the factions on Medieval Total War
(MTW) Viking Invasion. Please note that this is only for the factions of the
Viking campaign,not the other factions eg.English,French etc...
I've designed this so that people who are unsure as to what faction to
begin with can get a good idea as to the different units of the different
factions. Lets get going shall we!
2.The Factions
==============
factions difficulty
-------- ----------
The Irish Hard
The Mercians Easy
The Northumbrians Fairly Hard
The Picts Moderate
The Saxons Fairly Easy
The Scots Fairly Hard
The Vikings Fairly Easy
The Welsh Hard
3.Faction Information/starting position
=======================================
The Irish
---------
The Irish begin of course in Ireland (duh!).To start they have 2 provincesboth
already built with abbeys which will generate an income of 208 florins.To the
west are two rebel provinces and to the north of Ireland are the Scots.
Sooner or later the Irish will come into conflict with the Scots as they may
find the Picts too hard to dislodge back in Scotland.The Irish also face the
daunting prospect of the Vikings also,so beware that Viking longship along
that coast.
RECOMMENDATION:Dispose of the Scots in Ulster first as they have no means of
recieving reinforcements from west Scotland for quite some time,Ireland is now
yours to build up your armies and economy.
The Mercians
------------
The Mercians actually have a fairly strong starting location even if it looks
as though they may face attack from all sides. Their 6 provinces,2 with
resource deposits,are fairly wealthy.The Northumbrians to the north are pretty
weak as are the Welsh to begin.There are 4 rebel provinces to the east and
the rebel armies are anything but strong.The only worry is the threat from
Saxon expansion from the south which will eventually lead to the inevitable
Saxon-Mercian war.The Mercians do have one of the better armies in the game
however and should fair well.
RECOMMENDATION:You would be better off to take the rebel provinces to your
east.The Northumbrians are unlikely to attack as are the Welsh,the Saxons will
attack eventually but until then take the rebel provinces as this means extra
income,then build up your armies.
The Northumbrians
-----------------
Possibly the weakest faction in the game.Their lands are largely undeveloped
and their army very weak.The Northumbrians are hemmed in with only north or
south to go. The rebel province of Reget is an option but the area is hard to
hold as the number of rebellions is high as will be the cost of sending armies
there.The Vikings are more than likely to attack as will probably the Picts
or Scots from Scotland.I highly recommend to be the Northumbrians if you are
very good at this game and want a challenge.
RECOMMENDATION:At first I would make alliances with mainly the factions around
you,but the alliance you should really get is that of the Vikings.Allying with
them and those around you should give you time to build up your defences.
Defence is the key here.
The Picts
---------
One of the best factions of the game for units,2nd only to the Vikings in my
view.The Picts start off with 7 provinces,most of which are very poor.The
Scots are to the west and will attack eventually if their war in Ireland
fails.The Northumbrians to the south are unlikely to attack but the Vikings
do tend to invade along the eastern border of Scotland so beware.
RECOMMENDATION:As your lands are poor it would be best to build up your
economy first.If you feel vulnerable army wise then build 3-4 units of Celtic
Warriors in each province.These warriors are cheap,very good and if you get
attacked most of your provinces are fairly mountainuos and a couple hundred
Celtic Warriors charging down a mountainside are very effective even against
most Viking units.The Picts have a lot of potential.
The Saxons
----------
Have some of the richest lands in England.The Sxaons only start with 4
provinces but they are wealthy.To begin they have the Welsh somewhat stranded
in Cerniu(cornwall),have the Mercians to the north and rebel provinces to
the east.The Vikings are not that problamatic towards the Saxons to begin so
the Saxons do have quite some time to build.
RECOMMENDATION:Take the rebel provinces.If you leave them for too long the
Mercians will take them which means you will be completely hemmed in in the
south and the only way to expand would have to be a direct war with the
Mercians.If you take them it will mean you will have control of south and east
England and it will be the Mercians who will be surrounded instead of the
other way round.Do this and it is advantage Saxons.
The Scots
---------
Poor-financially and military.The Scots have a difficult starting position.
Along the west coast of Scotland and Ulster in N.Ireland,the Scots have a
huge disadvantage of all their provinces having a coast and therefor an easy
target for the Vikings.The Scots land is poor,but the most important part is
Ulster for 2 reasons.(1)Ulster is the wealthiest Scot province by far and
(2)is the only outlet for a Scot expansion into Ireland.The Picts also are a
problem as they are pretty hard to dislodge from Scotland.
RECOMMENDATION:Hold tight and do not lose Ulster.Use alliances well and also
marry your daughters into other factions as this strengthens alliances.The
main faction you have to eliminate are the Picts.If given too much time
they will build strong armies and crush you first.
The Vikings
-----------
Have the best attacking units in the game although not is all as easy as itmay
seem.The 2 Viking provinces are poor to begin but they do have several deep-
sea ships that can strike almost anywhere and the Vikings do not need ports to
launch invasions either.Timing is the key as if too long is taken and not
enough lands are under control,the Vikings will lose money.On the other hand
the units at the Vikings disposal are excellent and far better than any of
the other armies at the enemies disposal.
RECOMMENDATION:You have to invade to be successful,the east coast of England
is a good target because of the weak rebel factions there.If you can set up
a forward line in England,this will give you time to then build your economy
and then your armies.You could if you wanted to,wait,build up your economy
and then launch an offensive but by then the other factions would of built up
their armies too so it would just make life more difficult for you.
The Welsh
---------
Not the easiest faction to play but do have some potential.To start the Welsh
have 4 provinces,3 of which go straight down the middle of Wales.The other
province is rather isolated in Cerniu(cornwall) but are all wealthy lands as
all have resource deposits.To the east of Wales are the Mercians and to the
N.W and S.W of Wales are rebel provinces.
RECOMMENDATION:The Welsh are not as hard as it may seem.The lands have wealthy
potential and the Welsh have an ok army.You don't usually get a lot of
attention aswell as the Mercians and Saxons usually tend to be more
concerned with each other rather than the Welsh,this could work to your
advantage.Take the rebel provinces in Wales as the Vikings may take a liking
to them if left too long.When done build the usual(economy+armies) and keep
an eye on the Mercians and Saxons and if one or the other is getting
battered and if your strong enough,go attack the weaker one!
4.Army strength
===============
Order of army strength 1 being excellent and 8 the weakest(duh!)I just want to
tell you of the categories that I class the units.Defensive=units with good
defense stats,archers=archers(duh!),attack=units with good attack stats and
cavalry=good cavalry.
rank faction defensive archers attack cavalry
---- ------- --------- ------- ------ -------
(1) Vikings good average excellent poor
(2) Picts good poor v.good good
(3) Mercians good average good good
(4) Saxons good average good good
(5) Welsh good good average average
(6) Irish good poor average good
(7) Scots good average average good
(8) Northumbrians good average poor good
note:all factions have good defensive stats as all have Armoured Spearmen
which are the best defensive unit available.
5.Battle Tactics
================
I'd just like to tell you of a tactic that I usually deploy on the battlefield
and is fairly effective.This is how it basically looks:
--------------------------------------
: DEFENSIVE UNITS :
--------------------------------------
------------- -------------
: ATTACK : ------------------------------- : ATTACK :
: UNITS : : ARCHERS : : UNITS :
------------- ------------------------------- -------------
Turn the archers command to hold ground as if not they will run in all
directions if the enemy gets close and it is truly annoying.This formation
is ideal for defences as the enemy will attack your defensive units while
your archers pepper them with arrows safely behind your defence.The attack
units can be used to attack the enemy flanks as can the cavalry if things
aren't going well.When the enemy routs I would suggest sending your cavalry
to cut them down as they run,as the enemy usually regroups to attack again.
Don't get too over zealous as you don't want your cavalry to go too far and
get ambushed.
One thing I will say is that while defending be careful not to have too big
a gap in-between your defensive units.The AI is quick to notice these things
and enemy cavalry charging at these gaps can cause major problems.
6.Factions Units
================
note:I will categorise them in the usual attack,archers,cavalry etc.
note:most factions have Dismounted Nobles and Royal Bodyguards(both foot-
units).I am not including them in this unit walkthrough as although they
have good attack and defense stats,they are very few in number(40 and 20
respectively) and quite expensive for their small size.I don't recommend
these 2 units at all.
note:COST-low(below 200)average(between 200-350)high(350-450)expensive(450+)
DEFENSE
-------
Spearmen:COST-low
QUANTITY-100 men
STATS-best in deep formation,weak attack
NOTE-ok but have no chance against upgraded units
AVAILABILITY-all factions.
RATING- 1.5/5
---------------------------------------------------------------
Viking :COST-low
Thralls QUANTITY-100 men
STATS-weak defence,very weak attack,poor morale
NOTE-useless
AVAILABILITY-Vikings only
RATING- 0/5
---------------------------------------------------------------
Fyrdmen :COST-low
QUANTITY-100 men
STATS-defend well vs cavalry,best in deep formation
NOTE-slightly better than Spearmen but still just as poor against
advanced units
AVAILABILITY-Saxons,Northumbrians,Mercians
RATING- 1.5/5
---------------------------------------------------------------
Militia :COST-low
Sergeants QUANTITY-60 men
STATS-good defence,bonus vs armoured troops,poor morale
NOTE-quite good,better than spearmen and fyrdmen but not as good as
armoured spearmen
AVAILABILITY-Mercians only
RATING- 2.5/5
---------------------------------------------------------------
Armoured: COST-average
Spearmen QUANTITY-100 men
STATS-good defence,defend well vs cavalry,poor morale
NOTE-the best defensive unit in the game,that said they are known to
rout,but the best you got
AVAILABILITY-all factions
RATING- 3.5/5
---------------------------------------------------------------
DEFENSE NOTE:The best available are the armoured spearmen,they should play
some part in your army though hopefully you shouldn't have to
call on them much if you're doing the attacking.
ARCHERS
-------
Archers:COST-average
QUANTITY-60 men
STATS-weak defence,poor morale,shoot poorly in bad weather
NOTE-In my view the 2nd best archers available,behind Welsh Bandits,
who of course are only available to the Welsh
AVAILABILITY-all except Picts and Irish
RATING- 3.5/5
---------------------------------------------------------------
Pictish :COST-average
Crossbowmen QUANTITY-60 men
STATS-slow rate of fire,missiles good vs armour
NOTE-I'm not one for crossbowmen,I think they are slow and not
nearly as effective as normal archers
AVAILABILITY-Picts only
RATING- 2/5
--------------------------------------------------------------
Welsh :COST-expensive
Bandits QUANTITY-60 men
STATS-long range,fast,can hide in open,excellent morale
NOTE-excellent archers,the longer the range the better,very expensive
however
AVAILABILITY-Welsh only
RATING- 5/5
--------------------------------------------------------------
Bonnachts:COST-average
QUANTITY-100 men
STATS-excellent attack,short range,armed with spears
NOTE-as the Irish have no archers this is probably the best type
they will get in this category,can be quite effective
AVAILABILITY-Irish only
RATING- 3/5
--------------------------------------------------------------
Irish :COST-low
Dartmen QUANTITY-60 men
STATS-fast,armed with darts,poor morale,weak attack
NOTE-average/poor
AVAILABILITY-Irish only
RATING- 1.5/5
--------------------------------------------------------------
Kerns:COST-low
QUANTITY-60 men
STATS-fast,short range,good vs armour,armed with javelins
NOTE-average/poor
AVAILABILITY-Irish only
RATING- 1.5/5
--------------------------------------------------------------
ARCHERS NOTE:The best are of course the Welsh Bandits but these are of course
Welsh only and very expensive.It would be best to make do with
normal archers which I feel are under-rated but are very
effective.
ATTACK
------
Beserkers:COST-high
QUANTITY-12 men
STATS-excellent attack,fast,irresistable charge,excellent morale
NOTE-brilliant,can wipe out hundreds of men at a time and break any
formation,their numbers (only 12) counts against them however
AVAILABILITY-Vikings and Picts
RATING- 4.5/5
--------------------------------------------------------------
Celtic :COST-low
Warriors QUANTITY-100 men
STATS-excellent attack,strong charge,poor morale,very weak defence
NOTE-very good attacking unit although as time passes not as
effective against upgraded troops,still good though
AVAILABILITY-Picts and Welsh
RATING- 3.5/5
--------------------------------------------------------------
Gallowglasses:COST-average
QUANTITY-60 men
STATS-excellent attack,irresistable charge,poor morale
NOTE-probably the best Irish unit available and controlled
well can cause considerable damage
AVAILABILITY-Irish only
RATING-3.5/5
--------------------------------------------------------------
Highland:COST-low
Clansmen QUANTITY-60 men
STATS-excellent attack,v.strong charge,fast,poor morale
NOTE-the Scots' equivilent to the Picts' Celtic Warriors,not as good
though but the best the Scots have got.Very cheap units.
AVAILABILITY-Scots only
RATING- 3/5
--------------------------------------------------------------
Joms :COST-expensive
Vikings QUANTITY-60 men
STATS-excellent attack,v.good defence,v.good charge,excellent morale
NOTE-the best attacking (and defensive!)unit in the game.Nuff sed!
AVAILABILITY-Vikings only
RATING- 5/5
--------------------------------------------------------------
Saxon :COST-expensive
Huscarles QUANTITY- 60 men
STATS-v.good attack,strong charge,excellent morale,good vs armour
NOTE- the best unit the English factions have at their disposal
AVAILABILITY-Saxons,Mercians,Northumbrians
RATING- 4/5
--------------------------------------------------------------
Viking:COST-low
Carls QUANTITY-60 men
STATS-good attack,armoured
NOTE-very cheap Viking unit,effective against most unit types
AVAILABILITY-Vikings only
RATING- 3/5
--------------------------------------------------------------
Viking :COST-expensive
Huscarles QUANTITY-60 men
STATS-v.good attack,strong charge,excellent morale,good vs armour
NOTE-exactly the same as Saxon Huscarles
AVAILABILITY-Vikings only
RATING- 4/5
--------------------------------------------------------------
Viking :COST-average
Landsmenn QUANTITY-60 men
STATS-good attack,good morale,good vs armoured troops
NOTE-the upgraded equivilent to the Viking Carls basically
RATING- 3.5/5
--------------------------------------------------------------
Urban :COST-low
Militia QUANTITY-60 men
STATS-strong charge,poor morale,bonus vs armoured troops
NOTE-effective against peasents and Viking Thralls,thats about all
they're good for
AVAILABILITY-Mercians only
RATING- 1/5
--------------------------------------------------------------
Woodsmen:COST-low
QUANTITY-60 men
STATS-irresistable charge,bonus vs armour,weak defence,poor morale
NOTE-on the same par as Urban Militia
AVAILABILITY-Northumbrians only
RATING- 1/5
--------------------------------------------------------------
CAVALRY
-------
Horsemen:COST-low
QUANTITY-40 men
STATS-v.strong charge,good attack,good morale,undisciplined
NOTE-very useful unit as they are cheap and effective at
attacking from rear/flanks,wouldn't recommend using head on
against upgraded units(eg.Huscarles)
AVAILABILITY-all except Picts and Vikings
RATING- 3/5
--------------------------------------------------------------
Mounted:COST-high
Nobles QUANTITY-40 men
STATS-v.strong charge,v.good attack,undisciplined
NOTE-the best cavalry available
AVAILABILITY-all except Vikings and Welsh
RATING- 4/5
--------------------------------------------------------------
Mounted :COST-low
Sergeants QUANTITY-40 men
STATS-irresistable charge
NOTE-quite average,best at hitting troops from rear and attacking
routing units
AVAILABILITY-Mercians only
RATING- 2/5
--------------------------------------------------------------
Pictish:COST-low
Cavalry QUANTITY-40 men
STATS-strong charge,fast,weak defence
NOTE-similar to Mounted Sergeants,but faster
AVAILABILITY:Picts only
RATING- 2/5
--------------------------------------------------------------
Pictish :COST-average
Mounted QUANTITY-40 men
Crossbowmen STATS-fast,slow rate of fire,weak attack,shoot poorly-bad weather
NOTE-the only horse archer unit available,don't think yourself
privaledged
AVAILABILITY-Picts only
RATING- 2/5
--------------------------------------------------------------
Royal :COST-average
Bodyguards QUANTITY-20 men
STATS-v.strong charge,v.good attack,excellent morale,undisciplined
NOTE-good and you should usually get these for free as Kings and
Princes have their own unit,their small size is one downside
however
AVAILABILITY-all except the Vikings
RATING- 3.5/5
--------------------------------------------------------------
Viking :COST-low
Raider QUANTITY-40 men
Cavalry STATS-strong charge,v.weak attack,poor morale
NOTE-the weakest cavalry in the game,best at cutting down routing
units and attacking from rear,but even thats a bit risky with
this cavalry
AVAILABILITY-Vikings only
RATING- 1/5
--------------------------------------------------------------
CAVALRY NOTE:I prefer using cavalry high in number,either Mounted Nobles
or Horsemen,I'd suggest the same to you too.
7.Finished
==========
Hopefully this FAQ/walkthrough is helpful to you in deciding which faction is
best suited to you.I wish you all the luck in playing this awesome game and
if you have any queries or recommendations don't hesitate to contact me,also
if you liked it it'd be nice if you rated it.Thanks.
8.Copyright
===========
This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed
publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other
web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a
violation of copyright.
