Company of New Order
Modeled after the 400 days old Expert Ironman Honey Stealers company that face successfully orcs, goblins and undead hordes.
Fresh Company of New Order consist:
- 1 Sergeant - morale support/backrow fighter
- 4 Archers/Polearm users - backrow fighters/fire support
- 8 Shield Bearers - main line
- 2 Heavy Troopers - flankers
Early Company rely on 2nd row for damage when shields bros keep the line.
Veteran Company of New Order consist:
- 1 Sergeant
- 4 Dedicated Archers/Polearm users - fire support/counter fire
- 2 Shield Bearers - arrow bait
- 6 Heavy Troopers - main line
- 2 Duelist - highly mobile flankers
Late company rely either on superior firepower or hack enemy to pieces with massed heavy troopers.
Categories of troops
- Sergeant - heavy armored support armed with polearm (long range melee weapon), his main role is to raise company morale and prevent routs, fight from backrow avoid engaging in personal face to face combat, high Resolve is necessary for this character
- Archers/Polearm users - ranged oriented character which main task is to eliminate enemy ranged troops and spellcasters, could be also used to weaken incoming lightly armored enemy troops and double as backrow polearm user, high Ranged and Melee skills are necessary for this character
- Shield Bearer - typical defensive oriented soldier that serve as shield that protect the rest of company, uses shields and one handed weapons, no particular weakness
- Heavy Trooper - heavy armored soldier armed with Area of Attack 2 handed weapon, high potential for massive damage, high effectiveness against multiple targets
- Duelist - specialized soldier armed with one handed weapon but without using shield, great against single targets/lesser foes, highly mobile
Sergeant
Guy who keep soldiers in line. With current build it benefit high level companies more (%increase) and increase more offence than defense. Still important for ow level companies because it essential to prevent routs.
- Primary Skills: Resolve, Melee Skill, Fatigue
- Secondary Skills: Ranged Defense (around 20)
- Recommended Traits: Determined, Impatient, Fearful
- Recommended Equipment: Heavy armor and helmet, polearm of choice, dagger
- Essential Perks: Fortified mind, Rally the Troops, Sergeant, Footwork
- Recommended Perks: Student, Berserker, Brawny, Anticipation, Battle Forged
- Optional Perks: Pathfinder, Gifted, Backstabber
Example:
Commentary:
Essential in fights against Orc War bosses as their Roar attack can easily break even experienced soldiers.
With current builds any trooper with average resole and Talent in it can be considered as a potential candidate for position. Having high melee skills and ranged defense is also a plus. This make Retired Soldiers and Swordsmen good candidates when Adventurous Noble not.
Shield Bearer
Core of any starting company. Solid versatile trooper.
- Primary Skills: Melee Skill, Melee Defense, Fatigue
- Secondary Skills: HP (around 60)
- Recommended Traits: Iron Lungs, Strong
- Recommended Equipment: Heavy armor and helmet, 1 handed weapon of choice, dagger
- Essential Perks: Shield Expert, Brawny, Underdog, Battle Forged, Weapon of choice proficiency
- Recommended Perks: Student, Berserker, Nimble,
- Optional Perks: Pathfinder, Gifted, Backstabber, Fearsome, Indomitable
Example:
Archer/Polearm user hybrid
Ranged character that doubles as polearm user. His main task is to eliminate enemy spellcasters and ranged units with secondary task to snipe enemy high damage units (two handers/polearm users, berserkers). Range is essential for this task so its preferred to use bows.
- Primary Skills: Melee Skill, Ranged Skill, Fatigue
- Secondary Skills: Ranged defense (around 20)
- Recommended Traits: Iron Lungs, Hawkeye
- Recommended Equipment: Light armor and helmet that nor reduce view range, 1 ranged weapon of choice (bow), polearm of choice, spare ammo
- Essential Perks: Bullseye, Footwork , Bow proficiency
- Recommended Perks: Student, Berserker, Gifted, Pathfinder
- Optional Perks: Backstabber, Fearsome, Bags and Belts, Quick hands, Killing Frenzy, Crippling Strikes
Early Polearm/Archer hybrid example:
- notice Backstab perk to increase melee hit chances
Late dedicated archer example:
- notice Killing Frenzy for increase of damage output
Another late game example:
- notice Quick hands instead Crippling strikes, Quick hands make for more versatile character when also eliminate increased chance to wound your own troops when/if you use your archers to support your engaged units Commentary:
In early stage of game they serve more as melee units (as usually player can't afford costly Warbows and polearms are more reliable than low skill archers). Also enemy spellcasters rarely show early.
- pikes with Backstabber perk make solid early choice -high chance of hit
- long axes can be used to strip enemy from shields
Heavy Trooper
Core of any late company. Great damage output.
- Primary Skills: Melee Skill, Melee Defense, Fatigue
- Secondary Skills: HP (around 60), Ranged defense
- Recommended Traits: Iron Lungs, Strong
- Recommended Equipment: Heavy armor and helmet, 2 handed weapon of choice, dagger
- Essential Perks: Reach advantage, Berserker, Brawny, Underdog, Battle Forged, Weapon of choice proficiency
- Recommended Perks: Student, Nimble
- Optional Perks: Pathfinder, Gifted, Fearsome, Indomitable, Killing Frenzy
Starter companions as early example:
Late game example:
Commentary:
Best used in loose formation with enough space to perform multiple target strikes. Two handed swords are great for that task as their are accurate and have two multi strikes:Split and Swing.
Reach advantage is absolutely essential for multistrike build and berserk also is needed so at last 6. Armor at last more than 200 but more is better. Melee defense is important part and when you use Warbrand and lighter armor Nimble is really helpful. Remember if your soldier don't get hit in first place he don't need heavy armor.
Heavy trooper three things:
- -melee defense to not get hit (high base plus Nimble and Reach advantage.
- -melee attack so he can reliable hit enemies (that why swords are good they have bonus hit chance) and buff his defense.
- -fatigue so he can swing his sword a lot (Iron lungs and weapon proficiency or Recovery help a lot).
Rest is secondary. High HP is nice but better don't get hit in first place. Heavy armor in this case is mostly anti ranged (goblins and bandit xbows) and protection against enemy melee lucky hits - as you don't want your guy get hit as wounds can cause serious effects - lowering defense or max fatigue - heavy armor reduce greatly damage to HP and chance for wounds.
Warbrands are good against low health or unarmored targets, swords are best universal weapon, hammer against heavy armor and axe for lone wolves. If you give H. Trooper Quick hands he can carry shield and then switch to 2handers when in melee - it helps a lot against ranged but lower fatigue a little. Main danger are goblin Shamans and their spells, also nets and swamps as they lower defense or are tiresome.
Duelist
Soldier who specialize in singe target damage. More mobile than Heavy Troopers.
- Primary Skills: Melee Skill, Melee Defense, Fatigue
- Secondary Skills: HP (around 60), Ranged defense (around 20)
- Recommended Traits: Iron Lungs, Strong
- Recommended Equipment: Medium armor and helmet, 1 handed weapon of choice, dagger
- Essential Perks: Berserker, Brawny, Underdog, Nimble, Duelist, Weapon of choice proficiency
- Recommended Perks: Student, Pathfinder, Anticipation
- Optional Perks: Gifted, Fearsome, Indomitable, Killing Frenzy
Example:
Commentary
Highly specialized troopers, they need high melee defense, decent ranged defense and high melee skill. As that Sellswords, Swordmaster and Retired Soldiers are preferred.
Tactics
New video with COMMENTARY against Orc Warriors:
- all explained in video
Battle against orc encampment:
- wedge formation with enough space between Heavy Troopers to perform multi strikes.
- supporting troops (Shield Bearers, Duelist, Archers, Polearms users) stuffed behind.
- Archers eliminate or weaken berserkers or orc young.
- Heavy Troopers take care about most melee.
- Shield Bearers, Duelist fill the gap and concentrate damage on single targets when Heavy Troopers keep enemy busy and bleeding.
- lack of Sergeant could turn into rout if enemy Warlord keep his Roar up.
Another battle against Orc Stronghold:
- again wedge formation.
- back to flat area so Orc warriors wont push and take high ground.
- young orcs constant charge - stun against first line.
- enemy berserkers try to flank my positions.
- high enough defense plus Reach advantage make my Heavy Troopers almost non hit-able (excluding that one on the bottom who has the lower defense and old type build - starting companion but at last he has plenty of HP).
- Duelist with named orc cleaver and hammer equipped Shield bearers fill the gaps and concentrate attacks.
Another battle against massive undead formation:
- marksmen eliminate enemy necromancers.
- zombies are resistant but have low damage output, skeletons are fragile but with better dps and weapons.
- notice that soldiers get exhausted at the end of battle - perk Recovery or trait Iron lungs help a lot.
- if enemy necromancers were still alive battle would take much longer.
Tips and tricks
- Quick hands perk is very helpful for Heavy troopers as they can carry a kite shield to cover them against ranged fire.