Warband How To Become King
Hey well, i've noticed a few people asking this here so i figured i'd make a post explaining exactly what to do and how to do it. First, a few notes. I'm not sure if i'm allowed to post something like this on a forum but meh, it's 2am, i'm bored and if this helps just one person then my time is worth it.I first started playing Mount & Blade back in 2008. I enjoyed it but felt it lacked.substance. Then Warband came out and i was hooked. It's the game that ive always wanted people to make.
This guide will be full of typos. It might not be perfect but i hope it helps someone.This guide is also assuming you're using the Diplomacy mod. If you don't have it, then get it on the Steam Workshop. If you're playing a Total Conversion mod like Floris or Clash of Kings then don't worry, they come with Diplomacy from the get go!
Although the guide is written for Vanilla with Diplomacy, so skip the Faction section if you're using a total conversion mod.Let's get started!FACTIONSOkay. So you started Warband and see all these fancy factions around the world. Awesome, i hear you think, But how do i become my OWN King? I hate following these AI ♥♥♥♥♥♥'s around!
A Clash of Kings is a modification for Mount and Blade: Warband, and centers around the fantasy universe presented in George R R Martin's popular series 'A Song of Ice and Fire'. General starters guide to becoming your own King. So you started Warband and see all these fancy factions around the world. Awesome, i hear you think, But how do i become my OWN King? I hate following these AI♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥s around! Well first things first, you can't become king all by your lonesome. Each faction has their own.
Well first things first, you can't become king all by your lonesome. Each faction has their own specialties. Their own 'Best in Slot' unit's if you will.The Nords (Blue) tend to focus heavily on Melee, especially the Huscarls. Seriously, if you're on foot and you see a Nordic Huscarl running towards you, run. It's the best chance you'll stand against one of these beasts. The Nords downside is that they have no mounted troops, like.seriously, none. Their Archers are very middle of the pack too.
Not amazing, but not too shoddy either.The Swadian's (Red) have Heavy Cavalry. MASSIVE Emphesis on the 'Heavy'. These monster's on horses just will NOT die. In a wide open battlefield, with correct tactics, they can easily win any battle even if they are outnumbered 10-1. The Swadian downside is.well.everything else. Their Infantry is useless and their Archers can't hit the broad side of a barn.Kingdom of Vaegirs (White). Now here we have the 'rangers' of Warband.
This agile faction have by far and away the BEST. Offensive Archers in the game. They go down fast sure, but they can shoot the wings off a fly at 50 paces without breaking a sweat. They really badly suffer in every other aspect though.
In closed spaces they're basically cannon fodder, but give them a Hill to shoot from and you will find Defeat very rare to come by.The Khergit Khanate (Purple) have probably the most annoying specialisation in the game. In Medevil times these units were called 'Harassers'. Horse Archers/Spear Throwers essentially. They don't do a lot of damage and they die fairly fast if you can catch up with them.But my lord are these guys annoying. If you fight enough of them it litterally feels like 'Death from a thousand cuts'. Each hit doing abrely any damage but theres so damn many of them it overwhelms almost any army.
Like the Swadians, give these guys an open field and you're just asking for pain.The Rhodoks (Green) are best known for their Crossbowmen. They are the polar opposite of the vaegeirs.
A Rhodok Crossbowman won't do massive damage to you, but nothing (and i do mean NOTHING) penetrates his shield. He will stand fast and HOLD the line. These are the guys you want on your side during Seige defences. I've seen a team of 30 well trained Rhodok Crossbowmen repel an army of 400 Swadians. I'm not even joking. However take them away from their walls and put them in a wide open space and they'll fall just as easily as the rest of the Rhodok units.Now.we come to the Sarranid Sultanate (Yellow). These arabian dudes are the 'everyman's army.
They have Horsemen as good as the Swadians, Archers as good as the Vaegeirs and Invantry that can give a Nordic Huscarl a run for his money. The downside to the Sarranids? Well because they are so 'balanced' it's hard to have a full army made up of them.
It generally doesn't work because, while they do indeed hold their own against their other Faction counterparts, they will still be beaten in a 1 on 1 fight. They're the jack of all trades of Warband.FRIENDSHIP IS MAGICOkay so you've read up on the Factions, you've decided which one is for you and you're now face to face with their King.
Good for you! When you talk to the king you can ask to 'pledge your sword' or some nonsense. Suck it up and ask him. He will most likely say no, this is where said boot licking should occur.Go to all the main Lords in the Faction, do quests for them, help them out if they're fighting anybody and make them love you. Find out who your faction is at war with and fight them yourself.
Eventually you may be asked to be a 'Mercenary' for the faction, if you're friends with a lord or two. Accept this and prove yourself to the King. After a while of this, you can ask him about serving him again and he should say yes. Promoting you from a Mercenary to a vassel.
You'll also get a crappy little town. Woohoo, you're a somebody!Next order of buisness is to find the Marshal. Every faction has one.
This is a Vassel that has been apointed by the King to handle all the War efforts such as defending the lands and assaulting the enemies. You can beceom one yourself if you wish, but that is not the purpose of this guide. Find the Marshal and suck up to him.
Follow him around, ask if he wants his shoes shined, whatever he needs do it.Eventually he'll ask you to come with him on raids into the enemy's borders to take a castle or city. Make sure you keep talking with other lords, you want as many people as possible to think you're litterally Jesus.This also includes enemy Lords. Keep in mind the end goal here.
Screw your current faction. You want to start your own! Make sure if given the choice to capture an enemy you choose NO, unless he's part of a quest. All Capturing him does is make him VERY angry at you, and gets you a 1-3000 gold random. Not worth it in the long runOnce you have assisted in taking a city or castle you can then go around to each lord and ask 'Who do you think deserves this'. Chances are most will say a different Lord, or maybe even the King if they want to kiss his butt.
Try convince them to give it to you. Some Kings ignore the Vassels and give the Cities/castles or whoever they damn well please, but most listen to their Lords.REVOLUTION!Now we come to it. You've learned everything you can learn form this King/Faction and it's time to go your own seperate ways. To part amicably, or not.There are 2 ways to leave a King's service.Resigning and Rebellion. First, lets discuss resigning If you go to the King you can resign from his service. You will keep your men/equipment, but all towns/cities given to you in your faction will be stripped from you.
You will still be friendly with the King and you won't be at war with anyone, but you won't even have the original town the King gave you to call home.To rebel, you have to take a castle or a town then wait until the King gives it to someone else other than you. This can take awhile, but when it does happen you have an option to go 'Wtf King I'm out!' This lets you keep EVERYTHING, but automatically puts you at War with the faction you just rebelled from.The 'best' way to leave is to make sure you have at LEAST 3-4 Castles and 2-3 Cities. Also make sure your followers are high enough level and you are well liked in your current faction. When you rebel from the king, retreat to your capital and Knight your followers into Vassels. Send a few of these with messages to your friends in different factions, I find a bribe works well here.
This is why you release as many lords as you can. You want people that love you EVERYWHERE, not just in your old faction.Convincing someone to defect from their king is tough, but if you manage to do it you get all of their cities/castles they own and their main army, which is usually quite sizable by this point.
Keep in mind their relationship with the King matters too. If they LOVE their king, then even if you're best buddies they arn't gonna leave him for you. Be careful who you choose because you want the strongest Vassels ASAP.If your Friendshjip is high enough with the King you just rebelled from, you can ask for Peace.
It's unlikely he'll accept until the War has gone on a few months OR he takes a castle/city from you. From this point you should have most of your followers promoted to Vassels, your own Marshal running around and a decent chunk of capital to get started.It's not reccomended to start your own Kingdom until you have Several hundred Reknown and a mountain of gold. Being a king is expensive work and definitely not for the faint of heart. But it's what makes this game so fun in the long run for me. The politics, the end game.it elevated Warband from a 1st/3rd person hack'n'slash to its own genre.CONCLUSIONWell that's it. I didn't explain everything.
Warband How To Become King
I just thought i'd make this to help people looking on the forum. I expect it to get removed soon anyway but as i said, if it helps just one person then i've not wasted the 40 mins i spent writing it:P if you have any questions feel free to ask here or PM me.
Create a FactionWe have established the basic process of how to create your own faction. In simple terms you simply have to seize a town or city as an independent. The problem is keeping your empire and avoiding a crushing attack from the other factions. Obviously you have to be levelled up, kitted out and in command of a large, well trained army. Making friends will also help because there is a greater chance that other lords will stay neutral when you rebel.
Now we’ll have a look at recruiting lords, marrying ladies and increasing your Right to Rule. Recruiting Lords. You can also improve your chances of victory by recruiting lords to your cause. This will make your faction more powerful but it will also decrease your chances of grabbing land for yourself. If you persuade a lord to defect or you make a companion into a vassal you will need to grant them lands of their own to keep them happy. If you make a companion into a vassal make sure they are levelled up with good armour and weaponry first because you won’t be able to change it afterwards.You’ll need to talk to them in private if you want to recruit them. Make sure that you have a decent relationship before you broach the subject so as to avoid trouble.
You can also question the competency of the current king and suggest you would do a better job. It is a smart idea to survey the scene before making any moves and make sure you approach the disaffected lords.You can find out the situation by observing messages, talking to lords and ladies and sending your companions to gather intelligence.
It is important you recruit lords and promote companions with similar ideas or you’ll end up with a hopeless kingdom. Another new option in Mount & Blade: Warband is to woo a lady with poetry and marry her. You can do it in secret or you can get her father’s permission (sometimes brother). It takes several visits to worm your way into a bedchamber and it’s not a good idea to rush. You can learn poems in taverns and there seems to be a limit of five in total.The benefit of marriage is that it gives you the ability to hold feasts and increase your standing.
It also brings you closer to the family, provided the marriage was sanctioned. Be warned though, if you elope and marry without the permission of the male relative then you’ll be making an enemy for life.In order to meet eligible ladies you should win tournaments and then visit the feast and dedicate the tournament win to the lady you fancy.
Once you declare an interest you’ll get summons occasionally or you can go to the city where the lady resides and you’ll see Attempt to visit a lady as a new menu option. When the relationship gets advanced enough and you’ve tried out all your poems on her you can pop the question. Right to Rule. An important new concept in Mount & Blade: Warband is Right to Rule. You can check your Right to Rule rating in your Character Report. When you think you are ready to create your own faction you should start to build up this rating by talking to your companions and telling them you want to be king.
You’ll get an option to send them out on missions. Each of your companions will have a different idea about how to improve your chances of becoming king. You’ll only be able to send one or two at a time and they’ll be away from your party for a few days while they complete the mission. Each time they return your Right to Rule will increase by 3.If your Right to Rule rating is too low and you try to start your own faction you can expect serious opposition from all factions because they’ll regard you as a rebel bandit.
To be taken seriously you have to have a good rating in terms of renown, honor and Right to Rule (just over 50 worked for me). Making PeaceYou can’t afford to be at war with everyone so you’ll want to make peace with some factions. If you are on friendly terms and you have a good standing in Calradia then you should be able to get peace. You can also use your companions as diplomats for your cause and send them to visit factions in an attempt to get treaties. You can do this by talking to your minister and asking him to dispatch an emissary. You want to send someone in your party with good persuasion skills to increase your chances of success.
Don’t be ControversialThere are various things that will make your standing suffer and so you must avoid them if you want to be taken seriously as a king. If you have a high Controversy rating you run the risk of incurring the wrath of everyone. You can check your Controversy by selecting Notes then Characters. Always make sure you take care of your lands.
If you don’t protect them and develop them your reputation will suffer. Be careful who you make into a vassal. Some lords will get upset and outraged if you grant status to a commoner. You can afford to promote companions like Alayen because they are of noble blood. Get permission for your love affairs.
If you sneak around behind the backs of male relatives or worse elope with a lady then you’ll anger people.Build a Solid Foundation. The gold doesn’t always flow very easily and since you’ll be engaged in major warfare when you begin a new faction you’ll want a solid financial base behind you. It is ideal if the first target you take is rich. It is also a good idea to target the weakest faction and scoop up their lands as quickly as possible.Remember that in order to attack a faction you need to have a negative relationship with them.If you plan well you should be ruling an empire in no time. If you have any suggestions for good tactics to use then please post a comment.
This post is part of the series: Mount & Blade: Warband Guide.