Levies vs Retinues
- Thread starter Dotto1979
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Levies got the cultural buildings bonus, don't know if retinues get that bonus? If they don't then levies are stronger.
Retinues are awesome, its a standing army you always have ready, on top of your normal levies. And you can pick what soldiers you want for this standing army.
Edit:
Oh, so retinues are given cultural bonuses. Nice.
Edit:
Oh, so retinues are given cultural bonuses. Nice.
They only cost money while they are reinforceing, so you can just stop all reinforcements of you retinues until you have the money to pay for it. In case you didnt know how to, You can do it under the retinue tab, there is like a pause symbol. 
On the other hand, levies have terrible force composition (mostly due to the way tactics work). A retinue will beat an equal sized levy if it's properly organized, composed, and led.
Unless you have a giant empire, funding a lot of retinues may be hard. With that said, the strategic value of retinues is overwhelming. Cultural retinues get huge combat bonuses, some of which can be quite balance breaking. At a cost of just 500 of your cap, you can buy Welsh longbows which are 500 archers who get a 60% offensive bonus, for example. Retinues also don't count as "raised armies" so you can park them on an enemy border right before you declare war and completely overwhelm your opponent while he's trying to get his armies assembled.
Basically, Retinues allow you way better controll over your army composition, and allow you to get a lot of heavy cavalry/archers.
Archers are very powerfull type of retinue, and retinues are pretty much the only way to have a lot of heavy cavalry.
You can try to make a one very strong archer flank, and defencive center+other flank.
That way, archers will very quickly overwhelm the flank and sweep the center and last flank.
You ca often deal literally huge damage, killing off 70+% of enemy army in one go.
Archers are very powerfull type of retinue, and retinues are pretty much the only way to have a lot of heavy cavalry.
You can try to make a one very strong archer flank, and defencive center+other flank.
That way, archers will very quickly overwhelm the flank and sweep the center and last flank.
You ca often deal literally huge damage, killing off 70+% of enemy army in one go.
Use levies for battles and assaults. Replacing them doesnt cost you, and if you make haste, you won't get an opinion penalty from your vassals. Also it weakens your vassals.
Use retinues for sieges.
Use retinues for sieges.
Is it me, or do the AI retinues just stand around doing nothing? Its around 1258 in my game and there are a whole hooch of retinues standing in provinces doing Jack. The only armies moving are the levies and mercenaries. So in wars I can go from provinces to province decimating small retinues for cheap warscore. They just ain't moving!
Aye.
Aye.
Retinues are a worthless waste of space and i've never used them once. Why bother doing that when i can just hire mercs and save money to build more cities & infrastructure? I need money more than a piece of crap overly expensive army. My political gears need to be greased with money for me to keep up in the game with my enemies and vassals.
Retinues aren't that expensive. They're definitely worth it. Factions take your retinue into account when deciding when to go to war with you. You get the cultural bonus for your own troops, plus you get whatever the technology in your capital province is for all your troops. And it's so much easier doing your cultural battle tactic with retinues, I don't know that I get 40% archers from my levies to do massive long bow volley.
The overall power of my retinue is watered down by light cavalry (which you need to have to have heavy cavalry), but your retinue should defeat a levy of comparable size.
The overall power of my retinue is watered down by light cavalry (which you need to have to have heavy cavalry), but your retinue should defeat a levy of comparable size.
Dude. Retinues are even inheritable. Mercs are far more expensive. Unless you let your retinues assault non-stop.
And retinues don't leave or turn against you should you go broke (which I do fairly often...)
It is important thought to turn off the reinforcement if you go broke, otherwise you spend the money but don't reinforce (weird bug).
It is important thought to turn off the reinforcement if you go broke, otherwise you spend the money but don't reinforce (weird bug).
Retinues are the best! You can always use them at full strenght and the NEVER betray ,which is the most important aspect. So if you have a rebellious duke somewhere ,you can send in your dreaded retinue and the moment he revolt ,snap him and kill him hopefully in battle! Retinues rule AND are historically correct implemented.
One of the best features definitly ,though some finetuning might be in order.
One of the best features definitly ,though some finetuning might be in order.
Where the hell am i supposed to get 1 gold a month to pay 500 men in 1100?
From three completely non-upgraded vassal cities? If you're not at least a multicount by 1100 from a 1066 start you're doing something horribly wrong.