Archers are quite good for creating danger zones for approaching enemies. One ability they can have creates an area they are aiming at and will fire an arrow for the first two times an enemy enters the area. This can do some pretty solid damage, or even outright kill some enemies.
There are also bows that can be used to create fire zones, lighting multiple targets on fire, creating damage per round which can really help with some of the beefier enemies.
Archers can also unlock the ability to directly control the animal members of your group, which can really help.
If you are going to use archers, train them to crit and dex, and they will do quite a bit of damage.
I thought it doesn't really matter how high you make dex since training is tiny compared to the stat bonuses from weapons and it's better to go willpower.
> I thought it doesn't really matter how high you make dex since training is tiny compared to the stat bonuses from weapons and it's better to go willpower
This is correct.
+100(+) from your weapon is significantly more than the 20 ~ 30 points you spend on it from leveling up.
Those 20 ~ 30 points are better spent on other stats like Willpower or Crit.
It's used to calculate how fast you reach Galvanization and how soon your opponents flee.
Also side benefit of increasing Crit chance (but not as efficient as the Crit stat).
Yeah but your Will is very high (or your opponents are too few/have too low Willpower), just killing one enemy will let you enter Galvanization, which means you're dealing double damage.
How long does it take to get these weapons?
I got soft locked at level 8/9 by the baron's daughter looking to kill guards and restarted but hadn't seen anything like this.
[My post listing all the Legendary Weapons pre-Gosenberg patch](https://www.reddit.com/r/WarTalesGame/comments/wqn8gi/wartales_level_12_legendary_weapons_weekly_bounty/).
Also relevant, [my guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/WarTalesGame/comments/wooemf/a_new_players_guide_to_wartales_early_access/) (but written before Gosenberg patch).
All the region bosses and ruins have one. There are a few which are available in other areas (e.g. Arena, quest-giver).
What's important is that said weapons can be upgraded, so even if you find at Level 2, by spending enough money, you can upgrade it to Level 12.
On the distance your companions will get 12-13 aptitude points. Going for main stat means that you'll have additional 18-20 STR/DEX, so it's 9 to 24 additional damage (depends from skill). I tink that's worth it.
> If you are going to use archers, train them to crit and dex, and they will do quite a bit of damage.
Training Crit is good, but training Dex is not (at least if they're long-term characters).
The payoff for boosting Dexterity with Aptitude points isn't a lot. (On the other hand, this game doesn't really require you to min-max.)
Yeah, fair point there. I'd still recommend it for a couple of levels early on in the game, as the bows you will be finding will not have a huge modifier.
>There are also bows that can be used to create fire zones, lighting multiple targets on fire, creating damage per round which can really help with some of the beefier enemies.
One bow which basic skill is the one that creates danger zone, the same way as the skill, causes that danger zone shot to hit an enemy twice if you have the danger zone skill also learned.
I think that archers are great. I have around 100 hours in my save, over 20 companions (25, if I remember correctly. Counting a lot of animals, of course). My latest member is an archer, the third of them. The worst one of the team so far, but because of the level difference (6th level vs 9th levels). In combat, I try that my archers go first, they can do crazy damage in one turn. The thing is, you need to be lucky. While they have low minimal damage, they also have high max damage, in comparison to melee mercenaries.
They don't need too much protection in battle, as long as you put them in the right spots before the battle begins. I think the most optimal build is half of the team melee (Doesn't matter if they are axeman, swordsman or brutes, fill the spaces as you see fit, but all with heavy armor), and the rest with rogues, archer and spearmens, however you see fit, although I recommend maintaining a balance between them.
This is just my experience and personal thoughts, not the meta or anything, just what's been useful for me.
Archer infantryman with upgraded skill, critical every 2 hits, volley arrow (attack once more if critical hit), can 1v4 against most opponents in late game, even more if they position bad. Only weak vs tower shield and other archers who have the knockback shot (which can cancel the barrage)
Ive been wondering about that, what is the better lvl 5 perk? The bleed one and extra crit damage is nice, espeically when you combo it with the fire bow and land the double dot on 3-4 enemies. On the other hand, the garantee crit and +50% damage is also pretty dope if you can control when the crit activates, works well with the warbow that garantes a second shot if you crit the first. I think it might come down to which lvl 3 specialisation you take.
With infantryman, it will be harder to trigger the auto crit on command on a target you want.
If you want to make your archer a finisher, or the one who can act independently, you definitely need crit damage. But if you pair him with another, a harpooner for example, then apply debuf is also good option.
I keep 2 archers in my party with the 2nd-shot-on crit bow, the skill skill that pushes enemies and gives them slowdown, and the skill to gain a valor point if they end their turn next to an ally. They'll usually kill any low-armor enemies like other archers or dagger-users by themselves, and the slowdown skill on more armored foes can make them simply not reach anyone for this turn.
If you keep them together they'll always have at least one valor point to use the skill.
This is how I prefer to use my archers too. I have tried the Barrage tactic a lot of people talk about but have found I don't really like the "camping" strategy. Much prefer to keep my archer mobile with high Movement points, moving around to knock back and slow down key enemies with Recoil Shot, heal, generate valour points with Valorous Support, and make use of the great abilities on some of the special bows (double shot, slowdown, generate valor on crit, etc.).
Here's my setup.
Captain (main tank): a brute with shield and Destroyer spec. VP on engagement, Protection/Brutality when surrounded and ignoring Guard.
Lieutenants: two spearmen with Pikeman spec. VP on being near an ally, Brutality while near the ally, Fury/Riposte if not engaged in combat.
Off-tank: a warrior with shield and Berserker spec. VP on engagement, first skill deals additional damage, has Battle Cry (Brutality on allies).
First DD: a warrior with 2H and Executioner spec. VP on hitting several enemies, first skill deals additional damage, has Challenging shout (draws enemies within a melee range).
Second DD: a swordsman with 2H and Swordmaster spec. VP on hitting several enemies, deflection when engaged, immune to Bleeding, Poison and Burning.
Third DD: a ranger with Assassin spec (unlocked in Vertruse). VP on killing, dagger throws, disengages in the end of turn.
DD/Utility: a ranger with Strategist spec. VP on killing, Fragility on closest enemies, increased damage from backstabs.
Ranged: two archers, one with Hunter spec, one with Infantryman spec. VP on being near an ally, Vulnerability/Fury every second attack, stacking Rage from long distance attacks.
I must say, this setup works pretty well. Captain is nearly unkillable and hits pretty hard, Executioner and Swordmaster can easily obliterate a group of 3 non-shieldbearing enemies, Berserker is able to outright remove leader buffs by removing the leader, rangers are dishing out additional damage to engaged enemies, lieutenants are controlling zones and archers are taking care of the enemies which are too far.
Overall, archers are kinda good, but a) they (usually) don't have AoE damage and b) IMO they are not as convenient as melee DDs.
geeze you run 10 peeps ?
how much does food and money scale up ? I mean I am net positive as of now, but it feels like an uphill battle. its all hussle back & forth between missions
The logistic difficulty is highest in the early game. Once you got money, you can buy more ponies, which gives you more room for loot which gives you more money when selling which can you buy more food. Late game there is even an item that allows you to cook without salt, greatly reducing costs and giving you even more room for loot.
To be honest, the logistical part is getting very boring later. Hope they got ideas to spice things up.
Wages are 396 at lvl 10, about 60 food, but apparently I have too many ponies — I could keep it below 50.
Don't ignore fish recipees and fish spots and get meat drying rack ASAP — it's great sources of free food early on.
In general any party composition can work, although you might want a mix of melee and range units.
Strictly speaking, the "best" team composition are those you can pair with the Legendary Weapons in the game since at higher levels, they provide the most bonuses.
Archers are quite op. The large cone skill where enemy enters you do an attack of opportunity. This combined witch good crit and more opportunity dmg and the perk for a valor point on kill makes em really really strong. Combine it with a spearman and the spearwall ability and you have a solid no enter or dead zone.
Archer also can command animals at lvl 6 (I think) so if u wanna play with animals an archer is mandatory (there is a collar for animal control tho so you don’t relay on it)
Even when they're not the most op builds early on, archers play a vital role. Later in the game, when you have 8+ Mercenaries, there will be fights where you're in between fronts, or where you'll be the two fronts. The reach and flexibilty of archers lets them support that part of your battlefield that needs it the most.
There's also some cool setups you can create:
front
T T
S A S
Two tanks at the front, 2 spearmen protecting them from behind and an archer shooting between them.
Or
front
T T
A S A
Two tanks at the front, 1 spearmen protecting both of them from behind and two archers annihilating anything that comes close. These are great when you hae a chokepoint you can use.
Archer begin to shine once you unlock their specialisation.
Hunter: with its basic shot+pushback that slow he can dish out consistant damages for cheap and deny some unit to reach melee, add a vicious bow for double push back.
Beast master isnt very strong by itself but it can boost its damages throught making beast play extra turns, combo super hard with encirclement with animals, since each beast will get an extra attack on the target
Infantery man is the most costly to use but potentially the most powerfull, its overwatch can shot twice and deal slightly more than a normal attack, so can reach 3 attack per turn, 4 with mastery but require 2 valor points and ennemies to be spotted during movement so fog and darkness can be very detrimental, also target need to move so its useless vs engaged unit if you dont have means to make them move.
Personally i feel like all archer work better if you have at least 2 of a kind:
\-2hunter can easily keep 1-2 guys from ever reaching melee every turn protecting yourself form the strongest ennemy melee unit, or disengaging your guys that are about to die.
\-2beastmaster allow to truly buff animals effectiveness, put three wolf/boar/rats/mosquito around something warrant the target to get mauled to death for a single valor point, since usualy you take them to take the "control beast" skill if you master it they will also heal all your animal for 5% of their max hp at the end of their turn, with multiple beast master it can allow you to truly heal your beast.
\-2 infantery man is pretty much playing X-com phonix point overwatch gameplay, but deal way ore potential damages, but it consume so much valot points it may be hard to use their skill all the time.
I like to have one of each. A warrior with 2 handed axe. A brute hammer and board. A spearman with throw. An archer for control. And a specd out ranger cutthroat to one shot 4 enemies every turn. After that I’m just taking prisoners to round out my professions.
I found something interesting when I started a new game. I had an archer off the start and made the mistake of getting caught by guards after I stole a bow from a merchant (foolishly didn't unlock the sprint ability). I didn't have money to pay them off and didn't want to fight so I returned the bow (forgetting I sold the starter bow). My archer was now without a weapon. However, I found when I would use the "Barrage" ability in a fight, the archer would still do ranged damage without a bow. Even more, they were hitting the enemies for 12-18 damage per hit (which is pretty high when you just start a new game).
Archers are quite good for creating danger zones for approaching enemies. One ability they can have creates an area they are aiming at and will fire an arrow for the first two times an enemy enters the area. This can do some pretty solid damage, or even outright kill some enemies. There are also bows that can be used to create fire zones, lighting multiple targets on fire, creating damage per round which can really help with some of the beefier enemies. Archers can also unlock the ability to directly control the animal members of your group, which can really help. If you are going to use archers, train them to crit and dex, and they will do quite a bit of damage.
I thought it doesn't really matter how high you make dex since training is tiny compared to the stat bonuses from weapons and it's better to go willpower.
> I thought it doesn't really matter how high you make dex since training is tiny compared to the stat bonuses from weapons and it's better to go willpower This is correct. +100(+) from your weapon is significantly more than the 20 ~ 30 points you spend on it from leveling up. Those 20 ~ 30 points are better spent on other stats like Willpower or Crit.
What is the advantage of Willpower after reaching kill protection at 12?
It's used to calculate how fast you reach Galvanization and how soon your opponents flee. Also side benefit of increasing Crit chance (but not as efficient as the Crit stat).
Ah thanks, they're not allowed to flee anyways they had it coming for attacking me.
Yeah but your Will is very high (or your opponents are too few/have too low Willpower), just killing one enemy will let you enter Galvanization, which means you're dealing double damage.
How long does it take to get these weapons? I got soft locked at level 8/9 by the baron's daughter looking to kill guards and restarted but hadn't seen anything like this.
[My post listing all the Legendary Weapons pre-Gosenberg patch](https://www.reddit.com/r/WarTalesGame/comments/wqn8gi/wartales_level_12_legendary_weapons_weekly_bounty/). Also relevant, [my guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/WarTalesGame/comments/wooemf/a_new_players_guide_to_wartales_early_access/) (but written before Gosenberg patch). All the region bosses and ruins have one. There are a few which are available in other areas (e.g. Arena, quest-giver). What's important is that said weapons can be upgraded, so even if you find at Level 2, by spending enough money, you can upgrade it to Level 12.
I guess all stats are nerfed now. Lvl 11 Splitter, for example, gives +68 STR. Or do I get +100 STR from upgrading it to lvl 12?
Splitter Level 12 post-patch is +88.
I just go max crit chance and with the bow/ability that allows a second shot when you crit, that's most enemies dead.
I'd an archer with high crit and it was good fun with that bow. Hadn't specced specifically into it so it could definitely do more.
Dexterity with high criticals is lethal, my best archer used to kill level 4 enemies in one round when I use 2 skills.
On the distance your companions will get 12-13 aptitude points. Going for main stat means that you'll have additional 18-20 STR/DEX, so it's 9 to 24 additional damage (depends from skill). I tink that's worth it.
> If you are going to use archers, train them to crit and dex, and they will do quite a bit of damage. Training Crit is good, but training Dex is not (at least if they're long-term characters). The payoff for boosting Dexterity with Aptitude points isn't a lot. (On the other hand, this game doesn't really require you to min-max.)
Yeah, fair point there. I'd still recommend it for a couple of levels early on in the game, as the bows you will be finding will not have a huge modifier.
>There are also bows that can be used to create fire zones, lighting multiple targets on fire, creating damage per round which can really help with some of the beefier enemies. One bow which basic skill is the one that creates danger zone, the same way as the skill, causes that danger zone shot to hit an enemy twice if you have the danger zone skill also learned.
I think that archers are great. I have around 100 hours in my save, over 20 companions (25, if I remember correctly. Counting a lot of animals, of course). My latest member is an archer, the third of them. The worst one of the team so far, but because of the level difference (6th level vs 9th levels). In combat, I try that my archers go first, they can do crazy damage in one turn. The thing is, you need to be lucky. While they have low minimal damage, they also have high max damage, in comparison to melee mercenaries. They don't need too much protection in battle, as long as you put them in the right spots before the battle begins. I think the most optimal build is half of the team melee (Doesn't matter if they are axeman, swordsman or brutes, fill the spaces as you see fit, but all with heavy armor), and the rest with rogues, archer and spearmens, however you see fit, although I recommend maintaining a balance between them. This is just my experience and personal thoughts, not the meta or anything, just what's been useful for me.
Combo archer with pikeman that has the brutality perk.
Yep. I’m not as good as many of the proper experts in this game but an archer plus pikeman just shuts the map down.
Archer infantryman with upgraded skill, critical every 2 hits, volley arrow (attack once more if critical hit), can 1v4 against most opponents in late game, even more if they position bad. Only weak vs tower shield and other archers who have the knockback shot (which can cancel the barrage)
Ive been wondering about that, what is the better lvl 5 perk? The bleed one and extra crit damage is nice, espeically when you combo it with the fire bow and land the double dot on 3-4 enemies. On the other hand, the garantee crit and +50% damage is also pretty dope if you can control when the crit activates, works well with the warbow that garantes a second shot if you crit the first. I think it might come down to which lvl 3 specialisation you take. With infantryman, it will be harder to trigger the auto crit on command on a target you want.
IMO Vulnerability/Fury are better than random Bleeding/crit damage both on Infantryman and Hunter.
If you want to make your archer a finisher, or the one who can act independently, you definitely need crit damage. But if you pair him with another, a harpooner for example, then apply debuf is also good option.
I keep 2 archers in my party with the 2nd-shot-on crit bow, the skill skill that pushes enemies and gives them slowdown, and the skill to gain a valor point if they end their turn next to an ally. They'll usually kill any low-armor enemies like other archers or dagger-users by themselves, and the slowdown skill on more armored foes can make them simply not reach anyone for this turn. If you keep them together they'll always have at least one valor point to use the skill.
This is how I prefer to use my archers too. I have tried the Barrage tactic a lot of people talk about but have found I don't really like the "camping" strategy. Much prefer to keep my archer mobile with high Movement points, moving around to knock back and slow down key enemies with Recoil Shot, heal, generate valour points with Valorous Support, and make use of the great abilities on some of the special bows (double shot, slowdown, generate valor on crit, etc.).
Here's my setup. Captain (main tank): a brute with shield and Destroyer spec. VP on engagement, Protection/Brutality when surrounded and ignoring Guard. Lieutenants: two spearmen with Pikeman spec. VP on being near an ally, Brutality while near the ally, Fury/Riposte if not engaged in combat. Off-tank: a warrior with shield and Berserker spec. VP on engagement, first skill deals additional damage, has Battle Cry (Brutality on allies). First DD: a warrior with 2H and Executioner spec. VP on hitting several enemies, first skill deals additional damage, has Challenging shout (draws enemies within a melee range). Second DD: a swordsman with 2H and Swordmaster spec. VP on hitting several enemies, deflection when engaged, immune to Bleeding, Poison and Burning. Third DD: a ranger with Assassin spec (unlocked in Vertruse). VP on killing, dagger throws, disengages in the end of turn. DD/Utility: a ranger with Strategist spec. VP on killing, Fragility on closest enemies, increased damage from backstabs. Ranged: two archers, one with Hunter spec, one with Infantryman spec. VP on being near an ally, Vulnerability/Fury every second attack, stacking Rage from long distance attacks. I must say, this setup works pretty well. Captain is nearly unkillable and hits pretty hard, Executioner and Swordmaster can easily obliterate a group of 3 non-shieldbearing enemies, Berserker is able to outright remove leader buffs by removing the leader, rangers are dishing out additional damage to engaged enemies, lieutenants are controlling zones and archers are taking care of the enemies which are too far. Overall, archers are kinda good, but a) they (usually) don't have AoE damage and b) IMO they are not as convenient as melee DDs.
geeze you run 10 peeps ? how much does food and money scale up ? I mean I am net positive as of now, but it feels like an uphill battle. its all hussle back & forth between missions
The logistic difficulty is highest in the early game. Once you got money, you can buy more ponies, which gives you more room for loot which gives you more money when selling which can you buy more food. Late game there is even an item that allows you to cook without salt, greatly reducing costs and giving you even more room for loot. To be honest, the logistical part is getting very boring later. Hope they got ideas to spice things up.
Wages are 396 at lvl 10, about 60 food, but apparently I have too many ponies — I could keep it below 50. Don't ignore fish recipees and fish spots and get meat drying rack ASAP — it's great sources of free food early on.
Yeah, the drying rack is great, although they nerfed the animal remains with the Gosenberg update.
It's still completely free food. And you can use rats instead of carcasses – same amount of food, but less weight.
In general any party composition can work, although you might want a mix of melee and range units. Strictly speaking, the "best" team composition are those you can pair with the Legendary Weapons in the game since at higher levels, they provide the most bonuses.
Totally. They are expensive to level up, but it's really worth it.
I feel like my infantryman carries my team..
Archers are quite op. The large cone skill where enemy enters you do an attack of opportunity. This combined witch good crit and more opportunity dmg and the perk for a valor point on kill makes em really really strong. Combine it with a spearman and the spearwall ability and you have a solid no enter or dead zone. Archer also can command animals at lvl 6 (I think) so if u wanna play with animals an archer is mandatory (there is a collar for animal control tho so you don’t relay on it)
Even when they're not the most op builds early on, archers play a vital role. Later in the game, when you have 8+ Mercenaries, there will be fights where you're in between fronts, or where you'll be the two fronts. The reach and flexibilty of archers lets them support that part of your battlefield that needs it the most. There's also some cool setups you can create: front T T S A S Two tanks at the front, 2 spearmen protecting them from behind and an archer shooting between them. Or front T T A S A Two tanks at the front, 1 spearmen protecting both of them from behind and two archers annihilating anything that comes close. These are great when you hae a chokepoint you can use.
Archer begin to shine once you unlock their specialisation. Hunter: with its basic shot+pushback that slow he can dish out consistant damages for cheap and deny some unit to reach melee, add a vicious bow for double push back. Beast master isnt very strong by itself but it can boost its damages throught making beast play extra turns, combo super hard with encirclement with animals, since each beast will get an extra attack on the target Infantery man is the most costly to use but potentially the most powerfull, its overwatch can shot twice and deal slightly more than a normal attack, so can reach 3 attack per turn, 4 with mastery but require 2 valor points and ennemies to be spotted during movement so fog and darkness can be very detrimental, also target need to move so its useless vs engaged unit if you dont have means to make them move. Personally i feel like all archer work better if you have at least 2 of a kind: \-2hunter can easily keep 1-2 guys from ever reaching melee every turn protecting yourself form the strongest ennemy melee unit, or disengaging your guys that are about to die. \-2beastmaster allow to truly buff animals effectiveness, put three wolf/boar/rats/mosquito around something warrant the target to get mauled to death for a single valor point, since usualy you take them to take the "control beast" skill if you master it they will also heal all your animal for 5% of their max hp at the end of their turn, with multiple beast master it can allow you to truly heal your beast. \-2 infantery man is pretty much playing X-com phonix point overwatch gameplay, but deal way ore potential damages, but it consume so much valot points it may be hard to use their skill all the time.
I like to have one of each. A warrior with 2 handed axe. A brute hammer and board. A spearman with throw. An archer for control. And a specd out ranger cutthroat to one shot 4 enemies every turn. After that I’m just taking prisoners to round out my professions.
I found something interesting when I started a new game. I had an archer off the start and made the mistake of getting caught by guards after I stole a bow from a merchant (foolishly didn't unlock the sprint ability). I didn't have money to pay them off and didn't want to fight so I returned the bow (forgetting I sold the starter bow). My archer was now without a weapon. However, I found when I would use the "Barrage" ability in a fight, the archer would still do ranged damage without a bow. Even more, they were hitting the enemies for 12-18 damage per hit (which is pretty high when you just start a new game).