Raiders typically start appearing in the third year of a campaign in Manor Lords. The exact frequency and the number of raider-free years players get are decided at the start of the run during scenario selection, though players can also change the settings during a campaign.
Once it’s time, a persistent notification will appear on the bottom left of the screen, proclaiming ‘Raiders Near! Prepare for the attack.’ This warning comes nearly a year in advance, giving players ample time to set up defenses. There is no negotiation with these attackers, and players can only build an army to defend themselves. Here’s how.
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Players can find a lot of success in Manor Lords by trading and exporting the following commodities.
How to Raise an Army in Manor Lords
Raising an army is not free. It requires money in the Treasury and lots of it. Taxing the citizens to increase the lord’s Treasury only works if the settlers have Regional Wealth to spare, which requires time for the settlement to develop and the economy to evolve. However, the Raiders won’t wait for players to build a thriving metropolis before they attack.
The fastest way to get money directly for the Treasury is by looting Bandit camps that appear around the map. Every time a Bandit camp appears, hire a group of mercenaries from the army tab and direct the mercenaries to attack the Bandit camp to gain 160 gold for the Treasury. Disband the mercenary group so they don’t have to be paid again. Repeat this every time a bandit camp appears to consistently increase Treasury gold. The only downside to this method is that the lord’s army is not trained against easy-to-defeat bandits. This is why it’s recommended that players use the gold they get from this method to equip their Retinue and the local militia. And once they’re ready, use them instead of mercenaries to clear bandit camps. This way, they won’t have to pay anything to anyone and train their army at the same time.
The Raider army’s goal is to attack the settlement, so all players need to do is shore up their defenses by building an army. There are three ways to do that.
- Building a Militia
- Recruiting a Retinue
- Hiring Mercenaries
Raise a Militia
Players can begin raising a single militia unit by clicking on the ‘Army’ tab and selecting the plus icon on the right. Decide on the unit you want to create, and eligible citizens from the settlement will automatically be added to the militia. Increasing the size of the population is the only way to increase the number of militia units a player can muster for battle.
Depending on the type of militia players choose to build, they’ll need to craft or import military equipment for these would-be soldiers. All military equipment can be crafted by building backyard extension workshops in level 2 and above Burgage plots. Once all members of a militia unit are equipped, they’ll become selectable, and players can deploy them wherever they want.
Deploying a militia unit will force settlers to leave their jobs to take up arms. Keep a close eye on critical buildings like trading posts and storehouses so they don’t go unmanned.
Recruit Retinue
Building a Manor in the settlement automatically recruits five soldiers to the lord’s Retinue. Players can increase the size of this Retinue to a maximum of 24, 12 by hiring them directly, and 12 more by building a garrison tower.
Players can also upgrade the armor of the Retinue and equip them with decent equipment, making them that much deadlier on the battlefield. On average, soldiers in a Retinue are much better trained and overall more effective than regular militia and sometimes even mercenaries.
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Crop Rotations let fields recover soil fertility without sacrificing output in Manor Lords. Here is how players can set it up.
Hire Mercenaries
The quick and dirty way to increase military might in Manor Lords is to hire mercenaries from the army tab. Only three mercenary companies of varying ability will be available at any time. Hiring mercenaries is done through treasury gold.
Once a mercenary company is recruited, they’ll appear on the border of the map (zoom out to see where they’re stationed). Players will then be able to freely direct the companies to head to any location of their choosing. If a company is hired last minute, they may not reach the battlefield in time. It’s best to hire mercenaries roughly ten days before the raiders appear so they can be stationed in the perfect spots.
Avoid recruiting Archers, as they do very little to no damage to armored units.
How to Fight Raiders in Manor Lords
When the countdown to the Raiders Near! message reaches zero, a new message will appear telling players where the raiders are coming from (pictured above). The raider army will appear at the edge of this region. Typically, this army will make a beeline towards the main player settlement.
Position the player army – the combination of militia, retinue soldiers, and mercenaries – on an intercept path, preferably on an open field as far away from the main settlement as possible. This is because if the player army were to lose, they’d still be able to mount a final defense by hiring more mercenaries. If the battle is happening at the settlement gates, there will be no time for new mercenaries to help. A wide open space as a battlefield lets soldiers maintain cohesion and effectiveness, increasing the likelihood of the player army succeeding.
Aim to get your army in position well before the raiders approach, giving them time to recover from the journey to the battlefield.
Position the Mercenaries front and center, so they take the brunt of the attack. Using them as meat shields lets your personal army keep its numbers up and avoid fatalities. Once the two forces—mercenaries and raiders—are fully engaged, control the rest of the army to attack while ordering the mercenaries to ‘Stand Your Ground.’
This command increases their defenses while lowering their attack. This way, they’ll keep the enemy army engaged for longer, allowing the rest to clean up.
If there aren’t any mercenaries to face tank, use the Retinue in their place, as they’re less likely to break from an enemy onslaught than the militia, which primarily consists of untrained villagers.
Manor Lords: How to Get Clothing
If you’re struggling to get clothes in Manor Lords, this guide can help.
What Happens if Raiders Win?
The Raiders’ goal is not to take over the region; it’s to loot valuables and burn down buildings. If players cannot defend against a Raider attack, they’ll swarm the settlement, setting fire to buildings, picking up any valuables they can carry, and killing anyone they see. Raiders invade, destroy everything, and leave.
However, everything’s not lost. Players can rebuild everything by using the survivors. Once the fires are put out, players can order the survivors to rebuild the burned-down foundations and restore everything to how it was. It’ll take about 3-4 months, depending on the size of the settlement, to rebuild everything that was lost until it is the same as it was.
Manor Lords
- Released
- April 26, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Slavic Magic
- Genre(s)
- Strategy , City Builder