Ikko-Ikki guides, hints and tips

[Andres]

Please, post your strategies, hints and tips for playing with the Ikko-Ikki here.

[AggonyKing]

Any suggestions for this clan? I start well but simply get owned after 20 turns or so.

[Monk]

Any suggestions for this clan? I start well but simply get owned after 20 turns or so.

Playing conventionally will get you pretty far as the Ikko-Ikki but sooner or later your military short comings become very apparent. The most effective way of survival I found as the Ikko was the use of monks to incite revolts in neighboring provinces. The natural spread of your religion will make control for surrounding factions difficult. While it doesnt appear to be enough to cause mass provincial flip in your favor, it is enough to use your monks to pick at your enemies in key locations and keep them having to commit a lot of forces to garrison.

Accompanying your most important stacks with Monks will also go a long way to ensuring when you do need to fight, your Ashigaru will hold the line. They already have a huge morale advantage over similiar troops, if you can find a way to negate enemy samurai, the added morale boost from the Monk will ensure your ashigaru beat enemy troops every time. At the very least, they'll hold far longer in a toe to toe engagement.

Also: Always build your generals with the special Ikko skill tree. Giving them bonuses to conversion rates while they are within provinces will ensure that, when war comes, you'll be able to sweep in and convert a large part of the population quickly.

[AggonyKing]

i was thinking of making the armory more melee base at the beginning and go for the extra attack instead of armor. Although I like the armor, the yari ashi of the ikko are simply weaker stats wise (though more men) than the other yari ashi. What really is hurting me is not having a metsuke :/ means I need to rely on monks and ninjas more. I do go full out on morale boosts for my armies which on lower difficulties worked well. Just not been able to survive long enough on higher ones :P

[Fagar]

Patience is the key in all things Ikko..
Patience in allowing time to let your monks sow the seeds of dissent in enemy territories.
Patience in your expansion strategy so that you keep your fervent generals in a similar front lines to assist in religious conversion and contentment.
Patience to maintain a few choice military stacks that will be EXP'd up and able to match it with the later game higher tech units.
Patience to let your religion do the work..It's slow but inexorable spread causes your enemies to have to maintain good garrisons and therefore spreading their military strength across a larger area and making them vulnerable to blitz when you have a religious foothold in their provinces..

[Maltz]

Ikko-Ikki does not deserve "Normal" initial difficulty. On Legendary, I was invaded on both sides on turn ONE. The subsequent campaign is not getting any easier. This campaign deserves at least a "Hard", in the league of Uesugi.

Ikko-Ikki campaign is quite special:

(1) Unpopular

The natural -20 diplomatic modifier of religious difference is NOTHING compared to what comes with your expansion: "-6" of additional hostility that CANNOT be avoided by inciting rebellion, unlike the other clans. Very quickly you will be surrounded by unfriendly to hostile neighbors.

The fact that we cannot use monks to weaken other clans pre-realm divide means that we will have a lot of enemies after RD. We have to be really prepared for that. This is another good reason not to become a "central clan".

(2) Poor

Having no Metsuke makes a big hit on our tax income. The limited building slots are used to build Ikko temples, so forget about Lv 1 market everywhere. But Ikko's trade situation is not very good, either, since people dislike you and do not want to trade with you. There is however ONE way to rescue your trade income -

Forget about center. GO WEST.

http://ccc-ccc.ca/tmp/temp_2012/stw2/ikko/ikko_164.jpg

By Spring 1551, I am running 10,000 koku of trade income thanks to four foreign trade nodes. Tax income from 4 Very Fertile provinces can't compare to trade. Besides, once I own the western trade nodes, almost all clans in Japan desperately want to trade with me. My starting provinces becomes a trade hub to nearby clans. With this healthy income and secured location, I can comfortably work on the rest of the campaign.

(3) Extremely cost-effective Loan Sword Ashigaru

An insanely useful early-mid game unit, eating Yari Ashigaru for breakfast. They fight very well against Yari Samurai, too. Its maintenance fee is rediculously cheap. With the armor +5 upgrade, their usefulness can extend all the way to end-game. They never appear in the rebels you incite, so you have to hire them one by one. With a good number of them it is hard to lose early-game battles.

(4) "Free" Yari Ronin and Naginata Warrior Monk Cavalry

Do not bother hiring them - when your monk incite rebellion form a province with a large owner's army present, Yari Ronin and Naginata Warrior Monk Cavalry will be there. Defeat the garrison immediately to claim your reward. Note: after recent patches, the same units with different upgrade CANNOT mix.

The rebels also come with a lot of Yari Ashigaru, so don't bother hiring them, either. Yari Ashigaru's maintenance is higher than Loan Sword Ashigaru. Bow Ashigaru is even higher. So if you have no more use of them, disband them ASAP.

http://ccc-ccc.ca/tmp/temp_2012/stw2/ikko/ikko_230.jpg

(5) Early Ikko-Ikki Bow Warrior Monks

They do NOT require the second level Archery Dojo (the Fire Arrow tech). So you can get them really early. In my game I started producing them in Spring 1552. Very useful unit (expensive, of course).

http://ccc-ccc.ca/tmp/temp_2012/stw2/ikko/ikko_190.jpg

(6) Very slow expansion compared to traditional Buddhist clans

Spreading the Ikko religion is quite slow - slower than Christianity. So do not expect to play a blitz compaign on Domination mode. Defeat an enemy, sign a fat peace treaty and let the religion open its way. When you are ready for war again, let the monks lead the way.