Wondering what difficulty people choose usually...

[Roderick Ponce Von Fontlebottom]

Im curious about what compaign and battle difficulty is 'recomended' to use. I want to play a good difficulty but not where the AI get unrealistic attribute modifiers? So Eg: playing as the Romans I know there quite good and its not a real struggle what you people normally choose?

[Clegane]

The official recommendation is to pay with the Campaign set to Very Hard and the Battles set to Medium.
Those are the parameters that the game is balanced for, according to the FAQ.

[Roderick Ponce Von Fontlebottom]

The official recommendation is to pay with the Campaign set to Very Hard and the Battles set to Medium.
Those are the parameters that the game is balanced for, according to the FAQ.

Ah ok thanx clegane. I always see people complaining about how it can be to easy. lol why is i always have hard campaigns. I guess i expand too rapidly..

[stratigos vasilios]

I tried M/M at the beginning, then VH/M, then I got too cocky and tried VH/VH... and now I'm back to VH/M.

[Julianus]

I heared that at M campaign difficulty the AI won't hire mercenaries, has this been confirmed?

[Ludens]

The official recommendation for campaign difficulty is VH because it makes the Eleutheroi more aggressive and the A.I. gets an extra cash bonus. However, many people prefer H because it makes the diplomatic A.I. less rabid. At VH, the A.I. will start to dislike the player very quickly.

Battle difficulties higher than M are only for those who do not mind the A.I. troops getting ridiculous bonuses (IIRC it is +4 attack at H, and +7 attack and +3 defence at VH).

[Jebivjetar]

I always play on M campaign difficulty because it seems to me that when i play on H, AI factions stick to mercenaries and use only small number of their factional troops. And i hate when AI spams me with mercenary armies. Battles i play on M also. So: M/M for me.

[Roderick Ponce Von Fontlebottom]

Alright thanx for all the info guys, i guess for now im gonna go with h/m . good to be back on the forums

[Cambyses]

If you are an experienced total war player and dont use strict house rules / roleplaying elements, then I suspect that you will find hard / medium very easy.

Personally I use VH/H. I find it challenging at times, but in general it is the most enjoyable level I have found. Very hard battles just frustrated me so much when your (infantry) elites get chewed up by levies - but that doesnt really ever seem to happen on Hard. Correctly deploying and organising your troops in a vaguely historical manner will allow you to win, you dont need to rely on gamey exploits like all FM armies or slinger / HA spam.

[Olaf The Great]

I use M/M so I don't have to deal with the diplomacy as much...it doesn't actually that much, but the AI does gleefully recruit mercenaries though.
Only difference I've seen is that the AI is SLIGHTLY less backstabbing and suicidal and the Eleutheroi don't attack you.

[vartan]

Practically the only reason I do not play on Very Hard campaign difficulty is because that is the only campaign difficulty in which I have noticed the rebels to actually besiege my towns. I don't mind being besieged, but I do mind VH campaign because of the fact that rebel armies can pop up out of absolutely nowhere, right next to a town, and conveniently besiege it. You can never see it coming. So this is why I used to play on H/M.

Now, the reason I started to play on H/H is because it gives the AI armies slightly more strength on the battlefield (oh, and I use Darth's formation mod, tailored for EB). This I only do because it gives me practice in defeating stronger armies, something players like me (of the weaker factions, such as Hayastan) need to increase in skill.

Micromanagement practice is one of my favorite events. All you have to do is give yourself a couple of house rules. For instance, give each unit orders individually. Eventually you'll get faster. Also, turn all skirmish modes and attack at will modes off. Increases your acuteness. Real great if you plan on playing strong players online.

[FriendlyFire]

I heared that at M campaign difficulty the AI won't hire mercenaries, has this been confirmed?

It's very, very rare. In a M/M Koinon Hellenon campaign using BI I've fought against some mercenary phalangites in an Epeirote army, but that was when I was about to take their capital Ambrakia. I didn't see any other mercenaries in 25 years of campaigning.

[Brennus]

I play H/M. I have never tried VH campaign difficulty as I have enough trouble completing (or rather failing to complete) campaigns so I stick to H campaign difficulty. I recently tried the medium campaign difficulty and found it to be rather dull.

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

I play H/M. I have never tried VH campaign difficulty as I have enough trouble completing (or rather failing to complete) campaigns so I stick to H campaign difficulty. I recently tried the medium campaign difficulty and found it to be rather dull.

Me too. H/M seems the best balance, provided you make the battles you fight personally more interesting by allowing the enemy to either outnumber you on the battlefield, or to have more higher quality units than you. Let the AI have either the biggest army, or the best army - and you'll enjoy the battles.

[Geticus]

I always play Vh/H, it is challenging enough without being ludicrous e.g. levies beating elites. In medium battle I found it to be too easy to chain route enemy forces with cavalry. It seems that the AI troops have morale bonuses in Hard battle, they seem to route a lot slower. AI horse archers and skirmishers in general become overpowered though, AI jugunthiz skirmishers can virtually destroy my Sweboz bodyguards with a full 6 javelin volley and AI spear volleys on the flank are brutal so you got to keep your guard up, fight fire with fire and control the flanks.

[Julianus]

It's very, very rare. In a M/M Koinon Hellenon campaign using BI I've fought against some mercenary phalangites in an Epeirote army, but that was when I was about to take their capital Ambrakia. I didn't see any other mercenaries in 25 years of campaigning.

So in M they treat mercenaries as a last resort. Not perfect, but more acceptable than anytime the mercenary pool is replenished, all new-spawned units are hired almost immediately by AI I guess.

[panten]

Usually VH/M.
I like to play infantry based factions - but I have tried some nomadic and "barbaric" factions lately. The bugger is that their economy is rather non-existant and the AI rebel stacks are sometimes stronger than my whole army and fighting them would mean unacceptable losses (since I can't retrain most units, simply because the baracks are too expensive or are still being built).
I started a campaign as the Arverni and reduced the Aedui to a single settlement. However, thanks to the money script they were able to spam new units while I had trouble building anything or maintaining my own army and there was no way that army could have beaten them. Yeah, so I disbanded units to make more money and build economy up - but suddenly that rebel stack appears lays siege to one of my cities and eventually captured because I couldn't defend it. Well, that was pretty annoying - i still like the challenge though.

[Luis Sera]

i do m/m myself. Dont want to have player haters!

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

Usually VH/M.
I started a campaign as the Arverni and reduced the Aedui to a single settlement. However, thanks to the money script they were able to spam new units while I had trouble building anything or maintaining my own army and there was no way that army could have beaten them. Yeah, so I disbanded units to make more money and build economy up - but suddenly that rebel stack appears lays siege to one of my cities and eventually captured because I couldn't defend it. Well, that was pretty annoying - i still like the challenge though.

I know what you mean. VH campaign is just too hard when you're playing one of the Gallic factions - the AI can spam units like crazy with the extra 25,000 mnai they get every turn.

Even on Hard, I had to use the Force Diplomacy mod to force the Aedui to make peace with me once I'd taken Bribracte and Cenabum, leaving them only with Mediolanum. Once at peace, though, I was able to gain a breathing space, get out of debt and start building my economy.

[Saldunz]

I'm an avid fan of VH/VH myself.

For the campaign difficulty, I've gotten used to managing diplomacy even when the AI is prone to hate you. Money helps wonders in this regard. I'm currently deep into a Getai campaign where I have 6 AI neighbours, and yet I'm only at war with one of them. Small one-shot tributes every turn have kept the other 5 distracted with their own problems. I've even learnt how to gain a peace on VH. If you're losing, become a protectorate. If you're winning, lots of money can usually buy you a peace - but you have to be sure that the enemy's troops have been pushed out of your territory. Otherwise they'll just accept the cash and attack you again on your turn. Also works best if they have another war to distract them. So all in all, I believe VH campaign difficulty is perfectly manageable.

As for the battles, I too got cocky some time ago, and haven't regretted the switch since. I've beaten armies of phalanxes with little more than hoplitai haploi and some akontistai. Yes, the AI's stat bonuses can be painful, but morale remains unchanged, and the fact that I'm smarter than the AI also remains unchanged. Generally speaking, you can still outmaneuver the AI. Futhermore, I've never had my elites hacked up by any levies... Their morale always breaks long before my elites. I greatly appreciate the fact that I no longer fight any "easy" battles. Even bridge battles are no longer a sure thing.

It's not the difficulty I would recommend for someone new to EB, but once you get used to EB's combat and diplomacy, switching to it can be quite enjoyable!

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

I'm an avid fan of VH/VH myself.
If you're winning, lots of money can usually buy you a peace - but you have to be sure that the enemy's troops have been pushed out of your territory.

How much is lots? 5,000 mnai? Or 50,000 mnai?

[Saldunz]

It really varies on how much you're winning the war. I've bought peace with lump sums between 15,000 and 40,000 mnai.

Since I've found it nearly impossible to just flat out guess what the AI considers a reasonable sum, I will normally offer the AI about half of my treasury for a peace. The way I've found diplomacy to work in RTW is that after a single rejected offer, the AI faction will just not consider anything else until the next turn. So if my first offer is rejected, it's because I didn't offer enough - which means I need to accumulate more money or beat the enemy down some more. Eventually they'll accept. I've rarely had to wipe out an enemy entirely.

Keeping a neutral or ally faction from attacking involves far less money though. A couple hundred mnai per turn at most has kept my 5 other neighbours from attacking me. There are exceptions though... If the AI sees your faction as the only means for expansion, they generally won't be abated by any tribute once they consider their forces strong enough. And weak borders can sometimes be too tempting for even allies to resist.

[Lazy O]

VH/M or H/H VH/M I played because it was taylored for EB. h/h for all other mods. I actually found war on 3 fronts quite amusing as the Arverni. Pedites Extrardinari spam was the only real pain.

[Rovert]

I Play on VH/H , VH battles can be lame , and the +4 bonus the ai gets on H works good cause the AI can be retarded and they dont use guard mode.
And you have to use tactics or you take losses heavy , and taking towns can be a pain , heavy losses alot of the time , but that makes it better .

[SaigonSaddler]

I play with H/VH. The strategic element seems well balanced and it gives the battles more bite, so battles have to be chosen with more care.

Had a few defeats as Macedonia, especially in the Caucasus mountains and had to grind my way through the near east, but waiting for the right time to strike is its own reward. Also nothing like the storming the city of a hated enemy after years of planning.

[QuintusSertorius]

M/M. I don't agree with the AI getting statistical bonuses, especially not a load of money each turn. I use house rules and exercise restraint to give myself a challenge, and play at a much slower pace.