Most difficult VI campaign

[Cruelsader]

Expansion would prove difficult on either front. The Picts, as I said earlier, had conquered Northumbria and had large armies including berserkers. Expansion against the Saxons, however, would be virtually impossible, as they had huge armies including huscarles, and an enormous economic base.

Usually Mercians or Saxons end up dominating the big island. It would be indeed almost impossible to fight them if it wasn't for the relatively poor AI. The AI does not understand that 3000 more men do not mean that much if you can beat the first 16 units including the general. But, I agree, this can be quite difficult against the elite units in the first campaigns. Alternatively, you could sit tight and hope for a massive rebellion or civil war. Sometimes it happens sometimes it does not. You could, of course, rise the likelihood of it happing by training valour 3 asssasins.

[DisruptorX]

The welsh are not very difficult at all, because you can cripple the Saxons early in the game, before they can stock up on huscarles. Along with the Scottish, the Welsh are one of the most enjoyable factions in the VI campaign. The scottish are great because you can build hordes of highland clansmen, which I picture in my mind as a unit of Mel Gibsons.

As for the Irish, in my game, the Scotts actually invaded one of the rebel Irish territories, forcing me into an early war. While the Irish have few good elite units, at least gallowglasses pack an offensive punch. If you are not good at javs, try using hills, so that you can throw them over your own troops, or attack from the side against enemies already engaged in melee. This will give you practice against a static enemy. While it may be blasphemy, the one good thing that I got from RTW was experience with javelins, which I now use much more often in MTW. It takes practice, but once you master them, they are very effective, especially Spanish Jinettes in the normal campaign.

[English assassin]

Don't laugh but I think the vikings themselves can be quite hard.

I am playing my first viking campaign, and decided to play them "as vikings". So far so good, excellent units, excellent mobility by sea, enables me to pull off a raid more or less wherever I want. I took Man and the Western Isles to give myself a nice safe base in the British isles if ever I need a breather and I sink anyone elses ships on sight. (I also took Ireland but that was a mistake, as it tied me down in big battles trying to eliminate the Irish rather than making use of hit and run tactics and its not bringing in that much money in return.)

The difficult bit is the economy, which is heavily in deficit unless you pull off a raid more or less every turn. I need to make the switch to taking and holding land, but truth be told my armies are probably not really big enough to take on the full armies of the big boys (in this case the Mercians, I have been amusing myself lifting the seiges every time they try to eliminate the rump of my mates the saxons), and certainly not if I need garrisons too. So far I have been ducking the issue by moving on by sea before a big stack attacks. So the timing of a really serious land grab against the Mercians is quite tricky, as if I build up too big an army first, the economy goes even more down the tubes, but too small an army leaves me without the ability to make money raiding after I have taken casualties in a few big battles.

[caravel]

The Mercians are the easiest and the Northumbrians, or arguably the Welsh, are around the hardest. I also found the Irish to be quite easy.

[ichi]

I found the Irish to be very hard until a fried, UgllyGoat, taught me how to use them in MultiPlayer. Now I think they're easy.

I concur Northumbrians or Welsh seem hardest.

ichi

[Cruelsader]

Don't laugh but I think the vikings themselves can be quite hard. So the timing of a really serious land grab against the Mercians is quite tricky, as if I build up too big an army first, the economy goes even more down the tubes, but too small an army leaves me without the ability to make money raiding after I have taken casualties in a few big battles.

Yes, Vikings are special faction. If you try to play them as another faction, it is difficult: bad economy and lot of rebellions. However, if you raid constantly and take no more than Western islands and Island of Man you should have soon enough money to last for many decades. As Vikings I usually raid EVERY provinve on the big Islands in the first ~50 years. That gives me about 100 000K - quite enough to start conquest.

[Procrustes]

I've done well with the Irish until I've run into armies lead by huscarles. The huscarles can often chew through any of the units I try to pin them with, before I can destroy them with my javelins. They have enough momentum and moral that they keep going, targetting my general - can't slow them down much with armored spearmen or gallowglasses. Fun!

But Ireland has good farms - once you consolodate the island and garrison against viking raids you can turtle for a while, marshalling your strength and growing your tech.

[Satyr]

I have played all the factions at least a couple of times.

The Vikings are definately the easiest. Take the western isles and Man for troop development and then take Ireland. I usually take Ireland before the Irish take over the island. Remember you only need a few troops to kill anyone. Peasants only cost 12 in upkeep so build millions of peasants for garrison duty. I will get 4-6 provinces building peasants and have whole stacks in most provinces in Ireland. After that, pick one end of the main island and start sweeping thru leaving masses of peasants behind you to keep the population quelled. Except for peasants the only troops I build as Vikings are Huscarles! I usually finish about the time I can start producing Joms and I just don't think Berserkers are worth it especially because they take 2 years to produce.

Northumbria is easy. It takes 10 turns and you can start producing your own Huscarles. Build about 4 of them and go take over the Mercians. Then take over the Saxons before they build too many of their own.

Welsh is not too hard, you just need to take over the Saxons really quickly (in the first 30 years) then you are the Saxons and can rule.

I find the Scots the hardest. While clansmen are ok it is a long way to get to the south and often by the time you get there the Mercians or Saxons own the whole thing. Add in the Irish getting pushy and you can be in real trouble. The Picts have the same trouble except that they get Berserkers and those great cav archers so it is easier. Also they can sweep into Northumbria easier because they don't have to go thru the rebel held province that blocks the Scots.

Of course, the one element that can make any faction really difficult is if the Vikings decide to pick on you and play well enough to stay a power later into the game. Usually though they die a quick death and are only an inconvience for a short while.

All in all I think VI is far and away the best that CA has produced and all the factions are great fun to play. You can have some truely epic battles too.

[Budwise]

I agree with the guy saying the Scots are the hardest. Honestly, I will probably get flamed here for this but I find that spearmen/armored spearmen are close to absolute crap. I am not the best player ever but I know how to keep my lines from breaking and the spearmen will rout every time. EVEN AGAINST CAV.

If it wasn't for the mass horde of Merc/Highland Clansman combo, I would have never won. Oh, but toward the end, going up against the Saxons didn't seem all that tough.