Character Creation & Culture Choice

Before you even swing a sword, you must make a choice that will define your entire campaign: Culture. Unlike attributes or skills, your culture cannot be changed (without mods), and its bonuses—and penalties—will stay with you until you conquer Calradia or die trying.

The 6 Cultures

Vlandia (The Feudal Lords)

• Bonus: 20% more battle XP to troops. 15% more income from serving as a mercenary.

• Verdict: S-Tier for Warfare. The troop XP bonus allows you to train elite Banner Knights much faster than any other faction. Essential for "Quality over Quantity" armies.

Battania (The High Kings)

• Bonus: 50% less speed penalty in forests. 15% faster movement in forests.

• Verdict: S-Tier for Map Control. Movement speed is king. Being able to catch smaller parties or escape larger ones through the woods is invaluable.

The Empire (The Remnants)

• Bonus: 20% less garrison wages. Being in an army grants 25% more influence.

• Verdict: A-Tier for Late Game. Once you own towns, the garrison wage reduction saves you thousands of denars daily. The influence bonus helps you summon armies frequently.

Aserai (The Sultans)

• Bonus: No trade penalty when selling goods. 30% cheaper caravans.

• Verdict: S-Tier for Traders. The 30% cheaper caravans means you can start your passive income engine much earlier (10.5k vs 15k denars).

Khuzait (The Khanate)

• Bonus: 10% cheaper recruiting and upgrading of mounted troops. 25% production bonus to horses/mules/cows/sheep in villages.

• Verdict: B-Tier. Saving money on horsemen is nice, but Vlandia's XP bonus is generally better for cavalry armies.

Sturgia (The Princes)

• Bonus: 25% cheaper recruiting and upgrading of infantry. 20% less cohesion loss in armies daily.

• Verdict: C-Tier. Infantry are cheap anyway. The cohesion bonus is good for leading huge armies, but Empire's influence bonus is arguably better for maintaining them.

Impact Analysis

• Early Game: Aserai wins. Cheap caravans snowball your economy.

• Mid Game: Vlandia wins. Training troops quickly is crucial when you are constantly fighting.

• Late Game: Empire wins. Lower wages and massive armies.

• All Game: Battania wins. You are always moving on the map. Speed is life.

Starting Builds & Synergies

When creating your character, you also pick your background, which grants Attributes and Focus Points.

• The Warlord (Vlandia/Battania): Focus on Vigor and Endurance. Pick backgrounds related to "The Baron's Retinue" or "Small Game Hunting".

• The Merchant (Aserai): Focus on Social and Intelligence. Pick "Market" and "Caravan" backgrounds.

• The Diplomat (Empire): Focus on Social (Charm/Leadership). Pick "Noble" backgrounds.

For more on building your stats, see Character Builds & Development.