Manor Lords Combat Guide – How To Win Your Battles

This Manor Lords combat guide will show you how to win your battles, so keep reading to learn more. We will analyze all of the things you should know.

Manor Lords is one of the hottest games right now and definitely one of the big releases of 2024. Some people compare it to other medieval games, but our experience so far is different and unique.

What we want to focus on in this article is the Manor Lords combat guide and everything you need to know to win your battles. Needless to say, this is one of the most important aspects of the game, and you must know how to play. Lucky for you, we have been testing a lot of options, so here is what you should know.

Manor Lords Combat Guide – Overview

The first thing we want to include in this guide on Manor Lords is related to the size of your and your opponent’s army. Depending on the clash and whether you have mercenaries, you can easily have 1k+ soldiers fighting. We have seen people whose army consists of well over 700 units, but keep in mind that such large armies are hard to sustain.

There are different things you should do if you want to win your battles in Manor Lords. We have tried using different things and summed up the most important ones.

You need archers

One of the first things you should remember from this Manor Lords combat guide is that archers are very helpful. Some people believe they need to have tons of them, but this is not the case. You can have around 2 or three archer units and they will be more than enough.

At the time of writing, archers are really strong. They are fast and have unlimited ammo, which is more than enough to land kills. 

Not a lot of people rely on archers right now, so we wanted to point out that they are good. Of course, you will need a lot more than them to win your battles, but they are definitely a step in the right direction.

Use different types of units

The next important aspect we wish to mention in this Manor Lords combat guide is that you need to have different types of units. We’ve already mentioned about the archers and the fact that they are important. With that said, you also need to have Spear Militiam, Militia Footmen, Polearm Militia, and more.

It goes without saying, it is important to choose the right types of units. Each type of unit has different stats. For example, the Polearm Militia has a charge, making it a solid flanking unit. Speaking of the devil, this is another thing we wish to mention.

Do not allow the enemy to flank you

Similar to a real-life battle, flanking is incredibly dangerous in Manor Lords, and you really need to be aware of it. Using this tactic to your advantage can win you countless fights, but you also have to prevent the opponent from using it.

One way to win your Manor Lords battles is to have the right army formation. This will ensure you won’t get flanked because if that happens, your soldiers will die much faster. Don’t forget that units do 2x damage from behind, so you need to do everything to prevent it. 

We won’t go into details about the different Manor Lords army formations because they deserve a separate guide. There are tons of different options to choose from, and they depend on your units, enemies, terrain, and more.

Guide your army

One of the key aspects of this Manor Lords combat guide you should remember is that you need to guide your army if you want to win. You can use different stances that will influence the way your army performs. Here are all of the different stances and what they do:

• Missile Alert – this will increase your unit’s chance of blocking arrows, but it will decrease the block power against melee opponents.
• Push Forward – The army will start pushing.
• Hold – your army will hold its current position
• Give Ground – when used, your army will try to go back, luring your enemies into pushing
• Balanced – this is the default option
• Run to Positions – you can select unit(s) to move to a specific position, but this will cause fatigue
• Stand Your Ground – this will double your unit’s defense, but they won’t attack that much
• Friendly Fire – archers can hit all units
• Spread Out – when used, your army (mercenaries and retinue units) will spread out so that they can evade the incoming arrows
• Shoot at Will – this increases your army’s overall accuracy in closer combat but reduces it over long-range fights.

Morale is incredibly important

Another thing that we want to mention in this Manor Lords combat guide is that your army’s morale is incredibly important. Besides following its fatigue (more about it in a bit), each unit also has a morale bar. Once it is low, it means that the specific unit won’t feel confident and won’t want to fight.

In fact, we have noticed that units with extremely low morale can even free and will change stances at their own will. Some units have higher morale than others. Militia is a good example.

Keep a close eye on your army’s fatigue

Besides using the Run to Positions command, once the battle starts, your army will slowly get exhausted. That’s why one of the things we wish to point out in this Manor Lords Combat guide is that you have to keep an eye on the fatigue meter. In case you haven’t noticed, each unit in this game has one, and it will show the specific unit’s stamina.

Once the given unit has low fatigue is low, it means that it won’t be that effective. From our experience, its attack and defense won’t be that strong, and it also won’t be able to run.

One way of dealing with this massive problem is to change stances. The idea is to avoid some of the long battles because this will cause your army to suffer in the long run. 

The weather does make a difference

Lastly, another tip that will help you win your battles in Manor Lords is to keep an eye on the weather. Many people making their first steps in this game assume that this is not important, but it makes a huge difference.

For example, if you have to fight in the rain, your acres won’t be as effective as if it is in the sun. Also, if the battlefield itself is in the first or somewhere where there are a lot of obstacles, your army won’t have high morale.

Manor Lords Combat Guide – Conclusion

These were just some of the more important things you had to know about the combat scene in this game. Manor Lords is a lot more complicated than it seems, and we recommend spending some time learning how it works. Once you know what to expect, you can find the ultimate army and defeat your opponents.  

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