We’ve got some great Mount and Blade: Warband tips for you, including how to make money fast and get some much needed XP without breaking a sweat.
One of the easiest and most readily available means to make money fast and get experience points early on is by going Full Russell Crowe and heading down into the arena for a spot of gladiatorial face-smacking.
Mount and Blade: Warband tips: How to level up faster in the Arena
Available at any of the main towns and cities, being the last man or woman standing after its furious melee has concluded not only bestows 250 Denars (money) upon your character, but a whole bunch of experience (XP) points that prove extremely useful for levelling your warrior in the early going and will help improve your strategy and tactics in the long run.
It is however, easier said than done, and that’s why this tricks guide is here; to make it done easier than said… or something.
Be aware of your surroundings
The first thing that you absolutely must do in Mount and Blade: Warband is take stock of your surroundings. Look, I know it’s pretty much the most obvious thing to say ever, but it is more poignant here than in many other games. The reason for this is that each of the warriors that you’ll face will spawn at random edges of the map, so it pays to do a quick check of the area whenever you’ve beaten someone to see where the next avenue of violence will be coming from.
Don’t block arrows – dodge them
Of all the various types of foe that can appear in the arena, the archer can be the most infuriating. Try these tips. Standing at range and picking off folk with their prissy little short-bows, these goons can be a right pain in the behind as they can inflict damage upon you whilst you’re off staving in the skull of some poor unfortunate. The best way to deal with these fiends is to slowly charge toward them, and as they are about to let loose a shaft, quickly strafe to avoid it and just repeat that tactic until you get within melee range where the thrashing begins. It certainly beats soaking them up with your shield which after just a few arrows, can be destroyed leaving you more than a little sad, and a whole lot vulnerable. Oh and this leads us onto…
Always carry a spare shield
Shields are notoriously fragile things. Half expecting to see the words ‘IKEA’ scrawled on the inside, they simply don’t last very long in the face of sword slashes, mace bludgeonings and arrow shaftings (that last one sounded better in my head). So, to make sure you don’t get caught on the hop and smashed into a fine red paste, you should always make sure that you have a spare shield strapped to your back, just so you can easily swap to it whenever your current one gives up the ghost.
Parrying is your friend
While having a shield to hand is preferable for blocking incoming attacks, you aren’t completely helpless if you have only have sword, staff or axe at your disposal as a skilled player can deflect incoming strikes using just one of those weapons in question. You’ll note the word ‘skilled’ there; it can take a while to nail down the timings of parrying attacks with a weapon, but as a last resort with no scavengable shield in sight, it can certainly save you from getting your lights turned out so putting in the time is well worth it in the long run.
Never back down
In Mount of: Blade Warband, generally speaking, you can’t really run away from your tormentors in the arena, simply because they always seem to catch up to you and administer a beating in quick fashion. So rather than turning tail and running, one of our best strategies to approach enemies head on because at least that way you can see where the next attack is coming from and can respond accordingly.
Timing and speed are your best friends
Rather than turning each confrontation into a game of medieval rock em’ sock em’ robots, it really does pay to time your attacks and execute them swiftly since in many cases, you can end a fight before it even begins. One way that you can reliably do this is when you see a foe rushing towards you, their hands grasping their weapon in an attack stance as they wait for the moment to unleash the strike upon your fleshy noggin, simply push toward them and then take a step back as you watch them overextend with their attack, creating a space that leaves themselves open for a strike or two of your own to put them on the ground.
Don’t get involved in the rumble
As the arena contest begins to wind down to its final fifteen or so fighters, you will notice that they all begin to start battering each other like they’re in some sort of WWE Royal Rumble event. When this happens, just stand back and watch. Seriously, just watch because as they tear each other apart all you have to do is deal with the leftovers, and you’ll soon level up faster! Happy days indeed.
Turn over the page for more tips, strategies and tactics.
Mount and Blade: Warband tips: How to make money fast
Certainly, while scrapping at the arena is good for making some cash in the early going, it’s really in the tournaments where you stand to make the most scratch simply because you can bet on yourself to win in each of the rounds, culminating in a near 4000 Denar payout if you’re victorious.
Oh yeah, this is where the big folks play and we’ve got the tips that will have you winning each and every time you participate in a tournament.
Speed is everything
Most of the time, you’ll find yourself strapped to a horse in tournament matches and this means that speed really is everything, since the more speed you get before you strike a foe, the more damage you’ll do. The more space you put between you and the enemy, the more damage you’ll do when your weapon breaks against their face. This is especially true when it comes to lances, which of course neatly brings us onto…
Attacking strategy
Attempting to skewer enemies with your lance can seem like a sluggish and often times, unresponsive affair. That said, it’s important to realise that those long poles aren’t made of paper and as such, their weight and heft has to be taken into account. Another thing to consider is that unlike other weapons, the lance will do absolutely no damage if you are attacking from a stationary position. As such then, the best way to do the most damage is to gallop at speed, hold down the attack button and release it roughly a full second before you reach your enemy to get the most damage possible.
Lure them into a wall
One of the great things about the AI in Mount and Blade:Warband is how aggressive your enemies are, but this aggression can often lead to their undoing. Nowhere is this more obvious than when tangling with them on horseback. Here’s the trick; just get them to chase you, head towards a wall at the edge of the arena, slow down at the last second and turn away and laugh as they end up jammed helplessly against the wall for the next ten to fifteen seconds, setting them up for an easy kill.
Aim for the horse
It’s common sense really; why would you aim for the heavily armoured, shield-wielding human sat on top of the horse when you can just aim for the horse itself? A massive, unarmoured target, directing your attacks toward the mount of your foe and thus robbing them of their transport makes them a far easier target. Sure, you’ll feel like a prime fiend for doing it, but all those Denars will help the pain go away – trust me.
Go for the dagger
As mentioned before, space kills when you’re on horseback, so the best way to nullify that risk entirely is to get in close with your foe so they have to room to generate speed and momentum. Of course, by being so intimate, you won’t be doing any damage either, unless of course, you have a melee weapon to hand. More often than not, horseback archers appear during tournaments and when vanquished, drop a dagger
Don’t forget your bets
Super important this; before every round make sure that you bet the highest amount of money possible, as this will maximise the payout that you get at the end. Each time you skip past the menu before a round is money lost – remember that.
Be a quitter
If everything goes up the creek and you’re in a bad position (i.e. you’ve been knocked dead into place where everything is red and tastes like blood), make sure you’ve saved before the tournament begins and then just quit out without saving. It’s not terribly good sportsmanship but heck, the end more than justify the means in this case.
Got any Mount and Blade: Warband tips and tricks of your own?
If so, let the world know about them in the comments below, and we will all make money fast, and level up faster together!