Want to spice up your Total War: Warhammer III campaign as Mother Ostankya and clash with Kislev sooner than usual? This guide provides a detailed, step-by-step approach to achieving early conflict with the icy empire. This strategy focuses on aggressive early expansion and manipulating the AI's behavior. Remember, while this method increases your chances, it's not guaranteed to work every time due to the game's AI variability.
Understanding the Prerequisites
Before we dive into the steps, let's understand why encountering Kislev early is challenging and what factors we'll manipulate. Normally, Ostankya's starting position and the AI's expansion patterns lead to a later conflict with Kislev. This guide aims to disrupt that natural progression.
Key Factors:
- Early Aggression: We need to rapidly expand and secure key territories to provoke Kislev's response.
- Strategic Alliances: Carefully managing alliances can either deter or encourage Kislev's aggression.
- AI Behavior: The AI's decision-making isn't perfectly predictable. Some games will see Kislev react more aggressively than others.
Step-by-Step Guide to Early Kislev Conflict
Follow these steps meticulously to maximize your chances of an early war with Kislev as Mother Ostankya:
Step 1: Secure Your Starting Area
- Consolidate Power: Begin by swiftly conquering the immediate settlements around your starting location. This provides a strong foundation for future expansion.
- Focus on Growth: Prioritize building structures that enhance your economy and army recruitment capabilities. A strong economy is crucial for early aggression.
Step 2: Expand Aggressively Towards Kislev's Borders
- Target Key Territories: Identify the settlements closest to the Kislev border. These will be your primary targets for early expansion.
- Swift Military Actions: Build a powerful army focused on speed and early-game combat effectiveness. Don't hesitate to engage in battles – even if outnumbered initially, a bold move can disrupt the AI's plans and trigger a response.
- Control Resources: Secure resource-rich provinces to maintain a strong economic advantage throughout the campaign.
Step 3: Provoking Kislev
- Raid and Plunder: While conquering is optimal, raiding Kislev's border provinces can trigger a reaction. Be careful to balance provocation and risk.
- Break Alliances (Carefully): If Kislev has alliances, breaking the alliances of neighboring factions can draw their attention and possibly lead to conflict. Choose this option carefully; some alliances are more powerful than others. Failing to assess this risk can be disastrous.
Step 4: Diplomacy and Preparation
- Monitor Kislev's Actions: Keep a close eye on Kislev's army movements and diplomatic activities. Any signs of mobilization should signal an impending conflict.
- Fortify Your Borders: As conflict looms, fortify the territories bordering Kislev, preparing for a prolonged war.
Step 5: Embrace the Conflict
- Strategic Advantages: Once Kislev declares war (or you declare war on them), utilize your superior knowledge of the terrain and utilize Ostankya's unique strengths in combat to exploit Kislev's weaknesses.
- Utilize Your Strengths: Remember Ostankya's army composition and play to her strengths. She excels at attrition and defensive warfare, but early aggression is still paramount in forcing an early conflict.
Important Considerations:
- Randomness: The AI's behavior isn't entirely predictable. Sometimes, even with aggressive actions, Kislev may remain passive.
- Difficulty Level: The difficulty level can significantly impact the AI's aggressiveness. Higher difficulty levels often lead to more proactive AI opponents.
- Adapt and Adjust: Be prepared to adapt your strategy based on how Kislev responds to your actions.
This step-by-step guide increases your probability of an early Kislev conflict as Mother Ostankya, adding a thrilling and challenging twist to your Total War: Warhammer III campaign. Good luck, and may the Great Maw guide you!
