TESTW - mercenaries and new versions feature

In this article, we will finally fulfill a promise to tell you about all the mercenary armies in The Elder Scrolls: Total War 1.5, and at the same time we will talk a little about the mercenary armies that will appear in 2.0, and also tell you something about the intermediate version of the mod.

First, about the mercenary armies themselves:

HIRCINE’S WILD HUNT:

Hunting is one of the most famous rituals associated with the daedric prince Hircine. This ritual has many names - the Ritual of the Innocent Quarry, the Great Hunt, the Wild Hunt - and others, but its essence is simple: under certain conditions from both the mortals and the Father of Beastmen, Hircine descends into the mortal world to head the cavalcade of horsemen, called Hounds, to hunt for the victim, referred to in the ritual as the Hare.

In mod, many moments of the ritual were omitted, since they did not carry any gameplay value. Wild Hunt does not choose a specific commander as its goal and does not go out of the game as soon as the victim is killed. Having appeared to the player once, the army of Hircine remains with him forever, until a brave and powerful mortal sends the daedric prince back to Oblivion.

To get hold of the riders of the Wild Hunt, the player must:

- Play as one of the following factions: the Kingdom of Valenwood or the Aldmeri Dominion.

- to take control of the following settlements: Arentia, Tormar Gate, Valkvasten, Silvenar, Falinesti, Velyn Harbor, Longvale, Woodheart, Marbruk, Greenheart, Elden Root, Cormair, Southpoint, Haven

- to build the Altar of the Innocent Quarry in at least in one of the following cities - Falinesti, Silvenar, Elden Root.

- accept the Hircine’s offer, which will come to the player on the next turn, after the conditions are fulfilled.

After completing this ritual, the player will have at his disposal an army of Riders of the Wild Hunt (9 units) with a veteran rank, headed by Hircine. In addition, he will be able to hire new units of riders of the Wild Hunt in any of the three cities described above, where the Altar of the Innocent Quarry is built.

MAORMERS

The Maormer are a race of elves living on Pyandonea. They rarely intervene in the affairs of Tamriel, and their intervention is most often limited to hiring for the overlord who pays the most. The Maormers are cold-blooded, dexterous and cruel, and their immortal king is Orgnum, the great sorcerer, under whose leadership the Maormer will be a great help for any ruler in the war, but if the leader Pyandonea cannot lead his subjects, they will quickly become useless.

The Maormer linked with the Altmer a long history of mutual hostility, and in general they managed to annoy many residents of the southern provinces. But through the war any allies would be necessary, and it’s foolish to refuse professional and fast army, which is not famous for it’s piety and discretion.

To make the Maormer armies stand under his banner, the player must:

- Play as one of the following factions: Aldmeri Dominion, Kingdom of Valenwood, Kingdom of Pelletine, Kingdom of Anequina, Clans of Black Marsh.

- own at least one of the following settlements: Sunhold, Dusk, Southpoint, Haven, Torval, Senchal, Soulrest, Lilmoth.

- if a player has at least one of these settlements, he must have a port of at least “Dockyard” level

- if he has one of these settlements and there is a Dockyard in it, he should build the Maormer Port there.

- accept the offer of Orgnum, which will come to the player on the next turn, after all the conditions have been fulfilled.

After completing the conditions, the player will have at his disposal a full army of maormer with a veteran rank, headed by Orgnum. Also, he will be able to hire and replenish the units of the Maormer - swordsmen, spearmen and archers, in the buildings of fighters guild in any city where they are built.

RESTLESS LEAGUE

Stros M’Kai is an independent island-state. It gained it’s independence at the end of the Second Era, when Redguard Cyrus led the rebel army, known as the Restless League, and drove the imperial colonialists off the island. For a long time, the Restless League ruled the island, valuing its freedom and independence, but they say that people who want to establish their sole dominance on the island have come to power in the pirate clans. To avoid this, those League soldiers who cherish their freedom will have to contact the rulers of Iliac bay to offer them their army in the upcoming wars, in exchange for help in restoring independence from greedy gentlemen.

In order to have at his disposal army of privateers, the player must:

- Play as one of the following factions: Kingdom of Daggerfall, Kingdom of Wayrest, Forebears, Clan of Crowns

- capture Stros M’Kai.

- accept the proposal of the leaders of the League on the next turn, after all the conditions have been fulfilled.

After completing the conditions, the player will have at his disposal ten units of warriors of the Restless League with a veteran rank and 5,000 septim. He will also be able to hire and replenish the units of the Restless League in the fighters guild buildings in any city where they are built.

DAWNGUARD:

On the border between Morrowind and Skyrim, where the Velothi mountains converge with the Jerol mountains, there stands a lonely abandoned fortress - the orphanage of the mysterious Dawnguard. It was once a powerful order of vampire hunters, but by the end of the Second Era it had ceased to exist for reasons that were probably not known and there are many versions of why the Dawnguard has sunk into oblivion. However, many hunters have not forgotten their craft and from generation to generation passed on their skill to hunt for the undead. Who knows what the one who has enough power and resources to restore this ancient order will receive?

In order to have hunters at their disposal, the player must:

- Play as one of the following factions: Cyrodiil Empire, Kingdom of Skyrim, the Great House Redoran

- to capture the Fort Dawnguard

- accept the proposal to recreate the Dawnguard on the next turn, after all the conditions have been fulfilled.

After completing the conditions, the player will have at his disposal ten units of Dawnguard warriors with a veteran rank and 5,000 septim. He will also be able to hire and replenish the Dawnguard units in the fighters guild buildings in any city where they are built.

SKAAL:

The Skaals are a special nationality that broke away from the atmorians during their exodus from the northern continent. They are less civilized than the Nords of Skyrim, but much more belligerent. Skaals are known for their hunter skill and rebelliousness. Now their tribes are divided and only a strong and uncompromising leader can unite them under one banner. Such a leader can be considered the prudent Tharsten Heart-Fang, but to teach these barbarians order and discipline, he will need a powerful ally - one who has the strength and courage to conquer all of Solstheim.

In order to have Skaal tribes at their disposal, a player must:

- Play as one of the following factions: the Cyrodiil Empire, Kingdom of Skyrim, the Great House Redoran, the Great House Hlaalu, the Great House Telvanni

- Capture Raven Rock, Fort Frostmoth, Thirsk and the Skaal village.

- to accept Tharsten's proposal on the next move, after all the conditions are fulfilled.

After completing the conditions, the player will have at his disposal ten units of Skaal warriors with a veteran rank, led by Tharsten Heart-Fang nd 5,000 septim. He will also be able to hire and replenish squads of skalas in the buildings of the fighters' guild in any city where they are built.

MANNIMARCO:

The former member of the Psijic Order, a friend of the founder of the Mages Guild Vanus Galerion, the leader of the necromancers, the possessor of the divine power of Mantella and one of the most controversial figures in the history of Tamriel again comes out of the shadows. Disappeared into the unknown after the Warp of the West, Mannimarco returns to the Scourge Barrow to lead the divided Order of the Black Worm. This sorcerer is cunning and dangerous, but he understands that in open war against the whole world his order cannot win, but what will happen if he offers his dark art to the strongest ruler of Tamriel. Mannimarco is now observing from under the cover of darkness to come out into the light at that hour, when the power that all others will reckon with will appear in Tamriel. And he will want to be part of that power.

In order to have King of the Worms and his order at his disposal, the player must:

- manage any playable faction, except the Great House Dagoth.

- seize 55 settlements if he plays for the Aldmeri Dominion, Cyrodiil Empire or Kingdom of Skyrim, or 35 settlements if he plays for any other faction.

- accept the offer of Mannimarco on the next move, after all the conditions are fulfilled.

After completing the conditions, the player will have at his disposal a full army of undead with a veteran rank, led by Mannimarco, and his king purse will increase by 1,500 septim. He will also be able to hire and replenish the troops of the undead in any city, where he will allow necromancers to dig graves. It should be borne in mind that residents of the settlement will not be delighted with such a decision.

If the player refuses Mannimarco, he will return to the Scourge Barrow, and the undead will stop indifferently watching what is happening in Tamriel. The faction will cease to skip turns and begin to fight with its neighbors, wasting precious gold by this time.

CLAN VOLKIHAR:

The vampire clan Volkihar sat in the shadows on a distant island covered with mist for many years, but now, by the end of the Third Era, rumors of a mysterious force awakening in the waters of the Sea of ​​Ghosts reached the Kings of High Rock and Skyrim. Standing on a remote island, the castle is considered to be cursed, but decisive rulers are not afraid of fictional curses. Anyone who dares to send an expedition to the shores of the island will find there an ancient and powerful vampire clan, whose leader, Lord Harkon, is ready to join such brave mortals to spread the influence of his clan throughout Tamriel.

To get a vampire court at his disposal, a player must:

- Manage one of the following factions: Kingdom of Skyrim, Kingdom of Daggerfall, Kingdom of Wayrest, Kingdom of Orsinium

- capture the castle Volkihar

- accept the offer of Lord Harkon on the next turn, after all the conditions are fulfilled.

After completing the conditions, the player will have at his disposal an army of vampires and skeletons with a veteran rank, led by Lord Harkon, and his king ourse will increase by 1,500 septim. He will also be able to hire and replenish vampire units in any city where he will build a vampire fortress. It should be borne in mind that residents of the settlement will not be delighted from such a neighborhood.

By agreeing to Harkon’s proposal, you can still have Mannimarco’s army at your disposal if you capture the required number of settlements for the above-mentioned factions. Refusal of the offer of one also does not mean automatic refusal of the offer of another.

These are all mercenary armies that are present in version 1.5. In addition to them, we plan to add at least three more new armies to 2.0, so each faction will have the opportunity to get at least two hired commanders, not counting Mannimarco. For those who consider some of the above armies to be unlore and unsuitable for this time period, all these scripts are unnecessary and, if desired, the player can refuse all of them during the campaign. Also in the future we are going to introduce another mechanic related to the undead, which we will show you very soon, and also Nerevarine and Champion of Cyrodiil will return as soon as we find enough time for them. In addition, for version 2.0, we partially rework the army of the Downguard.

In addition to mercenary armies, we would like to talk a little more about the release schedule. First, as we have already mentioned, the next version will be standalone. There are a number of reasons for this, such as the rough release of 1.5, which, due to problems with the reloading of archives and confusion, didn’t had enough attention. Therefore, the bad news - 1.6 will be standalone, good - it will be released this month. Almost all the 3d work on the version is finished and soon we will show it, such as the new architecture for the orcs, after which we will make the latest changes to the balance and make sure that everything is working properly - and version 1.6 will be released.

So please be patient and stay tuned. Thanks for reading!