This mod corrects glaring issues in the combat of the vanilla game. It started from personal frustration that certain weapon types were useless. In particular it modifies the defence skill values of sword infantry so that unit progression makes more sense. The starting point from this mod was the excellent Lands To Conquer Gold however it restored the vanilla unit statistics and building recruitment model.
M2tw may be my favourite instalment in the Total War franchise, but the Vanilla game contained many puzzling balancing choices and outright bugs that lead to some unit classes' performance to not make any sense, especially in the exciting high and late eras and involving many factions' top tier units.
This mod, first released more than a decade after the game's heighday, fixes many of these issues, while remaining admirably restrained in its scope, not adding anything unnecessary to the core Vanilla gameplay.
The result is a game that plays decidedly Vanilla, but in a way you never played it before. Halberds and pikes have their uses now, two-handed weapons have become satisfyingly powerful, as you always thought they should be. They form the crucial counter to foot knights, without being overpowered. As a result, overal unit performance feels more in line with expectations based on those units' cost and role.
The only thing I am not a fan of is the halberdier spearwall esthetic, their weapons never quite reaching any foe, even though damage is being dealt. I understand this is unavoidable and while it does not impact gameplay, it is the sole item in this mod that does not look and feel polished, costing it one point in my review.
Frankly, it is an embarrasment to Creative Assembly that this mod had to be made at all, so many years after the game's release, but it has been done so expertly. Its changes to the Vanilla game are well designed and executed, in a manner that is restrained but impactful. If you played M2tw back in the day, this is a good mod to pick up to experience it anew. Regardless of whether you're new to the game or a series veteran, in my opinion this is the only way to play M2tw Vanilla.
9/10 : A must have.
14545
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Rly nice
Lets see