Question about Optional Squad Upgrades

[DeletedUser5218]

I was told that if you do not do any of the optional Squad Upgrades in the Research Tree, the battles throughout the game/map will be easier and less costly to cater. Is this true?

 

[DeletedUser2768]

Yes and no. It's a trade off between tournaments and provinces, I think. If you don't do the optional researches I think the tournament enemies are smaller, but it's harder to fight the provinces. If you do the optional upgrades, the tournaments are harder, bu the provinces are easier. I may have that backwards though. I mostly cater/negotiate my way through the game.

 

[samidodamage]

optional Squad Upgrades in the Research Tree,

These increase the size of your troop squads, so will let you take more troops into battle making the map provinces easier. The twist in the tournament is: Enemy squad size is a percentage of your regular squad size. So, if your squad size is 100 and you win tournament battle with 10% troop loss, you need to replace 10 units. If you do the same battle with the same parameters except your squad size is 500, you'll have to replace 50 units. So, the fights are not necessarily more difficult, but the cost in troops is higher. At 4 encounters/round of tournament provinces, doing 5 rounds in 6 provinces is 120 encounters. You would have to be conquering 15 map provinces/week (at 8 encounters/province) to be doing as many map encounters as tournament encounters.
There is also a relationship between your regular squad size and the cost to cater tournament provinces. I'm not as clear on that exact formula, but the higher your squad size, the more costly it is to cater a tournament province. I don't think squad size impacts negotiating map provinces.

 

[juniperknome]

les costly only applies to tournaments not provinces. you can only skip about 5-6 squad upgrades before the provinces become impossibly to fight.

 

[DeletedUser12171]

you can only skip about 5-6 squad upgrades before the provinces become impossibly to fight.

You're wrong, because I have skipped every optional squad tech from Dwarves to Halflings and all my scoutable provinces are still Very Easy and Easy, AND I am slightly overscouted (cleared more than chapter requirement). Have you actually done it, or heard evidence from someone who has done it, or are you just guessing?

Skip the techs, you will have a much easier time in tourney. Take the advice as you will.

 

[DeletedUser12171]

Yes and no. It's a trade off between tournaments and provinces, I think. If you don't do the optional researches I think the tournament enemies are smaller, but it's harder to fight the provinces. If you do the optional upgrades, the tournaments are harder, bu the provinces are easier. I may have that backwards though. I mostly cater/negotiate my way through the game.

If you cater tourney then all the more you'd want to skip squad techs.

Scouting: squad techs reduce scouting costs -> cater AND fighting becomes easier

Tournament: squad techs don't make fighting easier or harder. It stays the same. But cater cost is linked to squad size so bigger squads = more goods needed. So keeping your squad size down = cheaper catering in tournament

 

[DeletedUser5218]

Thank you, Everyone, for your replies! Very helpful!

 

[Mykan]

Just note that not doing optional techs in early chapters can be crippling on the world map. If you have a strategy/help/patience it will be fine, if not consider doing the early ones. Like @RandomNo. mentioned you can skip the techs from dwarves and still make good progress on the world map.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

It all just comes down to how you want to play the game. I do every research. I hate skipping stuff. lol

I am in Halflings and have already completed enough provinces to open the chest in the Amuni chapter. I still have plenty of "medium" provinces to scout at the moment. The only drawback is the amount of time to scout a province. Right now it is about 48 hours.