In Manor Lords, players are tasked with building their settlement from a village to a large town and defending and expanding its borders. Players can recruit several kinds of military units, but none are better than Retinues. This professional soldier is far better equipped to deal with enemies than the average mercenary, but they are also the hardest to get.
Manor Lords have three types of soldier units available to them. The retinues are the superior fighting force between the militia, mercenaries, and Retinues. In harder scenarios, such as Restoring the Piece or On the Edge, recruiting and using your Retinues is essential to a prospering settlement. These units are deadly, costly, and even customizable. Before you can line your armor with this elite fighting force, you first need to know how they work.
10 Best Tips To Know Before Playing Manor Lords
Manor Lords is a richly detailed medieval city sim with lots of quirks. With a few tips, players can set their settlements up for long-term success.
How To Recruit Retinue In Manor Lords
Best Ways To Get More Retinue
In Manor Lords, you can recruit Retinue after reaching level two and build the manor, your first official istrative building. The Manor is essential to building your treasury finds, which is essential to fund and upgrade your battalion of Retinue. To generate treasury funds, you must establish a land tax on your citizens to turn regional wealth into treasury money in Manor Lords. You are automatically awarded five Retinue whenever the manor is built, but more "Men-At Arms" and upgrades will cost you.
Unit/Service |
Description |
Treasury Funds Cost |
|---|---|---|
Men-At Arms |
Adds another Retinue to your Garrison. |
50 Treasury |
Upgrade Armor (Local) |
Only available if you have weapons and armor makers in your settlement. Upgrades the armor of your Retinue |
17 Treasury |
Upgrade Armor (Import) |
Upgrades the armor of your Retinue |
34 Treasury |
The Retinue is by far the best fighting unit. These soldiers have stronger armor and deal more damage than either militia or mercenaries. Since mercenaries require payment before every encounter, these units are also significantly more cost-effective in the long run.
Whether against rival lords or bandit camps, sending out your Retinue before resorting to militia or mercenaries is best. Retinue is also the most upgradable and customizable unit in the game.
How To Add More Retinue
You gain immediate access to five Retinue whenever you build your initial manor. While these units can bolster your fighting force, it is better to seek out more before expanding your territory further. Your initial limit is up to 12 Retinue. You can purchase more Retinue by accessing your manor and entering the Retinue Customization Menu.
To expand the total number of Retinue in Manor Lords, you need to build a Garrison Tower. You can build this by opening your Castle Planner. This is easily one of the most costly buildings, even including Burgage Plots in Manor Lords.
To construct, Garrison Towers require 10 Timber, 15 Planks, and 10 Stones. However, this investment is well worth it as it increases your Retinue number by 12 and provides a key defensive structure if your town is invaded. Overall, the more Retinues you have in Manor Lords, the better prepared you are to attack and defend.
