This guy is amazing. I wish all TH-cam people were this concise, filled with direct useful info, no bs, easy to understand and listen too. Seems like a cool dude and not annoying at all. These are actually fun to watch and make the game more fun. Thanks man!
Thank you for watching! I know what you mean, it's pretty frustrating to see "guides" that are drawn out with bloat and irrelevant info or unedited stuff (in particular, loading screens trigger me in an edited video hahaha). I appreciate the support and I'm glad the video was helpful!
Spear bracing - toggle walking before you brace and you’ll gain the ability to slowly walk around while bracing. Much more effective than the static spear brace.
I saw a video like that today on the forums! That's crazy, I didn't know what was a thing. I loved the way the brace just comes down and instantly bonks the cav lol I wish I saw that before I released this one. That guy deserves some big credit besides the like I gave on the video :D
On PC you can toggle walk so that you remain at a walking speed instead of building up more speed, and if you spear brace and set yourself to walk then you can move and remain braced. Spear bracing lets you hold the spear so that it counters cavalry charging, although on some terrain it doesnt work that well.@@Dalziel45
@@Dalziel45 you can toggle a walk with Caps lock instead of running. I’ve used it for immersion early on while walking in cities, I didn’t know there was a tactical usage.
Lol I only included about half of my totals in that montage :) This game can be very punishing, even for experienced players! Haha the pavise, good one :D
i was literally just searching for something like this because i was having trouble clearing some bandits from towns and BAM 15 minutes ago! the timing couldnt be better and congrats on all the growth!
@@Strat-Guides I've made it too small kingdom. Made policies without nobles. Elected senate/council and now 3 nobiles with castles and 2 villages each. Before than I used agricultural estates too earn me a living. Between my garrisons and party patrols I spend 5k and make about 8k. I'm developing unused land plus patrols too increase my bank roll by two or three times. Horses get the most revenue. Invested in khuzait workshops, silver, iron, wood, velvet, brewery etc.gives me great revenue and armour and weapons plus cheap horses and food. The estates give me better trained khuzait horsemen too from villages with horses.
@@Strat-Guides Also bought forest Mercs allegiance into my kingdom. At around 2000 troops most are all tier 4, 5, 6 armoured archery cavalrymen and Knights plus high tier footmen and recruits too push my siege engines. I can now assign seirgents and delegate command as of 1.70 so that's pretty dope plus the 75% speed reduction delegating commands. Games defo getting where we all wanted it. The gang system needs updating so you can control the criminal elements in yours or others fiefs for boons or espionage and stealing taxes.
@@reidy1012 Wow nice, that's always my favorite part of the game (beginning a new kingdom). It sounds like you have a great strategy going, especially with the workshops! Yeah 1.7 has been really great. I feel like this was the patch that was needed all along :)
Can I just say thank you for these vids my dude, finally bought the game just last week after a long time hesitating, and now im addicted. You're guides have been incredibly helpful and interesting!
I'm really happy to hear they are helpful! I know how fun this game can be, but also how frustrating too so hopefully we keep the frustrating stuff to a minimum so we can enjoy this masterpiece :)
the content is well chosen, planned, and presented. these are better than my current certification training videos...truly well done dude. a totally personal thing...there is virtually no silence in between the audio bites...at first I found this to give the content a rushed feeling but I'm getting used to it. i just use the left arrow button to go back and repeat when I didn't quite absorb what was said the first time
Thank you! Haha nice, hopefully these are more entertaining than the training videos :P If my professor back in my college days spoke at this pace it would have been pretty hard to handle without a recording. The main reason I do it is to keep the info compact and get people on their way quickly. As you stated, rewinding (or even some use the speed adjustor in TH-cam and run at 0.75 playback) seems to be a fair compromise. I sucks to make people do extra work, BUT I think it's even more work sitting through people stumbling about their words, umms and uhhs, watching loading screens etc. haha I try my best to respect everyone's time but still deliver the pertinent info!
I started Bannerlord recently amd having a blast with it and the videos from this guy is GOLD and this video in particular 8:48 is giving me a lot of confidence in my combat. Thanks man!!!
Been learning this game, and have to say that I find the montage at 8.30 very comforting when all guides seem to suggest that it isn't terribly hard to deal with some enemies if you know what you are doing.
I've found the best practice to familiarize yourself with combat in bannerlord was pit fights at the arena, especially before they nerfed the exp gain there. You get to try out pretty much every kind of weapon and in a lot of situations. Free money + character experience + player experience. Also I've found that the best weapon skill is not a weapon skill. You can easily win with a skill of 1 vs an opponent with a skill of 250 if your athletics is high enough. Because if we think about it, being the sole deciding factor for if and when weapons even can reach each other is huge, and can be used to mitigate the slow swing speed of a weapon skill level 1 character. Great video as per usual ^_^
I would mostly agree with you about the pit fighting, except if you're trying to train a specific thing like blocking with a weapon but have to have your shield up all the time because the ranged weapons, then it can slow the learning down a lot. It definitely helps learning combat though, I think the pit fights are harder to win than the tournaments! That's a great point - athletics is so important for fighting on foot. Especially if you're good with stun combos and chamber blocking, you don't need fast attack speed to land good hits :) Thank you!!
I used to play warband when it first came out and considered myself familiar with the combat mechanics in both games. However I had no idea about the just in time block bonus. I always thought it had to do with the weight of the weapon hitting yours. Very good guide.
I'm glad it was useful! There are so many hidden mechanics that are never explained so it's not surprising that I'm still learning new stuff even after 2k hours lol
I have no idea how I haven't found this video before. This is exactly what I needed, no BS, no sugarcoating, no cheese. everything is straightforward. throughout the video you made it look so easy that it was kind of disheartening, I'm glad you put in the small montage of all the deaths you had while trying to make the video. The things I have learned in this video that I didn't already: 1. You can ready your attack and still kick! 2. what weapon handling actually does 3. You can pommel/weapon bash 4. Walk Couching 5. Two handed axes have crush through and strikethrough 6. Weapon Dragging. some people may not have noticed it in the video, but I did. in several clips you dragged the swing so your weapon would hit faster, but you kept it in the max damage window of the swing. my only question is does the added speed of your movement increase the damage too, or only just make it harder to block? 7. Feints actually exist and work 8. Chain attacks 9. Chambering is real??!
I had no idea a lot of these mechanics were in the game. I knew of chambering attacks and and shield bashing etc. Can't wait to practice all these mechanics. Great video!
I'm a few hundred hours in and have figured out all the stuff from the beginner guide by experience, but the advanced guide was super useful. Ive used shield bashes since the beginning, but I had no idea how to chamber block until this guide, and had no idea kicking was that effective. 100% will use these tips
I need to warn that as far as i figured out chambering relies heavily on initial position of your weapon. So chambering overheads is rather impossible if done with your weapon hand raised yet fairly easy with your weapon hand lowered. One also should remember that timings could be eased with proper footwork and distance. So side chambers are more reliable while sidesteping away from oponents attack. And the easiest way to chamber overheads i found is to perform them from longer distance while getting closer with the enemy. The only reliable way to chamber thrusts that i found is by using spear against spear and again longer distance. Meanwhile thing o be remembered about spears is that they prowide solid ghostreach so any chamberes should be timed little earlier.
Interesting, I had not noticed any of this! That's great to know. I was able to chamber from any position, but it does make sense that different stances will give you a better chance to proc since it changes the position of your own weapon. Great info, thank you so much for adding this!!
Once you learn to parry and chamber consistently it becomes a whole other game. Throw some spins in there for style points and slightly delaying/advancing your hit. One of the few (mostly) single-player games that really feels rewarding to _git gud_ at. The definition of "easy to learn, difficult to master".
AMAZING GUIDE, I really love the "Look I'm not perfect" aspect. Great pointers of how to train different aspects, cant wait to start my own combat training again, thanks to your encouragement!
For real, too many people want that "instagram reality" BS that I don't care for. I do end up showing the best bits in most of the guides, but especially for combat I wanted people to see that I don't just walk in and do what you see in the guides haha there is a LOT of me dying too :) It's all about persistence and being willing to suck but keep trying!
Thanks for always being my go to when it's all about bannerlord. Because of you strat I've learned the game that much more. When it comes to this game you break it down to a science which the tutorial does not teach you. Thanks for all your hard work man and taleworlds should reach out to you with a 7 figure contract and a signing bonus.
I love your vids. I haven't even watched this yet but I already know I'm in for a good time. You're carrying this community to greatness. Thank you so much!
Hopefully it's helpful! It's not as hard as it looks, just a little bit of practice :) I still die all the time lol but once in a while I can put together a decent run :)
What a professionally put video. You tought me a lot of stuff that i did not know about the game in such a short time. Absolutely well done sir. Much respect
Amazing video! I've put in a couple hundred hours into Bannerlord and still didn't know about chamber attacks or how to properly do the parry. Thanks so much!
I learned a lot in the arenas. Many times you are forced to fight with setups that you didn't choose for your core gameplay. Sometimes in 4 vs 4, sometimes your companions die and you are outnumbered, etc. By dying and reloading I got a lot of experience. Great tips!
Thank you! That was actually a slight mistake - the 2H maces can also do this! It's a bit harder to generate enough damage to down both in a single swing (horseback with speed it's doable) but you can definitely hit more than one target in a single swing. Also, I can't remember if I said this in the video or not, but you can hit more than 2 with a single swing. I might have said 2, but it's actually more than that if you have massive damage!
@@TripleData27 Yeah for sure! It's called the 1812 Overture by the Russian Composer Tchaikovsky. It's the only composition that (to my knowledge) has actual cannons written into the score lol legit cannons, not something to mimic the sound of cannons :D Here is a good version of it: th-cam.com/video/VbxgYlcNxE8/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=avrilfan2213
Very very good ! I was caught in the field by 6 knights, only with a two handed axe; I had to call in the cavalry, couldn't block all the stabs :)) I'm too lazy to feint, but I'll start trying them and maybe the chamber blocks. Right now I was fighting in tournaments and try to keep my companions alive so I can fight 1v1 vs them and just use bashes and blocks, so they level up more.
Thank you! Oh nooo that's the worst. It's not hard to block one or two, but when they start stunning you and you can't block, that's when it's all over lol I don't really like feinting against the AI as much. I find that if they fall for a feint, they would just as easily fall for a regular hit lol Actually it's pretty good against higher level opponents now that I think about it. Low levels don't block much anyways so I just swing away :)
Your videos have really helped me love M&B again bro, after the myriad issues with bannerlord, id almost given up on it. Also i really appreciate the chapters in every video. Thanks dude
@@Strat-Guides ah, nice! Then do explanatory videos for real life! I would even consider donating to your patreon if you went for a highly edited world domination series.
Really excellent stuff. Feinting and chamber blocking have always evaded me but I think this will help a lot. Good advice about having save states for practicing against different numbers of opponents. Thanks for another great video.
Thank you! Yeah those are both tricky, although feinting should be a bit easier to grasp than chamber blocking. For sure, it just saves so much time to have a few save files at the ready. I do the same thing when I practice or do testing for guides etc.
Insane video dude! Thank You! I have been playing Mount&Blade for years and years and guides like these really do deserve all the attention and respect. I know it is not easy to make. Thank You!
Dude I LOVE your guides. I get excited every time I see a new one in the feed. They’re straight to the point with good and actually useful information. Waiting eagerly for the crossbow perk guide.
Thanks!! It was tough with this one because I wanted to talk for hours lol but I got it to a reasonable number I think :) Crossbow should be Friday next week!
Also looking forward to the crossbow guide, as I almost always opt for crossbow over bow.. Can't wait to see how many wrong perks I've picked on my character with 175 crossbow skull :p
About chamber blocks, I remember there was a really informative video that talks about why it works during certain circumstances, but not during others. It mostly has to deal with the characters attacking stance (which is easier with some weapons, but harder with others).
Yeah I think I watched that one a while back. I noticed you can actually chamber from any stance and block any attack,. It seems like as long as the two weapons cross paths, it will work!
It doesn't help that the tutorial makes no mention of it lol it's one of the coolest features (and chamber blocking) so I'm not sure why they hide it like some unwanted child haha
This one took a couple of weeks to put together, but was able to finish it up today :) I can usually get the perks guide done in about 3 days, Bow took about 25 hours. This combat guide was probably closer to 30 hours in total, but split up over a couple weeks so it wasn't too bad!
Thank you! It's been a couple months of training to get those down lol I spent about 10-15 minutes per day, a few days per week until I finally figured it out :D
Actually chamber blocking and chambering are 2 different things. Atleast in Warband. For Bannerlord I assume its the same but not 100% sure on that one.
It took me forever to learn/ realize that by moving my character/ camera, it not only immensely helped with dodging enemy attacks but also quicken my own.
Hey Strat, a few things i'd like to tell you: 1) Congrats! 2 months into youtube and you got 5k-20k views on your videos (with a few outliers). That's one helluve accomplishment mate. 2) Size matters! I'd love to see a video on how height affects your character. Like, comparing the speed, reach and hitbox of characters of the smallest and largest sizes. I played a big boye, and his axe swings were godlike. Now i'm playing the shortest girl ever, and her shield is as tall as she is so she never gets hit by arrows lol. That sort of comparison would be interesting to see. 3) The previous item made me think other people probably have other quirky questions, which could make for a good series of its own. 4) Does the perk that double the effect of food variety on morale also double your Steward experience gain?
Thank you! I still feel like I'm not sure what I'm doing, but whatever it is i'll keep doing it haha Yes that's a great idea, I know there are some differences that can be an advantage. Thank you for the idea, I'll add it to the list! So it doesn't effect Steward XP since that's based on how much food you eat. If there is anything that increases food consumption, then it will do that (none that I can think of right now, only in RimWorld with a Gourmand haha). It should help with Leadership though if you can get above 75 morale!
Man I've been getting so much more enjoyment out of the game since I discovered your channel, there's just so little information on any mechanics ingame
I was trying to get it done to release at the same time Polearm perks was ready, but I underestimated the amount of work required to get it done :P Better to release late and better quality though I think!
Lots of great info there. I'd got the hang of the basics and do ok, but I tried online and wondered how some were attacking so fast, etc. This explains it - thanks! :)
Thanks for these guides, man. I've been playing since Bannerlord came out and spent years with Warband before that, but you still know about stuff I didn't.
Haha yeah I know what you mean! I learn so much stuff making these guides even though I have thousands of hours into the game. Makes me feel like a noob for not figuring them out, but I guess it's different when you're intentionally trying to find everything :)
I'd really like an ultra advanced video that covers how stance affects attacker/defender stun. Covering attack speed from stance, and how to manipulate time to block from weapon position would be pretty nice. Also a mention of how stance affects attack trajectories would be good as well. With the chain attack section it would also be good to mention the flinged attack where your character seems to commit to an attack on the combo end with 1 hand weapons.
@@Strat-Guides The only reason I know stance affects attacker and defender stun is because Giru was modding bannerlord on stream and showed the code for it. Some of the other bannerlord guides show that if you are strafing with your swing the animation is shorter so your time to hit is also shorter (due to the stance). Then there's obviously kicks, 2 hand stabs, and 2 hand overheads having a different trajectory depending on stance as well.
@@yedrellow Oh cool, that's very interesting! I need to figure out how to do some of that, it sounds like it would be very helpful for making guides! This is great info, thank you! I'm taking notes and when I get some free time i'll run some tests.
@@Strat-Guides I don't know how Giru looked at the aforementioned code, but I guess modders would be really useful to figure out how the combat actually works.
Hehe yeah I know what you mean. It just seemed easier to put everything into one big guide and people can skip to the stuff they want to know more about. Thank you for watching!
Even understanding and currently implementing tactics, it never hurts to go back to the basics. Always some piece of information to be had. Even better, remembered now because we might already know the basics. I pulled a lot of information I never looked at before. Thank you for the vid, and everything you included. I use these vids to get geared up for another session... 577 hours and 5 characters later ( I get bored with higher levels), I walked away from this vid profitable. *Hat tipped* Thank you.
btw, one more tip. If you press G while holding a weapon you will drop it, but if you are carrying a shield, hold your block by holding RMB and press G then you will drop your shield instead of your weapon. Carrying a shield makes you heavier and you move slower so in some cases is better to drop your shield, specially when your shield is about to break. If your enemy manages to destroy your shield with a blow you will get stunned without being able to defend yourself so in that case is better to drop your shield and not let your enemy break it. foot work and positioning correctly when fighting can and will save your life as well.
I will say another tip when you’re making your character for a new campaign, make them as small as you can so you don’t have to worry about the point of shield the right way because even if he pointed down and the talk is coming from the app, it will still get blocked because your character is so small
@@Strat-Guides Especially considering the fact that due to the hard shields that I have, I did not pay attention to the direction of blocking. Having engineering on 25 we have an additional 30% to the strength of the discs, which greatly facilitates the state of affairs. Although the best training in my opinion is to go to the arena. I do not mean competitions and prizes, but going to the leader of the Colosseum and asking about the possibility of fighting as well as you can ask him where the next competition is. This is very usable. Fights are difficult there because of the high chance the appearance of the opponent from behind, with a bow that will aim straight at the exposed back. In such a state, we will withstand a shot, well, maybe two. Fighting with someone during this time, he will break the animation and die. There you need to have eyes everywhere.
Great video! It seems that 2h weapon stances only affect the timings of chamber blocks against enemy's left and right swings. I used to think that your character's weapon stance have to align relative to the direction of enemy's swings. Chamber blocks are tough to learn but mastering it means being invincible in 1v1 duels. There's also a 'hidden' stance for 1h weapons which affect overhead swing and thrust animations. For example, if you attack with the left foot out while running, it does a faster attack animation. But with the right foot out, it does a slower but "mini"-lunging animation that has more reach. Along with chamber blocks, footwork is a tough mechanics to master in Bannerlord.
Yeah chamber blocking is really tough to get the hang of, but once you can get a couple done in a row then I think you're in good shape! Interesting, I don't do as much 1H combat so that's really good info to know. Thank you for that!! It makes sense too because IRL footwork is so important for and combat sport.
Wow, this is honestly super helpful, I've played a ton of bannerlord (and warband) and I never knew about chamber blocking, and while I did know about feinting and parrying I kind of forgot they existed? Anyways, I've been single handedly winning every tournament and some 1v20 fights all without doing any special moves at all, so I'm going to try to learn all the "advanced" combat mechanics and see how dangerous I can become to petty looters!
Man, i was searching around your videos and i was wondering if you can make tutorial about how to make a thrusting spear melee work on foot. Great videos as always!
That's a tough one! Without high polearm skill you're going to struggle to get damage up high enough. I did a bonus section in a video once - th-cam.com/video/qxfrwbm_N9M/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=StratGaming Check the timestamps - at 9:26 the sections starts. I made a thrust on foot polearm build that sounds like what you're looking for!
with 3000 hrs in MB warband and bannerlord combined... I have never had much success with ground fighting unless using a sledgehammer (MBWB) or an executioners axe (bannerlord). I am amazed at how you can do that blocking, to me it is unfathomable.
I know what you mean, I think I was about 1k hours into Bannerlord when I got frustrated with it and set up a training schedule for myself to get better at it lol It actually didn't take that long when doing deliberate practice for the parts where I was deficient. Hopefully this guide will help others do the same, but in MUCH less time than 1k hours haha
Dude your videos are incredible! Seriously the most informative and well produced bannerlord videos I’ve seen. Tbh you have the best guides on TH-cam regardless of the game. I was wondering if you’ve considered making a guide to battle tactics (strategy, formations, etc)?
Thank you! I'm still new and have a lot to learn still so hopefully I can continue to improve :) Yes, that's pretty high on my list actually! It will be at least a couple weeks still (wife and I have baby #2 coming before end of the year so output might go down for a little while) but hopefully I'll get to those soon. I think I will end up doing faction by faction and testing units, army composition, tactics, etc. as a whole. We will see, I'm open to ideas if you have some as well!
@@Strat-Guides No worries man, family comes first! Thats a great idea to do it by faction! i usually just use 50% fian champ 25% legionary 25% elite cataphract. infanty in shield wall 50 ft in front of archers in loose formation on high ground, and calvaly in reserve to charge enemy cav when they get too close. the fians destroy everything if you have the right positioning and the enemy charges you. it would be great to learn about some new strats/army compositions since this playstyle is getting a bit stale!
This guy is amazing. I wish all TH-cam people were this concise, filled with direct useful info, no bs, easy to understand and listen too. Seems like a cool dude and not annoying at all. These are actually fun to watch and make the game more fun. Thanks man!
Thank you for watching! I know what you mean, it's pretty frustrating to see "guides" that are drawn out with bloat and irrelevant info or unedited stuff (in particular, loading screens trigger me in an edited video hahaha).
I appreciate the support and I'm glad the video was helpful!
I have over 160 hours in bannerlord. I learned 18 new things watching this video. Wonderful and a huge help.
Nice! I'm glad it was helpful :D
well 160 hours isnt that much
160 per week, or fortnight??!?
Me too 😅 great guide
Hey does somebody know how to make heavy attacks?
This series is the quintessential guide to M&B2 Bannerlord hands down.
We are getting there! Got a few more big topics to cover and we will be in great shape :)
8:38 lmao that was BRUTAL
Spear bracing - toggle walking before you brace and you’ll gain the ability to slowly walk around while bracing. Much more effective than the static spear brace.
I saw a video like that today on the forums! That's crazy, I didn't know what was a thing. I loved the way the brace just comes down and instantly bonks the cav lol I wish I saw that before I released this one. That guy deserves some big credit besides the like I gave on the video :D
what does that mean?
On PC you can toggle walk so that you remain at a walking speed instead of building up more speed, and if you spear brace and set yourself to walk then you can move and remain braced. Spear bracing lets you hold the spear so that it counters cavalry charging, although on some terrain it doesnt work that well.@@Dalziel45
@@Dalziel45 you wouldn't understand
@@Dalziel45 you can toggle a walk with Caps lock instead of running. I’ve used it for immersion early on while walking in cities, I didn’t know there was a tactical usage.
That pain montage is extremely real and this whole guide is the reason why my favorite weapon is a pavise and a bunch of troops set to follow.
Lol I only included about half of my totals in that montage :) This game can be very punishing, even for experienced players! Haha the pavise, good one :D
Your strategy is perfectly valid.
You fight like the protagonist of 'Rise of the Shield Hero'.
@@edersonnico
I get bullied about as much too.
i was literally just searching for something like this because i was having trouble clearing some bandits from towns and BAM 15 minutes ago! the timing couldnt be better and congrats on all the growth!
Haha nice, good luck with the bandits!!
@@Strat-Guides I've made it too small kingdom. Made policies without nobles. Elected senate/council and now 3 nobiles with castles and 2 villages each. Before than I used agricultural estates too earn me a living. Between my garrisons and party patrols I spend 5k and make about 8k. I'm developing unused land plus patrols too increase my bank roll by two or three times. Horses get the most revenue. Invested in khuzait workshops, silver, iron, wood, velvet, brewery etc.gives me great revenue and armour and weapons plus cheap horses and food. The estates give me better trained khuzait horsemen too from villages with horses.
@@Strat-Guides Also bought forest Mercs allegiance into my kingdom. At around 2000 troops most are all tier 4, 5, 6 armoured archery cavalrymen and Knights plus high tier footmen and recruits too push my siege engines. I can now assign seirgents and delegate command as of 1.70 so that's pretty dope plus the 75% speed reduction delegating commands.
Games defo getting where we all wanted it. The gang system needs updating so you can control the criminal elements in yours or others fiefs for boons or espionage and stealing taxes.
@@reidy1012 Wow nice, that's always my favorite part of the game (beginning a new kingdom). It sounds like you have a great strategy going, especially with the workshops! Yeah 1.7 has been really great. I feel like this was the patch that was needed all along :)
Props for showing that it wasn’t all a flawless effort to pull of these skills. Thanks for the awesome tips!
Hehe yeah the struggle is real! I only included about half of my deaths too, it could have gone on longer lol
2 years later and you're saving me
been watching a lo0t of your bannerlord videos, super helpful
wow the picture at 2:09 really caught me off guard
Can I just say thank you for these vids my dude, finally bought the game just last week after a long time hesitating, and now im addicted. You're guides have been incredibly helpful and interesting!
I'm really happy to hear they are helpful! I know how fun this game can be, but also how frustrating too so hopefully we keep the frustrating stuff to a minimum so we can enjoy this masterpiece :)
I'm playing for 100 hours and didn't even notice the diffrence in the sound. Thank you bro :)
They should add this stuff to the tutorial because I didn't know it for a long time as well lol Thanks for watching :D
the content is well chosen, planned, and presented. these are better than my current certification training videos...truly well done dude.
a totally personal thing...there is virtually no silence in between the audio bites...at first I found this to give the content a rushed feeling but I'm getting used to it. i just use the left arrow button to go back and repeat when I didn't quite absorb what was said the first time
Thank you! Haha nice, hopefully these are more entertaining than the training videos :P If my professor back in my college days spoke at this pace it would have been pretty hard to handle without a recording. The main reason I do it is to keep the info compact and get people on their way quickly. As you stated, rewinding (or even some use the speed adjustor in TH-cam and run at 0.75 playback) seems to be a fair compromise. I sucks to make people do extra work, BUT I think it's even more work sitting through people stumbling about their words, umms and uhhs, watching loading screens etc. haha I try my best to respect everyone's time but still deliver the pertinent info!
1:57 casually dodges hundreds of arrows at one
Just got into bannerlord. This guide is a must for new players. Great stuff
Glad to see you are getting more recognition on your vids!
Thank you! It's so awesome to have the support of the community and I'm very thankful :)
With almost 250 hours of game play I can say you thought me many good lessons in just 15 minutes
Thanks 👍 you deserve every sub❤️
Thanks! 😃
I started Bannerlord recently amd having a blast with it and the videos from this guy is GOLD and this video in particular 8:48 is giving me a lot of confidence in my combat. Thanks man!!!
Been learning this game, and have to say that I find the montage at 8.30 very comforting when all guides seem to suggest that it isn't terribly hard to deal with some enemies if you know what you are doing.
I've found the best practice to familiarize yourself with combat in bannerlord was pit fights at the arena, especially before they nerfed the exp gain there. You get to try out pretty much every kind of weapon and in a lot of situations.
Free money + character experience + player experience.
Also I've found that the best weapon skill is not a weapon skill. You can easily win with a skill of 1 vs an opponent with a skill of 250 if your athletics is high enough.
Because if we think about it, being the sole deciding factor for if and when weapons even can reach each other is huge, and can be used to mitigate the slow swing speed of a weapon skill level 1 character.
Great video as per usual ^_^
I would mostly agree with you about the pit fighting, except if you're trying to train a specific thing like blocking with a weapon but have to have your shield up all the time because the ranged weapons, then it can slow the learning down a lot. It definitely helps learning combat though, I think the pit fights are harder to win than the tournaments!
That's a great point - athletics is so important for fighting on foot. Especially if you're good with stun combos and chamber blocking, you don't need fast attack speed to land good hits :)
Thank you!!
I used to play warband when it first came out and considered myself familiar with the combat mechanics in both games. However I had no idea about the just in time block bonus. I always thought it had to do with the weight of the weapon hitting yours. Very good guide.
I'm glad it was useful! There are so many hidden mechanics that are never explained so it's not surprising that I'm still learning new stuff even after 2k hours lol
Exquisite. This is hands down the best tutorial on the subject matter, bar none.
I applaud your wit, it adds to the experience.
Thank you for watching! I did miss a few things here, but I plan on covering them again when I do the mounted combat guide :)
This is the best bannerlord combat guide i played this game 100 hours and learned stuff that i never know
Thank you! I'm glad it was helpful
I have no idea how I haven't found this video before. This is exactly what I needed, no BS, no sugarcoating, no cheese. everything is straightforward. throughout the video you made it look so easy that it was kind of disheartening, I'm glad you put in the small montage of all the deaths you had while trying to make the video.
The things I have learned in this video that I didn't already:
1. You can ready your attack and still kick!
2. what weapon handling actually does
3. You can pommel/weapon bash
4. Walk Couching
5. Two handed axes have crush through and strikethrough
6. Weapon Dragging. some people may not have noticed it in the video, but I did. in several clips you dragged the swing so your weapon would hit faster, but you kept it in the max damage window of the swing. my only question is does the added speed of your movement increase the damage too, or only just make it harder to block?
7. Feints actually exist and work
8. Chain attacks
9. Chambering is real??!
I had no idea a lot of these mechanics were in the game. I knew of chambering attacks and and shield bashing etc. Can't wait to practice all these mechanics. Great video!
I'm glad they could be of use!! Thanks for watching :)
I'm a few hundred hours in and have figured out all the stuff from the beginner guide by experience, but the advanced guide was super useful. Ive used shield bashes since the beginning, but I had no idea how to chamber block until this guide, and had no idea kicking was that effective. 100% will use these tips
This was fantastic. Thank you, and thank you for the encouragement with your death montage!
Thank you for watching!
I dumped 150 hours into Bannerlords when it first released and never heard of chamber blocking.
Great video!
I need to warn that as far as i figured out chambering relies heavily on initial position of your weapon. So chambering overheads is rather impossible if done with your weapon hand raised yet fairly easy with your weapon hand lowered.
One also should remember that timings could be eased with proper footwork and distance. So side chambers are more reliable while sidesteping away from oponents attack. And the easiest way to chamber overheads i found is to perform them from longer distance while getting closer with the enemy.
The only reliable way to chamber thrusts that i found is by using spear against spear and again longer distance. Meanwhile thing o be remembered about spears is that they prowide solid ghostreach so any chamberes should be timed little earlier.
Interesting, I had not noticed any of this! That's great to know. I was able to chamber from any position, but it does make sense that different stances will give you a better chance to proc since it changes the position of your own weapon. Great info, thank you so much for adding this!!
Amazing video man! You kept it simple, short, and entretaining. I wish more videos were like this
You gained 1 suscriber
Thank you Juan! I appreciate that :D
honestly with 300 hours in the game i thought i wouldve known most of this and yet in the beginner part of the video i was learning A LOT. great vid
Hehe I think the title beginner is deceptive - It should have been labeled "Stuff they never told us how to do" lol
Thank you!!
300 hours is still beginner level. Get to 3K multiplayer then it hits different.
Once you learn to parry and chamber consistently it becomes a whole other game. Throw some spins in there for style points and slightly delaying/advancing your hit. One of the few (mostly) single-player games that really feels rewarding to _git gud_ at. The definition of "easy to learn, difficult to master".
Best guides out there. Using javelins in melee mode is a good way to level polearm and extremely satisfying!
Thank you! For sure, the attack speed is really good too!
AMAZING GUIDE, I really love the "Look I'm not perfect" aspect. Great pointers of how to train different aspects, cant wait to start my own combat training again, thanks to your encouragement!
For real, too many people want that "instagram reality" BS that I don't care for. I do end up showing the best bits in most of the guides, but especially for combat I wanted people to see that I don't just walk in and do what you see in the guides haha there is a LOT of me dying too :) It's all about persistence and being willing to suck but keep trying!
Thanks for always being my go to when it's all about bannerlord. Because of you strat I've learned the game that much more. When it comes to this game you break it down to a science which the tutorial does not teach you. Thanks for all your hard work man and taleworlds should reach out to you with a 7 figure contract and a signing bonus.
I'm happy to help! Glad you're enjoying the game :D
This video is the best bannerlord guide in youtube i love your work man
Wow, thank you! I did my best :D I appreciate you watching!
The lord of bannerlord graces us with yet another top tier video
Haha I I bless thee with some chamber blocking :D
I love your vids. I haven't even watched this yet but I already know I'm in for a good time. You're carrying this community to greatness. Thank you so much!
Thank you! Haha you know me too well by now :D I really appreciate the support!
Had to watch this after seeing you rock out so many guys in solo form in the last few videos. Great stuff as always.
Hopefully it's helpful! It's not as hard as it looks, just a little bit of practice :) I still die all the time lol but once in a while I can put together a decent run :)
What a professionally put video. You tought me a lot of stuff that i did not know about the game in such a short time. Absolutely well done sir.
Much respect
Thank you!! I'm really happy to hear the video was helpful.
Me with a crossbow and a shield while wearing a full body heavy armour: "Parry this, YOU FILTHY CASUAL."
Lol big OOF :) Ranged weapons are the ultimate equalizer for sure!
Amazing video! I've put in a couple hundred hours into Bannerlord and still didn't know about chamber attacks or how to properly do the parry. Thanks so much!
Thank you! Hopefully this guide will help you get into it because it's so much fun! Pretty frustrating at first lol but once you get it, it's cool :)
I learned a lot in the arenas. Many times you are forced to fight with setups that you didn't choose for your core gameplay. Sometimes in 4 vs 4, sometimes your companions die and you are outnumbered, etc. By dying and reloading I got a lot of experience. Great tips!
Didn't know axes were the only melee that could eliminate multiple people at once. Thought it was capable with any cut weapons.
Keep up the good work!
Thank you! That was actually a slight mistake - the 2H maces can also do this! It's a bit harder to generate enough damage to down both in a single swing (horseback with speed it's doable) but you can definitely hit more than one target in a single swing.
Also, I can't remember if I said this in the video or not, but you can hit more than 2 with a single swing. I might have said 2, but it's actually more than that if you have massive damage!
@@Strat-Guides 8:35-8:50 that part of the video made me smile a bit, do you know the songs name that you used in that part?
@@TripleData27 Yeah for sure! It's called the 1812 Overture by the Russian Composer Tchaikovsky. It's the only composition that (to my knowledge) has actual cannons written into the score lol legit cannons, not something to mimic the sound of cannons :D
Here is a good version of it: th-cam.com/video/VbxgYlcNxE8/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=avrilfan2213
Very very good !
I was caught in the field by 6 knights, only with a two handed axe; I had to call in the cavalry, couldn't block all the stabs :))
I'm too lazy to feint, but I'll start trying them and maybe the chamber blocks. Right now I was fighting in tournaments and try to keep my companions alive so I can fight 1v1 vs them and just use bashes and blocks, so they level up more.
Thank you!
Oh nooo that's the worst. It's not hard to block one or two, but when they start stunning you and you can't block, that's when it's all over lol
I don't really like feinting against the AI as much. I find that if they fall for a feint, they would just as easily fall for a regular hit lol Actually it's pretty good against higher level opponents now that I think about it. Low levels don't block much anyways so I just swing away :)
Dam, is that a good guide. To explain all those symbols is so helpful. Thank you. I have over 1k hours into the game and have learned a lot.
Your videos have really helped me love M&B again bro, after the myriad issues with bannerlord, id almost given up on it.
Also i really appreciate the chapters in every video.
Thanks dude
Yeah I was there too. I stopped playing for about 6 - 8 months or so and then got back into after one of the patches.
Thanks for the support :)
Man if you are so thorough and methodical in life as you are in Bannerlord, you must be a millionnaire of some kind.
Btw you made me re-download the game :(
Haha You might be onto something there :P
Oh nooo say good bye to any free time you had lol But I think it's worth it!
@@Strat-Guides ah, nice! Then do explanatory videos for real life! I would even consider donating to your patreon if you went for a highly edited world domination series.
Absolute MVP! Love your Frederick series, you are doing a great job! :)
Thank you! I'm working on the Timur campaign start next week, it should be even better :D
Thanks for the "Getting Downed" Montage. Helps to make us average Joes feel a little better about dying so often.
Yeah man even after 4k+ hours I still get destroyed frequently lol It's not as much as before but definitely a couple times each campaign at least
@@Strat-Guides Right now I'm just goofing around in Sandbox to learn the ropes. I have been applying your tactics at small scale to great success.
Is the 4th time I watch this video, everytime I come back to play Bannerlord is a must watch
Really excellent stuff. Feinting and chamber blocking have always evaded me but I think this will help a lot. Good advice about having save states for practicing against different numbers of opponents. Thanks for another great video.
Thank you! Yeah those are both tricky, although feinting should be a bit easier to grasp than chamber blocking.
For sure, it just saves so much time to have a few save files at the ready. I do the same thing when I practice or do testing for guides etc.
Insane video dude! Thank You! I have been playing Mount&Blade for years and years and guides like these really do deserve all the attention and respect. I know it is not easy to make. Thank You!
Thanks Felippe! I appreciate that :) Yeah they take a long time, but I think it's worth it!
Needed this for those early town fights! Thanks Strat!
No problem, I'm glad it's helpful!
Man, you pumping out crazy content.
Gotta keep on keepin' on :D
Well done. Much better explanation on many topics, than I've seen elsewhere. Thanks!
Thank you! Now we all need you to find us some exploits with melee combat :D
Dude I LOVE your guides. I get excited every time I see a new one in the feed. They’re straight to the point with good and actually useful information. Waiting eagerly for the crossbow perk guide.
Thanks!! It was tough with this one because I wanted to talk for hours lol but I got it to a reasonable number I think :) Crossbow should be Friday next week!
Also looking forward to the crossbow guide, as I almost always opt for crossbow over bow.. Can't wait to see how many wrong perks I've picked on my character with 175 crossbow skull :p
@@Solaire408 Lol hopefully it's not too bad! When I come across stuff like that, I usually just restart the game :P
The overhead strike feint followed by a kick was gold!
Thank you! They did such a good job with the combat in this game, even after 2500 hours I still enjoy it :D
Wow this channel is gold for getting back into bannerlord
Hehe say goodbye to any free time you had :D
@@Strat-Guides can you make a video on commanding troops in combat
About chamber blocks, I remember there was a really informative video that talks about why it works during certain circumstances, but not during others. It mostly has to deal with the characters attacking stance (which is easier with some weapons, but harder with others).
Yeah I think I watched that one a while back. I noticed you can actually chamber from any stance and block any attack,. It seems like as long as the two weapons cross paths, it will work!
Dont bother with chambering. Not worth the time for what you get out of it unless you want to practice it for multiplayer. Dont use it on AI.
11:35 Holy shit, I had no idea kicking and chained attacks were in the game. Great video
It doesn't help that the tutorial makes no mention of it lol it's one of the coolest features (and chamber blocking) so I'm not sure why they hide it like some unwanted child haha
Wow! This is the best and most methodical explanation of combat. Great job!
Thank you!! Combat is pretty tough in this game so hopefully this is helpful to make it a little less taxing :)
Wow, 2 guide videos in the same day. And such high quality also. Amazing work as always! :O
This one took a couple of weeks to put together, but was able to finish it up today :) I can usually get the perks guide done in about 3 days, Bow took about 25 hours. This combat guide was probably closer to 30 hours in total, but split up over a couple weeks so it wasn't too bad!
This man deserves likes for these awesome guides.
Thank you! I won't complain with the help :)
Congrats on the excellent blocking and chamberblocking skills! And a great video with a perfect ratio of useful info vs. length.
Thank you! It's been a couple months of training to get those down lol I spent about 10-15 minutes per day, a few days per week until I finally figured it out :D
Actually chamber blocking and chambering are 2 different things. Atleast in Warband. For Bannerlord I assume its the same but not 100% sure on that one.
It took me forever to learn/ realize that by moving my character/ camera, it not only immensely helped with dodging enemy attacks but also quicken my own.
Yeah same! I think I figured it out by accident when someone walked into my swing and I hit him almost instantly lol
Yo this is great guide for melee. I saw you handle the melee like crazy good
Thank you for watching! Just takes a lot of time and practice :)
Hey Strat, a few things i'd like to tell you:
1) Congrats! 2 months into youtube and you got 5k-20k views on your videos (with a few outliers). That's one helluve accomplishment mate.
2) Size matters! I'd love to see a video on how height affects your character. Like, comparing the speed, reach and hitbox of characters of the smallest and largest sizes. I played a big boye, and his axe swings were godlike. Now i'm playing the shortest girl ever, and her shield is as tall as she is so she never gets hit by arrows lol. That sort of comparison would be interesting to see.
3) The previous item made me think other people probably have other quirky questions, which could make for a good series of its own.
4) Does the perk that double the effect of food variety on morale also double your Steward experience gain?
Thank you! I still feel like I'm not sure what I'm doing, but whatever it is i'll keep doing it haha
Yes that's a great idea, I know there are some differences that can be an advantage. Thank you for the idea, I'll add it to the list!
So it doesn't effect Steward XP since that's based on how much food you eat. If there is anything that increases food consumption, then it will do that (none that I can think of right now, only in RimWorld with a Gourmand haha). It should help with Leadership though if you can get above 75 morale!
this is the most important bannerlord video there is
I'm glad it's useful :D
1200 hours in this game and I knew hardly any of this
Man I've been getting so much more enjoyment out of the game since I discovered your channel, there's just so little information on any mechanics ingame
I love hearing that, thank you :) That's my goal!
That subtle editing is 😘👌
Thanks!!
Been waiting for this one 😁
I was trying to get it done to release at the same time Polearm perks was ready, but I underestimated the amount of work required to get it done :P Better to release late and better quality though I think!
Lots of great info there. I'd got the hang of the basics and do ok, but I tried online and wondered how some were attacking so fast, etc. This explains it - thanks! :)
Nice, I'm glad it helped!!
Thanks for these guides, man. I've been playing since Bannerlord came out and spent years with Warband before that, but you still know about stuff I didn't.
Thank you for watching! I'm glad the guide was useful :D
I didn't know about the perfect block, makes sense. Thanks for sharing.
No problem!
"I'm just going to watch this video and jump trough what I don't know"
End up watching the whole video because was so well made.
Haha yeah I know what you mean! I learn so much stuff making these guides even though I have thousands of hours into the game. Makes me feel like a noob for not figuring them out, but I guess it's different when you're intentionally trying to find everything :)
I'd really like an ultra advanced video that covers how stance affects attacker/defender stun. Covering attack speed from stance, and how to manipulate time to block from weapon position would be pretty nice. Also a mention of how stance affects attack trajectories would be good as well.
With the chain attack section it would also be good to mention the flinged attack where your character seems to commit to an attack on the combo end with 1 hand weapons.
Interesting, I'll have to do some testing of that myself because I don't really know the answer to these as I think about it... Good idea!
@@Strat-Guides The only reason I know stance affects attacker and defender stun is because Giru was modding bannerlord on stream and showed the code for it.
Some of the other bannerlord guides show that if you are strafing with your swing the animation is shorter so your time to hit is also shorter (due to the stance).
Then there's obviously kicks, 2 hand stabs, and 2 hand overheads having a different trajectory depending on stance as well.
@@yedrellow Oh cool, that's very interesting! I need to figure out how to do some of that, it sounds like it would be very helpful for making guides!
This is great info, thank you! I'm taking notes and when I get some free time i'll run some tests.
@@Strat-Guides I don't know how Giru looked at the aforementioned code, but I guess modders would be really useful to figure out how the combat actually works.
At first I was thinking „yeah, thats obvious, anybody should know this“
Then I realized I played this game for 600 hours already.
Hehe yeah I know what you mean. It just seemed easier to put everything into one big guide and people can skip to the stuff they want to know more about. Thank you for watching!
Amazing, that pretty much covers everything. Thank you very helpfull;Started a week ago. :)
Even understanding and currently implementing tactics, it never hurts to go back to the basics. Always some piece of information to be had. Even better, remembered now because we might already know the basics. I pulled a lot of information I never looked at before. Thank you for the vid, and everything you included. I use these vids to get geared up for another session... 577 hours and 5 characters later ( I get bored with higher levels), I walked away from this vid profitable. *Hat tipped* Thank you.
I'm happy to hear the videos are helping :) good luck on your next campaign!
This is gonna help a lot! Great video!
Thank you for watching!
Simply the best learning and explaining Bannerlord series 👍
Also some reel good exploits 😉
Thank you for watching! Haha the exploits are pretty fun :)
C'mon let's go part 3 of Frederick the Great!!
Great Vids btw, you deserve way more subs!!
I spent half of the day today working on it, I just need to do some editing and I'll have an episode ready sometime tomorrow!
btw, one more tip. If you press G while holding a weapon you will drop it, but if you are carrying a shield, hold your block by holding RMB and press G then you will drop your shield instead of your weapon. Carrying a shield makes you heavier and you move slower so in some cases is better to drop your shield, specially when your shield is about to break. If your enemy manages to destroy your shield with a blow you will get stunned without being able to defend yourself so in that case is better to drop your shield and not let your enemy break it.
foot work and positioning correctly when fighting can and will save your life as well.
Oh interesting, I didn't know that one :D I usually hold it down and wait, it's kind of a pain. Thank you for sharing that tip!!
I will say another tip when you’re making your character for a new campaign, make them as small as you can so you don’t have to worry about the point of shield the right way because even if he pointed down and the talk is coming from the app, it will still get blocked because your character is so small
I made my character a giant and I miss my attacks
After watching the first minutes, I decided that I had to work on my defense :) Great material.
Haha good! That's what I like to hear :D With that mindset, you will be an expert in no time!
@@Strat-Guides Especially considering the fact that due to the hard shields that I have, I did not pay attention to the direction of blocking. Having engineering on 25 we have an additional 30% to the strength of the discs, which greatly facilitates the state of affairs. Although the best training in my opinion is to go to the arena. I do not mean competitions and prizes, but going to the leader of the Colosseum and asking about the possibility of fighting as well as you can ask him where the next competition is. This is very usable. Fights are difficult there because of the high chance the appearance of the opponent from behind, with a bow that will aim straight at the exposed back. In such a state, we will withstand a shot, well, maybe two. Fighting with someone during this time, he will break the animation and die. There you need to have eyes everywhere.
Great video, complete and with just the right amount of detail
Thank you!!
Great video! It seems that 2h weapon stances only affect the timings of chamber blocks against enemy's left and right swings. I used to think that your character's weapon stance have to align relative to the direction of enemy's swings. Chamber blocks are tough to learn but mastering it means being invincible in 1v1 duels.
There's also a 'hidden' stance for 1h weapons which affect overhead swing and thrust animations. For example, if you attack with the left foot out while running, it does a faster attack animation. But with the right foot out, it does a slower but "mini"-lunging animation that has more reach. Along with chamber blocks, footwork is a tough mechanics to master in Bannerlord.
Yeah chamber blocking is really tough to get the hang of, but once you can get a couple done in a row then I think you're in good shape!
Interesting, I don't do as much 1H combat so that's really good info to know. Thank you for that!! It makes sense too because IRL footwork is so important for and combat sport.
The two handed axe viking fantasy in this game is SO GOOD
I am coming back to the game after some time away, so this was great info to me.
Thank you!
Glad to hear it was helpful! I have lots more coming soon :)
Little over 800 hours and I'm just now learning to block my shield in the right direction. Don't really use them but always good info
I personally don't like using a shield, but then when I don't have one I wish I did lol
Wow, this is honestly super helpful, I've played a ton of bannerlord (and warband) and I never knew about chamber blocking, and while I did know about feinting and parrying I kind of forgot they existed?
Anyways, I've been single handedly winning every tournament and some 1v20 fights all without doing any special moves at all, so I'm going to try to learn all the "advanced" combat mechanics and see how dangerous I can become to petty looters!
Nice, I'm happy to hear that! Show those looters who their real boss is :D
Thanks for watching and leaving a comment, it's greatly appreciated!
@@Strat-Guides Cheers! I think it was one of your videos that mentioned the e+d or e+a to go sideways on a horse, and thats been pretty helpful too!
Man, i was searching around your videos and i was wondering if you can make tutorial about how to make a thrusting spear melee work on foot. Great videos as always!
That's a tough one! Without high polearm skill you're going to struggle to get damage up high enough. I did a bonus section in a video once - th-cam.com/video/qxfrwbm_N9M/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=StratGaming
Check the timestamps - at 9:26 the sections starts. I made a thrust on foot polearm build that sounds like what you're looking for!
with 3000 hrs in MB warband and bannerlord combined... I have never had much success with ground fighting unless using a sledgehammer (MBWB) or an executioners axe (bannerlord). I am amazed at how you can do that blocking, to me it is unfathomable.
I know what you mean, I think I was about 1k hours into Bannerlord when I got frustrated with it and set up a training schedule for myself to get better at it lol It actually didn't take that long when doing deliberate practice for the parts where I was deficient. Hopefully this guide will help others do the same, but in MUCH less time than 1k hours haha
I learned alot of this through pure experience in the game. Great tutorial.
Yeah not much of it is in any tutorial they have, just have to brute force our way to the knowledge :)
Very good and details guide even for starter. Thank a lot
Thanks!
just what i asked for, thanks mate
It's the TH-cam Algorithm playing God again :D
I was finally able to win my first tournament! Thanks!
Let's GOOOO! :D Next comment I want to hear you becoming the tournament champion for that free daily renown!
Dude your videos are incredible! Seriously the most informative and well produced bannerlord videos I’ve seen. Tbh you have the best guides on TH-cam regardless of the game. I was wondering if you’ve considered making a guide to battle tactics (strategy, formations, etc)?
Thank you! I'm still new and have a lot to learn still so hopefully I can continue to improve :)
Yes, that's pretty high on my list actually! It will be at least a couple weeks still (wife and I have baby #2 coming before end of the year so output might go down for a little while) but hopefully I'll get to those soon. I think I will end up doing faction by faction and testing units, army composition, tactics, etc. as a whole. We will see, I'm open to ideas if you have some as well!
@@Strat-Guides No worries man, family comes first! Thats a great idea to do it by faction! i usually just use 50% fian champ 25% legionary 25% elite cataphract. infanty in shield wall 50 ft in front of archers in loose formation on high ground, and calvaly in reserve to charge enemy cav when they get too close. the fians destroy everything if you have the right positioning and the enemy charges you. it would be great to learn about some new strats/army compositions since this playstyle is getting a bit stale!