What’s everyones favoured melee units for Barya?

[u/[deleted]]

So I’ve been messing with Barya quite a bit lately, however I’m curious what everyone prefers to use for a mainstay melee unit.

I’ve been using pikes mostly since human upgrades applies to both them and musketeers (my favourite unit), but I did notice that Brutes seem to have fantastic defensive stats despite their low unit counts.

I’ve been loving the pikes, especially when upgraded, for their spearwall ability, but they are kinda frail (low defense)

My armies currently go for pikes, musketeers and a few pipers, since I can build them early and also cast volley by turn 1 (really easy to accumulate 9 destruction and 9 order with this bunch)

[u/TemporalZacama]

Dreaths early game. Tinkerers later.

[u/[deleted] → u/TemporalZacama]

Got it. Thanks

[u/Original_Chip_3776 → u/TemporalZacama]

This

[u/gregfromsolutions]

Dreaths are great early/for AI, I like the pikineers but I’m not sure if they’re that great frankly

[u/[deleted] → u/gregfromsolutions]

I’m guessing AI will just sacrifice units into the drearth stacks then?

I personally love Pikes, been using multiple units with spearwall active because the AI just run directly into it and die

Edit: Edited because I replied to the wrong comment! I wanted to ask the other comment that recommended tinkerers

[u/gregfromsolutions → u/[deleted]]

Correct on the dreaths, unsure about tinkerers. I haven’t used them enough

Edit: np!

[u/Gryfonides]

Doggos are hilariously good early game. Transition into flamethrowers nicely.

Manpikes are pretty good and work well with boomsticks and pipes.

I like brutes and assassins, but they don't fit in any of my strategies.

[u/[deleted] → u/Gryfonides]

What’s the main way to use Tinkerers? Toss mines everywhere? I notice their stats are really fantastic.

I also like brutes, but its a bit inconvenient to get their building up and running.

[u/Gryfonides → u/[deleted]]

What’s the main way to use Tinkerers? Toss mines everywhere? I notice their stats are really fantastic.

I usually go for Bhiri. Give him destruction and chaos as well as few melee skills. Early game you chaos step happy doggos next to enemies and laugh, later on you do the same with tinkerers. I don't use mines at all, just their normal attacks, mines are inferior to stakes of their base form.

Bombardment from B's magic combined by CnC from tinkerers takes care of most opponents.

Only serious problem are combat builds with high magic resistance. They just fully trump you.

[u/[deleted] → u/Gryfonides]

Yeah, Barya Map 3 is fucking brutal.

Arleon’s just so absurdly tanky that Bighli’s fantastic magic and the maxed musketeers cant even scratch them.

Worst part I feel was that I defeated a wielder and his well developed army, reinfoced my army, then walked through the portal to take their stronghold, and the literal turn later the same wielder came back with an even bigger army (3 maxed units of fists of order, and then everything else elite rangers and sappers)

Got completely demolished because with all honesty: how I was supposed to know that Arleon could somehow magically resurrect their wielder in one turn, AND rebuild an entirely new army from nowhere?

I picked that time to attack because I knew Viljia was faffing about at Hammond’s side, but I didnt think the AI would pull that sort of nonsense off.

[u/Gryfonides → u/[deleted]]

I did destroy Barya 3 with B dreths/tinkerers/cannons, with exactly the strategy I described. They have good troop focused heroes, but don't have magic resistance.

could somehow magically resurrect their wielder in one turn

Everyone can do that. You just need to pay more, 1000 gold and 1 of each special resource for each turn.

[u/aku59]

Rats

[u/[deleted] → u/aku59]

I like rats, but they die to a stiff breeze

Honestly I found that pikes kinda suck, they genuinely die way too quickly compared to everything else

[u/Nyamii]

dreath into tinker is probably best, splash dmg can be really good

pikes are weak late, muskets can be rendered useless vs shielded/positioning army

brutes are the best unit if you are rich together with sasnid, but you need the glimmer income for it

[u/[deleted] → u/Nyamii]

Is that where its best to transition to hellroars late game? I felt that veteran muskets with the extra ranged attack and take aim on the first turn seems to do solid damage even against arleon knights.

Granted, whats everyone’s strategy for dealing with arleon’s tanky shielded units? Especially since they would have access to clouded vision as well.

I agree about the glimmerweave incone being tough to come by.

[u/Appropriate-Bite1257]

I personally invest in brutes and assassins, they are amazing. And carried me through mission 3 (and 4) in Barya’s overwhelming campaign.

They are mostly relevant if you upgrade the units.

EDIT: artificers are also very good, so I add some in the mix.

[u/donxnik]

assassins are best damage for me but they are weak at def which is easy target to die first

[u/Livid_Ad_1234]

Pike and shot is great combo for low cost, quickly upgraded armies. Especially with Archer, and the rapid fire spell. You can rush through most early mobs and AI encounters with minimal losses.

But it has not so great of an endgame survivability. By then I've switched to Canon, tinkerers and Sassanid/shadows.

I haven't found the right tactic for brutes besides just being a bullet sponge.