Manor Lords: How to defend against Raiders

Trying to defend against Raiders in Manor Lords? Raiders are a force to be reckoned with in Manor Lords. Here you were, just minding your own business and building a village, and suddenly there are hostile groups marching down on you, itching to kill your peasants and steal your resources.

As the saying goes, the best offence is a good defence. In this guide on defending against Raiders in Manor Lords, we’ll identify the basic steps you need to keep your town safe.

How to defend against Raiders in Manor Lords

Dealing with Raiders is similar to contending against their lesser cousins, Bandits. You’ve got to raise an army and serve as a wall between them and your settlement. Ultimately, you’ll be playing more of a defensive role here compared to Bandits, who spawn at random and require you to actively seek out their camps and attack them.

You’ll be forewarned before Raiders take to your town, thankfully. Whenever Raiders are set to appear in your game, you’ll see a Raiders near notification on the lower left corner of your screen, telling you exactly how many days you have before aggressors start shambling towards your settlement.

Once this occurs, you need to prepare for the invasion. If you don’t have a militia, it’s time to start building one (or to at least enroll a few capable Mercenaries to your cause) and we have an entire guide on how to raise an army in Manor Lords. Generally, its always a good idea to invest in Polearm, Spear, and Footmen militia to act as your frontline troops. If you can afford it, add Archer militia to act as backrow support.

Once Raiders spawn on the map, zoom out so you can get a sense of how many they are and where they are, which is usually far away. (When I first encountered raiders, it was only a single group of 30 brigands that spawned three territories across the map, but your experience may vary.) Then marshall your forces. Open up your army, then rally your retinue to a spot on your map that’s between your town and the Raiders. If they’re coming from a far distance, don’t necessarily make your troops trudge all the way over to them, as doing so will leave your town vulnerable. Wait for them to come to you, and once they’re in fighting distance, unleash your men.

Combat in Manor Lords is a matter of pushing the attacking force backwards and keeping an eye on how many troops die in the fray. Use the menu options above your troops to alternate between the following options in battle: Balanced, Stand Your Ground, and Push Forward. If Raiders are shooting at you with arrows, switch to Missile Alert to have your boys raise their shields. If you’ve gathered enough men to your cause, the Raiders hopefully won’t be able to make a dent in your forces.

If your battle with the Raiders is close to your settlement and you’ve got a Manor built, you can utilise the Castle Planner options to build an Outer Tower. This provides Garrison Space, and garrisoned troops can sequester inside and shoot arrows at attackers in the near vicinity. This is one way to supplement your troops if you haven’t got the Regional Wealth to raise a large enough army, though it’s also risky, since you’ll be letting the Raiders veer a little too close to your town for comfort.

If all of this sounds a bit too threatening, you can reduce Raiders’ impact on Manor Lords by tweaking the Raider frequency and Raider free years settings when you start a new game. For a total Raider-free experience, select the Rise to prosperity difficulty setting, which only focuses on city-building with no violence whatsoever. On the default difficulty, Restoring the peace, your first two years of setting up your settlement will be free of Raiders. Afterwards, they’ll attack roughly once every two years. Last but not least, if you’d instead prefer to eke out a tough existence with Raiders acting as a regular threat on the horizon, choose the On the edge difficulty setting. For additional information on these difficulties, see our guide to the best starting scenario.

With that, you should be decently prepared for fighting off the next gang of Raiders who come marching into your territory. For more tips on Manor Lords, check out our guides to farming and trade – both of which will go a long way towards making your town rich, and more than capable of supporting dozens of troops who will be ready to defend you at a moment’s notice.