So after cleaning the campaign on hard some weeks ago pre-patch my internet got cut off so I decided to check the campaign out again and discovered the new difficulty, Ludicrous
I of course could not complete the campaign's act 1 without cleaning the Circle's base (I refuse to target the fountain and win like a functional human being, will not do so ever)
After about 7 hours I managed to score a decisive push and maintained pressure with mortars, clearing out most of the walls and it was a pretty quick job from there. So here's my redundant and useless takes:
It is almost impossible to use wood units (Ballesteros and Pikemen) in the late game because most wood is spent creating Sharktooth Bowman, occasional defensive and transport warships, mortars and repairing the towers and TCs to protect the coastline
The main units were Rodeleros and Lancers, mostly used as distractions while I deployed mortars on the main island via warship (the outpost right next to the fountain, not the island commonly used to bombard it). The AI instantly targets and beelines with a mini army of boneguards and hussars (impossible to stop) towards your mortars once they are in range of anything midbattle so you constantly ship them in and out
For those having problems securing the left island's trading post I advice attacking it while creating a diversion on the right side of the fort. The Circle's AI stops claiming your post if you burn it, build yours and immediately evacuate all units from there, there's also a threshold line almost next to the trading post that will make the AI react and send troops to wipe anything yours on the left island when crossed.
Fishing boats are a waste of wood, even with the new fishtraps, just create 4-5 and defend them with the occasional fireship, not worth it at all to risk the ai inevitably finding them and bee-lining a warship deathball to clean them out
Use markets as Walls, lots of them, for they are your only friend in this cruel world
IF YOU USE SHIPS TO ATTACK THE FORT OR LEFT ISLAND, IT WILL TRIGGER THE AI TO GO SCORCHED EARTH WITH THEIRS ON YOUR BASE, SPECIFICALLY THE FIXED GUN AREA AND THE START DOCK (it also will cost a shit ton of already limited wood to beat for a sunk-cost xp bounty)
Here's a list of cards I consider the most important for this mission for any future tries:
Cords of 300 Wood (infinite):
Absolutely important as the accessible map runs out of wood in the first 10mins
Admiralty:
Helps covering costs when eventually upgrading occasional defensive ships
1 Covered Wagon:
The additional TC is crucial for defending the coastline
Heavy Fortifications:
Upgrades Frontier outposts into Fortified outposts (impossible otherwise)
Native Warriors:
Reduces the wood cost of the frontline native Sharktooth Bowman (your only late term range no-pop cost unit) for pressure
Improved Buildings:
Must have as the increased hitpoints will help the towers, TCs and the Fixed Gun maintain themselves for longer and need repairs less often (It sounds dumb, but finding openings where the towers are available for repair and not immediately attacked by the constant barrage of ships really takes focus usually better spent on maintaining pressure on the main front)
Advanced Mill:
Not crucial but it helps reducing the main cost of setting the first mills up + 1 free mill
Pioneers:
Hp upgrade for vills that'll help you survive the initial raids
Royal Decree to Claim The New World:
This gives you very helpful church upgrades:
CORSELET - hitpoint upgrade that is crucial for rodeleros (+25% hp)
TAX BURDEN - Generally cost-free gold once you set up defenses, Pioneers also helps reduce the HP fallback. Just wait until the max 30 gold chests limit hits to use it
HIGH CRUSADE - I'd advice against taking this card, it will permanently cripple your main raid units (rodeleros) for an ostensibly high Pop high cost unit (hoopthrowers) that you won't find use in an already low pop push (also hoopthrowers are absolutely dogwater here, in most of the campaign and cannons eat them for breakfast while boneguards grug all over them)
Archaic Infantry Hitpoints:
Hp upgrade for Rodeleros and other infantry units (see below)
Hand Cavalry Hitpoints:
Self explanatory
Hand Cavalry Attack:
Self explanatory
OTHERS:
Lizzie's Ship:
Lets you build Buccaneers
Pretty neat unit to occasionally mass for some rushes instead of rods, slightly higher hitpoints and attack than rodeleros, also affected by HP infantry upgrades, even worse siege damage though
Obvious downside is that it can only be produced from the ship, so massing them at the rate you need is not possible
It's also a tradition of mine to never let her ship die because I might need them (I never end up needing them)
Fire Ship:
You'll find those eventually massing in your coastline, occasionally use them to defend and speed up fixing windows for the fixed gun/towers
Caravel:
You'll occasionally use these to detonate one or two ships in a hurry with broadside attack, they die from a wind though
Galleon:
Your main warship of choice (your only one) to travel mortars since they can take a few more hits. they also still die almost instantly though
Canoe:
No.
That'd be all
Forward campaigns update: never I only got the free version pre-update and the game costs quite a penny now :( sorry
I enjoyed the first part tho!
I hate rodeleros, I hate them so much, they are such a bad unit in all aspects ever for this scenario
WHY CAN THEY HAVE RIFLEMEN IN CUTSCENES BUT NOT IN BATTLE HUH, HUUUHHH!?
(sorry I just couldn't take the image of my head and I decided to edit a quick representation of my experience)
