Not fully getting the different troop types

[Stoof]

Hi all. I am strugling a bit on what troops I should make and why. Currently I can make up to cavalry, and I am using recruits and bow men for most bandit camps, with losses only on recruits. I understand cavalry are first strike an so should be used when I get to camps with dogs. What I don't get is what reason is there for me to make militia? Or when other unit types are unlocked will there be a point in making these? Any help with this would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve

[Tierarzt]

Recruits are currently used as meatsheilds to protect the other troops, as they are the cheapest and quickest to replace.
Militia and Soldiers do more damage, so the quicker you kill the enemy, the fewer recruits you lose.

Getting the right balance of Recruits and soldiers for the quickest battle with fewest losses is the art.

[Stoof]

Ok, that helps a bit. But if I'm right militia and bowmen do the same damage, so in a senario where the bowmen aren't being hit there is no need to use militia right? The soldiers you are talking about, is that steel swords? Would it be better to turn off iron sword production and save the iron to convert to steel?

Thanks again

[Lymond]

If you take a look at a combat simulator like http://settlersonlinesimulator.com/dso_kampfsimulator/en/ they can show you the recommended troop setup for each camp. In general terms if the enemy has dogs you use recruits plus your best soldier types, if it doesn't then you use cavalry if its easy to kill and recruits plus your best archer troops if it is more difficult, the aim always being to lose only recruits as they are cheap to replace. If there is a dangerous boss like Metal Tooth, Chuck or Wild Mary that protects their troops then you may need to sacrifice cavalry and other expensive troops to win. Once you can produce soldiers you'll still need a few militia for the occasional fight where it helps to sacrifice some, but in general you will not need them.