Battle Brothers is Overhype Studios' turn-based mercenary company sim, released on 24 March 2017 and now published by Hooded Horse. You hire named men with backgrounds, eight attributes, and permanent death, take contracts across a procedurally generated world map, and try to be strong enough when the late-game crisis arrives. Four expansions extend it: Beasts and Exploration, Warriors of the North, Blazing Deserts, and the free Of Flesh and Faith.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Noble house territory | Fatigue as the action budget basics | Hedge Knight | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Greenskin camps | Permadeath and permanent injuries mastery | Hedge Knight | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Undead crypts | Eight attributes with level-up rolls + gear | Sellsword or Hedge Knight | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | The northern barbarian lands | Build optimization | Sellsword | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | The southern city states | Min-max | Sellsword or Squire | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Noble house territory)
The three noble houses hold the map's richest settlements and their contracts pay best. If the noble war triggers as your crisis, siding with one or two houses turns the whole campaign into large-scale battles with strong loot.
Level/Difficulty: Base game, viable from day one Key Rewards: High-value contracts, noble-tier equipment, war loot during the crisis
What to Do in Noble house territory
- Learn Fatigue as the action budget. Every action costs fatigue, and heavy armor raises the cost of everything. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Hedge Knight as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Know which content comes from where. Beasts and Exploration adds beasts, taxidermist crafting, and hidden locations; Warriors of the North adds barbarians and origins; Blazing Deserts adds the south, firearms, grenades, and arenas; Of Flesh and Faith is free and adds the Oathtakers and Anatomists origins.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Billhook or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Fatigue as the action budget fundamentals
- Hedge Knight selected and functional
- Noble house territory main content cleared
- Ready for Greenskin camps
Phase 2: Early Game (Greenskin camps)
Goblin and orc camps generate raiding parties, and during a greenskin invasion they besiege cities and can permanently destroy settlements if that option is enabled. Orc weapons and armor are among the best loot in the base game.
Level/Difficulty: Base game, mid to late company Key Rewards: Orc cleavers and armor, camp clearing payouts
What to Do in Greenskin camps
- Work on Permadeath and permanent injuries. Dead brothers stay dead and injuries can permanently reduce attributes. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Billhook if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Of Flesh and Faith costs nothing, so install it regardless. Its two origins carry unique mechanics, story events, and equipment, and it was described as the most detailed pair of origins added since the feature arrived.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Undead crypts.
- Consider whether Sellsword might suit your playstyle better than Hedge Knight.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Permadeath and permanent injuries integrated into gameplay
- Billhook acquired
- Greenskin camps fully cleared
- Ready for Undead crypts
Phase 3: Mid Game (Undead crypts)
Crypts and ruins hold undead and their gear. During an undead scourge, defeated human enemies can rise as zombies mid-battle, which changes how you handle a fight you thought was over.
Level/Difficulty: Base game, mid company onwards Key Rewards: Ancient armor and weapons, crypt loot caches
What to Do in Undead crypts
- Master Eight attributes with level-up rolls. Each brother has eight attributes, and every level-up offers randomized increases plus one perk pick. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Warbrand. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Attribute stars at hiring predict a brother's ceiling far better than his current numbers. A beggar with three stars in melee skill outperforms a retired soldier with none, given enough levels.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Contracts and faction relations for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Eight attributes with level-up rolls mastered
- Warbrand acquired or in progress
- Undead crypts fully cleared
- Ready for The northern barbarian lands
Phase 4: Late Game (The northern barbarian lands)
Requires Warriors of the North, which adds a barbarian faction, new contracts, legendary locations and bosses, plus Nordic banners and several company origins including Lone Wolf, Peasant Militia, and the Davkul cultists.
Level/Difficulty: Warriors of the North DLC Key Rewards: Barbarian equipment, origin-specific campaigns, legendary location bosses
What to Do in The northern barbarian lands
- Finalize your build. You should be running Sellsword or Hedge Knight with optimized gear.
- Warbrand should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Fatigue is the real constraint in every fight. Before you buy heavier armor, check whether the wearer can still act twice a turn, because a brother who cannot swing is worse than a lightly armored one who can.
- Late-game crises optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into The southern city states.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Warbrand upgraded to max
- The northern barbarian lands fully cleared
- Ready for The southern city states
Phase 5: Endgame (The southern city states)
Requires Blazing Deserts, which adds a desert region inspired by the Middle East, three southern starting scenarios, primitive firearms and grenades, and an arena where you send brothers to fight beasts or gladiators for money.
Level/Difficulty: Blazing Deserts DLC Key Rewards: Southern weapons and armor, arena winnings, new contract types
What to Do in The southern city states
- The southern city states tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Choose the noble war as your first crisis when learning. It gives you the most time to build up, and its battles pay well without the settlement-destroying pressure of a greenskin invasion.
- The endgame loop: run The southern city states, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Squire for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Late-game crises mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- The southern city states fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Putting heavy armor on a brother who cannot pay its fatigue cost every turn
- Fighting every contract to the end instead of retreating from a fight that has turned
- Investing level-ups in a brother whose attribute stars cap him out early
- Assuming barbarians, arenas, or taxidermist crafting are in the base game when each needs a specific DLC
- Triggering a greenskin invasion as your first crisis before your company can field a full line
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Know which content comes from where. Beasts and Exploration adds beasts, taxidermist crafting, and hidden locations; Warriors of the North adds barbarians and origins; Blazing Deserts adds the south, firearms, grenades, and arenas; Of Flesh and Faith is free and adds the Oathtakers and Anatomists origins.
- Of Flesh and Faith costs nothing, so install it regardless. Its two origins carry unique mechanics, story events, and equipment, and it was described as the most detailed pair of origins added since the feature arrived.
- Attribute stars at hiring predict a brother's ceiling far better than his current numbers. A beggar with three stars in melee skill outperforms a retired soldier with none, given enough levels.
- Fatigue is the real constraint in every fight. Before you buy heavier armor, check whether the wearer can still act twice a turn, because a brother who cannot swing is worse than a lightly armored one who can.
- Choose the noble war as your first crisis when learning. It gives you the most time to build up, and its battles pay well without the settlement-destroying pressure of a greenskin invasion.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Battle Brothers Guides
- Battle Brothers Battle Brothers Overview
- Battle Brothers Best Builds
- Battle Brothers Tier List
- Battle Brothers Beginner's Guide
- Battle Brothers Tips & Tricks
- Battle Brothers Weapons Guide
- Battle Brothers Combat Guide
- Battle Brothers Boss Guide
- Battle Brothers Maps & Locations
- Battle Brothers Crafting Guide
- Battle Brothers Classes & Characters
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