First off, a quick part of who I am. I'm an advid gamer who has a very small youtube/twitch and one of the games I love is battle brothers with about 200 hours played. I have 4 season currently on youtube, all veteran ironmans, and a stream of this challenge that is currently at day 80 and going quiet well.

Current Band:


Death Toll day 80:


I'll add links to my channel/stream so you can watch more about this challenge if you have more questions on how it works or am just interested in it. If you enjoy this, please consider coming by and checking out the channel!

Playlist

Channel

But please, be gentle, I am very new to content creation and still learning best practices, therefore, some streams/vid have issues with sound and most don't. Please don't judge me too harshly for that. Also, this is my first written guide, so please be kind here as well!

Moving on!

Getting started:

1) Name your group something awesome sounding! (I am usually incapable of this)
2) Pick Ironman (otherwise it's not much of a challenge and it's a hell of a lot more rewarding! Come on, do it!)
3) Pick the difficulty right for you! Just because I'm doing veteran doesn't mean you should. I did a practice run in beginner first to see if there was any hope of this working and moved on from there. If you are an expert or beginner player, then stick with that!
4) Enjoy. It's a game.

Map seeds:

Now people probably look at knowning the map seeds before you start a campaign differently than others. I don't usually do it, but when it came to this challenge I looked at a couple different seeds.
The first 10-20 days can set the tone of this campaign and having starting cities with stuff to trade for quick early game cash can make all the difference. However, if you embrace the RNG to no end, then have it your way.

Don't count out cheap brothers:
This is something I do all the time and is good advice for any campaign. That begger with no gear and 90 crown cost could be a god. Or, more likely, he'll be perfect at relieving someone who is injuried for a couple days. Either way, don't count him out. And the same can be said for expensive backgrounds. I can't tell you how many times I spent money on brothers that I shouldn't have spent just for them to be a bust. I've learned now that if you have 4k that 3.5k sellsword isn't worth it. Pick up those farmers and brawlers instead for 400 crowns. One of them, at least, will be worth it!

When to fight!
This is incredibly important especially in the beginning.
ALWAYS FIGHT AT NIGHT IF THEY HAVE RANGED.
Now for a bit you should be ok. It takes a while for raiders and ranged units to start showing up, unless you are really unlucky. And the only fight that is coded to have a ranged unit is the Hogart fight, which you can skip if you really want to (I don't, he's a weasel)

Contracts:
Also, just good ironman advice. Cherry pick your contracts. Don't overestimate what you can handle just because you want that big payday. Know what you can do safely and what you should just pass on for now. Of couse, contracts like retrieve this item, hunt this thing, or deliever this item (not escort that caravan) are good, safe picks, typically. Destroy this hideout/tomb are usually pretty good as well because you can control when the fight happens.

On a side note, patrols offered by noble houses are a great way to explore, clear places, maybe get famed items and get paid well for it. The 5 days are plenty of time and if you are offered up to 35 heads, I'd collect them all!

Let's talk about buids, gear and early game.

Now as most of you probably know, you have certain people for certain roles. With shieldbros/tanks out of the picture, it only leaves a couple and I'll lump them together like so:
Front liners
Back liners
Leader

Frontliners:




They have the most to lose early on. They have little to no ranged defense and are going to be right out there! As I typically do in any ironman, I usually build for survival. That means starting early with survival perks and focusing those survival skills.

As you can see above is a build for a bro I've have since the very early game. With these guys I focus hard on keeping them up to speed and tough.

Skill points:

Now bear with me, I know the holy trinity of MA, FA, MD is a hard one to argue but it's not always perfect here. Keep in mind your rolls and that brother's current skill points.

If the MD roll sucks but RD is great, pick that. Arrows/spears are a coming!
If FA roll sucks but INI is great, consider it. Esp if they have high INI already. Going dodge early isn't a bad idea (see more below)

And as always get that resolve up. At 40 early game for me. Turns out when you flee without a shield, you're really easy to strike down.

Tier 1
I know there is a lot of disscusion about wheter nive lives or colossus is better but personally I do that latter. What it comes down to for me is that if 9 lives procs, that guys just gets hit next time and it didn't matter, but the extra health keeps injuries from happening and that came make all the difference.

Tier 2
2 perks here I go for. First gifted, unless that bro is just amazing and does need the extra help, this can make a big difference. Those extra rolls on Melee Def and Ranged Def can save a life. Steelbrow is the other. It's hard to get good helmets early and this greatly helps ease that pain. It's a perk that will work for you all game, get it.

Also, if you have someone with high iniative consider dogde. I know it seems silly but for a long time you will have light gear and no shields making you fatigue and iniative high and that's where dodge shines. Especially in the start of the fight when marksmen love to kill people. I've seen 15+ def on people (that's a shields worth)

Tier 3
Brawny is a great pick up at some point. That point depends on the armor and weapons you have found. For some people I get this sooner than others, it all depends how the game is going. The only other one I'd get on some, not all, frontliners is rotation. All it takes is a couple crappy rolls and now someone needs out. Rotate them with another frontliner and save a life.

Tier 4
Weapon perks for me are always a hard choice. That's why I usually put them off until later in the game when I know what T3 weapons we have and for sure who will be using them. Honestly, in the early and even mid game, keep extra weapons around to equip guys for the fights ahead of them. Don't get one of these yet and marry them to a weapon (I say)


Backliners



Here's a brother that I've had from the start. I recommend making every backliner a hybrid. This could be hard at first but do it as soon as you can. Even if it's just equipping a backliner with terrible RA with a bow and switching him out when your team clashes. Why? Because the enemies size up how much range you have and if yours is > theirs, they come to you (typically) and that's a great way to start any fight.

Skills:
Once again, don't always go for RA FA and RD/MD.
Consider your rolls and your brothers. High INI on an archer plays well with dodge and overwhelm. If MA is a good roll and RA isn't, that's life and this is a hybrid, go MA. I typically don't do MD on backliners, they "shouldn't" need it, what they do need is RD. If they are in melee, I screwed up (most likely) and dodge/rotation should be there for them.

Tier 1:

This is a tier that is simple for me. I go student. Get these guys up so they can blossom.

Tier 2:
There is a lot of stuff here for you. Gifted, Steelbrow, Quick Hands, Dodge, and Bullseye.
We've already talked about gifted, steelbrow, and dodge. Quick hands is great for backliners when they want to switch weapons or even just replace that empty quiver. It's not a must have for most people, but I always get it at some point. Bullseye is an ability that I always wonder how useful it is. The % change doesn't seem that much to me and at a certain point in the battle we aren't using RA anyways. But when you snipe that necromancer or that one marksmen that's hiding behind someone, I always think "worth it". Still a pick I save for later.

Tier 3:
There's not much here for you. At best, anticipation. It's an underestimated ability and if you're RD is 20, that's a big % taken off of them killing/injurying someone in the first couple turns. In fact, if the chance to hit that guy is too low, they won't ever fire at him. I sometimes go for this perk.

Tier 4:
This purely based on the RA of the brother. Going to be > 70? Go bowmastery and get it asap. Not going to make it that high? Consider crossbows mastery later....maybe.

Sargents:



Not much has changed with them really. At least, not for me.

Skills:

Res, MA, FAT, MD are what I look for. Pretty much in that order. They'll need fatigue because they are always melee and can put on heavy armor.

Tier 1:
Typically I go with Colossus again. I don't want this guy to die. Ever. Other than that, maybe student if he doesn't have the perks needed to be a good sarge yet.

Tier 2:
Gifted, Steelbrow, and even dogde are good picks. Eventually dodge will fall off because of his heavier gear, though. Of course, fortified mind, but I usually wait until he has a sash before getting it.

Tier 3:
Rally the troops should be obvious. Otherwise, brawny if he needs it or rotation to bail him out of a bad spot. Consider anticipation if he's too much of a target, I usually go with some RD on these guys.

Tier 4:
These guys never get a mastery. Polearm mastery for sarges is... well not much. Spend that point elsewhere.

I was going to put this with builds but that was getting long.

It's hard to get by at first without shields. Most people still have 1H weapons and the only 2H weapons you'll find for a while is the T1 2H axe and a pitchfork. That being said, get them!

Find and kill bandits early. They will have your pitchforks and if you're lucky 2H axes. They also shouldn't have ranged buddies for a while. Getting 2 handed axes is a great way to start mowing people down and I was stunned at the amount of dmg I was putting onto people.

Pitchforks is something I won't hesitate to put in the front line. It's nice to have someone that can attack from far away. This lets you open up on enemies marching in sooner and makes positioning in the fron line easy. Just be sure to armor them up, the game views them as exposed backliners and rushes towards them.

Can't get 2H, don't be afraid to grab some nets for those fights that have a tough raider or two. This is a no shields challenge, not a no off hand challenge. They can be expensive though...

Don't underestimate 1H weapons. It's a waste most of the time to use them since you are giving up so much power of a 2H weapon, but some are worth it. The cleavers vampires carry (kholops?) are nasty and sometimes found on regular acient dead. And flails are a great way to farm armor on raiders with those pesky shields.

So you've made it past day 30 and things are going better than expected? Great! If you're like me than they might be going extremely better than you thought they might. Congrats! But don't slip up now.

Keep fighting ranged at night! If possible always do it, you're guys are target and still don't have a lot of defense built into them yet. I'd kite groups around if it's almost night time.

Be opportunistic! See a fight already going down? Join in, even if you don't get many hits in, that's still free loot. Something bad is coming your way? Kite it to the next militia. The back up will help or at the very least, let them start it off for a bit and jump in when you want. Hell, the enemy might win but that's ok. It's easier for you to pick off the survivors than fight the whole group.

Got some extra money? Never too soon to have some back ups. Having them lets you explore longer and take contracts you'd have to give up otherwise. Good people can be cheap and sometimes all you need is a decent person to fill that spot.

Now is the time to start new guys off with different build perk builds. We'll look at that in the next section.

Frontliners:



If they've made it this far, then they are worth their weight in salt! Fritz here is has been built later in the game and for that we pass on things like dodge (since his gear is heavier from his start) and opt in for other perks.

Tier 5: Underdog for any frontliners on the flanks. When fighting big groups they will get surrounded. Negate that!

Reach Advantage is great for anyone with a reasonble weapon. Front line people with 2H swords and hammers? Hell yes! Frontliners on the flanks? Give them underdog and an 2H axe or orc chain, move them one space out and they'll handle themselves (usually)

Tier 6:
By this point heavy armors should start coming in. You're lack of shield is giving you extra fatigue and so you've piled on the armor. Get the most out of it with Battle Forged. 400 armor points is 20% less damage. That adds up quickly and is a constant. In a killing mood? Go Beserker, the only thing better than one Hammer swing is two.

Tier 7:

Killing frenzy is a good choice if you have the points, otherwise go back and pick up something else that does your fancy. I recommend anythign that helps keep people ALIVE! At this point, they've come too far, cost too much money, and are too much of a power house to lose. Do everything you can to keep them safe.

Backliners



Tier 5:
Footwork is something that I will get on some people, usually the ones on the sides, just to bail them out if something bad happens and they are in melee, ie wolfriders. Other than that, pick up overwhelm for those archers with bow mastery.

Tier 6:
Once again, Beserker. Getting a third shot with your bow to overwhelm/kill someone else, or a second swing with your 2H weapon is just too useful. And at this point the damage output should be good enough to justify it.

Consider Nimble. These back line ranged units never get helmets above 90 armor because I don't want their vision decreased. Nimble and Steelbrow help keep them alive.

Tier 7:
Killing frenzy is nice and works well beserker but I don't conisder it a must have. If you have nothing else to get or just really want it. It's a good pick in my book.

Consider Fearsome. I've never done it but having any dmg to their hp proc a resolve check could turn things around before they even start. Most bows should do at least 1 dmg to hp at this point, even with most armors and crossbows ignore a good amount of armor so they should take advantage of this too. That being said, this only makes a difference if the damage they recieve is less than 15. So if your RA does 15 to them eitherway, you've wasted this skill perk. It's up to you to consider if it's worth it.

Still more points? Survival survival survival! This is ironman.

Sargents:



Poor Sarge. He gets a safe and boring build because his main goal is to just be there. That being said we can spice it up a little.

Tier 5:
Footwork is a good choice. Don't let this guy get caught and killed, he's too important.

Tier 6:
Beserker will let him finish off someone with your banner and attack something else. It comes in handy at times, but it's not uncommon to not have a target in range for that second attack and if you move him, he can't attack again. That being said, killing someone and have AP left to reposition is always nice.

Battle Forged/Nimble. Get whatever one best suits his gear. This man should never die.

Head Hunter could be a fun and will let him do more damage. If you have a point left over, why not?

Tier 7:
The only one I'd ever get here is Kiling Frenzy. That being said, I rarely pick it up.

Left over points should always be spent on survival. Think Colossus, nine lives (yes I'd do both), steel brow, dodge, anticipation, rotation/footwork. His job is to be there and be alive.

This game is brutal and will do what it can to break you down. It does not like you. It knows things it should not know. Like which brothers you really want to keep alive and what enimes you'd really like to not fight right now. Don't let that make you salty (like it does to me, sometimes)

And also, learn to laugh, when it really sticks it to you.
Here is my no shields campaign. My only famed equipment so far that has dropped.... Both are shields...



I keep them as reminders that the game hates me.

Anything I forgot? Anything I said that is really stupid and you can't possibly agree with me? Anything you are positive that I got wrong and need to fix before other people see it?

Please, tell me! I'm human and all these things are probable.

That being said if sections need added, I will. And if you enjoyed this, consider checking out my channel or my stream of my shieldless campagin.

THANK YOU!