Goryeo
Goryeo have the Power of Tradition.
Despite her name as the "Land of Morning Calm", nothing could be further from the truth than this epithet for the land of Korea. Despite almost two centuries of successful rule, the ruling Goryeo dynasts now find themselves facing a future no less rough than the seas that surround Korea, or any smoother than the harshest peaks and crags of a nation dominated in the main by mountain and hill with almost no farmland to speak of. The current king, Uijong, is nothing compared to his nobler or more temperate forefathers, and there are whispers of discontent amongst the many generals and warlords who have been tasked with keeping the nation safe. Only thirty-six years before, the royal palace itself was razed by Chok Chun'gyong, a warlord disgruntled after an assassination attempt.
As Goryeo lurches on the verge of anarchy, outside of the palace and the reaches of Goryeo rule, all is not well either. Further west, a group of northern barbarians, the Jurchens, have ousted their Qara Khitai rivals and even conquered the northern half of Song China, thus creating a watershed of instability north and west beyond the Yalu River, while the distant island nation of Japan to the east is also being roiled by her own brew of civil unrest and violent court intrigues. But of these, perhaps the most worrying news must come from the west, for not only must Goryeo worry about Jin intentions, even if it appears apparent that Jin intends to crush the Song and push the Qara Khita further west - there too are whispers of new barbarian peoples - namely, the Cumans who live west beyond China, and the Mongols and Tatars, who grow stronger and more numerous each day even as they must pay tribute to the fearsome Jin, who made themselves the lords of eastern Asia.
As such, Goryeo has one single preoccupation - to protect and survive. The Land of the Morning Calm can be said to be some of the most treacherous terrain in the known world, and this creates plenty of opportunities for defence against outsiders - a fact not lost on the forbears of king Uijong who successfully repelled Tang invaders from China centuries before. This is further bolstered by Goryeo's penchant for heavy units, be they drawn from the lesser nobility, such as the Gaemamusa or the Hwarang, but also from the common folk, such as the Gwanggun spearmen whose main specialty is fighting off and resisting mounted barbarian hordes. But ultimately, it would see, the main challenge to Goryeo supremacy and even survival lies not with an army to fend off hostile foreigners, but in fostering a firm hand on the ship of state - lest Goryeo fall, and the land itself soon become prey to Goryeo's ever waxing and more numerous rivals to the west and north.
Faction overview
- Land of Morning Calm: Start with 1 extra Peasant, receive 3 for your next city and 5 for all future Settlements.
- Cultural Prominence: Start with House of Worship and research religion line of research for free.
- Spirited Resistance: Repair Buildings 50% faster, and Peasants can repair under fire without penalty.
- Wiman's Chosen: Towers 33% cheaper
Strengths
Decent early-game navy, strong mid-tier cavalry unit component, strong potential for fast early game booming and mid-game action.
Weaknesses
Fairly vulnerable to more specialised factions, challenging late game.
Whatever one may say of them, Goryeo are definitely not an imperial speedbump. Although they may lack the more intense nature of more heavily specialised factions, such as Nansong, or the HRE or even Khamag Mongol, Goryeo still have many tricks up their sleeve.
The first thing to note is their cultural bonuses, which revolve around two things - settlement rushing, and Tower rushing. Although Goryeo in general lack the ability to access Guard Towers in the late game, being able to speed build their way across the map and kickstart their economy by spawning villagers early on means that for Goryeo, a game involving booming and mid-game rushing is highly ideal. Having access to a House of Worship from the get go and fast religion research also reinforces the defensive power of settlements, and also allows quick access to the Taxation upgrades track faster than would normally be the case, even with someone like the Byzantines or the Poles.
While Goryeo do not receive all advanced siege weapons, their access to the Barque allows them some success with defending their coastline from being preyed on by amphibious invasions, and a means of amassing and deploying Fire Vessels to counter more navy-heavy civs in their own watery home turf. At the same time, Goryeo also receive some decent mid-tier units which provide some decent tactical performance for cost from the Nobles' Court. These units may not be as powerful as say, Brother-Knights or war elephants, yet they have a fairly low cost, meaning you can be guaranteed of having a huge army of decent capability if handled skilfully. And between your basic Barracks setup and these, you also have another unit of note - Gwanggun Spearmen, who while being fairly cheap but also being somewhat more powerful than basic level Spearmen, also have the ability to resist ranged Nomadic units. Units such as Heavy Archers, Swordsmen and the two main cavalry units of Goryeo, both heavily armoured thus ensure that Goryeo ought to have the ability to stay on in a militarised role until the mid-game as a defensive power, until they can start building Wonders and feeling their way toward an allied Wonder victory.
As such, Goryeo may not be a powerful nation on its own, but with enough chokepoints and some water, Goryeo can become a very powerful faction in multiplayer, be it as a kingmaker who can facilitate non-military victories, or in providing support units in alliance with more belligerent nations, especially in a fray or two against nomadic factions such as the Mongols or Jin Chinese. Otherwise, Goryeo will find the late game difficult as they get outclassed by more less rounded but more specialised factions with more powerful late-game units.
Unique units and structures gallery
Gaemamusa
Unique heavy cavalry unit for Goryeo trained from the Nobles' Court. Not as effective as the more hardened Chivalric Orders of Latin Europe but nevertheless sufficiently powerful to provide some form of shock cavalry that is somewhat resistant to attacks by horse archers.
Hwarang Gaema
Unique heavy cavalry archer unit for Goryeo trained from the Nobles' Court. Sacrifices speed for hitpoints and armour, thus making it more defensive than most other horse archer units in Temüjin.
Gwanggun Spearmen
Goryeo unique heavy infantry unit on par with Urban Militia, but functions as an upgrade for Spearmen, and has a defensive bonus against cavalry units from nomadic civs.
Heavy Archers
Unique Goryeo ranged infantry. Is slower and costlier, but more heavily armoured and resistant to melee attack.
Swordsmen
A form of professional medium infantry trainable from the Nobles' Court for most civis if Monarchy was chosen at the Meeting House/Palace. Stronger than Militia and more suited toward resisting most ranged cold weapon attacks.
Nobles' Court
Sumptuous and stately yet foreboding, the Nobles' Court is the ultimate expression of regnal power, consisting of a vast castellated estate around which the nobility of the land must rally around. It is not as cheap as a Mansion nor as easy to come by, but its ability to boost the size of your Territory around it, and the fact that it is immensely powerful as a point defence structure means that a Nobles' Court can be more than capable of defending your borders, whilst training some of the most powerful land units available in all of this mod.
Citadel
As in The Hellenistic Era, the Citadel (alongside its weaker counterpart, the Guard Tower) continues to be the most powerful form of point defence in this instalment in the Kings & Conquerors family of mods.
Note that unlike most factions, Goryeo is capable of building this structure, but NOT the Guard Tower.
Fortified Barracks
Stronger than a normal Barracks, this building may be weaker than most point defence structures, but it is nevertheless a useful way to quickly set up and reinforce a forward building operation against any enemy counterstrike.
AI leader names
- Lord Yi Uibang
- Lord Jeong Jungbu
- Lord Gyeong Daeseung
- Lord Choe Chungheon
- Lord Choe U
- Lord Choe Hang
Settlement names
Gaegyong
Cheorwon
Ganghwa
Hanyang
Seogyung
Gyeongju
Dongmo
Hwaryong
Seorabeol
Sanggyeong
Honchun
Wonju
Nonsan
Yeosu
Hyesan
Kaesong
Koyang
Ansan
Kwangmyeong
Buyeo
Gunsan
Chuncheon
Ungjin
Wangheom
Suncheon
Kisong
Gungnae
Gaeseong
Heungnam
Saro-Guk
Busan
Daegu
Ulsan
Suweon
Gangneung
Hamhung
Kimchaek
Anyang
Chongjin
Nampo
Sinuiju
Phyongsong
Sariwon
Seongnam
Pucheon
Jinju
Sangju
Rason
Sacheon
Gimje
Anju
Changwon
Pohang
Samcheok
Songnim
Yongbyon
Ongjin
Musan
Masan
Changwon
Andong
Haeju
Cheongju
Mokpo
Dongducheon
Geoje
Naju
Jeonju
Jinju
Sangju
Sucheon
Cheonan
Jecheon
Kanggye
Namwon
Daejeon
Miryang
Gangneung
Seondan
Gochang
Paelgong
Gimju
Mujinju
Wansanju
Sabi
Wiryeseong
Wandu
Downloads
KINGS & CONQUERORS
TEMÜJIN [Steam | XBOX/EE | Gold]