I find the Reich tends to take over Sut and Cretas very quickly because they don't have many armies. This allows the Reich to snowball really quickly. Also Tolrania tends to get ganged up on way too quickly, but this is similar to what happens to Swadia in Native Warband. Plus Drahara and Hakkon end up destroying each other really quickly. Those seem to be the main balance issues.

Yeah Reich is absolutely ridiculous, they wiped Sut, Cretas and now pushed into Maccavia. Drahara tends to dominate the West by pushing into Dwarves. I just feel like all of this happens way too quickly, either balance out the factions or let them peace a bit, or better yet, do both, have some safety nets for the smaller factions. By the time I get my Kingdom going Reich and Drahara owns like the half the map, its lame.

I wish the Bakhal Giants would be more aggressive so that they would quickly conquer the Sut Risen and the horsemen there with their one city so that you have a clever giant faction later in the game.

I usually just let the minor factions die away in my games. For other major factions that usually gets wiped out rather quickly (Tolrania, Kaikoth, Either Hakkon or Drahara) I usually interfere with my army. I remember spending about 100-150 days playing as a Kaikoth Mercenary just so I can help them reconquer their original lands from Hakkon or Drahara (whoever is bullying them). Then, I just role play that in the uneventful occasion that they get bullied to death again i'll just accept that they'll die out. Not happens all the time though. I had a game where Tolrania spanked Maccavia real hard they almost died (I interfered again lol) and a game where Kaikoth spanked Hakkon and resulted in a great balance between Hakkon, Drahara, and Kaikoth. Other than actually interfering with the factions there's nothing much you can do with them dying out other than restarting the game D:

*Interfering isn't useless too as you get high relations with all those good attitude lords <3

For my experience, as mostly of you, weak frictions (Sut, Cretas, Geldar, Tolrania, Kaikoth) got defeated so quickly. It is better if they have more lords or frictions (Elintor, Maccavia, Reich, Hakkon, Drahara) would attack the stronger friction in preventing small friction get defeated quickly. It may also be interesting if frictions will allies together to against strong friction such as Zann and Player's Kingdom. (Players will face the whole world in the middle and the last phase)

wait until zann comes and murders everyone but the eagle kingdom and your kingdom your with or makeing.