ToB: Combat guide

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TLDR: This is not the only way to play TOB; if you have a better method keep using that! This guide works on any difficulty! (yes, even on legendary) Turn on 'realism mode' it's more fun! (at least, once you get used to it) I've been told I write long sentences and use difficult words. If you do not understand something, ask me in the comments! This section describes the way I set up my armies in order to effectively defend and expand my territory. Initially I did not intend to include anything on followers in this guide, as I believe it mostly comes down to personal preference. Players should pick the followers they prefer. However, while responding to someone's question (which followers I prefer myself), I realised the different factors might confuse some players. I will therefore discuss some pros & cons for each follower, and hopefully help you make the decision in future. This section describes some tactics to keep in mind when positioning your army for battle. This section will discuss various unit mechanics. While some of these might be obvious (especially to veteran TW-players), some might easily be overlooked. This section will briefly discuss the 'night battle' mechanic. Although there isn't a lot to say about night battles, it is nevertheless a very useful mechanic. For those of you already familiar with Total War games or strategy games in general, this section will probably not contain any new information. If you are completely new to this type of game , however, it might be easy to overlook this simple, yet important mechanic. This chapter discusses various tactics for field battles. The chapter's sections are divided into the three main types of field battles (open field, bridges, and coastal towns). It will discuss some offensive and defensive strategies for each of these types. Illustrations still to follow These are some of the most basic and most prevalent battles you will encounter. This section describes my most effective approach to fighting bridge battles. Bridge battles are triggered when armies on the campaign map face off from opposite sides of a river. This will most likely occur where the campaign map shows a bridge icon, but can occasionally happen at points along the river. This section will describe some tactics coastal towns. These battles occur at minor settlements and are triggered if one of the armies (either main or reinforcements) start from an embarked position. If all armies around a coastal town deploy from land, the battle will be a regular open field battle. I will not discuss every type of city in this guide. Instead, I will use some examples to illustrate how I go about taking a city. Hopefully this approach will help you understand sieges better, while also not depriving you of the joy of developing your own effective tactics. The following sections will provide an overview of each culture's strengths and weaknesses, and how this might affect your army roster and gameplay. Strengths: Very strong defense Strong sword Effective composition: Infantry units: - missile units: - cavalry: - 2 x cavalry catapults: - 2/3 x catapult Tactics: General unit up front to catch incoming arrows (not once the general unit is upgraded, by then strong sword units should be able to tank missiles). Have sword infantry slightly behind general unit to engage enemy in flanks as soon as the enemy attacks the general unit. (they usually go in large force for the general, so be ready to aid him). Either position missile units behind infantry with spearmen on the flanks to protect them against cavalry, or hide them in forests to the sides of you army (again accompanied by your spearmen to protect against cavalry attacks) so they can fire into the enemy from the sides or even behind. Use a few cavalry units to move around the enemy and attack their missile units. Once you cleared those you can charge them into the back of the enemy infantry and break their morale quicker. Strengths: pin and flank (infantry) Effective composition: Infantry units: - 2 x spearmen - 6 x swordmen - 4 x 2h axemen missile units: - 3 x archers - 2 x catapults cavalry: - 2 x cavalry - 1 x general unit My main armies during a Mide campaign on legendary: My levy armies during a Mide campaign on legendary: note: this screenshot is from the very end of the campaign, so the cheaper levy units had been upgraded to retinue units (as money and availability were no longer an issue). Do not waste expensive units on your levy armies from the start! Only once your main armies are fully equipped should you 'upgrade' your levy armies. Tactics: Strengths: Effective composition: Infantry units: - missile units: - cavalry: - catapults: - Tactics: Strengths: Naval combat strong (axe) infantry The Sea Kings' main strenght lies in their strong infantry units. Their regular shield retinue are strong warriors capable of holding a line, while their 2-handed axe units and beserker units are incredibly strong flanking units capable of routing units very fast. Weaknesses: Cavalry Archers While the Sea King cavalry & archers are not necessarily the weakest in the game, they are not as strong as for instance Welsh archers or Gaelic cavalry. Relying heavily on archers and cavalry is therefore not advisable. Instead it is probably best to have a couple of cavalry units to flank or chase enemy units, and a few archer units to target enemy missile units. Effective composition: All this means that a strong Sea King army relies on it's infantry units to do the heavy lifting. While employing some ranged and cavalry units to overcome any units that are difficult for melee infantry to fight (skirmishers & cavalry). Infantry units: - 2 spearmen units (1 for each flank) - 4 - 6 shield units (axe or sword retinue) - 2 - 4 offensive units (2 handed axemen or berserkers) missile units: - 3 archer units - 0-4 catapult units (this very much depends on how much you like catapults.) cavalry: - 2 cavalry units Tactics: Don't run from naval battles: Naval battles are best avoided for most factions, because you'll often end up losing too many men even when you win.(as tends to happen when an entire ship sinks). However, the Sea Kings are the exception to this rule! They are the only faction without the naval battle debuff, meaning they are stronger than the other factions. This allows you to hit enemies much harder on the water than on land, and can overcome much stronger opponents. Despite this big bonus I still dislike naval battles, so I mostly go for auto-resolve if the odds are sufficiently in my favour. Flanking: When fighting land battles as the Sea Kings it is essential to flank your enemies with strong offensive units. This will cause the enemy to route quickly allowing you to inflict heavy casualties while minimising your own casualties. The wedge ability will definitely come in handy for this (both 2 handed axe units and berserker units have this ability). The main difficulty will be in shielding your offensive units from being charged by the enemy. - Deploy your shield units in a broad line with your offensive units behind. - As soon as the enemy hits the first line, you start moving your offensive units to the flanks to try and encircle the enemy infantry. - At the same time use your cavalry and archers to kill or chase off the enemy missile units to protect your infantry from being shot in the back. Alternatively hiding offensive units on the flanks can allow you to hit the enemy with a devastating "broadside" (i.e. attack them from a single flank or from behind with 3 or 4 units). Strengths: death from afar! (ranged) ride them down! (cavalry) Effective composition: Infantry units: - 4 x sword infantry - 2 x axe infantry - 2 x wardogs missile units: - 4 x longbowmen (unlock this technology quickly!) cavalry: - 2 x elite cavalry (border scouts until you unlock the elite cavalry) catapults: - 2/3 x catapult (can even go up to 4 catapult units at a later stag