How to defeat Pyrrhos in 3 steps

[Kara Kolyo]

Since we get quite often the question - How to defeat Pyrrhos as the romans? I decided to share my experiences on this matter The tactics shown bellow have been tested numerous times and work best on medium difficulty. If you have fatigue turned on this might help as well.
So step 1 - Move Decius Mus and his army to this place west of Pyrrhos

Step 2 deploy your troops in a single long line. Set all hastati and principes to Fire at will - ON. Deploy the velites on your right flank and set skirmish mode and fire at will to OFF

When the enemy approaches he will be softened by the pila shower from your regulars. I usually put the slingers on the left flank where they first take care of the cavalry unit and then choose their targets as they will. your only cause of worries is that the velites might decide that they like animals and start throwing spears at the enemy infantry. This could be a problem with your thin red line but happens rarely.



When the elephants and the enemy left flank are gone, wheel your free troops and hit the phalanx. Soon they will start to rout, especially if Pyrrhos gets in trouble.

This time he was killed by a stone, sometimes he gets a javelin, others gladius.. Then just chase them like goats. Wait it's a barbarian speech. Well just chase them down till they are all dead and that's the step number 3.
Unfortunatelly this time the skirmishers didn't kill all elephants with javelins and had to chase them while the beats were running amock. This is the reason for the heavier than normal casualties among the velites and some spearmen.
And then it's all over.

Right after the fisrt battle you get attacked by a second army, which is a walk in the park compared to the first and gets easilly defeated with the same tactics.
What are your experiences with this nice fellow?

[Ephialtes The Dog]

Good stuff, but most play on hard I think, at least I do.

[Scutarii]

Should still work, I'd think. Obviously you'll take more casualties, but it seems the most efficient way to take Pyrrhos out on any difficulty. Great work, this question does come around every once in a while, so a thread like this will stop repetitive questions. Maybe this should be stickied...?

[Ephialtes The Dog]

I agree, it should be stickied.

[Columcille]

Well written, Should help alot of people. Good Job.

[Balikedes]

Very Nice Kolyo, I'd rep you but I can't!
This ought to help me out next time I play as Rome.

[Kara Kolyo]

Thanks Bal. This is just a suggestion for the people who don't wan't to bother with proper roman tactics, or play as XGM Rome for the first time.

[Nakharar]

Thanks + rep

[Stoneface]

Thanks! I had some trouble with Pyrros and this works pretty well. I have to additions to make. First I would suggest to keep fire at will off for hastati and principe until the main battle line is in range. You might waste pila on some archers/skirmishers otherwise. Second I put guard mode on for my main battle line and I think it was a mistake. Might be better to keep it off.

[Unknown Soldier]

I always move to the hill North of Tarentum on the campaign map.

It is wooded - means the AI can't see the majority of your line - ambushing the pachyderms is a breeze.

Otherwise - everything as KK did.

Sticky this cos it always recurs every few months!

[Spartan Guard Itachi]

well i ad the fun of engaging him several times.

1st time he had another huge army from carthage helping him, managed to kill Carthaginian king and some of the army before greeks showed up so made an orderly retreat.

2nd Rebel Romans happened to fight and once again the greeks showed up to the fight as well, troops already heavily pressed, elephants go nuts running through my entire flank...-.- however managed to get majority of army after inflicting some fair losses on greeks.

3rd time, rest of carthaginians annihilated, greeks dont show and rebel romans are finished of after a struggle.

4th time, pitched battle at last with the hated greeks, hopilites cause alot of problems, elephants after way to long finally run amok straight though most of their own phalanxes, phyrros killed cut down to a man by my own general with only 4 of his own men remaining =D, greeks finally broken.

woot and that was the first 7 turns of my campaign =]

[lankylars]

That sounds far more intense than any of my encounters. How did you manage to get all three of them after you at once?

[Spartan Guard Itachi]

had the campaign on very hard. i deffinately didnt engage the greeks straight away so th rebel romans had time to move up and the carthaginians kept landing armies southish of rome.

lso played a part where my army was positioned purposely to try and provoke a huge battle

[Stilgar CG]

Kara, sounds like a rock solid plan to me. I am in the middle of the Roman compain already, but I will definetely try your "recipe".

My approach was a bit less elegant and lengthier, but it worked in the end. After 5 turns I annihilated 2 full armies, together with Phyrros, took Tarentum, and ... lost Cannae. In two more turns, I think, I regained Tarentum. I lost some time indeed, but still managed to avoid fighting Independant Greeks, Cartage, and Rebel Romans at the same time, and got rid of a dangerous nest of Independant Greeks.

Anyway, Kara I see in your screenshots the Roman unit cards corresponding to the XGM skins. I am playing XGM 5.6.3. on BI.exe, but my Roman unit cards are from vanilla RTW. Any explanation to this difference? :hmmm:

[Kara Kolyo]

The mod comes with vanila ui cards. to have the ML cards you need to download the Modding legions pack and replace the unit cards only.

[Stilgar CG]

Thanks, Kara. Found the pack. Should not be difficult. ME

[perun]

Yes, I had to learn all this the hard way - I am still ashamed of the utterly humiliating defeat I suffered when I attacked Pyrrhos in the first turn. Only later I learned that defensive position on a favourable tarrain and careful positioning of missile troops is the only way to defeat that army. But thanks for the confirmation of my homemade tactics

[ThePianist]

I didn't have difficulty in defeating Pyrrhos at all, though perhaps it's because I play on M/M? Hire units of mercenary samnites so you have a full stack. Line up all the infantry, with the Triarii on the right flank, and all the skirmisher units on the left flank.

When the battle commences, attack each hoplite/phalangite unit with one unit of hastati or principe set on guard, advance the Triarii unit on the right flank and run Pyrrhos through by the tips of the spears. Run all the skirmisher units on the left flank forward, and fire javelins in the rear and flank of the hoplite/phalangite units. One skirmisher unit in loose formation goes after the elephants, and if elephants still there after the javelins run out, then have the skirmisher unit stab the elephants by the steel of the blade. And that is the victory.

Intentionally wrote dramatic adjectives, because apparently it bothers certain people that I am writing an RTW game guide

[perun]

That might work - though I prefer to spend my money on building roads and ports in the first years of the game; not on Samnites. And if you decide to attack Pyrrhos in the first turn the terrain is aganst you.

"Loose" is not an overly dramatic adjective, ThePianist, so don't worry about that

[Spartan Guard Itachi]

I didn't have difficulty in defeating Pyrrhos at all, though perhaps it's because I play on M/M? Hire units of mercenary samnites so you have a full stack. Line up all the infantry, with the Triarii on the right flank, and all the skirmisher units on the left flank.

When the battle commences, attack each hoplite/phalangite unit with one unit of hastati or principe set on guard, advance the Triarii unit on the right flank and run Pyrrhos through by the tips of the spears. Run all the skirmisher units on the left flank forward, and fire javelins in the rear and flank of the hoplite/phalangite units. One skirmisher unit in loose formation goes after the elephants, and if elephants still there after the javelins run out, then have the skirmisher unit stab the elephants by the steel of the blade. And that is the victory.

Intentionally wrote dramatic adjectives, because apparently it bothers certain people that I am writing an RTW game guide

interesting, im surprised that works because usually though i would strongly think the triarii would be mowed down by pyyros bodyguard along with other cavalry helping if needed, roman infantry set in guard will still get massacred when fighting the greek infantry head on no matter what really, even in square hand to hand their not that easy to beat, even after unloading all their spears into their ranks on top of that.