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  1. #1
    Visiar's Avatar Centenarius
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    Default How to defeat Parthia

    Parthia usually becomes a monster on the eastern edge of the world sometimes it can expand to the Euphrates and down to Saba. Eventually you will have to defeat them. The question is how.


    Parthia's main army consists of horsemen. Depending on when you fight them (the early or late game) Parthia's army will be composed of horse archers (early)and cataphracts (late)


    This guide is generally for the Romans so I will make this from it's perspective. This can be used for any faction I think. When you gain a border with Parthia, start recruiting in abundance cavalry. 50 percent heavy and 45 percent light with 5 percent infantry should be a good army. This is if you invade in the later game. If you invade early on, your army should look like this. 50 percent archers/slingers, 30 percent heavy cavalry and 20 percent spearmen.


    You need to also make an army made up of similar units for an expedition across the Caspian Sea. Send your first army to the lightly defended cities first. Try to cut your way to Media. Send your second army across and capture cities as fast as you can.


    In a pitched battle with both armies you will generally take high casualties. Battles will mainly be of attrition. Especially in the later game. Strategy if any will be useless. Parthia will probably have many big armies. Even so try to blitz until you take Media. Across the sea try to take a few cities and leave big garrisons in each of these.


    Once you take Media you can recruit Median cavalry with auxillary barracks. (not sure what level.) These will be crucial to have, try to defend Media while you make many units of these. Median Cavalry have bows as well as AXES. Axes are deadly to armor and can be used against cataphracts. The bows allow them to be useful against horse archers as well. Keep attacking from both sides until Parthia is severely weakened. From this point you can demand tributes or destroy them.


    At this point you should start recruiting many infantry armies as well. Bactria will probably be a monster too and cavlary suffer against phalangites.


    So concludes my guide.
    Last edited by Visiar; December 19, 2009 at 03:07 PM.




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  2. #2

    Default Re: How to defeat Parthia

    Or you can use the ol' phalanx-V-on-a-bridge trick.
    The AI falls for it every time.

    You need 2 armies for this, 1 stopping army with phalanxes and slingers//archers.
    1 advancing army with your preferred sieging units.

    Position your stopping-army on top of a bridge and wait for Scythia//Parthia to attack you.
    Just use 2-4 phalanx units in a V shape formation on the edge of a bridge with some slinger//archer support on the riverbanks.
    Watch while Scythia//Parthia loses their full stack armies to your half stacks..

    Next, advance your sieging armies (from 2 squares behind your stopping armies, so they don't get drawn into the bridge battles) into the enemy territory to siege their cities. Preferably insta-siege the turn after your stopping-army got attacked on the bridges.

    Your siege-armies should probably consist of some phalanxes, some archers and possibly onagers//elephants.

    Come to think of it.. Your stopping-armies and your sieging-armies don't even have to be that different..
    Sieging-armies might want some hoplites instead of phalanxes though..

  3. #3
    DimeBagHo's Avatar Praeses
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    Default Re: How to defeat Parthia

    If you avoid battles in the open and force battles in cities, at rivers, in forests, or on steep terrain, then pretty much any combination of heavy spear infantry and ranged infantry will work. IIRC Thorakitai and massed Slingers worked well. Only attack them in cities, otherwise let them come to you.

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