attacking with phalanx

[SRACon17]

how do you attack using a phalanx?

[TheFoolOnTheHill]

You send them to attack by clicking and then you watch or send cav to help.

[Asgaroth]

And If you disable guard more they will be more offensive and if it is on they will be more defensive and won't chase the unit after you rout it.

The guard mode is that little shiled that you have when you select a unit.

[Willowran]

Are referring to literal "what buttons do I use to physically attack with phalanx units", or "what sort of strategy would one use while being offensive with pikes"?

[Chris Death]

err wait - attacking with a phalanx;

expecting enemy is in front of you - make 3 lines of phalanx,
one line = left flank - one line = center - one line = right flank

approach to the enemy untill he can't retreat because of red line
now move your left flank from left center to red line and your right flank
from right center to red line - should looke like: |_| - now the enemy can
only flee or run into your spears - in case the enemy doesn't choose one
of the two options - just lower it's radius by closing the distance.

This will work against AI - if you want to go mutliplayer - better come back here
and ask for how to attack with a faction being based on phalanx or so.

~S~ CD

[SRACon17]

oh thanks @willow i was looking for strategies

[Willowran]

oh thanks @willow i was looking for strategies

That is a mistake. Now i will write a ridiculously long post, and it is all your fault.

Pikes. My favourite infantry. Pikes are a unit i usually use defensively. A passive aggressive approach is one i use most often. Using the campaign map, move aggressively with pikes, and coax the enemy into attacking you. From there it is as simple as setting your pikes up in a defensable positon and letting the enemy die.

Some tings to note: Unless you are a spartan, pikes are useless when out of phalanx mode. As such, their manoeverability is terrible- they go everywhere in a walk. Also, they rely entirely on the survieability granted them by your pikes. When flanked, the results can be horrible.

Pikes make poor offesnive tools. When you remove guard mode, the pikes will push. Except, the game mechanic will cause the pikes to break formation if enemies close too closely. Pikes usually have lower statistics than whomever they are fighting, and so they will end up pushing forwards faster than they can kill thr enemy they are fighting. This will cause them to break formation. If this happens for even an instant, than those pikes have likely lost the battle. Therefore, never remove guard mode. If your pikes ever start lifting, tap "backspace" immediately. This will re-lower pikes, and hopefulyl before disaster eats at your pikes.

Nomatter what strategy you use with offensive pikes, i suggest you array your pikes in a long, thing line, where each unit is maybe 4 people deep at max. Enemy units will spread in all directions upon contact with the pikes- all directions including both sides. If the pikes do not kill the enemy fast enough (which considering pikes is highly likely) then the spreading to both sides will automatically create a flanking action on your pikes, causing pikes to raise their weapons and your entire phalanx to collapse even sooner. Longer lines keep the enemy on the sharp end of the pikes.


Pikes should work in groups of at least 3 pike units at any given time. One pike to march straight for the enemy. The other two units protect the flanks of the first. This is usually as simple a case as rotating to face any flanking party then plant pikes and hold. When you hit the enemy, try to angle the two flank pike units inwards. Pikes do not push well, but if you can condense the enemy formation then you will be able to win via moral. Also, catching the enemy on the curve of a crescent-moon-ish-shaped formation will cause their automatic spreading to just catch them on more pikes. This will drastically increase the speed of your kills.

I would advance the pikes in waves. 3 waves would be best. First wave is bait. Catches some enemies and attracts the majority of the enemy formation. This wave is your suicide squad. Suicide squad needs to have a strong moral. As the enemy ai sends the enemy hordes in to squash them your second wave appears, spearing the enemy in the back/sides while they're busy chopping into your suicide squad. Your third wave simply bolsters the second, makes sure the enemy do not have any oppourtunity to flank, or reinforcing any part of your line that looks like it might break.


Another approach is to use simply 2 waves. The first wave is almost every pike you have, in as long a line as you deem safe. i suggest units 4 people deep, the rest wide. A really long line. Then, simply strat walking forwards. Break off the sides of the line if the enemy look to flank. The idea is to make a long enoguh line that flanking is no longer as feasable an option. The enemy will likely charge you as you walk, at which point you stop, hold positions, and let the enemy die. if the lines is long enough (as you would hope it to be), you can simply wrap the sides around the enemy for mass flanking and moral damage. The second wave only holds the original line, running out of phalanx to wherever your phalanx looks to falter, then lowering piks and keep the enemy from breaking through.

Those two strategies are for armies either primarily pike, or entirely pike.

A favoured strategy i use if i add some cav to the mix: use the cav to harry the enemy formation. Hit, run, don't go for max casaulties, take no risks. The cavalry's only purpose is to break the enemy formation, and turn their orderly formation to chaos. Then, using your pieks and horse units in tandem try to isolate individual units and catch them in a pike pincer, or at least aim to hit the unit from as many direc tions with pike units as possible. The cavalry keeps seperating any enemy units when they start to form up, and guard the exposed flanks of the pikes. Ideally the cavalry will be hitting anything and everything in the rear, and any unit that gets too far from the enemy main body gets spiked.
This strategy relies on equal number pieks and cavalry, and the cavalry need to have strong moral.

Just some thoughts. I'll cut myself short.

[SRACon17]

hahaha such a long post that i gave you rep even before i read it. thanks for the reply

[Cott]

I find phalanx difficult to maneuvre too. My spearmen are usually miles behind the other units.

[Willowran]

A Pike advance/offense is more like the tide. It moves slowly, and youre just not going to stop it.

When mixing pikes withother units i usually use their low speed as a sort of clock, a timer. I have until the spears get there to cause as much damage and chaos to the enemy army. "My units are on the other side of the map, i have time to harry with cav." "Oh, my spears are getting closer, better disorganise some more." "My spears are here! Now to open as many enemy units as possible to a broad sweeping flank attack."

[Engie]

I kind of mix defensive and offensive play when attack with a phalanx.

I move my spears forward slowly and (if possible) surround the enemy so they have nowhere to run. If that isn't possible I tend to just get them engaged on my spears then hammer and anvil them with heavy cav.

[astatije]

I usualy play as Macedon, so I come with solution how to use pikes agresievly. It's problem on batle map moving pikes, you need hold you line when aproaching enemy so I use army on campain map to besiege cityes or holding bridge (my favorite) so AI need to attack me. That give me advantage of picking defensive aproach on map (it's enough to hold draw, enemy MUST attack you). I take some hill to tire enemy, some rocks to save my flank(s) or I even get miself cornered so AI can't flank me when my pikemen are hipotenuse on right triangle and red lines are sides. Archers on flame missile mode behind them and usualy kill 80-100% of enemy, loose 3-20% troops...

[SRACon17]

thanks for the tips @astatije i started doing your method, moving armies aggressively on the battlemap.

[Mangalore]

If you got some melee infantry having them in a second line in sort of a column formation and kind of leaving intentional gaps in your phalanx can work wonders. You might weaken your front, but you open flanking tunnels through which your melee infantry can go to envelop a section of the enemy. Also a loose enemy formation enveloping one of your phalanx units isn't actually bad if you have unit in support to attack those edges as the enemy will take tons of flanking and encirclement penalties while his guys in the front don't get far thanks to the pikes.
I find as always encirclling the enemy is key so an actually unclean phalanx isn't too bad since their formation will give them good standing power.