Breaking noob boxes

**celtic_warlord422** · July 17, 2007, 01:13 PM

Hi, is there any efficient way to break a Spartan Noob Box. Whenever i play my friend online he always uses them and i can never entice him out of his position.

I have tried the obvious tactics of archers and artillery but they take ages. Basically i want a fairly quick way of destorying a noob box.

**Evan_2009** · July 17, 2007, 01:35 PM

Armenia- Cataphract Archers and Horse archers only. Then shoot the spartans in the back. Concentrate all ur archers on teh backs of one spartan unit at a time.

**Gary88** · July 17, 2007, 01:38 PM

when phalanxes have to reorder you can **** them up good style so throw everything at one unti and once its gone your friend will have to rearange things...then you strike

**Colossus** · July 17, 2007, 01:39 PM

Cata archers run out of ammo very very quickly, too quickly to leave a big enough dent. The best tactic is probably to be Macedon or Rome so you have good archers, plus good inf to finish them off. However, the more money you play, the harder it is to beat the box.

**Marie Louise von Preussen** · July 17, 2007, 03:35 PM

Use a lot of horse archers. Alternatively, try Rome with archers and concentrated pila fire followed by a massive attack on his weak spot. When the enemy begins to rout, drive all your units into the hole strike the other phalanxes in the back. Leave cavalry out of the box so when they turn to face your infantry you can strike hard at them, causing a massive rout.

**Evan_2009** · July 17, 2007, 04:30 PM

Originally Posted by Colossus

Cata archers run out of ammo very very quickly, too quickly to leave a big enough dent. The best tactic is probably to be Macedon or Rome so you have good archers, plus good inf to finish them off. However, the more money you play, the harder it is to beat the box.

Actually, that's why I get the cata archers, to finish off the enemy...The army is all horse archers, and 4 cata archers. It works fine. I beat an all spartan noob box in 5 minutes, just because I concentrated all units on one of theirs at a time. Hit 'em in the back and it is easy.

**Colossus** · July 17, 2007, 04:49 PM

Well, most games I ever play have a max 2 ha rule, but then most my opponents dont make boxes...

**Cybugger** · July 17, 2007, 05:09 PM

Alternatively, pound the angles. If you can form a wedge, and maybe a gap, in one of the angles, you can then pour your troops into his box, and he's fried.

**Roshak** · July 17, 2007, 07:13 PM

Is art allowed? Pummel with onagers.

The best way to beat the Spartan box is to take it out with range weapons of archers or pila. So Rome is the best choice for this.

If you don't to be rome I recommend being Pontus. Get archers and upgrade their attack to full, get some upgraded Thracian mercenary Bastarnae and Bronze pikemen and you should be able to break it.

**Garnier** · July 17, 2007, 07:16 PM

Bring your own noob box, with a couple of archer units. Then just sit there til he gets bored.

**Prince_of_Macedon** · July 17, 2007, 07:53 PM

Originally Posted by celtic_warlord422

Hi, is there any efficient way to break a Spartan Noob Box. Whenever i play my friend online he always uses them and i can never entice him out of his position.

I have tried the obvious tactics of archers and artillery but they take ages. Basically i want a fairly quick way of destorying a noob box.

It's pretty easy:
- Kill his archers
- Shoot all of your arrows into his Spartans (they like fighting in the shade afterall)
- March your army against his Spartans and slaughter them like goats (they make good eating afterall)
- Game Over

**unfortunate crow** · July 17, 2007, 09:24 PM

I can't believe he thinks artillary takes too long. I could sit for hours and watch flaming onager projectiles blast a noob box....

**Serious Spamurai** · July 18, 2007, 02:07 AM

A good way is to get some chariots and line them up with the corners of his box and just ram them through the corner and make them run around inside the box, the best unit is the selucid chariot.

**Turk** · July 18, 2007, 02:16 AM

Do followıng:
Concentrate wıth your strongest Unıts(Urban Cohorts) the Attack on one poınt
but before you attack,attack wıth bows and Pila the poınt
The charge and the spartan lıne wıll break and when he openes the box,attack wıth your cav from behınd and support your ınfnatry ın the spartan lıne wıth the rest of your ınfnatry

**celtic_warlord422** · July 18, 2007, 03:01 AM

Originally Posted by Roshak

Is art allowed? Pummel with onagers.

The best way to beat the Spartan box is to take it out with range weapons of archers or pila. So Rome is the best choice for this.

If you don't to be rome I recommend being Pontus. Get archers and upgrade their attack to full, get some upgraded Thracian mercenary Bastarnae and Bronze pikemen and you should be able to break it.

Ah! Artillery, i completely forgot about them! I did use baslistas but they were fairly slow. My friend is going to get a huge suprise when he next forms the box.

**guyyug** · July 18, 2007, 05:25 PM

Shooting them to peices as everyone else has said is the best strategy. Against people you know who do this, its a vaible strategy, against randoms, people will go for a balanced army with a decent amount of infantry, cavalry and archers making the tactic pointless though, as you will not know weather they will do this or not.

So another way is just take a harsh apparoch, I have done and threated to leave a game and i give them 5 mins to start forming a propor battleline and wait for them to finsih before I attack, if by those 5 mins they havent started i leave. I don't mind any other formations, just that one.

**polarbear297** · July 18, 2007, 08:15 PM

yes i agree with the archers and all but when you dont have missile units, you may want to hit one of their weakest corners with your best units. and when you make a big enough hole, charge your calvary in. i say you use this startegy with the romans because of their infantry.

**lastofthelight** · July 18, 2007, 11:37 PM

What do you mean by "noob box" - do you mean the standard phalnax formation that /phalnaxes are supposed to be used for/? If you can't beat someone by flanking them or other trickery, sounds as if the 'noob' is smarter then you are.

**unfortunate crow** · July 19, 2007, 01:05 AM

Originally Posted by lastofthelight

What do you mean by "noob box" - do you mean the standard phalnax formation that /phalnaxes are supposed to be used for/? If you can't beat someone by flanking them or other trickery, sounds as if the 'noob' is smarter then you are.

Read the thread first, and then post something constructive.

**Aristocrat** · July 19, 2007, 02:30 AM

Horse Archers. Heavy Cavalry.
Just target the backs of the troops on the other side of the box. If the box is too big, target the perpendicular edge, so you hit them from the back and side. If he moves his phalanx after you he has broken his formation and left a gap. Hit it with Heavy cavalry (Charge, withdraw, regroup, charge).

Or take the scenic artillery route with some infantry to protect the artillery.

Alternatively, any units that cause fear coupled with some fodder and heavy cavalry. Send the fodder at one side, with the general behind continually rallying them, then when his phalanx gets a little out of shape (generally they start to reform on an angle) hit them with the units that cause fear (IE elephants if they are allowed, chariots if not). Then poor in some other troops to do the dirty work.

Key part is that you start a mass route and then laugh at him, possibly calling him names and insulting his mother.