How to use Greekfire efficiently?

[Pivra]

How do I use them on battlefields efficiently without getting them killed?????

[Emperor Raven]

What I usually do is keep them in back of my lines. I send out spearmen to flank the side of a unit or peasants to hold the enemy unit in place. Then I move the firethrowers up and have them fire on the pinned unit. Once they start routing, I retreat my firethrowers to the back of my lines and repeat the tactic until the enemy army routs.

[Oploc]

i use a cheap unit of spearmen, spread them as thin as possible as my frount line. As soon as the enemy engage them, i use the fire-guys to burn the hell out of them. Loss of 1 unit of cheap infantry, but it it very effective.

[Angrychris]

good for sieging or sieges

[kelvintyk]

During a siege, put them in front of gates. Then when gates are broken, burn the living ***** out of those attackers.

[Swagger]

in crusades campaign when a venice army attacked my capital (constantinople) i put them in the walls and when the siege tower comes jut's make them burn it and it will be destroyed very easly

[joelzhl]

Double-line loose formation peasants or spear militias in front, greek fire 20 yard behind them.

Oh btw, don't put them in your cavalry heavy armies. My experience tells me that they die horribly due to me micro-managing my horsies.

[Steel of Fury]

Keep them at the back and have them fire at the enemy reserves or flanks when the armies are engaged. Be quick in keeping them out of harms way though.

[Ahiga]

Does Greek Fire work from the walls of a fortress? Can you shoot down from them?

[joelzhl]

They do work on walls, I put them on top of a gate once but their effectiveness took a dive. The reason is that their volley will only hit 1-2 person each time since they are firing from a high ground and not everyone in your unit gets to fire their weapon. I would just put them behind the gate and have them roast anything that comes through.

[Cataclysm]

I do this:

HGHHGH

Where H = Heavy inf, G = Greek Fire. 90% of the time the Greek Firethrowes will get off a volly, than I immediatley charge my heavy inf and pull my firethrowers to the flanks. Make sure to turn fire at will off or you'll roast your own guys. Use them to shoot the enemy from the sides or rear only if nessicary.

[Duke_of_Bavaria]

If there's a possibility to stand on a slope or a hill do that and place the firethrowers right behind your 1st line. They will shoot above your own units and roast your enemy, totaly imba .
And like some people already pointed out. You can have a thin line of peasants than when some mameluks or janisaries attack you, you roast them and some peasants. But who cares about peasants? ^^

[Internazionale]

The peasants do xD

[Boz]

I've only have used three times usefully.

1º Open the gates and break the walls, usually one enemy unit stay at the door, send your unit by the wall and when you are inside the city attack to the unit. The exit is assured!

2º When the enemy is blocking the path to the centre of the city, go with your unit by another route and shoot to the back.

3º Maintain it in the retaguard, and when the enemy general attacks one of your units, burn it to death (this mean lose one unit)

[Trajan]

Moved to Battle Planning.

[FriendoftheDork]

I don't use them very efficiently, but damn effectively. I place them behind the front line (usually, then maneuver them to the flank, and start torching units.

Because of lack of microing I often end up losing half or more after a battle, but I often get 250-400 kills with them. Not bad for a 40 man unit? Not to mention fear.

I've yet to try more than one at a time though.. the hi/gf/hi/gf formation looks interesting.

[goodmann]

It is very easy, ive used them successfully many times.

My first time was on my crusades campaign as Antioch. The first move I made was to take a full stack by boat to constantinople. I was able to buy a greekfire mercenary and prepared my attack.

The constantinople general and heavy calvary was engaged with my spearmen and he still had some elite troops on the walls, so I took my Greekfire and put them on the walls at the doorway and put them on guard. As the infantry were going down from the walls to help their general, my flamethrowers basically destroyed their unit in .5 sec.

Basically what you want to do is set them to guard mode and match them vs infantry.

***** SPOILER ********


My second time using them was vs the venetians who go for constantinople at like turn 20. They had 3 stacks at the city and I set my greekfire throwers to match up vs their infantry line at the center of the city. They literally tear up infantry instantly, they never reached my firethrowers.

Then for fun on custom games I matched up 5 greek firethrowers + 1 general vs 12 antioch full rank canon of the holy sepulcher on custom games.

Basically my firethrowers destroyed them.

Key is, make sure they are on guard mode and the enemy is coming to you - infantry only - horse will kill you.

(btw canons are the best units in the game i swear, i once had 20 canonofths vs 200 mongol heavy archers and won)

[Prince Constantius]

Use them in city squares.
The narrow path and the route that your enemies are forced to take when trying to capture the square mean they will bottle up within firing range,hehe.