Stoppping Elephants

[Grogzter]

You might lose very much soldiers while fighting war elephants. I got an tip for you. Lets say that you are defending an town. Elephants is breaking the gates and running in. Have some hoplites behind the gates and give them an surprise. They will easiley die.

[Barry]

Nice tip. Also something to watch out for if you are controlling the elies.

[Praetorian_Mossop]

Or just go all out and position your infantry in a V formation behind the door so anything running in gets slaughtered.

[QuintusJulius-Cicero]

The best way to kill Elephants is very Phalanx troops. thought the best way to beat them is to scare them. flaming arrows seems to do the trick while incendiary pigs are perticularly effective

[Selifator]

Pigs, archers on walls, infantry with javelins, pigs, phalanx, charging with heavy cavalry.

[QuintusJulius-Cicero]

Pigs, archers on walls, infantry with javelins, pigs, phalanx, charging with heavy cavalry.

Charging with heavy cavalry? though i never tried it myself but aren't elephants meant to have extra bonus while fighting against cavalry.

[Selifator]

Don't charge them out of the blue but fire them up with a combination of fire arrows, pigs, hold them with heavy infantry and then charge them with heavy cavalry (preferably generals).

[Barry]

Yikes, I wouldn't dare

[general nuisance]

Pigs (cheap and very effective against ele) and fire arrows, with any luck when they rout they will go through their own army, would never use cavalry (especially a general) as they are too expensive

[Vault Dweller]

DO NOT CHARGE WITH VALUABLE CAVALRY. ESPECIALLY GENERALS. When the elephants die, they fall and kill some of your men. It's not worth the risk of having your general or, if short of cavalry, cavalry killed.

[Eccentric]

If I don't have archers or hoplites I usually use infantry, one unit to take the charge with another unit right behind that and two more to come from the sides and surround them, once the charge is stopped the eles die really fast unless they are pulled out for another charge.

[pannonian]

Try skirmishers. 2 units will stop lower end ellies, while 3 together will kill any class of elephants in any version of RTW. Once that's done, retreat them back to safety and use them later in their other role, flankers.

[Eccentric]

Try skirmishers. 2 units will stop lower end ellies, while 3 together will kill any class of elephants in any version of RTW. Once that's done, retreat them back to safety and use them later in their other role, flankers.

I don't use skirmishers much, it's to hard to keep them away from enemy generals and cavalry.

[pannonian]

I don't use skirmishers much, it's to hard to keep them away from enemy generals and cavalry.

You're not supposed to leave them unsupported, but back them up with nearby heavy inf or cav. I usually dispense with them, keeping a few of them in the reinforcements nearby unless I know I'm facing ellies. When using them, keep them shielded by your infantry until you know where the enemy elephants are going. If the elephants are ploughing into your line before your skirmishers can kill them, continue throwing javelins into the ruck - unit for unit, it's worth mauling your own infantry with your own javelins to get rid of the elephants quicker. When using the local superiority tactic I described here, first drive away nearby enemy reserves so the locality is clear, then target a single unit at a time with each pair of skirmishers. The targeted wing will melt away in no time.

[morteduzionism]

Try skirmishers. 2 units will stop lower end ellies, while 3 together will kill any class of elephants in any version of RTW. Once that's done, retreat them back to safety and use them later in their other role, flankers.

Thank you. What was all that other stuff!? Cavalry, Spearmen, etc......cheap skirmishers (WHO GET A COMBAT BONUS VS. ELEPHANTS!) are all that's needed. Once I began fighting elephants exclusively with skirmishers I realized that elephants aren't anything to really worry about...unless they get past your skirmishers

You're not supposed to leave them unsupported

Exactly! Another tactic is to form/group* your army. If/when some elephants begin to approach...MOVE THE WHOLE ARMY BACK! While the army is moving send the skirmishers to attack the elephants. In most of my experiences elephants usually attack solo(because even the computer AI doesn't want them to run amok near their lines)...that's the main reason for moving the army, you don't want the elephants to go berserk to close to your infantry.

*when I say "group" I do mean using the 'Group' button. Form the army in a way that's easily moved and group them(so they keep that formation)...

[Prince_of_Macedon]

Exactly. Elephants are either hit or miss. They will either screw up royally, or they will screw you royally. They hardly do anything in moderation

[Aristarchus]

I am having my first experience using elephants as Carthage and love the boost against Frank and Briton infantries. By mixing elephants, general, and heavy and light cavalries, I can sweep a flank and start a rout chain, focusing missiles on the next unit in line before the charge. Even swordmen rout if others are falling next to them. I am not up to war elephants yet and have not yet come up against chariots. So far, except for the occasional pike infantry too tough to break, flaming arrows are the one thing that stops the elephants right away.

[Vault Dweller]

They're even more powerful when they run amok in enemy lines. But watch out if they do so in the midst of your cavalry! My merc war elephants went amok in the middle of a HUGE group of Numidian Camel Raiders and the first I knew of it was the number on the Camel's cards more than halved.

[Aristarchus]

Routing elephants indeed is no fun. I confess, after beating my chest here yesterday over my sweeping cavalry/elephant charge, I determined to prove the rout chain tactic and ended up losing my faction leader. Timing of the combined cavalry charge from several units is important, and the warband/sword units can hold if they are layered to support each other and ready for you. Mostly, though, now the Briton generals have auxiliary chariot archers, and the mass of chariots and missiles quickly demoralize my troops and boost theirs more than my elephants frighten them. As Carthage I have only weak slingers against them (gotta invest in onagers). Pushing north is turning out to be a challenge. Chariots are overriding the elephant advantage.

[_TubbZ_]

Also something that hasn't been mentioned, eles can be routed by sheer numberss of light infantry as long as they aren't supported by the rest of their army. Also flaming arrows are very effect vs eles.