How do you use Phalanx units offensively?

[timmy1992]

I can't seem to crack the code. :/

I'm playing Carthage right now and a little over half my army consists of Sacred Band, which work magic defensively. The problem is, every time I attack, I have no idea what to do with them. (besides just right clicking them into a group of people who are tied up by cavalry atm, which isn't all that effective.)

Any tips?

[Prince_of_Macedon]

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[Cmdr_Sdxo]

March them right in front of the enemy with the phalanx mode off, then hit the "form phalanx"-button.

Also, if your men whip out their swords while in phalanx mode and you want them to use their spears, you can press the "stop"-button and they'll change to spears instantly(useful when the enemy cavalry breaks into your phalanx).

[GeneralChaos]

Are you keeping your phalanxes together? Usually I'll line up 4 or 5 phalanx units, click +drag them, and keep them close to one another. The minute a phalanx is isolated from the rest of the army, it's in trouble.

Also, are you riding around with cavalry or fast moving infantry? With phalanxes, you want to pin an enemy unit with your phalanx while another unit comes around and attacks it from the rear/side.

Hope that helps

[fourganger]

You can't really use Phalanx troops offensively, they simply weren't designed for that. Use them to pin an enemy in place and flank them with missile troops, sword carriers, or cavalry.

[Kraut]

Specially in case of Carthage, you are lucky to have a strong cavalry arm available. As mentioned before, Phalanxes are not really good for offensive purposes. This is a real problem if you play the Greek Cities (which have crappy Cav only) but playing a faction with BOTH heavy phalanxes and good strike cavalry (like Carthage or Macedon...) you have everything you need.

Draw up your phalanxes in a closed battle line, drive this line into the enemy (pinning them) and then wheel your cavalry around the enemy flanks to hit them in the back or in the side. Voila, Victory.

[Mangalore]

Lacking good cavalry it boils down to boxing the enemy in and routing him in a battle of attrition. The thing is, you don't have to walk about in phalanx formation. Maintain a battleline while use other phalanx units supported with light troops to wheel around the flanks, redeploy to phalanx and start attacking engaged units from two sides. One or two covering units to stave off cavalry and you get a mobile phalanx force.

With a phalanx you simply have far greater standing power than other units as it takes time before the enemy manages to hurt you in close combat.

In the case of carthage you however have enough cavalry to use your phalanx solely as anvil, however the Sacred Band is a strong enough unit to also fight in close combat outside phalanx formation against most foes so there is little reason to limit them to the phalanx.

[Aristarchus]

I agree, the Sacred Band is a good infantry unit off phalanx. As Carthage, I kept a center line ready to form a phalanx front as needed, along with units on the flanks ready to charge forward once the spears had the enemy pinned.

[Xavier Dragnesi]

Sacred Band is a good infantry unit both as phalanx and as normal, in my opinion.

[conquestor]

Phalanxes are rather hard to use offensively. If you turn off phalanx mode and make them run, they get pretty tired once they reach their destination, however this would not apply to spartan or silver shield phalanxes, which have high stamina.

[Mangalore]

Phalanxes are rather hard to use offensively. If you turn off phalanx mode and make them run, they get pretty tired once they reach their destination, however this would not apply to spartan or silver shield phalanxes, which have high stamina.

Don't let them run then. Running is for flanking moves or for quick chases to claim a dominant terrain feature, not as the default mode. You can always let the forward phalanx soak up the missiles while your flanking units consisting of phalanx units out of phalanx remain in oblique order to charge around the enemy only when you're close. Most units can run more than enough of a distance before tiring to make this a problem.

[fourganger]

Also, try and get the high ground. Phalanx on high ground is beastly. Especially if you stack some missile troops behind them.

[Aristarchus]

Indeed! I just faced off a massive army of Pontus with many hillmen and supporting cavalry, chariot, and peltast. I was heavy on basic militia phalanx units. I started on a far end to climb a close hilltop, knowing my main reinforcement was coming from that side. He raced toward my small force with my general before I could top the hill, but I had enough cavalary to chase him away, and by the time his infantry reached me, my reinforcements took the hilltop, crashed the peltasts in the rear who thought they were safe - no phalanx mode necessary for that - then I threw an arc of pikes around him and bore down the hill with missiles behind. Very satisfying rout.

[Quintus the Great]

The phalanx is better for defense, but can still be effective offensively, if used right. When you are the attacker sometimes the enemy army runs and forms up right in front of you and just waits. Use any ranged units(archers are best) and wear down the generals unit. Best-case scenario you will kill the general and destroy the enemies morale. Use any remaining ammo and use fire on the frontline troops to further weaken their morale. If you have any cavalry units, move them all to the right side of your army and just let them set there. I think it is best to use a left-to-right sweeping motion as this puts your spears into their undefended flank, and puts theirs in to the shields of your men. Depending on the ratio of your troops to theirs, you may want the last unit on the right to sweep in from the right. Usually with 2 phalanxes attacking a unit will rout quickly. Then send those phalanxes on the right sweeping into the left flank of the enemy army. Use your cavalry then to sweep behind and either kill the routing units or to take out any missile troops. After that just send them straight into the backs of your enemy and their entire army will be crushed!!!

[fourganger]

Another tip- unless they have really low morale (like a Gallic warband), wait till enemy troops engaged with your phalanx are shown as "wavering" till you flank them with your cavalry. That way they will certainly rout on the first charge. IIRC, killing the general immediately leads to "wavering" if only for a short time.

One other thing is that elephants really come into their own with phalanx armies. Charge them across the enemy lines and they wreak destruction, just make sure they don't get bogged down, and try and wait till they are "fresh" or "warmed up" before charging.

[Aristarchus]

This discussion raises a question about the best way to approach the enemy with a phalanx unit. Typically I leave them in standard mode to maintain flexibility and enable running for position if necessary. But lately I noticed against formidable archer opposition, the phalanx apparently resists better in phalanx mode during the approach. Apparently their shields are forward then. (This is with basic militia hoplites of Seleucia). Anyone have more experience on this?

[fourganger]

This discussion raises a question about the best way to approach the enemy with a phalanx unit. Typically I leave them in standard mode to maintain flexibility and enable running for position if necessary. But lately I noticed against formidable archer opposition, the phalanx apparently resists better in phalanx mode during the approach. Apparently their shields are forward then. (This is with basic militia hoplites of Seleucia). Anyone have more experience on this?

It's a combination of forward facing shields as you described, but also of the pikes in the back ranks being raised up, which also protects (to a degree at least) against missile fire

[Elvani]

The other fun thing to do is move close enough to the enemy, that when a phalanx is fomed, the pike hafts crash onto the enemy. Since the two things can't occupy the same space, the unfortunate underneath the pike will die quite quickly, this is also good is chasing routing units, as it kills off whole ranks.

[AqD]

I can't seem to crack the code. :/

I'm playing Carthage right now and a little over half my army consists of Sacred Band, which work magic defensively. The problem is, every time I attack, I have no idea what to do with them. (besides just right clicking them into a group of people who are tied up by cavalry atm, which isn't all that effective.)

Any tips?

Fix the enemy with anything, then move a phalanx unit to its rear, form phalanx, and push => back-thrust them all to death
________
Homemade Glass Vaporizer

[Angrychris]

in defensive siege scenarios u can just leave them in phalanx formation and let the enemy run and die into them. in offense u can just keep them in formation and walk right into the enemy ai. one thing i wouldnt recommend is turning the phalanx formation on/off while the unit is engaged in combat. while having good calv u really shouldnt have a problem with anything.