Stakes? What stakes?

[I Am Herenow]

Hi everyone

I've recently acquired MII and Kingdoms and have heard that deploying stakes in front of archers is a new tactic introduced in MII.

However, after winning my first campaign as France, I only managed to get the stakes option ONCE in all my battles, and in that battle it was still available as the special attack for one out of ten ranged units.

How do I deploy stakes more reliably, and are they actually that useful?

Thanks!

[SonOfThunder]

Stakes are only available for certain units. I know the English longbowmen get them and certain other archers get them as well. I'm assuming you had a special mercenary group who had the stakes ability?

EDIT: And yes, they are uber-useful, especially when the enemy cavalry decides it wants to run right into them...

[Metzgershund]

Part of why the English campaign is so damn easy. The stakes are very useful not only in open field battle but assuming the siege AI does not bring catapults, ballistas, or any other form of recruited siege with them and depend on the battering rams, ladders and siege towers, you can deploy stakes on the inside of the gate facing the gate and when the enemy break through with a ram their infantry ranks are broken and any cavalry that attempt to come through are completely decimated.

I suggest stakes inside the gate and spearmen behind them followed by heavy inf. if the enemy has any cavalry whatsoever. The AI likes to charge their general straight through the gate when I deploy stakes behind it, which kills him and usually causes a mass rout. The AI is that stupid on VH/VH.

[candle_86]

i cant figure out how to use them

[SonOfThunder]

If you have a unit that has the stakes ability, you have to set up the stakes when you're in the deployment phase of a battle(took me forever to figure that out). There should be a little icon for stakes, like where the fire-arrow icon is for archers...the archers will deploy the stakes right in front of where they're standing. You can't deploy mid-battle though.

[Mauzeer]

Important thing is:when you deploy stakes if you MOVE your archers on other position,you need to deploy stakes again,coz they disappeared in first place you put them

[Monsieur Alphonse]

Units that can deploy stakes:
England: longbows, yeomen, retinue
The Turks: Janissary archers
Poland: Lithuanian archers
Mercenaries: Welsh long-bowmen, free company longbows

[Marcus Fulvius]

remember to be careful with your stakes though...

your own cavalry and general can spit themselves on your stakes if you attempt to move them through them at anything other than a walking pace.

course, that only applies when going into the stakes head on... as in charging the rear of an enemy unit during a flanking manuever.

you can charge through stakes no problem from behind, but that does interupt the charge because it disrupts your cavalry formation.

[Old Geezer]

Stakes are very useful for preventing a cavalry charge. However, the AI cavalry can and will come through them but very slowly so as to avoid being damaged. I have to be very careful not to accidentally catch a tip of one of my cavalry units charging around near stakes.

They can be difficult to place properly. They are most effective in defending a bridge crossing by making a "V" at the end of the bridge. When the enemy comes close to the stakes I retreat the archers and move in some spearmen to hold the line. If you don't have enough mass of men the AI will slowly push your men back and come through the stakes. Same thing at the gatehouse but you get to dump oil on the congested AI troops.

[I Am Herenow]

Thanks, everyone - they were mercenaries that had the stakes option, yeah, and now I see why I couldn't use them: because I was France! I had thought that stakes were available to all archers previously.

Ah well, live and learn.

[Tankfriend]

Be careful when using siege equipment and/or elephants in connection with stakes though; last time I remember using them in a combination I accidently stomped my own stakes into the ground and thus making them disappear...

[Bumson]

Monsieur Alphonse or anyone else that knows the answer,


Where can I get any of the following 2 units....

Mercenaries: Welsh long-bowmen, free company longbows


Also, are these units available in Medieval Total War II or just Kingdoms?

Can any faction recruit them, for example France?


I ask b/c throughout my campaign I've wanted to use stakes but have been unable to do so or even locate them. So is there any way France can get and use stake laying units? If so, what are the requirements?

[Monsieur Alphonse]

@ Bumson

Welsh Longbowmen Mercs can be found in London, Nottingham, York and Caernarvon after 1300. Free Company Longbowmen can be found in modern day France (Paris, Angers, Caen, Bordeaux, Marseille, Rennes, Dijon, Metz, Rheims and Toulouse) and northern Italy (Bologna, Florence, Rome, Genoa, Milan and Venice) between 1338 and 1470.

[Trajan]

Moved to Battle Planning.