Wooden Stakes, and troops ability to completely ignore their presence.

**JiangZiya** · August 05, 2009, 10:46 PM

Step 1 - Deploy Stakes
Step 2 - Wait for the attack
Step 3 - Lose all of my archers to Hobiguirs.

Never again will I count on them. Anyone know of a particularly good way to utilize them? What I am attempting is to put a few light infantry units in front of them, and lure cavalry into them in a feint, but.. it's still not doing barely anything.

Also, do they have any effectiveness against infantry?

**Caesar Clivus** · August 05, 2009, 11:22 PM

Stakes only work against cavalry. And if memory serves, you can walk cavalry through stakes....although I might be wrong about that.

I usually end up only using stakes to protect my flanks when I dont have enough infantry to do the job. A wall of spearmen is more flexible as they can move and can adapt to changing conditions during the battle...also it lessens the risk of totally retarded mistakes along the lines of forgetting you put stakes down

**zchmrkenhoff** · August 05, 2009, 11:27 PM

Step One: Wait for the Mongols to approach one of your settlements.
Step Two: Build a single unit of stake-able archers in the settlement.
Step Three: Let the Mongols attack your settlement and build stakes in the gate entrance.
Step Four: Post how you just killed 3000 mongols with a set of stakes onto the TWC Forums

**Caesar Clivus** · August 05, 2009, 11:52 PM

Using stakes in settlements is one of the biggest exploits you can use in battles. The AI cannot take them into account and so wont even try to avoid them.

**JiangZiya** · August 06, 2009, 12:06 AM

Mm yeah honestly, I would not enjoy do that. I'd rather lose the settlement than use an exploit such as this. Thanks for making me aware of this though.

Caesar, does the AI generally walk through the stakes, or do they not break their charge and blaze through them in a glorious whirlwind?

**HighLord z0b** · August 06, 2009, 12:23 AM

I think that infantry can ignore stakes entirely, charging right through them.

**XICenturionIX** · August 06, 2009, 02:17 AM

I only use stakes if my line can't hold both flanks.

**zchmrkenhoff** · August 06, 2009, 02:22 AM

If you are going to try to invade my settlement with a huge force of cavalry, then I'm going to put a huge row of stakes in your path so you can't get into my settlement. I don't see this as an exploit, but a way to send a message to the world that perhaps just zerging with overpowered cavalry isn't the best tactic to use all the time.

**Caesar Clivus** · August 06, 2009, 03:19 AM

Originally Posted by LeNoir

Caesar, does the AI generally walk through the stakes, or do they not break their charge and blaze through them in a glorious whirlwind?

I do not think I have ever seen the AI walk through stakes. That being said, I can't say if the newer battle AIs have been able to change this or not.

Originally Posted by zchmrkenhoff

If you are going to try to invade my settlement with a huge force of cavalry, then I'm going to put a huge row of stakes in your path so you can't get into my settlement. I don't see this as an exploit, but a way to send a message to the world that perhaps just zerging with overpowered cavalry isn't the best tactic to use all the time.

It's an exploit because the AI can't tell that the stakes are there at all and can't do a single thing to avoid them. If you take advantage of a shortcoming of the AI, then it's an exploit.

**merocaine** · August 06, 2009, 05:59 AM

It's an exploit because the AI can't tell that the stakes are there at all and can't do a single thing to avoid them. If you take advantage of a shortcoming of the AI, then it's an exploit.

That exploit is the only thing allowing me to survive an endless supply of full mongol stacks pouring out of the vast Mongol empire next door. Without that exploit my game would be unplayable, The Cuman Kanate, The Persian Empire, the Turks, all destroyed, Norvo and Kiev and Egypt reduced to a few provinces. The Mongols are so big and bad in my game its terrifying. The 6.2 money script makes big AI factions really dangerous to the player.

**Andrew1994** · August 06, 2009, 07:23 AM

Cavarly CAN walk through stakes.I have tested myself

**Mithrantir** · August 06, 2009, 11:28 AM

Originally Posted by Andrew1994

Cavarly CAN walk through stakes.I have tested myself

I have lost too many cavalry units (even a general

) on friendly stakes. Even when i was aware of the possibility and forced my unit to walk instead of run, i had casualties (less than if they run, but still casualties).
You got no losses at all?

**Andrew1994** · August 09, 2009, 07:24 AM

Originally Posted by Mithrantir

I have lost too many cavalry units (even a general

) on friendly stakes. Even when i was aware of the possibility and forced my unit to walk instead of run, i had casualties (less than if they run, but still casualties).
You got no losses at all?

You know,this could depend on the mods and submods you use.
I order a unit of light cavarly do march in loose formation through enemy stakes.They passed forward them without difficulty and with no losses at all.They were avoiding the stakes as in the reality.

**themoob** · August 06, 2009, 07:53 AM

Once Ireland send an almost full stack of their light cavalry unit and attacked one of my worn-down armies. Most of the units left were archers that could deploy stakes and spear men. I created a large defensive circle with my army, using lots of stakes and spearmen plugging the gaps. The light cavalry took a while to charge, as they could not find a weak spot. Eventually they did, most of their cavalry fell to the stakes.