Shield wall, how to use it effectively

[YourOnlineHero]

No, im not going to tell you how to use the shieldwall formation effectively. Because I dont have a scooby.

Ive tried to figure it out in custom battles by using them standing still with guard mode on, attacking with it off, all of the possible combinations i could think off against a unit with the same stats. But I dont see any real use for it. To me it just looks like they all cram together, then when they go into melee a few of them move forward and fight on there own while the shield wall doesnt do much.

When I first discovered this formation I was hoping that it would make them act like the roman legionnaires, where they push forward with the shields and stab between the spaces.

Can anyone enlighten me?

[Lysimachus]

If you click them to move behind the enemy they'll push them away.

[YourOnlineHero]

In guard mode?

[django333]

The best use for shield wall is defending gates. Put two units against the gate in shield wall formation to keep attackers from breaking through. That's really the only time I ever use it. It could be effective if cavalry charges a spear unit head on but that doesn't happen often.

[Knight of Heaven]

If you click them to move behind the enemy they'll push them away.

That is a exploit, and every unit does that, dont need to be in shieldwall.

What is Guard mode? I hear it all the time, but don't actually know what it is, how to activate it, or whatever. Help?

Read the manual of MTW2, or play the tutorial. its a feature that is present in Total series since Shogun. The unit will stay in position, and will not porsue the enemy if he routs. its just click on the shield button on units actions panel.

[Sokar Rostau]

Originally Posted by Legnica
If you click them to move behind the enemy they'll push them away.

That is a exploit, and every unit does that, dont need to be in shieldwall.

I don't know where you get this idea from. When you click behind a unit the unit you order will try to run through the enemy without fighting, mixing with them and, quite often, get slaughtered in the process.

[Knight of Heaven]

I don't know where you get this idea from. When you click behind a unit the unit you order will try to run through the enemy without fighting, mixing with them and, quite often, get slaughtered in the process.

Yes that is true, but some times in the walls are quite usefull to gain an advantage.

This is often used by some players to break phalanx formations in RTW. wich is also a bug, they should get killed of course. Like in medieval.

[SirDestroyer]

If you click them to move behind the enemy they'll push them away.

I take heavy casualties if I do that.

[Vaz]

What is Guard mode? I hear it all the time, but don't actually know what it is, how to activate it, or whatever. Help?

[El Greco]

What is Guard mode? I hear it all the time, but don't actually know what it is, how to activate it, or whatever. Help?

I use it for spearmen behind the gates. It is the shield button at the lower part of the unit buttons. It means that when a unit is attacked, it does not attack back, it only defends.

[Kamakai]

What is Guard mode? I hear it all the time, but don't actually know what it is, how to activate it, or whatever. Help?

When you click it your unit wont chase the enemy if they run away.

[Zaraki]

From what i seen i think Shield wall is useful for defending + It hard to break through. i think you kill alittle slower but you also die slower.. which is good.. if you got ranges behind you or such or offensive units.. as the..

lol i found out the sad truth about shield wall

when i was a noob.. i still am but

Archers/xbow men

Shield wall..

Slowly advances towards archers... sadly i heard it make it easier for archers/xbow men to kill me since i'm clutter togther(hard to miss)

i wished it blocked arrows with shields(then i'll pull off spartan acts lol)

[Naked Emperor]

I can´t say that I have used shield wall effectively, maybe I´ll try it out more. I have used it occasionally but without success, mostly in sieges, I find that my shieldwalled unit mostly dies like flies while the enemy pours through the gates

[Sneaking Viper]

Shield walls are quite effective in defense of castles, having 2 or more units at the gate stops the enemy in his tracks, it is effective in all siege fights, but double in castles since oil will pour down over the troops trying to get in. Also using shield walls to protect retreating troops is quite effective since the chance of a cavalry unit ramming through is quite small.

[merocaine]

I use shield wall when playing with the CBUR rooster RR/RC.

Its very effective with spearmen when used against cavalry. Esp if you have Javelin men behind your

spears.

Very useful when being harrassed by archers. Because your bunched together your a much

smaller target for arrow showers. Do not use against archers who can pick a target (horse archers) they

will cut you to pieces.

When attacking, the spearmen surge forward as a group, its like a mini cavalry charge and sends the

opposition flying. Useful for forcing a breach in a line, or a gate (do not use if burning oil is an issue).

In a melee you die slower, handy when waiting for the cavalry.

Hope this helps

[Taiji]

Enable guard mode.

Double right-click behind enemy.

When your forces are bunched up against enemy, click attack.

Disable guard mode.

Best used on opponents rear or flanks, so they don't have time to attack back.

You can roll up an enemy line doing this. It's an evil exploit

[vimy]

Shield wall increases the defence of the unit from the front, at the cost of mobility. Its better used for defence but is also a good formation to wear down an enemy in any circumstance.

here is a shield wall tactic I use in open field sometimes. Basically a variation of the roman manicles.
Keep your Infantry in two lines. Front line spears, second line swords or maces.

as the enemy gets close, but well before the attck, switch your spears to shield wall.
this will open gaps in your line as the shield wall takes less space than standard formation.
It also increases the defence of your spear units.

The enemy will crash against your line and try to break through. Both armies will tire, but your men will have a slight defencive advantage.If you see them tire, or if you see your line falter, use the gaps in the line you created earlier when you switched to shield wall,to charge home your 2nd line and still very fresh infantry,

Often, if done right, this can hasten or even begin a general route of an enemy. Especially if you have cavlry attacking the flanks and or rear.

After that, get the bucket, its time to mop up.

[merocaine]

very nice, i'm going to try that out tonight....

[odyseusz79]

I did a few quick custom battles to test shield wall. Medium difficulty, one unit of Polish spearmen versus one unit of Teutonic rittenbruders. The battle took place during daytime, in good weather, with the spearmen unit slightly uphill of the cavalry. In each battle, the cavalry charged the front of the spearmen, fought for a bit, withdrew, reformed, and then charged again, from a slightly different angle. Here are the results (I only did three battles):

1. Spearmen in medium-wide formation (maybe 4-5 ranks), no shield wall. Spearmen withstood 3 charges of the rittenbruders, then broke. Killed 17 of 31 enemies.

2. Spearmen in medium-wide formation, with shield wall. Spearmen withstand 2 charges, then break, killing only 13 enemmies.

3. Spearmen in wide formation (2 ranks), with shield wall. Spearmen withstand 2 charges, break the ritters on the second charge, kill 30 enemies.

Again, it was only three battles, but for what it's worth, it seems that shield wall is only effective from the front (as one might expect), so when the formation is medium-wide, or narrow, even though it looks "tough" (a solid rectangle with deep ranks), it actually isn't that tough. The charging cavalry formation is wider, so the knights wrap around the spearmen formation and end up attacking the spearmen from the sides and back. On the other hand, the wide spearmen formation is wider than the cavalry formation, so every cavalryman ends up charging into the front of the wall. The wide spearman formation looks "weak", because it's only two ranks deep, but in fact it has a very long front, which prevents it being attacked from the side.

A side note on shield wall - in shield wall, the commander of the unit is placed BEHIND the wall, and not on the left side of the formation. This makes him a lot more likely to survive the initial charge. I don't know how useful this is in campaign game, but in the one-on-one custom battle it was key.