How dwarves deal with skirmishers/archers?

[Puerkl8r]

Besides mercenary cavalry, which isn't always available, How can dwarves deal with skirmishers and archers?

I find that I lose masses of troops to archers/skirmishers before i can engage in melee, I don't really see any way around it. I thought once i got crossbow units that i would be able to handle it but crossbowmen vs archers is completely one sided and not an option, they do help with skirmishers though, but only if the enemy has no archers, which they always do. Are the dwarves just a gimped faction or am I doing something wrong or what?

[slowbro]

send halberdiers after them with shield wall off they are really really really fast

[jản]

use one unit as cannon fodder which is the only unit in the first row of your formation. use two units slightly
behind and on to the left & right of this unit to flank on the skirmishers from the sides - not at the front.
that should help getting them or at least to stop them from shooting.

[slowbro]

just do a test in custom battle halberdiers outrun the archers

[Shocked]

Avoid all open battles unless you're defending, and only fight in cities, otherwise auto resolve

[jản]

Avoid all open battles unless you're defending, and only fight in cities, otherwise auto resolve

wow, amazing tip. hear the sarcasm - i hope you are only kiddin as well.

[Shocked]

wow, amazing tip. hear the sarcasm - i hope you are only kiddin as well.

Mm, well you have to be awesome for it to work, it works for me xD

It is so easy to avoid open field battles.. go straight for their cities.. I will upload my screenshots of my current dwarven campaign battle on an open field where I defended ontop of a hill close to Gram, its much easier to defend in open field battles. If you attack another army on an open field battle, you are asking to be beaten.

[Lordinquisitor]

wow, amazing tip. hear the sarcasm - i hope you are only kiddin as well.

I practically do the same.

Other options are; Surrounding them, killing them with crossbows or waiting till they have no javelins left.

[Shocked]

I practically do the same.

Other options are; Surrounding them, killing them with crossbows or waiting till they have no javelins left.

That last option you said was the worst hahaa xD

[Puerkl8r]

wow, amazing tip. hear the sarcasm - i hope you are only kiddin as well.

sadly that's the best advice anybody has given, i played the same battle 4 times, 2 with me in control and 2 auto resolve...the 2 that i auto resolved i took way fewer losses. It's sad that archers can destroy heavy troops just as easily as light troops. I wasn't planning on using RC/RR when it comes out for 2.1 but I probably will now since it apparently fixes the OPness of archers.

Once again, dwarves vs skirmishers... oh well...

If you exclude dale cavalery and crossbows what do you think you can do?

Head straight for the city battles, otherwise autoresolve: dwarves OWNS in autoresolve.

If you want to fight open battles, or you are forced to, try not to end the turn in open plains, but follow the hills. ALWAYS include crossbows and mercenary cavarly (i don't care if you want to exclude them, you simply CAN'T). Ignore light skirmishers and archers (like snagas or orc archers), annihilate the rest of the enemy army. Then spread your formation and chase them until they reach the map limits. If you don't have much units to chase them all at the same time, chase them one after another.

You will suffer losses, but it's inevitable. Anyway, your high armor will help, and if you are smart enough to use other units to keep the enemy under pressure and you don't show your back at the enemy missile units, you won't lose too much warriors.

crossbows are not a match for archers. they aren't nearly as accurate it seems like, and shoot like 3x slower, a crossbow unit will get destroyed by an archer unit before it can inflict significant damage even in spread formation. In fact the only roll i can see for crossbow units is vs heavy armor when there are no archers in the enemy army.

[Vifarc]

crossbows are not a match for archers. they aren't nearly as accurate it seems like, and shoot like 3x slower,

Then you don't know how to use your shielded infantry: you must disturb archer skirmishers with. In my battles vs snagas, crossbows do its job, they are the best gob killers and have few loss.

[Lordinquisitor]

Well, not really. You just lose a few dwarves.. If you position them right only one unit will be attacked, and dwarven warriors are pretty good in soaking up javelins and arrows.

[Mikail Mengsk]

Once again, dwarves vs skirmishers... oh well...

If you exclude dale cavalery and crossbows what do you think you can do?

Head straight for the city battles, otherwise autoresolve: dwarves OWNS in autoresolve.

If you want to fight open battles, or you are forced to, try not to end the turn in open plains, but follow the hills. ALWAYS include crossbows and mercenary cavarly (i don't care if you want to exclude them, you simply CAN'T). Ignore light skirmishers and archers (like snagas or orc archers), annihilate the rest of the enemy army. Then spread your formation and chase them until they reach the map limits. If you don't have much units to chase them all at the same time, chase them one after another.

You will suffer losses, but it's inevitable. Anyway, your high armor will help, and if you are smart enough to use other units to keep the enemy under pressure and you don't show your back at the enemy missile units, you won't lose too much warriors.

[slowbro]

did a speed test flat ground they were faster than skirmishers which came second with rest of infantry far behind

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

[Bloodzen]

When I was playing as the Dwarves I modded it so as OoMM Snagas and Balcoth tribesmen couldn't use skirmish... I pretty much quit because it was so easy afterwards

[Alex-ander]

Yes Cavalry and Iron crossbow Dwarves. The axe throwers also work if they can get in close but the skirmishers seem to have greater range so your axe throwers will get shot to bits unless you can get them close in quickly.

[Asatavita]

Dwarven war machines doing extra damage on units. Always have 2-3 of them in major armies. Im using cavalry only for strike down runing enemy. Besids - best way to slay troll or nazgul is catapult. Try rain fire on them and thay will come in close range, the rest is easy...

[Bloodly]

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=360020

Accuracy for Crossbows vs most other archers is equal. Range is worse, though.

[Puerkl8r]

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=360020

Accuracy for Crossbows vs most other archers is equal. Range is worse, though.

Must just seem like it because they shoot slower.

[CtrlAltDe1337]

The crossbows have a much slower rate of fire.