best army setup (for each faction)

[eugenioso]

weird i dont think ive seen a thread like this before.

anyway, what do you think are the best army setups for each faction (assuming you play the campaign instead of MP, where things are a bit different)?

i still like the silvan elves, and my build is usually 2 or 3 general units, 3 or 4 elven spearmen to soak up damage/garrison, and the rest elven sentinels, or their better or worse counterparts.

so the spearmen (great morale) take the brunt of the enemy charge if necessary, or simply set them behind the archer line and when the enemy infantry gets close to the archers and they skirmish away, the spearmen kill the weakened enemy units. the bodyguards are great for melee combat against light troops and even medium troops sometimes, but they stink against bigger enemies. i usually use them to charge the enemy flanks or engage enemy generals. the archers concentrate their fire onto masses of infantry and skirmish away when necessary. if facing snaga skirmishers, i concentrate my fire on them first to either rout them or stop the from launching their javelins at my archers or spearmen.

[Elitewolf]

for Dale

1 General with full command/fear
10 archers (usually 50/50 longbowmen/woodsmen, best I can get)
6 Dalish Swordsmen
2 Rhovanian Gadraughts (replaced by Hearth watchmen/more Swordsmen when they die off)
2 Yeomen/Dale Cavalry for capturing routers

Profit. The archers shoot em in the face, the melee'ers keep em busy till they run, with the cavalry charging them in the rear when they hold out for more then 10 seconds. If there's no friendly fire, I lose maybe 70 guys, and kill a whole horde. Trolls up this by a 100, but I just let the cheapest unit take their charge,, and charge them from behind with the cav, killing 1 or 2.

I really love Dale

[Mikail Mengsk]

There is no best army: every player has his style.

For me, for example, a 10-archers army is an horrific vision and i'll NEVER land one, so my "perfect army" will be another one.

Also, against the AI almost all armies are best ones. Against a skilled human player, that army would be slaughtered.

[Moneybags14]

For me, for example, a 10-archers army is an horrific vision and i'll NEVER land one, so my "perfect army" will be another one.

Also, against the AI almost all armies are best ones. Against a skilled human player, that army would be slaughtered.

I liked your first sentence. But realize, that archers own even in MP, 3/4 stack of archers seems to be the way to go in MP, especially when someone was dale, 16 archers....

[Baywatch]

I liked your first sentence. But realize, that archers own even in MP, 3/4 stack of archers seems to be the way to go in MP, especially when someone was dale, 16 archers....

This.

As dale or either elven faction, the more archers the better. The AI is dumber than a person, so naturally what works against other people will work ridiculously well against the AI. To be honest, as most factions going with around 10 archers isn't a bad army at all. But, against the AI you can usually pull just about anything off so, I recommend playing in the way that you find funnest.

I usually go with quantity over quality in my armies unless it's really late in the campaign and I can have both. So mostly armies formed of lower gentry supported by a few elites. It's usually a pretty even archer/infantry/cavalry mix.

[Meckerdrache]

I liked your first sentence. But realize, that archers own even in MP, 3/4 stack of archers seems to be the way to go in MP, especially when someone was dale, 16 archers....

That is a balanceproblem since 2.0. The archers are too good.

[Rero]

5 eriador BG:s..... divide and destroy

edit: just make sure the enemy dont have cav or pikes

[jinjo]

it's easy for rohan
1 general cavalry and 19 cavalry units too seems good (not vs dwarfs of course)

[Muffer Nl]

A mix of archers, pikemen and siege weapons that is adjusted to the foe that is being fought. Against Harad when it is fielding Mumakill I will field more siege than against the Elves.

[ISA Gunner]

Harad - 20 Mumakil.

[Arágion]

Harad - 20 Mumakil.

HAHAHA!!

I give you +rep for this

[wohnzimmer]

Harad - 20 Mumakil.

Then I choose 20 catapults to see your Mumakils run amok

[Baywatch]

Then I choose 20 catapults to see your Mumakils run amok

Or 20 javelin units preferably cavalry.

[jản]

//

There is no universal "best" army setup for TATW. It always depends on your playing
style, your skills and mostly on the enemy you face. For every unit there is at least
one useful counter-unit that maybe sucks on fighting other units but is very effective
against certain enemy units.

Pelagir Marines f.e. are really great against cavalry, Mumakil and Trolls but they don't
bring you any good advantage when you face an enemy stack consisting of mostly archers.
I guess you get what i mean.

But the problem (and i like that) in TATW is that you can't always set up your stacks for
a specific enemy because you have very long ways to travel to the enemies due to AORs,
lacking money and culture levels. But you should at least fit your stacks to the enemy
faction you are planning on fighting. (always try use the enemies weaknesses and disadvantages
to your advantage.)

Additionally you should rely on the unit-advantages of the faction you are playing. That means
for elves go with archers, for Rohan cavalry, for orcs on massive cheap units and so on ...

For a universal stack:

First of all - take a spy with you (he can join the stack that you use). Use this spy on enemy
stacks that you gonna attack, that you can prepare the upcoming battle.

To at least balance battle results you have to create two stacks that you assemble before you
attack by fitting the one you will use on a specific enemy army. This two stacks should have
units of every type: melee, archers, javelins, cavalry and very important in a 50 turns+ game
ballistas/catapults. Also it is important to have cheap militia in your stacks that are abdicable
which should always build the first line in your battle formation - because that units you will loose
for sure. With the information the spy gathered you can put together a army out of your two stacks
that fit the enemy army.

But the most important thing is to get an own fighting style. Create own tactics and fighting strategies
and an own fighting style. With the right strategy you can beat the game with simple elven militia
that is available from the start.

//

[eugenioso]

okay, who summoned the god of total war to come mess up my thread XD

i just meant for people to say their best army setup for each faction. i KNOW there is no perfect army, or best, or whatever. but for example, you wont spam light infantry as the elves and try to melee trolls. likewise, Mordor wont benefit from having 20 olog hai (ok maybe they will XD) as they are expensive and easily killed if you have the right counter like ballistas.

also, last thing...

...you can beat the game with simple elven militia
that is available from the start.

hahaha you is whacked

[Baywatch]

hahaha you is whacked

He's actually quite right, instead of having one stack of elite units you can have multiple with lower level units. Or you can just beat the AI to a pulp even with militia in most cases because it's that stupid.

[son of romans]

I definetly can say that in TA the best is a army composed from 6 Generals bodyguard cavalry,4 units of hevy cavalry,3 units os pikeman or speramen with shild wall and 7 units of arcers.

[menawati]

Jan covered everything really but here is what I use as general purpose army of Rhun.

4 archer units (best available)
4 clan guard or loke-gamp-rim if available
2 variag horsearchers
2 balchoth tribesmen
1 general
4 clan warriors or loke-flag-rim if they are available
3 horse guard or loke-innas-rin if available

[Mikail Mengsk]

For the time someone can afford all those late-game units, he should have already won

[gloin99]

Try to fight with full stack of archers against Rohan with their full stack of Riders and you will get crushed. And btw fighting with 6 generals is pitiful. A real army has one general and a good mix of everything so one can beat any other army.