How to fight the Mongols as the Turks?

[recentiy03]

What's the trick to beating the Mongols? I have really advanced troops after I upgraded a few cities to the max and yet the Mongols still seem superior in every way...I can barely beat 1 stack of Mongols with a huge advantage, technologically and numerically, forget the other 50...the Mongols are at my doorstep and I'm not sure how to stop them...

[Losthief]

1. money.....
2. money.....
3. castles w/ lots and lots of archers
4. money.....
5. well.....money.....
6. assassians and more money to buy captains

lol...naw...seriously...its all about using the land...there all horse guys, so make 'em chase u up hills and just unload mass archers at them with some heavy cavarly to break up there charges. Also...the castle thing does work if it becomes to much...now the timurids and those stupid elephants....those were trouble...

[RollingWave]

your army is simply inferior to theirs espeically in the open, (very few armies could beat them in the open anyway, at least not until later on ) . the trick is basically the same for everyone, build a lot of infantry / archers , hide behind walls. perferabbly walls with ballista tower or even better... cannon towers.

[Ichon]

In the field elevation is key. If you can find a battlefield with hill use it repeatedly. Bridge works okay as well with the rise on the end and enemy concentrated- one of the few times that artillery might be useful. Late era Persians and Cumans are quite difficult. Turks also a bit but not as much with chance to take Byzantines out before Turks show up and prepare defense.

[Gromovnik]

That sounds like a good plan, but in my battles I always start at the bottom of a canyon or something...

[shikaka]

What's the trick to beating the Mongols? I have really advanced troops after I upgraded a few cities to the max and yet the Mongols still seem superior in every way...I can barely beat 1 stack of Mongols with a huge advantage, technologically and numerically, forget the other 50...the Mongols are at my doorstep and I'm not sure how to stop them...

The easiest is to simply welcome them at one of your citadels, and let them bleed dry in front of your walls. (this is harder with Tims)
Also, you can use bridges, ambushes and elevation to your advantage.

edit:
just realized the 'as the turks' part.
Either block the bridges with archers and heavy infantry, or steal their fire with taking an army of Sipahis. (the mongols will have some foot troops so you will have the advantage in horse archers if you take like 15-18 units)

your army is simply inferior to theirs espeically in the open, (very few armies could beat them in the open anyway, at least not until later on )

This is not necesserily true.
The mongol units are nothing special. For example the 'best horses ever' are not in their roster, but in the Rus/Turks/Egypt.

What makes them tough is that
- their generals are good (often with 7-8 dread)
- their troops have good upgrades and experience (they just arrived from China after all)

If you also have some experience on your troops, and have a good general (to counter their dread), you can beat them in the open. If they stick together (lots of stacks next to each other), you have better chances with a night fighter general.

[Kawee]

The problem with fighting the Mongols in the open field is attrition. It's too costly and with so many of them, you'll bound to run out of troops.

Bridges and siege defense are simply the most cost-effective way of defeating them.

A well garrisoned Fortress or Citadel can hold out against them forever (especially if you use the stake-behind-door-exploit, it's not even fair, so I don't recommend it if you want to enjoy the game.) And a single stack can win 5 consecutive bridge battles.

[shikaka]

The problem with fighting the Mongols in the open field is attrition. It's too costly and with so many of them, you'll bound to run out of troops.

Next time, try a horse archer army.
It is possible to beat them without many casualities, like 3-4 stacks in a row. If you encounter a very rare situation where you run out of arrows without winning, you can retreat all units and start all over.

[philipjd]

Next time, try a horse archer army.
It is possible to beat them without many casualities, like 3-4 stacks in a row. If you encounter a very rare situation where you run out of arrows without winning, you can retreat all units and start all over.

This - use Turkomans and Fari's (Sipahi's) as turkish horse rchers with a defence of '1' get murdered too quickly. Only field Horse archers plus a decent general (4 star plus) but keep him out of harms way, this will attrit the mongol stacks down fairly quickly, but you also need a rapid replenishment rate, so don;t skimp on reinforcing units. Do not use the armoured horse archers as they move too slowly and will get melee'd by the mongols lancers which is not good...

Obviously letting them batter their way against fortresses is also good. But if they only have cavalry they will happily sit and seige until you die.. the thought of sortieing out with infantry against them is not healthy!

[vtec.dominion]

Here is what i did. Took Alamut, Kermashah and Ahvaz asap!
I took it within first 5-6 turns. You have around 30 turns left to prepare!
If you have Alamut and Kermashah ceasefire and alliance with Kwarezm immediately. Great Market in Kermanshah and Tabriz,
then Alchemist Lab = naffatun
Kick the Byzantines off Anatolia ASAP!
HINT: Take the bridge around Nicea and occupy there, they will attack you there and you should crush them there! Use the turkish javelinmens against Byzantine BG, use fari to eliminate the rest of the cavalry.
Ally with the Hungarians.Take Constantinople and Adrianople.This is your priority.
Kill the Crusaders and Fatimids ASAP! This is your priority to secure your finances! Use spies and navy, its vital for your blitzkrieg!
At first take their coastial castles with your navy, attack them from the sea!
Once you have Cyprus, Gaza, Damietta, Tortosa and Arce its all easy.
Once you control the levant, the money is not an issiue anymore.
You should have them dead within 50 turns with a naval raids!
Fortify @Alamut, Kermanshah and Ahvaz with strong archery & infantry stacks.
Prepare one full stack (archers & infantry based) with 2 mangonels in Tbilisi/Baku and send it near Gorgan. Occupy the bridge there. Use fari/siphasi cavalry combo to finish off reduced armies. Use your navy and attack from the sea!
Be careful with Cumans, they will attack you.

[Gromovnik]

I simply use the cheat, I don't want to play Mongol Total War when it says "medieval"...

[Mihajlo]

1. Try to use diplomacy with them, try to get out of their aryms, and keep yourself out of war with them.
2. Use assassins to kill their generals.
3. I hope you know when they are arriving, so: do some long term preparations with army n tech! One of the most epic battles I have ever played are against 2-3 full stack of mongols or timmys against one stack of my army. Key is good micro on battlefield and good mix of your units.
4. Use environment, many players already said that.
5. Total war hardcore: 2 full stacks of yours the very best units, n ambush at choke points >

[Gogolometro]

Turks can win versus mongols. Keys are Tbilisi and Mosul. A regular garison there must be turkish archers, fary and some saracen/spear militia. Add a catapult too. When have the posibility add trebuchets and magdonels and upgrade to ottoman infatry.
Near Tbilisi is a bridgem plus is a pass in muntains who is a key for kill them.
A regular stack in open fields must have, Fary, turkish archers, catapults (3-4 units), some armenian for charge, and spears for defending archers. Key is have same amount of arrows like them, and some cavalry like bodyguards to charge them. I killed 12 stacks at Tbilisi. They not even get to Mosul. Plus get a jihad to Bagdad. Will keep them more and more busy.
Dont be afraid. Get city developed for janisaries and crush this steppe people on castle walls.
Keep in mindafter they conquer the garison is small, so raid.

[DeliCiousTZM]

Total war. Make three stacks and meet them headon acquire relations with Kwarzemian and help them defend and slow back to assault, you wont be successful but when they reach you they will be weaker weaker= 8-12 stacks. Keep fighting retraing and steamlining soldiers there from ceasar its epic its fun and you can experience Total war in its glory slowly losing

[vopohame]

2 mercenary ribault with archers at bridge crossings or in front of city or castle gates will decimate any army or even 3 of them....Ive had kill counts of over 6000....just dont let the ribaults keep firing, pause them when the enemy reforms to come back then let them open up again....pure murder...

stakes and ribault inside the city gates is crazy overkill and all you need is a handful of quality troops on the walls to prevent the ribault from being surrounded.

[recentiy03]

Thanks...I haven't been using sakes at all and I don't always use artillary since it slows me down but I'll try both methods...all horse archers and then I'll keep an army with artillary near a bridge and see if it helps...I decided to go on the offensive before the most-recent Horde arrives and I purchased a few castles from Egytp...some people said to attack them but we've been allied for quite some time, I can't fight a war on 2 fronts and they're helping me fight the Mongols...I've managed to slow down the initial assault, although my elite troops are few and far between now, except once the big patch of 30+ armies arrives I'm screwed.

[vopohame]

I also use stakes near bridges even if most of my army is horse archers I always bring 2 to 3 units of foot archers that have stake ability and even though you cant put it directly in front of the bridge you can put it on the slopes so if the enemy calvary some how beats your ribault which happens occasionally they lose quite a bit when they start spreading out from the bridge... Just be careful in your counter attacks that you dont lose calvary on those same spikes...

I love horse archers but even if you have elevation chances are you lose quite a few troops to another horse archer army like the mongols. Against non-horse archer armies you can pretty much have a 100 to 1 kill ratio if you patiently surround them. Ive had 2000 kills with 0 losses occasionally.

I have found the only effective approach to fighting mongols is at bridges, castles and cities. If that large mongolian main force finally hits you, with ribault you can probably survive 3 to 4 siege attempts before you lose that castle but you've bled them pretty good. Probably killed 6-10 armies by then. If they do this to 3 cities or castles you will be strong enough to counter attack since they should have lost over half their army.