What is the best way how to deal with enemy archer chariots or battle chariots

[Bobby-The Centurion]

Can you share your experience how to take down these infantry killing machines? What's the best way?

[Casius Cherea]

Cavalry is the option for you. Even militia cavalry can deal without problems with chariots. Infantry in loose formation can fight well against chariots too. Chariots are dangerous only when they charge. In other cases they are very vulnerable (low defence stats).

[Slimshoom]

Infantry in loose formation (also works well against elephants) will work against chariots. Lots of phalanxes lined up so no flanking is another option. Also lots of archers or other missile troops. But, if you want to know how to crush chariots mercilessly very easily, use elephants.

[Shadows]

Casuis, you shouldn't use cavalry, the chariots will run over your cavalry while your horsemen stand there poking at them. I use lots of archers, or lots of infantry in a deep formation to trap the chariots inside you formation where they are quickly slaughtered.

[Slimshoom]

Casuis, you shouldn't use cavalry, the chariots will run over your cavalry while your horsemen stand there poking at them. I use lots of archers, or lots of infantry in a deep formation to trap the chariots inside you formation where they are quickly slaughtered.

agreed, chariots cut through cavalry like nothing. And that method works well with any heavy cavalry, except elephants, just swamp them with heavy infantry.

[Casius Cherea]

well gentelmens...
i've played grek cities campaing vh/vh, mundus magnus map, darth , and i have little problem with seleucid or pont chariots using militia cavalry...
as i said the thing is to not allow them to charge you... you take two units of militia cavalry and just double click (with alt, no missile attack)enemy unit no special tactic, of course results are better if you attacking flank or rear of the unit... i use this tactic many times and it is working well

[Shadows]

well gentelmens...
i've played grek cities campaing vh/vh, mundus magnus map, darth , and i have little problem with seleucid or pont chariots using militia cavalry...
as i said the thing is to not allow them to charge you... you take two units of militia cavalry and just double click (with alt, no missile attack)enemy unit no special tactic, of course results are better if you attacking flank or rear of the unit... i use this tactic many times and it is working well

sounds to me like you use this tactic against different units than chariots, which is what the OP wanted to know how to beat. I may be wrong but I doubt that you can effectively use miltia cavalry against chariots, all the heavy and light cavalry types are ineffective against chariots, I don't think that miltia cavalry is any different.

Three Hundredth Post

[Aemilianus]

In my experience I would say archers of your own (chariots usually have less total fire per volley than an archer division) or infantry. Agreeing with earlier posts, chariots that are just sitting in battle will be cut down easily, especially the missile ones. Cavalry in my experience is terrible, at least the battle cavalry I like to use. Missile cavalry I'm not too sure about. What faction's cavalry did you use, Casius, and/or what tactics?

[Trajan]

Yeah, I also use archers and heavy infantry in a tight and deep formation.

[StickShift]

phalanxes all the way. again, the trick is to defend your flanks, but if you put 8 to 10 units of a phalanxes in a half moon formation around your missile troops, cavalry and general, the AI will usually get bored and charge head on into your spears.

and i wouldn't bother with missile cavalry as they are just as easily slaughtered by chariots as other cavalry and don't seem much more effective.

other than that lots of skirmishers behind a deep line of heavy infantry, preferably heavily armored ones, seem to do the trick.

[StickShift]

congrats on the three hundred

yes, i agree with Shadows. in my Greek campaign (normal/normal) i had three units of militia cav with one or two silver chevrons, about 2/3 strength for each unit. i sent all three units after one unit of Briton light chariots who were hanging on my left flankwith their javelins flying. it was bad...i inflicted minimal casualties and only 5 of my horses got away. you must be doing something special

[Tacticalwithdrawal]

2-3 units of velites stacked on top of each other, skirmish off, guard on, loose formation. Wipes them out (actually, wipes out normal cavalry as well), makes fantastic flank protectors once they have used up their javelins.

[mike007]

Unless you want heavy casualtys, use archers & lots of em.

[faustus]

If you're playing any mod (or vanilla) that still has war dogs in, I've found they work wonders... they're faster then the chariots so they can run down missile chariots in skirmish mode, can't really be charged and can surround chariots that try and stop to fight and kill them quickly. (Again, chariots power is in its speed and charge damage, wardogs beat both of those by being faster then them)

If you dont have war dogs, or are dealing with heavy chariots charging your lines, same as other people have said I just use deep infantry formations... they'll kill a bunch in the initial charge, but as soon as they get bogged down, its game over for them. Against missile ones just use archers and accept some casualties, war dogs are the only thing I've found that can run down skirmishing light chariots.

Faustus

[Shadows]

Faustus, I never thought about using wardogs, usually though I only use them in custom battles, I hardly ever recruit them in campaign games (take two turns to recruit and are hard to retrain when conquering new places). I have to go and try using them now. Just wondering, did you use them against heavy chariots too? To what effect?

[Septimius Severus]

Wardogs against chariots... That's a mess if I've ever seen one. In my experience the wardogs have gotten slaughtered because the puny creatures could not keep up with the quick moving chariots and were cut down by the sharp spikes at either wheel. Wardogs work when the chariots are bogged down. Then again, what won't work in that situation? Maybe

[.Socrates]

They do fine against light chariots.
But against egyptian general chariots, they're gone.

[General Sun]

Cavalry should be the number 1 thing not to use. Chariots are anti-cavalry. Well protected archers and javelins are good, but otherwise just put a few units in tight formation and wait for the chariots to die.

[blobber]

I know that if you mob the chariot and it stopped moving. It dies very quickly, for my purposes against the Egyptian, I use massed Archers protected by Auxilia, if it tries to charge my cheap tightly packed unit, it dies. Never use loose formation against non-melee chariots, it will have the space to negotiate around your troop, and everytime it moves it knocks more men down. A tightly packed infantry unit cohort will stop the chariots in its tracks and kill it.

[Shadows]

I know that if you mob the chariot and it stopped moving. It dies very quickly, for my purposes against the Egyptian, I use massed Archers protected by Auxilia, if it tries to charge my cheap tightly packed unit, it dies. Never use loose formation against non-melee chariots, it will have the space to negotiate around your troop, and everytime it moves it knocks more men down. A tightly packed infantry unit cohort will stop the chariots in its tracks and kill it.

Exactly. The really isn't another way that works so well. Except for having more chariots of your own against their chariots, which rarely happens.