how to use chariots and wardogs correctly

[Zemdu]

well here goes
I find it disturbing that alot of people complain on these units and think they suck so...


Chariots
I find that the best use of these sharks (I call them sharks because sharks die when they don't move)
is using hit and run tactics on preferably cav and weak missle troops.
they have a good charge bonus so just charge the enemy, retreat and charge again.
they are very useful for attacking cavalry and if your the brits I would advice using them to charge slightly before your main infantry line (when the inf are doing the warcry)
this will leave the enemy out of formation (after the charge), inflict a moral hit and when your infantry charges
there aint much that can stand in there way
when your infantry is engaged you should withdraw your chariots and use the as anti-flank/cavalry units

Wardogs
I would advice using them to charge slightly before your main infantry line, this will leave the enemy out of formation (after the charge), inflict a moral hit and when your infantry charges
there aint much that can stand in there way.

I don't really remember but I think that they're good at disrupting phalaxes aswell

plz share your tactics you have with these units

[BanaanBert]

I never use chariots so I can't say anything about that. But I do use wardogs when I am able to recruit them. Most of the time I use them against the gauls and then I will just let them run at the enemy from almost the beginning of the battle. Most of the time they will rout one unit of spearmen and if they have them, also cavalry. Most of the time I use one unit of wardogs, which just charges at the enemy, and my infantry just walking after them.

But it doesn't always work. Sometimes the enemy general chargers at my dogs and then most of my dogs die. Also I wouldn't recommend this when you are fighting a beter unit of spearmen, I often find them all dead afterwards without killing many enemies.

[chris88]

Whenever I am using scythed chariots I make them run through the enemy line. Like you said, this causes morale damages and it fragments their line. Charge in your own infantry to take advantage of this. The lighter the infantry, the better they work (eastern merc. for example). Obviously dont send them into heavy inf or phalanxes. Like said earlier, they have to keep moving.

Never really use wardogs, unless i make a full stack of them and let them rampage for fun

[Artillery_Duck]

Don't try and make dogs run under pikes, IT DOESN'T WORK
It should though

[dude21862004]

I find wardogs to be awesome on bridge battles as well. You send them in so they hit the enemy about halfway across the bridge, thus bogging them down and causing morale damage while giving your missile and artillery units (if you even have them) more time to thin out their ranks. They are great for destroying enemy artillery and missile units if you can get them past the infantry line.

Over all, when I can recruit them I like to have at least one unit per army, but I usually prefer to have 2-3. Especially since you can just let them lose on the enemy, and even if all the dogs die their unit will not decrease in the least.

[Genius of the Restoration]

I keep running my chariots past the enemy infantry when engaged so they continue to clip them. Works well. Also, use wardogs to hunt skirmishing units as the skirmish ability only kicks in against the handlers. This is especially effective against the hard-to-catch horse and chariot archers.

[Willowran]

i rarely use either unless the army has nothing but either chariots or dogs.
with a chariot stack i'll run them through any enemy army. if any chariot tries to stop and fight i'll tell them to keep running. turn around once behind enemy lines, repeat. the chariots send infantry flying at the charge, and as long as they keep moving while moving through enemy lines the enemy inf will never land a hit, and the chariots will kill thousands. considerably less effective against horses (with my strategy), as the horses can't fly, and so slows the chariots and i start to suffer losses...

dogs ... i never used them until my last campaign as spain... i use them as a very cheap skirmisher with a single unit of peasents to hold the morale. i'll charge my dogs at the enemy main line, then retreat with the dog handlers. the dogs will just omnom at the enemy line until every dog is dead. the peasents hide in a corner of the map in case the handlers all rout, so that the dogs can kill as much as possible. then i run away. you get every dog back for free in between battles, so you can omnom again . i agree with what was said about bridge battles... verrily effective. other then this i think dogs are useless... as a supporting unit they die too quickly and don't kill fast enough

[dude21862004]

i rarely use either unless the army has nothing but either chariots or dogs.
with a chariot stack i'll run them through any enemy army. if any chariot tries to stop and fight i'll tell them to keep running. turn around once behind enemy lines, repeat. the chariots send infantry flying at the charge, and as long as they keep moving while moving through enemy lines the enemy inf will never land a hit, and the chariots will kill thousands. considerably less effective against horses (with my strategy), as the horses can't fly, and so slows the chariots and i start to suffer losses...

dogs ... i never used them until my last campaign as spain... i use them as a very cheap skirmisher with a single unit of peasents to hold the morale. i'll charge my dogs at the enemy main line, then retreat with the dog handlers. the dogs will just omnom at the enemy line until every dog is dead. the peasents hide in a corner of the map in case the handlers all rout, so that the dogs can kill as much as possible. then i run away. you get every dog back for free in between battles, so you can omnom again . i agree with what was said about bridge battles... verrily effective. other then this i think dogs are useless... as a supporting unit they die too quickly and don't kill fast enough

Their real ability is that they absolutely destroy enemy morale. Besides, I was Carthage going against the Romans and I wasn't paying attention during a battle where they had some Wardogs. I lost an entire unit of Elephants to the dogs because I wasn't paying attention. This was really early in the Carthage campaign, too and it basically cripple my army for 5+ turns....

[Willowran]

actually, i've noticed that about dogs... unless the handlers are nearby, enemy units don't attck the dogs themselves unless being nommed, so the dogs could, for example, nom an entire unit of elephants without losing a dog... mabe i should use them more

[dude21862004]

Even if you kill the handlers the dogs will continue to attack until they're all dead. They are pretty great for routing certain types of units as well, like peasants and town watch for example.