Faction Strategies

[Emrys]

Howdy y'all,

Seeing as Neph has done a wonderful job at making varied and diverse factions utilizing non-traditional units, non traditional strategies and tactics must be created to be successful. I would like to hear what faction you play as and how you lead them to victory.

I will start off by discussing the Kingdom of Hyrule.

Neph describes tKoH's combat abilities as such

"...diversity gives the Hylians a fairly well balanced force and allows them to devise fair counters for most situations they are put in. This board cover of their bases though means that the Hylians don't exactly excel in any particular type of combat, so they rarely have a superior edge over an enemy force unless it's through numbers..."

Keeping this in mind do not base your army on any one single unit. Instead always keep a varied assortment of Hyrulean flavours.

My full stack composition usually consists of

• 4 units of crossbowmen
• 2 units of Ironclad Elites
• 4 units of light infantry
• 5 units Knights/Castle guard
• 2 units of light cavalry
• 2 units of mounted knights
• and my general

This gives you a strong force to engage in a frontal assault but also gives you plenty of flanking opportunities with you cav and light infantry. Your crossbowmen are just there to harass the enemy and put out defensive spikes.

[Mattwensley]

Ordona:

Terrible standard cavalry really, but they get access to Mounted Archers and Goat Lords, which make them very good against enemies that can't move fast:

General
2 Goat Lords
2 Ordona Riders
4 Mounted Farmer Archers (can be used as melee cavalry)
3 Lumbermen
2 Ordon Militia
1 Rangers
2 Farmer Archers
3 Hawkmen

An expensive group, especially through upkeep, as anything less than Ordona's best is generally very sub-par, but fortunately they also get access to a decent amount of resources.

Tactic: Double stack your line infantry - Lumbermen in front, with Militia behind to shore up the line. Archers behind, firing overhead, and also able to commit in melee. Hawkmen are useful as a distraction. Goat lords on one flank, to wait until the enemy hits, then take them in the sides/back. Riders are to run down skirmishers/archers/retreating units, then also hit the line. Mounted farmer archers on the other flank, firing straight into the enemy, and luring the enemy cavalry away, then, after they've run out of arrows, charging in without fear!

[Mjolnr839]

i really do not have a set standard, but for the Gerudo i simply load up on as many Dune Archers and Mounted Dune archers as i can, get a line of Marauders and other infantry, and murder anything that comes near me before than can even touch me.

while for Hyrule i tend to load up on the expensive units with a solid core of Vanguards, usually gained from event rewards so i have far more than i should, along with some Ironclads to form a spearwall, and fill in the rest with Crossbowmen and Hylian Infantry.

sorry its not layed out more like the other two, but i usually just use what i have available.

[Emrys]

It does't have to be specific. Just what units you like to use and how you use them.

[Agent 51]

For Moblins do not waste your time with the Bokoblin footmen.


Miniblins first, Miniblins Flank, Moblins or Bigblins to smash through a line if it's too tough, then you fill in the gap with Miniblins.

[zacen299]

For Moblins do not waste your time with the Bokoblin footmen.


Miniblins first, Miniblins Flank, Moblins or Bigblins to smash through a line if it's too tough, then you fill in the gap with Miniblins.

Is Miniblins your solution to everything? Although I'm not much better when I play Hyrule it's pretty much create a brick wall with crossbowmen interspersed. Granted it is the brick wall to end all brick walls but still.

[Agent 51]

Anything Miniblins can't fix Moblins or Bigblins can.

Simply as that.

[Mjolnr839]

see i can't play Moblins. i need my units to be orderly. i'm the kind of player that just sets up a wall of melee units and fills my opponent with Arrows and ride them down with cavalry. thats why the Gerudo,Hyrule and Ordona, and Zora are perfect for me.

it's also why i LOVE playing as the Empire in COW. line of Halberdiers, with Handgunners, Archers and Crossbowmen, and a few units of knights to ride the enemy down., and some heavy infantry to back up the Helberdiers. add in some mortars and its a perfect force.

i have simple tactis, but by Sigmar they work.

[DarkGlass01]

While in most Total War games, a head-on charge is calling for virtually certain death, my Death Mountain's Avalanche tactic allows for it to be used to devastating effect. Usually, I tend to sort up my armies like this for field and city battles; this works slightly less well in castle assaults, and is worthless for city defense, but in my experience tends to lead to send the enemy heading to the hills much quicker then expected, and results in minimal casualties to you.

For a troop-up, this is heavily dependent on getting as much melee infantry as possible, so leave your Dodongos, Bomb Throwers, Dondogo Riders, and Bomb Keg Throwers behind (Unless you're attacking a castle, then my all means keep it; opening up two holes makes this so much easier). Stay heavier on your Guardians and Rams then you do on your Tribal Monks and Bezerkers, though the later are extremely useful in they go crazy at the right time. Plus, they're cheap. Your general can be your only Fire Warrior or Ruby Guard, as those things are a pain to support, but if you have the extra cash, try to add at least one more. Arrange your Guardian infantry and Bezerkers two-unit thick line, with your Tribal Monks and general off to the side. When the battle starts, don't even give your enemy the chance to fire their missles; the Avalanche needs to fall quickly. Get as close as possable with your main line, and charge smack-dab into the enemy. I've found this tends to send their front lines flying into the air, dealing very good casualties while scattering their formation. Enemy cavalry shouldn't be too much of a problem, as your units should have rolled themselves into the thick of the infantry, leaving no room for intervention, so send your Monks on immediate attack to the flank, as they can defend themselves from those irritating mounts. Your Heavy Units, Rams/Guards/Warriors, should IMMEDIATELY go officer-hunting; even if they're cavalry and they just run away, they won't be in range to try to rally their troops once the lines start to break. If they run, just keep them away a Ram and set your general archer-hunting (I've had one general break 5 units of archers in melee without losing so much as a single man.). The ideas is to get their remaining line infantry to try to aid their charged line "getting caught in the rubble" as the central units to to break, leading to more men running to the hills.

[zacen299]

Is it just me or is early game Ordona all about making a ton of really large but weak armies and throwing as many people as you can at the enemy? Or am I just crazy?

[Mjolnr839]

Is it just me or is early game Ordona all about making a ton of really large but weak armies and throwing as many people as you can at the enemy? Or am I just crazy?

Pretty much. They can almost out Zerg the Gohma and Kokiri. Though the Kokiri are OP enough to Zerg with way OP units.

[Mattwensley]

Is it just me or is early game Ordona all about making a ton of really large but weak armies and throwing as many people as you can at the enemy? Or am I just crazy?

No, that's pretty much it. ATM they are probably the weakest overall faction, with their only advantages being access to horsearchers (which I always read as hor-searchers, something completely different...), their pretty decent rangers, and their Goat Lords, who aren't great when bogged down in melee, but un-flipping-stoppable in a charge. I have broken Ganondorf with Goat Lords!

[zacen299]

No, that's pretty much it. ATM they are probably the weakest overall faction, with their only advantages being access to horsearchers (which I always read as hor-searchers, something completely different...), their pretty decent rangers, and their Goat Lords, who aren't great when bogged down in melee, but un-flipping-stoppable in a charge. I have broken Ganondorf with Goat Lords!

Wow I haven't played Ordona enough to test that but Ganondorf with Goat Lords? Wow why are they so OP did they get a huge charge bonus or something?

[Mattwensley]

Wow I haven't played Ordona enough to test that but Ganondorf with Goat Lords? Wow why are they so OP did they get a huge charge bonus or something?

Ok, it was actually Ganon (always get them confused), he was weakened by archers for a bit, so I may be exaggerating a little, but they are pretty awesome in a full charge!

[Avatar of the Ice Wolf]

Ok, it was actually Ganon (always get them confused), he was weakened by archers for a bit, so I may be exaggerating a little, but they are pretty awesome in a full charge!

From experience fighting them I can tell you that Goat Lords are the one thing I fear when fighting Ordonna. Gohma have Armogohma, Kokiri have Emerald Archers, Gorons have Ruby Guardians, and Ordonna has Goat Lords. The Goat Lords are the top-of-the-line elite units for Ordonna and should not be underestimated. The best bet against them is to have multiple spearmen groups to keep them bogged down while focusing archer fire on them. A Goat Lord's power, like the power of most cavalry, depends on battlefield maneuverability. If they get bogged down, their effectiveness goes down. If they are allowed to run around and charge, then they are truly a force to be reckoned with.

[Mjolnr839]

Eh, I'd say Lanaryu is tied for weakness. The coral archers are good, but have horrible range, their first infantry is weak, meh cavalry, guardian maidens blow. All they really have going for them are Laruto and the Ocean Guard.

While Ordona has rangers, goat Lords and numbers.

[Ethereal Lancer 916]

My standard is either Hyrule or the Kokiri.

For Hyrule I tend to think very Roman about my army, so i put Hylian Infantry (X3) in the front line (Hastati), Hyrulean Knights (X3) in the second (Pincipe), and Castle Guard (X3 as well) in the third line (Triarii). Add four crossbow battalions and three Mounted Knights, and point me toward my enemy. When up against the Gerudo I sacrifice some of my "Principe" to make room for some Cavalry Recruits, to help deal with the masses of archers they bring (they move faster than Knights, which is a glorious boon to my forces).

As the Kokiri some of the Roman shows, still, but I have an emphasis on Wolfos Riders from the beginning instead of on my infantry. Typical numbers vary, but 3-4 Minutemen, 3-4 Mudmen, or 3-4 Koroks are all common. 4-5 Wolfos Riders make up the bulwark of my army, and 4 Emerald Archers provide the sting they're (in)famous for. The Infantry's only really there to keep the enemy infantry away from the Archers and busy enough to be vulnerable to hordes of Wolfos.

Which reminds me, I found that a full stack of nothing but Wolfos Riders can overwhelm even a dedicated anti-cavalry army. SO. MANY. WOLVES!!

[Mjolnr839]

Speaking of Swordsmen Recruits, am i the only one who thinks both the mounted, and on foor varieties hit well above their weight class or stats say they should, or am i just crazy?

[DiddlyDark]

Naturally, I usually go with Labrynna. (Edited them to be playable.) Gunner spam works amazingly well. Along with pioneers, some mechs, and homeguards/borderguards to block anything that might cause problems. Used it to kill Darunia with minimal casualties, too.

[Emrys]

I gave up playing as them. The fairies shrug off bullets like nothing hit them....