How do you defend bridges?

**Oneru** · May 06, 2015, 05:24 AM

I'm curious: what type of units do you use to defend bridges?

Such chokepoints are great to hold as defender, but I wonder which setup of army you use. Is it a few melee and many archers? And which melee (long spears, or shielded defenders)? Any cavalry or ballistas?

I expect it differs per enemy as well: I'm currently playing a DaC campaign with Dol Amroth and will be facing off armies of Khand at the bridges (with many cavalry archers), so I'll probably have to use some different units compared to defending a bridge against Mordor. But is there any basic setup that works against all enemies?

So please let me know which type of units you usually use and what you see as the ideal army setup to hold bridges.

**Mr. Blob** · May 06, 2015, 06:33 AM

Quality spears and lots of missiles

**Joseignacio** · May 06, 2015, 07:28 AM

The infantry unit you can put in the front and lots of missiles in a higher place.

If you can select, send the infantry that is more adequate to the majority of enemy units. If cavalry, pikemen, if light infantry, heavy infantry, ...

If the enemy moral is or gets weak, flaming arrows, if not, depends on your likes, there are some stats of damage but it depends the unit you are shooting to.

Important: Put your units in both sides and front, some "yards" or "meters" away from the bridge and charge when they start to exit. This way you get a bonus for charge (once), plus 3 of your full units are fighting one of them or part of one of them and some individuals from others. Of course, cavalry often can get through with some units if they are numerous so be wary with your archers.

If you can, you can use 2 units per side and front, that should be enough unless they are weak/unexperienced. I needed, add more (and AFTERWARDS you can retire the damaged ones and make them flee the battlefield), but unless especially indicated, never charge with cavalry, they dont have an effect because of your own troops and because of the huge density of enemies inside, unless their moral is really low.

**LuckyPistol** · May 06, 2015, 09:35 AM

If you're Dol Amroth, have a unit of pikemen in spear wall formation behind a high defense unit such as spearmen; this is a perfect way to hold the enemy. As others have mentioned put archers on the sides so they don't fire into your units. If you have any javelinmen, keep them closer to the bridge than archers.

I can't recall if Khan's horse archers have more range than you, but if they do then have a ballista unit ready to counter them.

**DrDragun** · May 06, 2015, 09:52 AM

The AI will often start bridge battles with a pummeling from any siege engines they have. So start your bridge defense with at least 1 ballista. With a ballista you can target enemy siege engines directly (the catapult not the men) and they will be broken in one shot.

After that nonsense, the enemy will try to cross the bridge. Your ballista is still great here, shooting straight down the line. Add a bunch of archers and a couple units of disposable infantry (they will take some friendly fire losses, no need to use expensive infantry).

The most commonly defended bridge in the game is probably the bridge into Ithilien, allowing you to shred huge Mordor armies without maintaining 2 garrisons in Cair Andros and Henneth Annun. For this bridge, I typically have 1 ballista, 6 Ithilien rangers, Faramir, and 3-4 units of Gondor militia. These units are normally kept in the settlements for free upkeep, but stationed at the bridge if my scouts see an approaching Mordor army.

Another great bridge is the one leading to Imladris (actually there are 2). Imladris is fine to defend, but the bridge gives you more archer frontage as well as allowing a retreat if needed.

**jurcek1987** · May 06, 2015, 10:39 AM

Playing as Gondor, militia and pikemen to hold the enemy, axemen in reserve (for Trolls), lots of archers positioned on the left side of the bridge, ballistas to destroy enemy artillery and by far the most important unit in bridge battles: Catapults. In one battle defending the Ithillien bridge, a unit of Catapults scored over 1600 kills.

**Ngugi** · May 06, 2015, 04:48 PM

Came to think about, not as much what I prefere to hold a bridge with (it more or less been proposed above already), but how a situation may be handled when you do not have a desirable defence force and yet have to win, hehe.
At occasion, by no choice as far as I can remember, I've stood with few infantry, few to no missle units and a couple of cavalry units against a superior host on the other side of the river. Not the dream situation, we can agree

Taking enemy missile capacity into account, by moving up my own infantry [green dots on image] first in last possible moment, I positioned the units on either side of the bridge head, but leaving a gap straight ahead open. The aim is to catch the enemy advancing in melee with the infantry, so they get stuck at the bridge head rather than push through the open gap, where they flank the infantry and/or attack the cavalry. To that purpose, I more in detail position the infantry slightly angled, as a cone.
Already I have position the cavalry [orange points] in a line facing the bridge, and the gap between my infantry. As the enemy enter our side and stops, fighting the infantry, I initiated a micro-managing assembly line-tactic, where each cavalry unit in turn make a charge into the enemy units, are pulled out and repositioned so it may soon charge again, while next cavalry unit is sent into the fray in the same manner.

In time the grinding may break the enemy morale, and you win a victory. Well, if you're lucky hehe

**Flinn** · May 07, 2015, 03:16 AM

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

@ Ngugi, you can do the same almost everywhere you have a choke point; I did it often at the Rammas Echor or at Amon Sul for instance.
This strategy is very good when, for a reason or another, you can't shower your enemies with arrows while you hold them in a choke

edit: furthermore, one can combine the two strategies; this one comes in handy when you run out of arrows and can be fundamental when the enemy largely outnumbers you (used plenty at Ithilien river crossing, as Gondor usually have excellent cavalry generals)

**DrDragun** · May 06, 2015, 05:04 PM

I like that grinder Ngugi. I've never done one with cavalry like that. But all my best siege defenses were with a similar grinder configuration (with ballistas or archers replacings the cavs). Setting up the infantry to trap a ball of enemies while leaving 1 side open to attack.

**Incomitatus** · May 08, 2015, 06:35 PM

Javelins, if you have them, backed by melee units with high defense, backed by archers.

The javelins are an important component, as the casualties they can inflict on the first wave of enemy will shred enemy numbers and morale, allowing flaming arrows to start the rout immediately (sometimes). Of course, few factions get javelins. :-(

**Oneru** · May 11, 2015, 03:50 AM

Thanks for all the replies! I'll see whether I can put them into practice: plenty of javelins for Dol Amroth (playing Divide & Conquer submod), and with the Guards and Pikemen to hold the line, I should be able to keep most armies at bay.

The grinder tactic seems interesting, especially with Amroth's Lancers and Swan Guard, so that should help to carry me over until I actually get more archers to the frontline. Does a similar grinder tactic also work for city gates?

**Flinn** · May 11, 2015, 04:16 AM

Originally Posted by Oneru

The grinder tactic seems interesting, especially with Amroth's Lancers and Swan Guard, so that should help to carry me over until I actually get more archers to the frontline. Does a similar grinder tactic also work for city gates?

well actually charging with cavalry inside settlements is always tricky: most part of the time the roads are too narrow or windy to allow a proper charge and sometimes they won't charge in any case, even if there seems to be enough room for a good old stampede

**DrDragun** · May 11, 2015, 07:36 AM

For cities, use the same infantry trap on the sides of the gate, but put a ballista where the cavalry are on Ngugi's diagram. It will cut down lines of 15 men at a time. Or use archers if you prefer a more flexible unit. But the key is to give them direct line of fire, not shooting over the heads of friendly units.

**GCC4evr** · May 12, 2015, 05:26 AM

Hi

At Imladris, should you station your army outside of the city just on the bridge or will they automatically defend the bridge if stationed in the city?

**Flinn** · May 12, 2015, 05:55 AM

if you want to defend a bridge, you have to camp your army exactly over the bridge on the campaign map; Imladris does not make an exception to this rule OFC

**YassirX** · May 16, 2015, 03:58 AM

Maybe this video can help you a bit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUCeEV1iPzo

**AleksiMizaro** · May 28, 2015, 02:02 AM

You need infantry to hold and archers/ artillery to kill. You have to balance it well though because too much infantry and you'll get outkilled; too little and they'll break through.

**ForGondor 68** · May 28, 2015, 03:58 PM

I put a unit of pikemen in front behind them some shok infantry and then when my pikemen are in danger i charge with the shok one to help. Archers are usefull to weakened the ennemy troops. then if I have 2 pikes I try to make one rest during an other fight.
forgive my english, i'm french ^^.