Any Good Way to Knock Out Encampments?

[steveg700]

Let me tell you folks something: when cities are packed closely, encampments can be pretty damn inconvenient, so says I. Basically, you can find yourself to be double-whammied from any position.

Which would, you know, be perfectly cool and well within expectations, but then I go to try to wear one down and realize my infantry corps would basically vaporize upon attacking it while inflicting negligible damage, and shelling it with an artillery corps could just plink away at pretty much forever with its measly 90 Strength, I mean, they're not supposed to be indestructible, right?

Is there a trick I"m missing?

 

[Victoria]

Get better science
Go the other way to the cities (but still face issues with the city)

A single encampment is not supposed to be easy but they only have 100 garrison so once the walks start crumbling, if they are not renaissance + a tower is better.
For fortifications it now goes ram for ancient, tower for medieval, artillery for renaissance+ until they get too tough when you may need bombers/jet bombers but rocket artillery armies at 122 are fine also.
Playing against the AI I find they do not shoot more than one in a turn for some reason.

Artillery corps is 90 so the first free shots seem not to do a lot but that builds up.

 

[labellavienna]

I love the encampments because it makes it harder for people to go to war with u (if you place it correctly). In Civ V all you had to do to win was declare war and steam roll the AI...in Civ 6 it is harder to be a warring nation and allows you to look to other ways to win

 

[steveg700]

I love the encampments because it makes it harder for people to go to war with u (if you place it correctly). In Civ V all you had to do to win was declare war and steam roll the AI...in Civ 6 it is harder to be a warring nation and allows you to look to other ways to win

And that's all good and well, but every rock needs a paper.

At unlocking Steel, the encampments become seemingly too tough for anything to get through. Anything of the same tech level is gonna be lucky to have any effect.

 

[Rosty K]

If there's water, I take them out with ships. Otherwise, I choose peace

 

[Beaver79]

Are you talking against the AI? Infantry is a waste of oil.

Get 3 corps of artillery and one corps of cuirassiers or better yet tanks if you have them. The tanks/horses are just there to capture things. Unless they have aircraft or death robots that will take anything. Artillery can take a beating, but if that isn't working use an observation balloon and get +1 range on them.

 

[NukeAJS]

Rethink your attack. If that particular city is too difficult too take, you can often redeploy elsewhere in 3-4 turns. Dig-in whatever units you had originally and make the war-front wider with other units on the flank(s). If that's simply not possible due to geography ... give the AI a salute for placing an encampment so wisely.

A well-placed encampment, especially in relation to a city center or other encampments, can buy a lot of time. A determined attacker with superior units and no defenders will eventually punch through. However, even minimally defended, good choke-points can sometimes be next to impossible to take until air units.

Look at other options -- and not just militarily. The easiest way to break a siege is through diplomacy. Getting someone else to attack from behind or a flank will give a lot more options besides fortify and heal while you get pinged for -16hps from a crossbow.

 

[Buni0ns]

Observation Balloons or Drones make encampmentsit simple for Arty to deal with to say nothing of air power. Encampments, unless supreme devilish placement is the case, are a joke and if it is the case I count it as luck not solid AI. It's too extremely rare to be a sufficient worry.

 

[Sostratus]

At unlocking Steel, the encampments become seemingly too tough for anything to get through. Anything of the same tech level is gonna be lucky to have any effect.

The loss of the siege tower is just brutal for the pace of warfare. You don't really realize just how ridiculously beefy defenses become, and the crazy modifiers they have against melee attacks, until urban defenses.
@Buni0ns is very right though. Observation balloons +artillery corps/armies is how you stay in the game. Finally having the ability to do siege attacks with impunity is amazing.

Artillery bombardments take time but they work. Just remember that this is a 90 strength attack on a "unit" that has 400hp. It looks really strong because the size of the sliver is 1/4 what it would be normally but it'll still crumble after enough hits. Artillery's base attack (80) is extremely high and only matched by the Tank, so if you are near their tech level, an artillery army will be fighting on quite equal ground with regards to the defensive strength rating of the defense - that's the true determinant of their ability to repulse you. Think of it as the difference between:
-your swordsmen taking on a swordsman that deals normal damage but has 4x the hp,
-and those swords fighting an infantry unit.
One you can wear down, but the infantry will just crush you.