How to kill elephants in stacks

[bramirez]

Hi there.

In a private game I was faced to battle a huge stack of elephants with some swords and catapults.

I basically dig in my spears and catapults and some axes and swords and kept resisting for attack seemed futile.

I ended up managing to defend my land but I wasn't neither fast or efficient.

What is the best unit to attack elephants? Stacked or unstacked

 

[Charonicus]

Personally I like pikemen for that job. With either pikes or spears I promote them up the combat path to try and make them as effective as possible. Faced with that stack I'd want a few cats of my own to bombard them, a few pikes or spears for the 'phants, a bunch of axemen and knights for the swords and axes. It all depends on how far behind you were techwise. Of course, elephants of your own would be effective enough too.

 

[KingMorgan]

Pikes or Mech Inf.

I've heard elephants hate Ivory dealers and poachers.

 

[Mr.Morph]

4-5 catapults plus as many swords or elephants as he has. Hit with catapults first then finish with other units

 

[bramirez]

Pikes or Mech Inf.

I've heard elephants hate Ivory dealers and poachers.

I hate elephants!!!

 

[Elrohir]

The same way you deal with every other kind of stack:Attack with lots of catapults, then mop up with the unit that has the highest modifier against the enemy sort of unit. (In this case, probably Spearmen)

 

[TheMeInTeam]

The same way you deal with every other kind of stack:Attack with lots of catapults, then mop up with the unit that has the highest modifier against the enemy sort of unit. (In this case, probably Spearmen)

This is pretty much it.

Make sure you have enough units, and you'll be fine. Elephants don't even get defensive bonuses, so cats can screw them even on stronger terrain. Use barrage or in very rare cases drill.

 

[bramirez]

Elephants don't even get defensive bonuses, so cats can screw them even on stronger terrain. Use barrage or in very rare cases drill.

So this means they cannot increase their defense even on terrain?

 

[DragonHawk]

So this means they cannot increase their defense even on terrain?

Yes. They can only get culture defense bonus

Use many cats and a bunch of pikes/spear although other attacking units will work when the elephants are weak enough.

Also, try to cut down the AI's ivory supply. This is also true for bronze, iron, horse, etc

 

[DanF5771]

Yes. They can only get culture defense bonus.

The don't receive ANY defensive bonuses - so also nothing from culture defense / walls / castles. (There are only penalties for attacking across a river or from a boat.)

 

[Unconquered Sun]

There are only penalties for attacking across a river or from a boat.

And the barbarian defense bonus.

 

[bramirez]

And the barbarian defense bonus.

What do you mean? This is confusing. So no defense bonus means what exactly?

 

[JTMacc99]

Also, try to cut down the AI's ivory supply. This is also true for bronze, iron, horse, etc

This is way more important than I realized. It's one of those lessons you learn the hard way some time around the move from Prince to Monarch. As soon as the AI starts cranking out units faster than you can, you start to see the value in making sure those units are Archers and not Axes/Swords.


By the way, it will probably be harder to cut the ivory supply than it would be to cut the other ones. Elephants appear in bunches, as opposed to a single tile here or there.

 

[Magma_Dragoon]

Units in forest or hill tiles get a bonus when defending. Units in a city get a defensive bonus from walls and castles and from the culture of the city. Each border pop adds more defense bonus. Mounted units (except the Spanish UU) and tanks DO NOT get these bonuses.

Attacking over water is a penalty for the attacker, so its not a 'defensive bonus' as far as the game is concerned.

There is a special combat modifier when fighting barbs that makes them weaker on lower levels and stronger on higher levels. This applies on offense and defense, so again, its apples and oranges.

 

[Levgre]

War elephants are the best unit hands down in the classical era... well, the best non-siege unit, i suppose I mean.

Catapults work the best. Although you need a lot to weaken the elephants, because even a shock elephant hit by 1-2 barrages will beat most units.

Spearmen are the strongest head-to-head against them before pikemen(take much time to get), but if they have any catapults or axemen your spearmen will just attack them. So spearmen are better suited for defending against elephant stacks.

Horse Archers are pretty much useless if they have lots of elephants. Although, if elephants only make 1/3rd of the stack, some HAs could be good to attack later after all the elephants are worn out, and do flanking damage to all their catapults also.



So, basically the best stack to attack an elephant stack, if you don't have your own elephants would be about 2/5 swordsmen, 3/5 catapults. The proportion can change, and spearmen/axemen are good if they match up to the supporting units well, but I think that is what you work from. Swordsmen(or longbowmen if you have them yet, longbowmen don't get countered by anything) are the best at assaulting an elephant stack because they will beat almost any weakened defending unit pretty easily.

 

[Supr49er]

I hate elephants!!!

And Suryavarman's Ballista Elephants are even worse.

 

[bramirez]

Well the problem most of the time is that I have no time to get those troops ready...

But also there is another issue. I have been playing team games. And this time I was trapped in a continent with two other ai that were in the same team... And hell broke loose against me off course.

 

[bestbrian]

Rifles. Lots and lots of Rifles. Ollies own everything pretty much before that, except Pikes, and even then the odds aren't great.

I HATE Elephants (especially since, I've never had them).

 

[Fraxander]

pikemen,spearmen, phalanax works for me

 

[bramirez]

I will post a save game soon so you can give me some feedback on it ok?