Rome: Total War Alexander

[Vladyc]

Does anyone here have the Alexander expansion pack? If you don't, I highly reccomend it, because the campaign is great and it's only $15.

If you do, has anyone played the historical battle of Issus? It's borderline impossible--I haven't been able to beat it in ten tries.

 

[Dell19]

I tend to not bother with historical battles or the battle campaigns. I dislike having to fulfill particular criteria.

 

[Drakan]

Yes Vladyc. The historical battles are very difficult. Normally I play on the hardest setting, but with the historical battles in Alexander's expansion pack I've been forced to lower the level of difficulty. i've had to try more than ten times in some historical scenarios to win.

The key to winning on the historical battles is to be very aggressive and hunt out the commander-in-chief of the AI armies. Once you have taken him out his remaining troops lose courage and morale pronto and rout. You must attempt to outflank the enemy and kill their general.

With Issus battle I think I took a defensive stance on one side of the Pinarus river. I then outflanked the enemy with my cavalry and the AI routed. Cavalry is the key to win in the historical battles.

If you think Issus is difficult wait to tackle Gaugamela, that is hell on earth.

 

[Vladyc]

I actually found it fairly easy to corner Darius against the sea early on and kill him.

The last couple times I tried, I was doing fairly well--I had most of their infantry engaged with my phalangists, and the cavalry ready to flank them. Unfortunately, Alexander has died both times I tried to charge their spearmen from behind, despite having most of his bodyguard remaining.

Edit: Nevermind, I finally beat it. Gaugamela, on the other hand...

 

[Drakan]

It's easy to kill him at Issus with all your cavalry crossing the river through the right and then closing in from behind.

The problem is dealing with his remaining army. That's why I think that adopting a defensive position on the other side of the river bank without crossing it, waiting for the Persians to cross it and attack you uphill is the wisest move. You can then attack their rear and exposed flanks with Alexander's companion cavalry and rout the enemy hemmed in between cavalry and phalanx.

The persian troops demoralise attacking uphill on the riverbank and their large number plays against them because they just cannot manoeuvre properly.