Phoenix Master
Chieftain
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2019
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- 59
Can somebody give me some good advice on how to wage a successful war before 1 AD?
[Warlords] Starting an Early War (Before 1 AD)
- Thread starter Phoenix Master
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- Mar 11, 2008
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Hard to give advice in that regard in a vacuum. We'd need to know the settings you normally play with currently.
I highly recommend that you play BTS. It is the definitive version of the game and more balanced than its predecessors. With that said, if you are determined to play Warlords for now, then note that it's slightly more difficult, and that challenge grows as you increase difficulty. In other words, I would consider Emperor level more like Immortal level, Immortal akin to Deity level, and Deity is just...well...insane.
Anyway, in general, siege is going to be your best bet in most early wars barring a very early rush - like axes or chariots. To top it off, pre-BTS, siege like catapults can actually kill units as opposed to just damaging them (which is really more realistic). So you will generally go for some axes/swords combined with at least half your army stack comprised of catapults. An alternative to that is to go straight mounted units with Horse Archers which allows for speed and better tactics.
Also, note that you have access to ivory that War Elephants are a very strong classical unit combined with catapults. Maybe throw in an axe or two in the stack for support.
Make sure that you understand about slavery/whipping and chopping forests. Armies can and should be created fast if preparing for/supporting the war effort.
Lastly, note that this game is not simply about slamming units into the bad guys. You want a decent early economy to research those important mil techs and to fund expansion. It's important to learn all the basic mechanics and concepts.
Timing on the other hand is relative. Depends on several factors including the difficulty that you play. An early rush - and I mean very early like 2000BC range - is predicated on quick access to a strategic resource and proximity of the AIs. Not worth it if the enemy is too far away. Likely no more than two are 3 cities settled yourself though at that point. Horse Archer rush comes a bit later simply due to the tech requirement but they give you some flexibility as they move faster. When going that HA route you go just HA stacks.
Catapults work with anything and considered "disposable"; i.e., rather than survive, their purpose is to soften cities or enemy stacks so your melee has greater odds.
I highly recommend that you play BTS. It is the definitive version of the game and more balanced than its predecessors. With that said, if you are determined to play Warlords for now, then note that it's slightly more difficult, and that challenge grows as you increase difficulty. In other words, I would consider Emperor level more like Immortal level, Immortal akin to Deity level, and Deity is just...well...insane.
Anyway, in general, siege is going to be your best bet in most early wars barring a very early rush - like axes or chariots. To top it off, pre-BTS, siege like catapults can actually kill units as opposed to just damaging them (which is really more realistic). So you will generally go for some axes/swords combined with at least half your army stack comprised of catapults. An alternative to that is to go straight mounted units with Horse Archers which allows for speed and better tactics.
Also, note that you have access to ivory that War Elephants are a very strong classical unit combined with catapults. Maybe throw in an axe or two in the stack for support.
Make sure that you understand about slavery/whipping and chopping forests. Armies can and should be created fast if preparing for/supporting the war effort.
Lastly, note that this game is not simply about slamming units into the bad guys. You want a decent early economy to research those important mil techs and to fund expansion. It's important to learn all the basic mechanics and concepts.
Timing on the other hand is relative. Depends on several factors including the difficulty that you play. An early rush - and I mean very early like 2000BC range - is predicated on quick access to a strategic resource and proximity of the AIs. Not worth it if the enemy is too far away. Likely no more than two are 3 cities settled yourself though at that point. Horse Archer rush comes a bit later simply due to the tech requirement but they give you some flexibility as they move faster. When going that HA route you go just HA stacks.
Catapults work with anything and considered "disposable"; i.e., rather than survive, their purpose is to soften cities or enemy stacks so your melee has greater odds.
Speed is really the key with an early rush. And it is situational so if you don't have an easily accessible nearby resource, a very close enemy or preferably some good commerce tiles in case of Swords/Horse Archer rush, then you may want to go for another route. The post above mine really hits home on some important points.
If I'm waging war in the BCs, that usually means my game meets a few criteria:
Other tidbits:
IMO the key point is to rush because it makes sense with the map. The main issue I ran into when starting out was shoehorning an axe rush into a map where it doesn't fit. If you want to practice a strategy, ask around for good maps for that, or use world builder to regenerate until you get one you like.
- An AI is very close, such that you can't grab 6+ cities peacefully (assuming standard map size). Typically for me that means capitals 10 - 12 tiles apart at most.
- You have copper / horses - IMO it's rarely worth it to self tech iron working for an early war, unless you're Rome perhaps.
Other tidbits:
- You need to be fast (how early depends on your difficulty settings). Like lymond said, I aim for 2 - 3 cities before an axeman / HA / construction rush. Maybe 4 for construction if the cities are well-justified. More than that and you'll likely be too slow. Slowness will kill the rush because of AIs getting longbows, too many cities to match in production, and/or significant cultural defense.
- Slavery + Chopping are key to getting out enough units quickly at this stage of the game.
- Early war should always be quick and decisive. Your war should have a defined goal or stopping point so you don't enter a long, grinding war with no progress.
- If you're getting stonewalled, take a cease fire and re-evaluate. Otherwise you'll build war weariness. Plus, some AIs really amass units while in war, making decisive victory more difficult.
IMO the key point is to rush because it makes sense with the map. The main issue I ran into when starting out was shoehorning an axe rush into a map where it doesn't fit. If you want to practice a strategy, ask around for good maps for that, or use world builder to regenerate until you get one you like.
Joshybravo963
Chieftain
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2020
- Messages
- 2
Make sure you get currency, otherwise you'll bankrupt your empire once you win the war.
Look into bulb paths for the units you want to use, whether it be elephants, horses, or trebuchets.
Build about 3/4 cities, designate them, for axes/spears, archers for defence and so on. make sure to build barracks, granaries in cities you will whip, and stables only in cities that will only build mounted units. Don't build useless buildings that will not help in war. Only build library in capital.
Start war when you have enough to take 1 city, and then just mass produce units.
Look into bulb paths for the units you want to use, whether it be elephants, horses, or trebuchets.
Build about 3/4 cities, designate them, for axes/spears, archers for defence and so on. make sure to build barracks, granaries in cities you will whip, and stables only in cities that will only build mounted units. Don't build useless buildings that will not help in war. Only build library in capital.
Start war when you have enough to take 1 city, and then just mass produce units.
