Strategy

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I've noticed a lot of users and semi-professional reviewers complaining about the sudden change in battle balancing that's come with muskets. I thought we could discuss strategies to deal with the new combat system in this thread.

I've personally found that the old 'Fire and Advance' strategy prevalent in the era works well:

1) Make sure that you've bought enough mercenaries that you can afford to equip the whole lot with muskets - I find it's better to have 10 musket mercenaries than 20 melee because those melee will get shot to pieces during their charge
2) Order your men to spread out (press F2 and then F3) so that they'll form a line
3) Order your men to follow you (press F1 and then F2) to high ground
4) Order your men to hold position when you've got the high ground (press F1 and then F1)
5) Watch your musketeers blow holes in approaching infantry
6) Order your men to hold their fire (press F3 and then F2) when the enemy approaches
7) Order your men to charge the enemy (press F1 and then F3)
:cool: Now that the immediate melee enemies have been attacked in melee return to step 3

I've found this wins battles most of the time. What doesn't work anymore is charging in on horseback like a hero and trying to take out hundreds of enemies solo.

Disclaimer: Sorry if this has been done, but search function is down. Let's have no 'fix the fecking muskets' suggestions either, we're discussing strategy.
 
Here's a useful tactic I've been applying to great effect:

Army composition: About 80% Riflemen, 20% Cav, no melee infantry. Get the best muskets you can afford for the riflemen, and get some pistols for the cav if possible.

1 - F1F1 on a hill to have your men hold the high ground
2 - Press 3, F1F2 To have your cavalry follow you
3 - Move out to the flank and a little behind your musket line
4 - Wait for the enemy; If the enemy attacks you and the cav, pull back, drawing them towards the musket line; if they attack the musket line, wait
5 - While your musket line is wearing down the enemy, flank the enemy with your cav. Press F1F3 to let them chase routers
6 - By this time most enemy soldiers should be routing. If another wave comes up, press F1F2 to have your cav follow you again, pull back, rinse and repeat
 
I enjoy employing plenty of bullet fodder melee and kamikaze cav. I send the melee into a straight charge, line the musketeers up in range, and sneak up on their muskets with my cav. I then send my cav on an all out charge to do as much damage as possible while the melee is still working its way over there, all the while my ranged is picking a few off here and there. Once what is left of my melee and cav get there i usually head in as well and take out the few who are not in melee and aiming their guns at my guys.

Note- This is not very effective against an enemy with pretty much any cav, well i suppose it is situational. But it works well for everyone else. Plus, it's pretty darn cool when you're fighting someone and he gets shot in the head from your muskets a little ways away.
 
King Harkinian said:
1 - F1F1 on a hill to have your men hold the high ground
2 - Press 3, F1F2 To have your cavalry follow you
3 - Move out to the flank and a little behind your musket line

This would also work by holding F1 and place a rally flag and get your Cav around the enemy. This is incase the player does not want to lead the cav. I believe you can also use the map (backspace) to order your units to move somewhere, but not sure.
 
I like the following:

1) Get to a hill
2) Put infantry (preferrably with spears/pikes) at the bottom
3) Put musketline mid-way up
4) Put cavalry (with guns) at the very top
5) Wait for the enemy
6) ???
7) Profit!
 
It's kinda funny here everyone say that horse/infantry get slauterd but when I lost my horse after being kidnapd. I Hired some calvery and went into a fight with a group of gunners. But by the time I got to them my calvery had killed them all with no DMg :smile:

I was happy
 
Leroystrall said:
It's kinda funny here everyone say that horse/infantry get slauterd but when I lost my horse after being kidnapd. I Hired some calvery and went into a fight with a group of gunners. But by the time I got to them my calvery had killed them all with no DMg :smile:

I was happy

Was this on hilly terrain or flat terrain? If this was on hilly terrain, nerf cavalry!
 
I find the best strategy, thus far, is to...

1. Find an enemy force larger than your own
2. Get close enough for them to start chasing you
3. Form wagon circle
4. Get your cav and melee out of the circle, line up musketeers on the inside of the circle. Stay with them.
5. Get you Muskets to fire. While the enemy are distracted, order cav to go to one flank by holding down F1 (A flag will appear that you can use to order troops to hold position, very useful) and your inf to the other.
6. Let the enemy get widdled down by your muskets, all the while getting your flankers to take advantage of any terrain, or just get them in the best possible possition.
7. Charge
8. ????
9. Profit.
 
Was this on hilly terrain or flat terrain? If this was on hilly terrain, nerf cavalry!
[/quote]

Hilly sO my calvery wer not in there eyesite for longer then A few seconds until it they were to close fOr the gunners to do anything
 
- Melee infantry and ranged cavalry
Melee infantry stay ground and behind them Horsemen with muskets. Hold fire until enemies are close then fire a volley and let infantry charge. Cavalry follow you to flank the enemy.
If enemy has many musketmen do this formation behind a hill, so when enemy musketmen come up the hill shoot and charge them.



 
I find simply placing musketeers on a hill usually does the trick, just back them up with infantry like swordsmen and pikemen and watch as they pick off the enemy from quite a huge distance.
 
I've found circling the enemy with cavalry armed with firearms works pretty well. I'm looking foreward to doing it with reiters
 
You know I really don't see it as a big problem to be honest.. course played China ww2
I guess automatic rifles and machine guns teach you not to flat Calvary charges...

Whats funny is I quit using my tatic from China WW2 which was to have the Calvary form on
me and flank left or right once the enemy was close enough to shoot my shooty guys so they
would be forced to choose turn exposing themselfs to my riflemen to defend from horsies
or expose themselves to horsies to fight my shooters.

Of course since I don't have a burst firing thompson so i can understand that tactic being shelved for
this game.  Im kinda curious if it would work though but I find myself going back to a newer tactic.

While I was waiting for fire and sword I started to play more and more of the 100 year war mod on
warband I would put my rank in file front archers behind and calvary back and to the left, heros
to the back and right or slightly behind and right.  (heros is the name I give the category for my
companions).

I found this tactic was the one I immediate starting using with pretty good success... simple yes..

I let the enemy come to me, once they start to get very close I order the calv charge if they break
I either sic the heros or infantry unless im planning on a reset for next wave.

If I lose basic infantry woppie doo thankfully there losses for whatever reason seem to remain small
except with the bandits pulled the wagon train on me...

I was too non aggressive and took my highest losses yet...  I had to end it with ordering the infantry
to take the wagon trains.. I was dumbly ordering everyone to advance 10 paces.. was dumb and stupid...

My marksmen took low loses but my rank and file really took the loses and calv took some unfortunate losses.

Didn't realize my calv were also unmounted.. something for me to consider next time.  Should have paid more
attention.  Oh well should of could of would of but that leaves for next time more educated...
 
dk3dknight said:
HopeSlayer said:
I honestly love the rush of not knowing if I'm going to get filled with lead or not. My tactic = Blitzkrieg

:wink:

I like that.  :smile:

Me too, but I don't have the balls for it. I tend to try and stay at range and snipe. I can't wait to get one of the custom muskets.
 
My army is ~70% of well equipped cavalry (Polish mercenaries and Hussars), ~25% moderately equipped ranged and the rest are random rescued units (infantry).
1. Ranged make a fire line on a hill.
2. Infantry near them.
3. Cavalry follow me. At first behind ranged, then left (preferably behind hills), then charge enemy from the side starting attack from enemy ranged units, then all charge.

If I fight with other allied armies I just make all of my units follow me and flank.
 
diavel said:
My army is ~70% of well equipped cavalry (Polish mercenaries and Hussars), ~25% moderately equipped ranged and the rest are random rescued units (infantry).
1. Ranged make a fire line on a hill.
2. Infantry near them.
3. Cavalry follow me. At first behind ranged, then left (preferably behind hills), then charge enemy from the side starting attack from enemy ranged units, then all charge.

If I fight with other allied armies I just make all of my units follow me and flank.

This would seem like that tactic that I usally use, rather simple and yet effective.
 
i haven't played WFaS for that long time, BUT, my favourite strategy in MaB's mods, when you have a lot of lancers and fighting against musketeers only was this: Shout "Stay where you are!" and charge the enemy alone. When you are around one third through the way shout "Charge!". Now the more dangerous part: ride your horse in front of the enemy and go behind them, but keep your distance. The idiots will turn around and shoot after you. As they have muskets, they will reload, but they wont finish it, because they will be killed by your lancers, that they did not see.  :grin:
 
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