Hoplites Harikari

[Primus_Pilus]

I don't remember hoplites being this big a deal the first time I played and completely destroyed this game. Can anyone make some useful suggestions on taking out hoplite phalanxs? I'm in the early stages of the game, so I don't ahve any fancy Cohorts or anything (at that point, it wouldn't be a bid deal)

Thanks,
~Primus

[Hellenic_Hoplite]

you don't really need anything fancy all you have to do is to try not to engage them from the front and if you do have one unit attack the front while another wheels around the side and attacks them, theyre also slow so skirmishers and archers would work well against them too.

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

Hi,
May I suggest that you keep a long line of hasatii/principles/trarii engaging the whole of the enemies phalanx line from the front. Then you have to quickly, very quickly, nip round the back with your general and some equities. The phalanx will be too busy fighting you from the front to notice you go in from the behind and, on the moment of impact, they will go flying into the air as if they were toy solders! Good horses :grin:
Cheers!

[mightilyoats]

I find it also works well to counter a phalanx with a heavier phalanx (a lighter or equal phalanx will also work, but you must be quick then). This buys you lots of time to flank and utterly destroy them.

When flanked they no longer use their pikes, but rather go for their swords/knifes...

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

When flanked they no longer use their pikes, but rather go for their swords/knifes...
....which are weaker and less effective than their spears.

[HumphreysCraig00]

One thing I found effective is to have equitees (my entire roman armies are always equites apart from my most recent roman play which was boring as it was just pile everything on them and hope they break)

Anyway have your equites destroy any enemy cavalry, then run around the formations (NOT ENGAGE) and put them in threatening positions, and keep doing this until the enemy formation is completely spilt up into individual units trying to get the horsemen (this is easy against the greeks as the only phalanx thats ever un phalanxed and ran at me was the spartans.)

Then pair up your equites units and get them to charge into the front and back of the phalanxes as simultaniously as you can (apart from the spartans who will need about a 6 equites charge from all directions to rout reliably) This generally routs them without them causing too many casualties if you do it right and if you are lucky you can take out Large stack early/mid greek armies with 4 equites.


It is the most reliable way to get Heroic victories that I have found.

[Primus_Pilus]

In the field the Hoplites, I have discovered, aren't as strong as I thought, but in the cities, they are almost invincible. My tactic, starve them out. when they exit the city, they are half the strength AND they are in the field making them remarkably easier to eat.

Garrisoning a city, though. Dear god.