How realistic are elephants going rampage all the time?

**ziegenpeter** · 10-19-2009, 19:54

Good day fellow EB fans!
I was wondering how accurate it is that elephants are going rampage aproximatly once in 3 or 2 battles. I think they wouldnt be used that much if they were so unreliable. Or were they?
Is this feature hardcoded btw? Or is it possible to make it harder for them to go into berserk-mod?

**Zradha Pahlavan** · 10-19-2009, 20:26

You mean 'running amok'? Depends on how badly wounded they get and how much fighting they're expected to do, and on whether or not getting them to 'run amok' would be either their commander's or the enemy commander's intention.

**anubis88** · 10-19-2009, 21:47

Elephants were indeed very unpredictable... They were (like scythed chariots) a gamble on the battlefield. They could bring the decisive edge in a battle ( pyrhic war), or break one own's lines ( Zama, Magnesia(i think))

**satalexton** · 10-20-2009, 09:58

...but when used properly, would sent the barbaroi fleeing in terror...pity Barbaropolis has stone walls and boiling oil....

**Cute Wolf** · 10-20-2009, 11:20

Some good tactics to let your elephants still get their fair share of killing, while not going on mindless rampage:

1. If your enemy has a lot of missile troops / skirmishers, try to use your own missile troops to wear them out in prolonged missile duel. It looks like a hail of arrows hurt them more than swords or spears. After you wear out enemy missile troops, even if your own missile troops has higher casuality, then your elephants would be free from their primary bane... Especially true in EB since Elephants are really crack exspensive unit.

2. If your enemy has javelin precursors, don't let them throw it to your elephants. The best example is how to kill Assortment Roman Legionaries with just Misteret Ezrahim Tsorim and Elephants. Let your melee troops enggange them in melee first, and then use your elephants to hit their (the Romaioi's) back. It was guaranteed to cause instant rout, except for Triarii and Cohors Evocatae.

3. If your enemy has a 10 star general that was very annoying..... just use your elephant unit as torpedo directly to him..... BANG! and he will be trampled down, and their soldiers are instant rout.... but don't do this if that general in question..... sit behind a line of Phalangitai...

**Hax** · 10-20-2009, 11:26

Don't let them fight on their own. Use them when flanking, like a "super cavalry".

**king of thracia** · 10-20-2009, 23:14

If the elephants aren't hurt by missiles they will rout the entire enemy army immediately by themselves. Just keep them smashing through enemy formations.

Elephants according to the Battle of Zama are hard to steer. And I imagine they are hard to control. I wonder how they would be trained to fight humans. Fighting their own troops might not be very different from fighting the enemy, hence the easy rampaging.

Seleukids had a corp of elephant guards that consisted largely of mobile missile and skirmish troops. Horses tend to be dissuaded and intimidated by the presence of elephants, and have to be trained to work in conjunction.

Opening lanes, digging pits, powerful missiles have all been used successfully to fight elephants around the world.