How to Employ Pikemen

**Quintus.JC** · 11-15-2009, 12:27

Originally Posted by Cute Wolf

2. If you want to try them on offense, you must learn how to order them to stop everytime the enemy is about to near with you, that way, the spear-wall will be presented and your enemy impaled, that's it.

Infantry don't get impaled like cavalry does. Once pikemen get engaged with other infantry they will drop their pikes and get in melee with their daggers; this place them in disadvantages and defeat is certain for weaker pike units. Pikemen definitely have their strengths, but for me I prefer armoured sergeants (and other stronger spear units) over pikemen. Personally I only use pikemen when playing as Spain or Portugal, these are the only factions able to present potent pike units (tercios and aventuros) and advanced gunpowder units (portugese arquabusier and musketeers).

**Cute Wolf** · 11-15-2009, 15:24

Originally Posted by Quintus.JC

Infantry don't get impaled like cavalry does. Once pikemen get engaged with other infantry they will drop their pikes and get in melee with their daggers; this place them in disadvantages and defeat is certain for weaker pike units. Pikemen definitely have their strengths, but for me I prefer armoured sergeants (and other stronger spear units) over pikemen. Personally I only use pikemen when playing as Spain or Portugal, these are the only factions able to present potent pike units (tercios and aventuros) and advanced gunpowder units (portugese arquabusier and musketeers).

Try the plain Pike Militia vs Sergeant spearmen line (as long as they are unflanked of course)... when against infantry, they'll keep their enemies at bay for a while, and don't expect them to kill as quick as dismounted english knights of course (and for more, armoured swordsmen or any armoured heavy infantry is pikemen's bane!), but against sorts of spear militia infantry, or with stronger pikes, against most infantry, they will win through grinding with pike points... But NEVER expect them to win against dismounted English/French Knights... they are the ultimate infantry killing infantry...

**Zild** · 11-15-2009, 20:30

Oh, I get it now... People think pikes (an anti-cavalry unit) are bugged because they aren't very good against infantry. Makes perfect sense...

Seriously, I think you'll find the premise is that cavalry are too big and unwieldy to manoeuvre between the pikes, whereas smaller, nimbler infantry can get through much more easily. At close range a pike cannot be used, not to mention they may have been disarmed by their attacker, and whilst it may make more sense to continue using your pike and to rely on the peer to your rear to protect you, that sword bearing down on you make quite a compelling argument...

**Machiavelli** · 11-15-2009, 21:14

I enjoy reading these replies. It's pretty damn obvious some of the posters haven't bothered to read anything I've said, seeing as this guide explains how to use vanilla pikemen vs infantry and without any need to mod spacing, secondary weapons, and the like.

**Gray_Lensman** · 11-16-2009, 07:37

They (pikemen) work a heck of a lot better when the spacing is altered whether you care to do that or not. Whatever floats your boat.

**Diamondeye** · 11-19-2009, 16:25

I would just like to say that I found this article very enlightening and will definately try to use it next time I play as Portugal, which I otherwise regarded as a weak nation.

**ytghazal** · 10-29-2010, 20:03

Keep this thread alive ppl, i heard so many arguments about how pikes suck. i read this article and the last one, i commented on the last one to get it pushed to the top. I say keep this one on the top, maybe even a stickie and we can stop hearing about how pike men suck, cant wait till i get home and try the Shot and Pike.