The Missile Thread - Hints, Tips and Information

[Oleander Ardens]

So far, whistling shot and fire arrow combo works well for me playing as Huns. I'd have squads of 5 HA's skirmishing. 3 would use regular arrows, 1 flaming shot, 1 whistling arrow. The specialist shots on the right flank so they minimally affect the others. Most stack vs stack battles on legendary end up with me losing a few guys versus total annihilation on the other side

Great, I actually didn't use the Huns so much and was thinking more in terms of mostly infantry combat. Sadly my post got messed up, lacking the vital end:


"Overall in TW you want to accelerate the pace of battle (or 'tempo') where you are winning and slow it down where you are losing".

Oleander Ardens


This is incredibly important so let me bring the classic example of the 'hammer-and-anvil' battle. In Attila I tend to have mostly a line of solid and cost-efficient infantry, usually in a formation like shield or spearwall, in the center to hold and tie down the mass of the enemy while I try to flank with other troops.

In this economical use of force few are able to hold out against many in the center and you thus want an 'anvil fight' with a slow rate of casualities. Ideally this part of the battle should happen in very slow-motion. On the other hand if you are able to outflank the enemy line, usally by concentrating superior forces there, you want have as quick a victory as possible in the 'hammer fight'.


1) The flame+whistling combo with their -21 drop in morale does exactly that while the other penalties are just slight drawbacks when it is combined with the other penalties inflicted by virtue of the rear charge (-9), losing the fight and suffering a large degree of casualties quickly. It allows you to win considerably faster, accelerating in this way the battle of your hammer enabling you to rapidly striking with it again!

2) If you shoot with your 'whistling archers' (TM Slaist) from your right towards the enemy outflanked left you are additionally slowing down the fight in the center a bit with the -8 to melee attack, as long as your morale is not endangered. Your anvil inflicts less casualities but receives fewer, which is far more important as you are doing the killing, routing and winning elsewhere. A minor bonus but a nice one which comes naturally without having to alter my order of battle...


All in all quite often a focus on those aspects can result in surprisingly devastating victories at a surprisingly low cost in friendly lives.