Effectiveness of musketeers

[edyzmedieval]

... same question as in the M2TW forum.

Are musketeers here any good? Any useful properties to them? I know hand gunners aren't of much use, but what about arquebusiers/musketeers?

[macsen rufus]

Properly used they can be effective, their main benefit being the morale hit they cause. I tend to only use them for defensive battles, and leave them for reinforcements in a BIG battle, when they will be dealing with the second wave (or later..) enemy reinforcements, by which time morale is more of an issue (for the enemy) than pure casualties. All this assumes my opening forces survive the first onslaught, of course

They are also quite good for bridge defence battles, again for the morale hit.

Tactically, I prefer to put them somewhere relatively 'safe' - ie good melee troops flanking them, or if they can find the ground then the arquebusiers can go behind and shoot overhead. Usually I will have them in hold formation to stop them skirmishing around (which is why I like to give them flankers...) and set them to NOT fire-at-will. Instead, I let the enemy get within range and then I toggle fire-at-will ON to ensure a good solid volley for all arquebus units at once - this maximises the ballsitic and morale effects and often causes attackers to rout.

They're especially good for bridge defence if you have a unit either side of the bridge and do the same 'wait til you see the whites of their eyes' tactic. IIRC arquebusiers have armour-piercing shot so they are really good against halbardiers with their brittle morale, and can whittle down tougher units like Chiv Foot Knights quite well.

They are considerably better than handguns, with longer range, and not damped by rain - maybe not so good in melee (long while since I played vanilla, so all IIRC, of course). Handguns aren't totally useless, you can use them for similar purposes with similar tactics (maybe have them in 'engage at will' rather than 'hold formation', as they are slightly competent swordsmen, too) - they do require a tad more micromanagement due to shorter range, though.

[edyzmedieval]

Comprehensive post, thank you macsen.

So technically, you use them only as flank weapons. Any special arquebusiers? Any faction that has particular bonuses for them?

[macsen rufus]

Any special arquebusiers? Any faction that has particular bonuses for them?

There's just the one flavour of arquebusiers in vanilla, and I don't recall any faction bonuses... but then it's a long while since I last played the unmodded game

[Trapped in Samsara]

Hi

I have found that HandGunners can be quite useful when in woods acting as a skirmisher screen in front of something like Militia Sergeants or Halbs.

In that terrain the HGs are decent enough in a melee to take on most missile troops and cavalry, and they can exchange fire and prevent your melee line from being peppered to death.

In open terrain, however, HGs just don't cut the mustard. I find Arquebusiers are very useful in the later stages of big, long battles. I often deploy them in extended order as skirmishers in front of, say, Mounted Sergeants. If anything gets too close the Arqs fall back and your cav charge.

The Arqs slow rate of fire is actually an advantage in an extended engagement.

Best regards
VictorGB

Sapere aude
Horace

[edyzmedieval]

But can they be used as an effective front, at least a mainstay of the army? In M2TW, with some training, you could field a good arquebusier/musketeers army and do significant damage, but only in the very late period of the game. (last 25 years)