"How to Use Horse Archers" in Rome: Total War

[Pontifex Rex]

Hmmm,...I think my tactics with a Horse Archer army are somewhat different from most of the posts I've read. I use a "ride-by" strafing attack or defence which looks something like this (15-16 units).


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_________A A
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_________A A
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The army will ride from right to left (enemies left to right) at an oblique angle across the enemy's front until the entire formation rides past the enemy flank (skirmish mode off). The attacks will hit the the centre-righ to right hand wing of the enemy army with a torent of arrows. As the enemy army wheeels to face your new position you dash a ways out of range of any missile troops and redress the ranks as best you can. Once the lads have a had a good 30 second rest, they will charge again,...repeating the oblique attack.

The enemy army will eventually become disorganized and you can start spliting your formation into two wings (or perhaps three if needs be) and start picking the enemy apart. Likewise, once the enemy formation is disorganized, you can form the army into two lines as the enemy formations advances piecemeal, slowly falling back but wrecking havoc as you do.

If the enemy has cavalry your first "ride-by" will probably draw them out, so be ready with the skirmish button. Take out the enemy cavalry first and then the infantry. You may lose a dozen, maybe two dozen horses but, some will "heal" their wounds. As units weaken you can reorg and send remnants back for rebuilding or bring up replacements to distribute among the veteran units. Works quite well.

I just defeated a full 20 unit Macedon army plus 12 units reinforcing with 13 Horse Archers, 1 General, 3 Sarmatian Mercs and 3 Phalanx Mercs.

Cheers