Ballista's: Are They Good For Taking Down Walls?

**Smaug-V** · 12-31-2004, 18:34

Originally Posted by aw89

I NEVER attack citys so i wouldn't know...

Same here. Biggest pain in the arse, IMHO

**HicRic** · 12-31-2004, 21:29

Wait, ballistas can take down stone wall towers? The description says something like "no damage vs buildings" so I thought that meant stone towers as well?

**Arrowhead** · 12-31-2004, 22:21

I once used a bllista against stone walls and it worked really well,taking it down in 2 shots. I turned it on fire and aimed it at the gate, destroying it in 3 shots and frying a unit of spearmen behind the gate.

And in a custom battle I got a ballista and fired a flaming bolt at a group of 'phants killing one and setting the rest running amok

**LordKhaine** · 01-01-2005, 06:18

Originally Posted by HicRic

Wait, ballistas can take down stone wall towers? The description says something like "no damage vs buildings" so I thought that meant stone towers as well?

Repeating Ballistas cannot damage buildings. The normal ones can.

**HicRic** · 01-01-2005, 11:59

Cheers, guys. I've ignored ballistas up to this point. I'll give them a go now, they sound very interesting.

**KyodaiSteeleye** · 01-01-2005, 13:22

Well, even though you now get two ballistas per unit (to 1 in MTW), they're still virtually worthless on the battlefield - which is a shame, as they were used as a battlefield weapon by the romans (so they must have been of some use in real life) - unlike onagers, which shouldn't be on the battlefield, and do silly amounts of damage.

Anyone discovered any use for Scorpions by the way? My only (brief) play with them made me believe they were just a more expensive waste of space than ballistas....

**Sin Qua Non** · 01-01-2005, 17:41

I've taken out a section of epic stone walls with 18 ballistae, just to see it I could. Not the most efficient way, but it works. The fun is when there is a unit above that section you're hitting. Every so often a ballista misses and knocks 3 or 3 guys clear off of the wall.

**Arrowhead** · 01-01-2005, 21:31

Originally Posted by KyodaiSteeleye

Well, even though you now get two ballistas per unit (to 1 in MTW), they're still virtually worthless on the battlefield - which is a shame, as they were used as a battlefield weapon by the romans (so they must have been of some use in real life) - unlike onagers, which shouldn't be on the battlefield, and do silly amounts of damage.

Anyone discovered any use for Scorpions by the way? My only (brief) play with them made me believe they were just a more expensive waste of space than ballistas....

Actually the romans used scorpions as anti-personnel weapons.