How do I use elephants properly?

[Dutch_guy]

make them run through enemy line's , if possible do it from behind.
If you have War Ele's you can also just let them shoot every arrow the've got
and then charge.

However watch out for pikes and fire arrows, never take on pikes from the front ( ) and let cav, take out the archers, this is important because you do not want the ele';s running amok into your own lines, I've lost generals due to that.

Also be sure to send in your own units once the ele's have charged through the enemies lines ( for maximum impact dubble - click behind the enemy units ) this will cause terror and panic amongst enemy lines, they can never keep up the fight for long that way.

Hope that helped

[derF]

For some reason, when i pursue with elephants, they do not inflict any casualites. They simply knock the soldiers to the floor and they get back up again.

[Beefy]

Elephants Bah!

Keep them far far away from fire arrows.

Use em when u are already engaged and want to really hit the enemy hard send em in. dont use them as a primary attacking force

[Count Belisarius]

The trick is to keep them moving. Elephants get a huge charge/attack bonus, so don't squander it by letting them stop and melee with an individual enemy unit. If I am using elephants in the center of my line, instead of simply attacking an enemy unit, I usually double-click BEHIND the enemy unit, so that the the elephants will run through and not get bogged down, thus losing their charge bonus. If I'm using them on the flanks, I will charge them - not at the very nearest enemy unit - but at the next-to-nearest enemy unit in the battle line. Keep doing that all the way down the line, spreading fear as you go.

As already noted, preserve your elephants by 1) only attacking pike or phalanx formations from the rear (even a flanking attack can get them killed); 2) retreating from missile fire, especially fire arrows; and 3) using them in tandem with another unit right at the elephants' feet (skirmishers or cheap melee infantry are great for keeping enemy skirmishers out of range).

Elephants in R:TW are unrealistically powerful, even after the last patch. However, watching elite Roman infantrymen get tossed into the air like matchsticks IS rather fun. R:TR takes a more realistic (though less enjoyable) approach: the elephants are much easier to kill, especially with javelins, and they rout if you breathe on them wrong.

[Viking]

...2) retreating from missile fire, especially fire arrows; and 3) using them in tandem with another unit right at the elephants' feet (skirmishers or cheap melee infantry are great for keeping enemy skirmishers out of range).
...
R:TR takes a more realistic (though less enjoyable) approach: the elephants are much easier to kill, especially with javelins, and they rout if you breathe on them wrong.

Also in vanilla those javelins are very deadly for elephants, so for gods sake keep `em away from those!

[Tigranes]

Maybe that's why I'm not good with them. I use R:TR.

I'll test out the suggestions, thanks!

[Nelson]

I use elephants when I need to screen my flanks because I’m outnumbered. Sometimes I try to cave in an enemy flank with them. I never have them near the center. In fact, it’s not uncommon for me to leave them out of the fight altogether. They are also good for smashing in the gates of palisades and wooden walls.

[tai4ji2x]

The trick is to keep them moving. Elephants get a huge charge/attack bonus, so don't squander it by letting them stop and melee with an individual enemy unit. If I am using elephants in the center of my line, instead of simply attacking an enemy unit, I usually double-click BEHIND the enemy unit, so that the the elephants will run through and not get bogged down, thus losing their charge bonus.

first, you might want to be aware of the fact that the charge bonus stat doesn't seem to have the effect one would assume:
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showt...4&page=1&pp=30
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/index...pic=25801&st=0

second, units which are not specifically ordered to "attack" a unit are not interpreted by the game as "attacking". therefore, they are more vulnerable, and they never initiate a charge. they are technically "running" units, nothing more. individuals within the unit will engage the enemy as they come in contact with them, but will be reactive, not proactive (ie, they will usually not strike until struck first).

elephants i suppose are one of the exceptions to the second point. like chariots, they seem to have a "kill zone" around them for enemy units. still, it would seem that simply running through a unit is less effective.

[Mikeus Caesar]

If you are using normal elephants, be incredibly careful with them. They can go amok for any reason. If you're using Armoured Elephants though, you can win an entire battle with just two units. Only problem is, they are suseptible to Fire Arrows like their smaller cousins, but less so fortunately. And also, armoured ele's can kill hundreds of people. They send them flying everywhere. Against the Parthians, they are amazing, all of this little light infantry men go flying everywhere, even across the walls.

[Aegisthis The Infantryman]

As many have said here the main purpose of elephants are to create a devastating charge against the opponent. They can go through thick formations of enemies and make the enemy shiver in their boots!
Hope that helps.

[Count Belisarius]

Maybe that's why I'm not good with them. I use R:TR.

I'll test out the suggestions, thanks!

If you're using R:TR, you have to be VERY careful with your elephants, especially the normal kind. They tire very quickly, and that makes them much more susceptible to routing. Once they rout, they very seldom rally, and are prone to run amok. You have never seen a more tragic sight than a unit of your own War Elephants tear-@ssing through a formation of very expensive cataphracts. They also drop dead in droves if you let skirmishers or hastati/principes get off a volley or two of javelins. Also, watch out for "friendly" fire when you engage. Your own missiles can kill/rout them just as easily as the enemy's. If all this weren't enough, I think the designers of R:TR also have dialed back the "fear factor" that makes elephants so devastating on the battlefild. When playing R:TR, I seldom bother building them, and many times do not allow them to participate in the battle until I have dealt with the enemy's missile troops.

first, you might want to be aware of the fact that the charge bonus stat doesn't seem to have the effect one would assume:
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showt...4&page=1&pp=30
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/index...pic=25801&st=0

second, units which are not specifically ordered to "attack" a unit are not interpreted by the game as "attacking". therefore, they are more vulnerable, and they never initiate a charge. they are technically "running" units, nothing more. individuals within the unit will engage the enemy as they come in contact with them, but will be reactive, not proactive (ie, they will usually not strike until struck first).

elephants i suppose are one of the exceptions to the second point. like chariots, they seem to have a "kill zone" around them for enemy units. still, it would seem that simply running through a unit is less effective.

As to the first point, I have not conducted any research or experiments or detailed comparisons of unit stats, etc. I can only offer the anecdotal evidence of my own gameplaying experience. In the battles I have played, elephants rack up many more kills in a shorter amount of time when they are charging. The kill rate APPEARS to slow down dramatically once they stop to melee. Thus, I still always keep them on the move so long as their stamina holds up.

As to the second point, I can't say if not having your elephants in "attack" mode renders them less effective or not. If it does, I haven't noticed.

Regardless, when I use the click-behind-the-enemy tactic, my objective is to disrupt the enemy's lines and damage their morale, as opposed to killing them in large numbers, because I follow the elephants' charge closely with an attack with fast-moving infantry (Iberian Infantry are great in this role, and even Eastern Infantry will work in a pinch). The real massacre begins when the elephants turn around and crash into the rear of the enemy formation. However, crushing the enemy's center like this only works under special circumstances: where the enemy doesn't have much in the way of missile troops and isn't deploying phalanx troops.

[Mikeus Caesar]

elephants rack up many more kills in a shorter amount of time when they are charging.

Yes well, if you had an object the size of a small house crash through a group of people at 30mph, i imagine there would be alot of casualties. And btw, if you can get alot of enemy to gather around you, the elephants can cause quite alot of damage. I was recently fighting a battle against the numidians, were 3 units of their javelin men gathered around a unit of Armoured Elephants. It was a massacre. Within a few seconds, about 200 of the enemy were dead because of the elephants in melee mode. Heck, some of the enemy went flying across the wall.

[Marcus Maxentius]

Most tactics I read are the same for both chariots and elephants. They say charge them at the beginning and mop up with the rest of your army. That works, but I find it wasteful. I'm talking war elephants here, but it might work for african elephants. I like posting them at the flanks as a kind of uber triarii last defense if the rest of the army fails.

I wait until it gets towards the end when the enemy is on the verge of losing, but needs that last push to cinch the win. It really pays off to wait so your elephants can scare the enemy the most. By this time they're exhausted and ragged and looking past my main line at a big lumbering pachyderm just makes them go "Aw, crap" just before they get punt kicked to the afterlife. And when the mass rout occurs they can really clean up.