Timurids: Elephants (Medieval Uber Unit)

**Dave1984** · 11-30-2006, 14:48

Just spent an enjoyable hour testing and killing elephants and I have to say without a doubt the best and safest way to kill them quickly and efficiently is with javelinmen, mounted or no, although if they are infantry javelinmen then one on one may not be your friend, but it's not a major issue to recruit one more unit!

Aced up Longbowmen behind stakes suffered 70-80 casualties to no kills by the time the elephants reached them, with or without using flaming ammunition, and Janissary musketeers wounded a couple but killed none before they had the reforming problem, which is the only bug I've really noticed and had a problem with and at the minute is a reason to not recruit any musketeers ever.

However the javelinmen on average had 1-2 elephants killed in the first volley, and about 4 more volleys to finish them off or have them running amok.

Since RTW I have no desire to engage elephants in close combat, it isn't really a viable option and the kills/losses ratio is generally pretty poor.

**giskard** · 12-01-2006, 07:44

D Wilson

That would make sense since pikes work ok too.

Good work mate and thanks for letting us know. :)

Giskard

**Derfel von Saljeth** · 12-01-2006, 08:00

In my experience i used Mercenary Arquebusiers and Mercenary Monster Ribault to scare them. It worked pretty good :)

The only problem with them atm is i usualy have CTD when meet them

**Dave1984** · 12-01-2006, 13:10

Originally Posted by Derfel von Saljeth

In my experience i used Mercenary Arquebusiers and Mercenary Monster Ribault to scare them. It worked pretty good :)

The only problem with them atm is i usualy have CTD when meet them

Yes, I should suspect that gunpowder units would be very good elephant killers and in the (maximum) two volleys any of the ones I used got off before being hit by that hideous reforming bug did not cause any kills but each time did cause visible damage (blood on the elephants)
I did try varieties of artillery as well with very good results, often downing 3-4 elephants per units per cannon volley if I was lucky. Unfortunately each time a combination of the general inaccuracy of artillery, especially cannon, and the long reload times meant that after two shots each the elephants had generally charged in for the kill.

At the minute it is pretty hard to say exactly how good pikes are in killing them.
Bearing in mind they seem to be only effective when braced, you'd need to be able to test them really after the passive ai big has been fixed- at the minute, I've found over and over again that the elephants stop at long range, slaughter pike units with their musketmen or artillery and that's that.
In order to bring them in for close combat right now, you have to have your pike advance very close, and when they are close enough to trigger an elephantine charge it happens well before they can brace themselves for it, with predictable results.
So sadly I think that right now they are pretty untestable in custom battle mode and I shall have to find some and ship them to the holy land in my campaign just as soon as I've secured my borders against those damned Milanese (again).

**pat the magnificent** · 12-01-2006, 13:44

A unit of Turkish Naffatuns can single handedly route a unit of gun elephants.

the naffatuns take pretty bad causalities though.

**pat the magnificent** · 12-01-2006, 14:08

3 units of HRE forlorn hope also managed to rout a unit of elephants, though once again with extreme causalities

**zulukiller** · 12-01-2006, 18:44

Does anyone know whats the best unit is for the english to use against elephants everyone keeps mentioning units from other factions but nothing for the english.

p.s. ive got woodsman guild (robinhood men) and st john guild are they any good ??.

**TheFluff** · 12-02-2006, 08:59

The timurids are just annoying. Nothing you use can really beat there elephants. You can use alot of archers, but then you get attacked by there own archers are arty and cav. All this while trying to hold them back from your lands. Also they are able to knock down walls, and you cant kill them becacause they are usually out of range during a seige.

This is all assuming the game doesnt crash! ^_^

**Roy1991** · 12-11-2006, 21:15

I didn't mind the elephants in RTW, but now they're deffinitely over the top, lol.

1 unit of gold chevron arty eles against 20 units of Jannisary Heavy Infantry (without chevrons):
https://img127.imageshack.us/img127/2046/eleartyen4.jpg

**Doug-Thompson** · 12-11-2006, 21:19

Just a thought, but has anybody tried -- hiring merc elephants? They're in Mosul and Baghdad, for instance. I imagine they don't have the experience modifiers of the Timiruds, though.

Or just use javelins. Turn "fire at will" off, use other unit to get through anything that's guarding the elephants, then throw.