Although I have taken walls by storm with phalanx type units, I prefer not to. This is especially true when besieging a walled city that has a full stack defending it.

When you lay siege, build as many towers as you can, and build more every turn. After two or three turns, you can have 15 towers or more. Place them all across the area you can, set them to fire at will. Hit the wall with the towers, and if there are defenders where you hit, you will need to reinforce them. Everywhere else on the wall that isn't manned by defenders, you send your other towers, preferably filled by light infantry, or fast heavy infantry such as Thracians or Bastardae. Run these through the towers, converting them into your own service, as well as make the gates your own. When the walls, gates and towers are yours, dash the cavalry in. If the town square is heavily defended, bring your heavy infantry to the ground, and march your archers up behind them. Shoot them first, and let your infantry take down the rest.

If you have time, and the enemy doesn't have another full stack army about to come stick a spear in your backside, I agree with StirfriedYen to wait them out. On the other hand, if there is a full stack inside the city, and another about to stab you in the back, it may still be better to wait them out. When the battle starts, go to the high ground, and make them chase you. By the time they get there, they are tired, you are rested to "warmed up." Often the reinforcing army from the city does not even show up.

In X number of turns, they will either surrender, or sally forth (in depleted numbers). If you set your towers to fire at will as they sally, a large portion of their army will die just from your tower missiles. Somebody said something along the line, "If you find yourself in a fair fight, it wasn't planned very well." Isn't that the truth? I agree.

My own question in all of this, if we can burn their rams, burn or chop down their towers, then how do we destroy their ladders?

I'm sure I've taken more cities by the enemy sallying out than by storming the walls, even more by an enemy army attacking me as I besieged, and the garrison comes out to reinforce them. Stroll to your prize!

You can do it!

Strength and Honor

Celt Centurion

Quote Originally Posted by stirfriedYen
Unless I'm missing something big, I'm pretty sure the Greeks have predominantly defense-oriented units, making them a pain when it comes to sieging. I found a nice way around it would be merely to wait for the enemy to sally out to you, where you have the advantage.

(But that might just be me, I have an excessively defensive playing style...)