How does Ambush stance work exactly?

[Raziel]

My lord has a 100% ambush chance, but he keeps getting ambush foiled constantly from level 1 lord armies, am I missing something?

[SieferDarkstar]

if you get into ambush stance where they can see you the ambush won't work. You need to walk in ambush stance to the point you want to ambush. Heroes can also see you if they are close enough so kill any heroes around to ambush.
Finally while your lord has 100% ambush chance all lords have some bonus to spot ambushes so they chance it not actually 100% really its more of a point system where you have 100 and they have 20. They still have a chance to spot the ambush,

[Raziel]

Originally posted by SieferDarkstar:

if you get into ambush stance where they can see you the ambush won't work. You need to walk in ambush stance to the point you want to ambush. Heroes can also see you if they are close enough so kill any heroes around to ambush.
Finally while your lord has 100% ambush chance all lords have some bonus to spot ambushes so they chance it not actually 100% really its more of a point system where you have 100 and they have 20. They still have a chance to spot the ambush,

How do I know if the AI can see my lord? How far away do I need to be to set an ambush exactly?

[SieferDarkstar]

This can be hard to tell since lords can have skills or traits that increase their sightline the best idea is to have a hero or two around to scout for enemies so that you know the about best area to ambush from.
It really just comes down to getting use to the system when they really don't explain it very well at all.

[Garatgh Deloi]

Originally posted by Raziel:

My lord has a 100% ambush chance, but he keeps getting ambush foiled constantly from level 1 lord armies, am I missing something?

1. Its 100% before you take the enemies ambush defense into consideration. So even if they walk into your army the ambush can fail thanks to ambush defense.

2. Its also assuming you aren't spotted/discovered (That being a different mechanic that forces you out of ambush stance and its never really spelled out in detailed anywhere. So i don't think anyone knows exactly how it works, but it definitely has something to do with the amount of enemy lords and agents in the local proximity).

[Captain Baldy]

When choosing to go into Ambush stance, you select a suitable location on the battlefield where your forces will lie in wait. This location is typically concealed, such as dense forests, tall grass, or rocky terrain, because this is to my knowledge, taken into account.

While in Ambush stance, your units will remain concealed, invisible to the enemy until certain conditions are met. The enemy will not be able to see or target your units unless they come within a specific range or trigger specific triggers like their traits and possible passive abilities.

The Ambush stance is usually broken when an enemy unit moves within the designated range or triggers certain conditions. This can happen when the enemy unit moves too close to your concealed forces or engages in actions that reveal their presence, such as attacking another unit or are using passive or certain other abilities.

Once the Ambush is triggered, your units will reveal themselves and launch a surprise attack on the unsuspecting enemy, disrupting their formations or causing morale penalties, which makes for the most fun of battles.

While Ambush stance can offer a tactical advantage, it also comes with risks. If the enemy detects your concealed forces before triggering the Ambush, they can adjust their tactics accordingly, negating the surprise. Additionally, units in Ambush stance may suffer penalties to their combat effectiveness until the Ambush is triggered, as they are waiting and holding their positions. There are many things to take into account, and every encounter is unique in its own way.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2979785799

[Tommytools]

Every hero and army near your army, regardless of whether they are allied, neutral or enemy, has a chance to detect your army when in ambush stance. Its a common misconception that only enemy heroes/armies detect you.

[DAN-di-WARhol]

How do I "detect" an ambush. I know the enemy army is there. I'm not going near it. I've got to get to the other side of it.

How do I "discover the ambusher" so I can fight him normally?

[Andreas_Sturm]

Originally posted by DAN-di-WARhol:

How do I "detect" an ambush. I know the enemy army is there. I'm not going near it. I've got to get to the other side of it.

How do I "discover the ambusher" so I can fight him normally?

I would recommend putting your army into encamp stance and then moving in the direction you think the enemy army is. It gives you an extra 75% ambush defence chance so an excellent tactic if you think someone must be sneaking about.

Otherwise just move some heroes in the general direction and hope they pull the army out of ambush stance after the end turn and all.

[CrUsHeR]

How does ambush work?

Regular ambush stance has a success chance displayed on your army. The chance varies between 40% and 80% depending on terrain, plus bonuses from other sources.

If an enemy army runs into the control circle of an ambushing army, they still can have additional ambush defence chance. This is deducted from the success chance.

Failing the ambush defence roll, an ambush battle is triggered. If the army was in regular movement stance, it can escape during battle through the evacuation markers / zone. If it was in march stance or already retreated during this turn, it is always annihilated regardless of survivors. Autoresolving an ambush also leaves no survivors.

Then there's the detection of armies hiding in ambush stance, which is pretty obscure. This happens at the end of your turn, so if your enemy detects you, he can immediately react to it on his turn. Neutral armies can also detect you, so ambushes can be difficult in busy regions (e.g. Empire).

Certain factions or Lords have the Masterful Ambush stance, with a greatly reduced detection chance for your enemy (again, not explained ingame).



How to fight ambushing enemies?

Mentioned above, move in encamp stance if your faction has it. 75% ambush defence is pretty solid. Especially against Skaven and other factions with the Stalk stance, this mostly eliminates offensive ambushes.

Also one little trick if you have allies / vassals and you have an ally mission - or otherwise a faction quest - to defeat a specific hidden army, you can always zoom the camera to the exact location of that army through the quest interface.

For Beastmen raiding you while still neutral, moving into their circle of control before declaring war should at least prevent them from running away (they may still use Underway stance to escape).

Against Tzeentchian factions with their teleport stance, you need to wait inside a city or make an ambush yourself. The ambush itself doesn't have to work, you just need to get them close enough so they can't escape your movement range by retreating once.

[Elitewrecker PT]

Originally posted by DAN-di-WARhol:

How do I "detect" an ambush. I know the enemy army is there. I'm not going near it. I've got to get to the other side of it.

How do I "discover the ambusher" so I can fight him normally?

It's just randomly rolled when you're in range.