Elephants!!

[SGT.SMASH]

It seems that, just like in its predecessor, elephants are still pretty stupidly over-powered. Also not just because they have great stats, but because they can be fielded 9 at a time and can fill entire armies.

As the Romans, I try to focus javelinmen and siege weapons on them, but this doesn't seem to do anything, i'll kill maybe 2 elephants with my ballistae with no effect on moral, and the remaining 36 continue to plow through my legions. My Velites barely get a chance to fire at them before they break and run.

As the Greeks, I tried to face them off with hoplites - but to my surprise the elephants simply pushed straight through the wall of pointy spears and caused my hoplites to break and flee.

Am I missing something here?

[andreww_1998]

They need to be pinned with a unit that has a large mass and then targeted by multiple javelin/archer units, this is the most effective way to kill elephants. I have not come up against an elephant spam though, I thought that their numbers were limited so is this a 3v3 battle or something like that? Also elephants will die quickly on the front of pikes so you could try to force them to charge pikemen head on.

[Mitsjol]

Set them ablaze and let them go bezerk and watch what the op AI does with the elephants

[Berserk Slayer]

Originally posted by SGT.SMASH:

Am I missing something here?

I think it just boils down to the fact that elephants are very large and powerful in real life, if you faced lots of them in battle you were in trouble. The game can't/doesn't spam them as far as I'm aware, though (and I can see why that would suck!)

Out of interest, are you using mods that alter recruitment, unit limits etc?

[l33tness08]

Fun fact-

Seleucis, one of Alexander the Great's successors traded I think it was, Afghanistan? to the Indians for a foce of 500 elephants.

OP you're walking in the footsteps of his enemies.

[MANWHATADONGA]

get Elite Roman Archers Cupido's Broadheads mod you will not worry about elephants again.Try to use flamming arrows againist them

[IRMcG]

I've managed to handle elephants consistently, but not easily (Rome or Athens vs Epirus usually). You'll need braced pikes or tough heavy infantry to at least slow them down, then hit them in the flanks with javelins (turn off skirmish mode BTW). Should be enough to panic them, and the AI almost always suicides panicked elephants, although you'll probably lose the pinning unit in the process.

[MrLupus]

Elephants weren't that great - and that's why the romans themselves never adopted them into their ranks. Elephants could only charge in a straight lines which made it easy for Scipio to simply open channels through his formations and let them pass through without harming his troops at all - and then have them slaughtered by skirmishers in the rear without affecting his main battle-lines.

If they are insanely overpowered in this game - that's just ridiculous because in reality they were easilly dealt with unless deployed cleverly. Their biggest strength wasn't in battle - in battle they could be an impressive / discouraging sight and cause great harm - sure but only if the opposite army had no experience in dealing with them or if they were deployed at an inconvenient moment where the enemy had no time to maneuvre.

As a workforce for menial tasks while the army was on the move however - for clearing paths or aiding in construction and such - they were of great use. So an army with elephants in it should receive bonuses to building forts, crossing bridges and travelling through rough terrains.

[Knutticus]

Mice.

Try Mice.

[Delle(DK)]

My best advice is to send cheap troops against the elephants and then have strong archers to kill them... OR if half your arma are huge balistas then you can very often kill most of the enemys army before you even have to get your hands dirty ;-)

[SuperGorp]

Originally posted by Knutticus:

Mice.

Try Mice.

How about flaming mice? (I want my flaming pigs!)

[Berserk Slayer]

If you use mice, then you have to set up tables and chairs around the battlefield for the elephants to jump on, screaming.

[=(e)= Lemonater47]

The Romans did use elephants occasionally. The battle of pydna for starters.

But yeah its not too hard to defeat elephant. Either fire lots of flaming projectiles at them at a distance which will force some of the riders to kill their own elephants of if they are close make sure they attack a unit with high mass. So if you are the Romans auxiliary infantry are perfect for them to charge into. In this game ALL units do damage against elephants in rome 1 infantry even spear infantry did no damage against them. when the elephants get stuck on your auxiliary infantry unit throw another unit at the elephants to mitigate causalities. And bring all your ranged units to fire upon their elephants using normal ammunition not flaming. Making them to berserk while the elephants are already attacking you isn't a great idea as the AI doesn't tend to kill their own elephants when they are already attacking you and another player won't either. But if you do it right you may only take 100 casualties mitigated across 2 or more units.

[Powellinho.72]

they did put up the price for them atleast though didnt they ? it has helped to stop the spamming of them and everyone just using factions who have elephants lol :P a step in right direction .

[=(e)= Lemonater47]

Give elephants to all factions.

Perfect balance.

[Tomislav]

Originally posted by =(e)= Lemonater47:

The Romans did use elephants occasionally. The battle of pydna for starters.

But yeah its not too hard to defeat elephant. Either fire lots of flaming projectiles at them at a distance which will force some of the riders to kill their own elephants of if they are close make sure they attack a unit with high mass. So if you are the Romans auxiliary infantry are perfect for them to charge into. In this game ALL units do damage against elephants in rome 1 infantry even spear infantry did no damage against them. when the elephants get stuck on your auxiliary infantry unit throw another unit at the elephants to mitigate causalities. And bring all your ranged units to fire upon their elephants using normal ammunition not flaming. Making them to berserk while the elephants are already attacking you isn't a great idea as the AI doesn't tend to kill their own elephants when they are already attacking you and another player won't either. But if you do it right you may only take 100 casualties mitigated across 2 or more units.

This.