How to deal with aserai?

[Tiberius]

> open field
> gazzilion cavalry
> gazzilion archers

even my t6 army gets obliterated. I never really had real problem fighting an army thats 2-3 times bigger than me, until i met aserai

[Hasbulat]

aha... and wait a little, tomorow you could meet a Kuzait army and next day a vlandian one.
I dont understand the point of such treads:
Look, everybody -
I am soooo super cool and now even ME!!!! have no chance against this army!

Just learn to play this game and try various tactics or strategies.
Or just raad some good books - it helps for better understanding of various things!

[Tiberius]

Originally posted by Hasbulat:

aha... and wait a little, tomorow you could meet a Kuzait army and next day a vlandian one.
I dont understand the point of such treads:
Look, everybody -
I am soooo super cool and now even ME!!!! have no chance against this army!

Just learn to play this game and try various tactics or strategies.
Or just raad some good books - it helps for better understanding of various things!

I give you E for effort and A for being an ass

Vlandian and kuzait are ez btw.

[Ruffio]

Originally posted by Tiberius:

Originally posted by Hasbulat:

aha... and wait a little, tomorow you could meet a Kuzait army and next day a vlandian one.
I dont understand the point of such treads:
Look, everybody -
I am soooo super cool and now even ME!!!! have no chance against this army!

Just learn to play this game and try various tactics or strategies.
Or just raad some good books - it helps for better understanding of various things!

I give you E for effort and A for being an ass

Vlandian and kuzait are ez btw.

Because... Vlandia doesn't field mass of xbow and cav, and Khuzait never field mass of cav and cav archers?

[Ermitaum]

Originally posted by Tiberius:

> open field
> gazzilion cavalry
> gazzilion archers

even my t6 army gets obliterated. I never really had real problem fighting an army thats 2-3 times bigger than me, until i met aserai

Tiers 5-6 Battanian archers + Khergit mounted archers. With this, you can be outnumbered 3 to 1 (you will take significant losses mind you) but still beat them. You will need speed and range when facing them in the open.

[Tiberius]

Originally posted by Ruffio:

Originally posted by Tiberius:

I give you E for effort and A for being an ass

Vlandian and kuzait are ez btw.

Because... Vlandia doesn't field mass of xbow and cav, and Khuzait never field mass of cav and cav archers?

Because you can exploit the terrain in vlandia region to make their xbow much less effective.

For khuzait, tell ur infantry to raise their shield, and use circle formation. Put your archers inside the circle. This basically render their mounted archers useless

Then comes the aserai. I cant exploit the terrain cos desert area is sooo flat and open, it really benefits their army composition so much.

Honestly if u guys have nothing useful to say, better to just shut up

[Tiberius]

Originally posted by Ermitaum:

Originally posted by Tiberius:

> open field
> gazzilion cavalry
> gazzilion archers

even my t6 army gets obliterated. I never really had real problem fighting an army thats 2-3 times bigger than me, until i met aserai

Tiers 5-6 Battanian archers + Khergit mounted archers. With this, you can be outnumbered 3 to 1 (you will take significant losses mind you) but still beat them. You will need speed and range when facing them in the open.

Yea im planning to stack more mounted archers and see if it works

[Rhapsody]

Ranged approach should work so long as you don't let them surround you with their own mounted archers and skirmishers. Aserai infantry have weaker shields than most top tier infantry and their armor is merely adequate, so they are lacking on defense and excel on mobility and offense. With good cavalry you could attempt flanking them unexpectedly so the cavalry doesn't draw attention from their deadly javelin throws. Exact tactics depend on available terrain and composition of both sides, and the scale of battle, so it's hard to give an answer that would work in every situation. Spreading out your forces early on and staying on the move while their forces are approaching may be more effective than raising shields, and then only collapsing for a defensive formation to block their infantry once they've dispensed their javelins. So one important thing is to not sacrifice your cavalry to their mixed projectile spam, let the infantry take the brunt of that, and only then launch a flanking attack on their archers with your cavalry.

I almost always play Aserai myself so I don't have very good grasp on terrain strategy against them on their own turf, but I think fighting near the mountains, cliffs and seaside could rob them the most open dunes at least and allow you to take some defensive positions. Luring opponents to engagements in villages might also be advantageous to you.

They are also very vulnerable to being outnumbered and overpowered because they lack defensive capability. They are not able to inflict as many casualties to their opponents in sustained defensive combat, which can lead into staggering defeats one after another, and they are weaker than average in defensive siege battles. You should probably form your own army instead of letting AI act as marshals so you can gain momentum with early decisive victory or two. Remember that you're out there to win a war, not every battle.

[Tiberius]

Originally posted by Rhapsody:

Ranged approach should work so long as you don't let them surround you with their own mounted archers and skirmishers. Aserai infantry have weaker shields than most top tier infantry and their armor is merely adequate, so they are lacking on defense and excel on mobility and offense. With good cavalry you could attempt flanking them unexpectedly so the cavalry doesn't draw attention from their deadly javelin throws. Exact tactics depend on available terrain and composition of both sides, and the scale of battle, so it's hard to give an answer that would work in every situation. Spreading out your forces early on and staying on the move while their forces are approaching may be more effective than raising shields, and then only collapsing for a defensive formation to block their infantry once they've dispensed their javelins. So one important thing is to not sacrifice your cavalry to their mixed projectile spam, let the infantry take the brunt of that, and only then launch a flanking attack on their archers with your cavalry.

I almost always play Aserai myself so I don't have very good grasp on terrain strategy against them on their own turf, but I think fighting near the mountains, cliffs and seaside could rob them the most open dunes at least and allow you to take some defensive positions. Luring opponents to engagements in villages might also be advantageous to you.

They are also very vulnerable to being outnumbered and overpowered because they lack defensive capability. They are not able to inflict as many casualties to their opponents, which can lead into staggering defeats one after another, and they are weaker than average in defensive siege battles. You should probably form your own army instead of letting AI act as marshals so you can gain momentum with early decisive victory or two.

Yea i find tht they're kinda weak in siege battle. The problem really happens when i meet them in open field. Not to mention their unit moves really fast in the desert

[Landsknecht _]

You have to cheese the game a little bit. I always go like that: Place my infantry and archers at the very end of the map. You know that red marked area. Mounted archers are not that strong if they cannot circle around your formations and the red area is like a wall to them. As soon as their mounted archers get stuck (in front of said red area) I use my cavalry and circle around to charge the mounted archers from the back. My archers provide some additional fire while my infantry does nothing but standing there in shield wall formation.

I personally don't like that tactic as it is more of a trick than an actual counter tactic. I rather go with that, although it is slightly less effective:

Two infantry formations, standing in shield wall back to back. This is a lot better than that stupid circle formation. Then my archers come next but they leave quite a gap between them and the infantry formations. That way I can make sure the horse archers have enough room to circle around my infantry formations and not around all of my army which would make them fire at my archers which I try to prevent. So while the mounted archers are shooting at my inf troops in shield wall formation dealing basically no damage, my archers keep firing at the horse archers. Once the mounted archers are between Inf and archer lines I try to block their escape round on the right with my cav. They always take heavy losses.

Maybe you want to try that out. Cheers!

[StillTheThree]

honestly aserai isn't bad. Throw infantry in shield wall just within range and let them shoot away. might lose a few infantry but they are dime a dozen. Then do charge attacks with your cav win in no time.

[MegaGasman]

Put your archers in front in a loose formation make sure that their flanks are covered so like between rocks I know that there was a map that was always in the Aserai lands that had that configuration before release. Just behind your archers set your Calvary up in line formation this helps when their Calvary blast through your ground units and hit a wall of horsemen. Have your infantry just behind your archers in line formation or in front in shield wall formation depending on your elevation. For me that's the best way to handle the Aserai. If your infantry are behind your archers send them forward with the attack command if their infantry gets too close and then pull back when they have dealt with the threat, Also remember to upgrade your units whenever you can if you can afford the upkeep. What it sounds like is that you are in mid stages of the game and should be able to afford the upgraded troops.

[Rat]

good word and crossbow solves any problem

[Morkonan]

Originally posted by Tiberius:

..
Yea i find tht they're kinda weak in siege battle. The problem really happens when i meet them in open field. Not to mention their unit moves really fast in the desert

Just a note:

The only thing that truly matters in Bannerlord is what side can win a siege.

Field battles are for training and loots, not for deciding the outcome of a war. So, when one isn't forced to fight them at a disadvantage, don't. :)

That only means that any field battle should, at best, be judged on whether or not an advantage is gained in terms of later siege outcome/victory in terms of a war's outcome. Gaining exp, loot, freeing up other forces from having to defend, etc... All those things can be meaningful. But, if those factors don't then lend themselves towards winning a siege... they're immaterial in terms of "victory" in a war.

[GIJoe597]

I have always typed I have the hardest time with Aserai spear using infantry. They always decimate my cavalry.

I started a new play through as Aserai, in 1000's of hours I had never played them. I am playing outside my comfort zone and my usual army composition. Heavy on Infantry, light on Ranged/Cavalry. Their spears are making short work of Vlandia/Empire/Battania. Not waged war against Khuzait yet.

There is one thing I have always tried to do regardless of the faction I am playing. If I think it will be a tough battle or if the enemy has many horse archers I will place my forces as close to the map boundary as possible behind me. This gives me normally 400 - 600 range to work with. I then order the entire army to hold fire and the infantry/archers to shield wall. I let the mounted archers get about 100 - 150 away then charge them with my cavalry. We tear into them and kill as many as we can until we start getting into their archer/crossbowman range. I pull back, reset, repeat until horse archers are dead. Then maneuver the army to engage.

Try that on those open battle fields. Once the horse archers are dealt with, you have not wasted any arrows/bolts move up, let your shield wall absorb their hits as your ranged whittle them down. After enough losses they will move to engage you. I do not use mounted archers, if you do, that is the time to send them in. It will cause their advancing line to split/become disorganized. Once they are are about 50 - 75 from you, send in the cavalry from behind them on 2 sides at a 45 degree angle. The cav and mounted units will force some enemy to present their back to your infantry/ranged and generally hamper their shield wall advance.

Mounted archers, if you have them, tugging some units out of line, the combined charge of 2 wings of cavalry smashing into them from behind, your ranged troops picking them off as they advance should do wonders for your ability to stand against them. Now, even though I am not using them in my current Aserai game, I prefer infantry with throwing weapons, especially the Battanian Wildlings. Use them as your Infantry and even more enemy fall as they advance.

[Hazardous]

Originally posted by Hasbulat:

aha... and wait a little, tomorow you could meet a Kuzait army and next day a vlandian one.
I dont understand the point of such treads:
Look, everybody -
I am soooo super cool and now even ME!!!! have no chance against this army!

Just learn to play this game and try various tactics or strategies.
Or just raad some good books - it helps for better understanding of various things!

Hey just to let you know this is a top result on Google for countering the Aserai army, and comments like yours provide no value for anyone who comes across this post looking for advice