Nachzehrer in huge groups

[Lampros]

How do you deal with them? Like, when there are 24 or more? It seems like they have more HPs than I can DPS; and their raw numbers means eventually I will run out of guys after they are done "swallowing."

[Silverbeard]

There are two strategies I can personally attest to: The first is spearwall. Lots and lots of spearwall. When I find myself facing a massive group of nachs I usually equip all my one handers with spears. The nachs have barely any armour so you don't need anti-armour weapons and even the low damage spears will work well enough against them. For the big nachs I'll have my two handers waiting to rotate into the battle line if needed. Nachs are also quite predictable; if one is not engaged with your bros it will always try to seek out a dead nach to consume and grow. Just position your spearwall bro so that the hex on which lies a fallen nach is covered by the spearwall and watch as hordes of nachs try to rush that spot and get stabbed to bits. If a nach does make it through the spearwall, odds are it will have lost so many action points that it won't have enough to actually eat the body. You can then shield bash it off the hex with a different bro and repeat. You might even try positioning your brother on a nach corpse to stop any other nach from getting to it. They don't have any means of moving your brothers (i.e, no shield bash or anything like that) so locking down a corpse by standing on it is a viable tactic.
The second tactic is to use your ranged bros carefully. Killing two or three nachs at range before they close in might seem nice but all you're doing is creating corpses way out of range of your fighting line that another nach will consume and then you've got a bigger nach coming at you. Instead try to spread the arrows around. Injure but don't kill as many nachs as you can so that when they do finally reach your spearwall, they're on their last legs and quite ready to be skewered into the dirt from whence they came.
Good luck!

[DTDrain]

What Silverbeard said, spearwall those guys. They're stupid and they will keep coming.
Weaken with arrows/bolts and then spearwall the hell out of them. Works every time.

[Badaab]

Spearwall is key to dealing with the crowd control problems larger groups of enemies can present, but moreso with lightly armored opponents like "nachos." Its particularly important on the flanks of your line to prevent wrap around if you have missile troops behind.
Volume of fire with bow-wielding archers is also useful to whittling down the lower health enemies before they can feast on the corpses.
Another tactic that also works well against them is lots of bladed weapons, like swords- as you can still have a swing and use riposte for the inevitable attacks when getting overwhelmed.

[Lampros]

Originally posted by Silverbeard:

Nachs are also quite predictable; if one is not engaged with your bros it will always try to seek out a dead nach to consume and grow. Just position your spearwall bro so that the hex on which lies a fallen nach is covered by the spearwall and watch as hordes of nachs try to rush that spot and get stabbed to bits. If a nach does make it through the spearwall, odds are it will have lost so many action points that it won't have enough to actually eat the body. You can then shield bash it off the hex with a different bro and repeat. You might even try positioning your brother on a nach corpse to stop any other nach from getting to it. They don't have any means of moving your brothers (i.e, no shield bash or anything like that) so locking down a corpse by standing on it is a viable tactic.

Thanks much - I didn't notice that they prefer to consume corpses, rather than fight. One of the reasons I find them so difficult to kill is precisely because they all seem to have grown to their max size by the time they reach melee. I do use spearwalls; but only on the 2 corner brothers. Perhaps I should put it on the other 2 front-liners as well.

And I've never even used shield bash - LOL! Ever, in any scenario. So good thing to remind me that it exists!

Originally posted by Silverbeard:

The second tactic is to use your ranged bros carefully. Killing two or three nachs at range before they close in might seem nice but all you're doing is creating corpses way out of range of your fighting line that another nach will consume and then you've got a bigger nach coming at you. Instead try to spread the arrows around. Injure but don't kill as many nachs as you can so that when they do finally reach your spearwall, they're on their last legs and quite ready to be skewered into the dirt from whence they came.
Good luck!

I see - another reason I am struggling so much. I am killing a lot of the smaller ones in range.

[Silverbeard]

Originally posted by Lampros:

Originally posted by Silverbeard:

Nachs are also quite predictable; if one is not engaged with your bros it will always try to seek out a dead nach to consume and grow. Just position your spearwall bro so that the hex on which lies a fallen nach is covered by the spearwall and watch as hordes of nachs try to rush that spot and get stabbed to bits. If a nach does make it through the spearwall, odds are it will have lost so many action points that it won't have enough to actually eat the body. You can then shield bash it off the hex with a different bro and repeat. You might even try positioning your brother on a nach corpse to stop any other nach from getting to it. They don't have any means of moving your brothers (i.e, no shield bash or anything like that) so locking down a corpse by standing on it is a viable tactic.

Thanks much - I didn't notice that they prefer to consume corpses, rather than fight. One of the reasons I find them so difficult to kill is precisely because they all seem to have grown to their max size by the time they reach melee. I do use spearwalls; but only on the 2 corner brothers. Perhaps I should put it on the other 2 front-liners as well.

And I've never even used shield bash - LOL! Ever, in any scenario. So good thing to remind me that it exists!

It's always a good idea to have a few extra spears in your inventory. Once my bros develop a decent melee attack I usually replace the spears with other weapons but you should always have spears stashed away for just these kinds of occasions. So if you get a beast hunt contract and the target is a plethora of nachzerers, you can just pop into your inventory screen and give everyone spears.
Anyway, glad we could help. Now put those ugly @$^#@&s into the ground, brother!

[steague1]

their resolve sucks also. Knock down a few and they will flee.

[Lampros]

Originally posted by Silverbeard:

It's always a good idea to have a few extra spears in your inventory. Once my bros develop a decent melee attack I usually replace the spears with other weapons but you should always have spears stashed away for just these kinds of occasions. So if you get a beast hunt contract and the target is a plethora of nachzerers, you can just pop into your inventory screen and give everyone spears.
Anyway, glad we could help. Now put those ugly @$^#@&s into the ground, brother!

Yes, I am toting a spare spear. I don't like to carry extra weapons due to Fatigue - and the need for both antidote and bandages in the bag for (almost) everyone. But I guess compromises must be made.

[Diveyoc]

Someone mentioned in a recent thread, they need full energy to swallow a guy, so if you use shield knockback on the big ones, or use a pike to push back, they cannot eat you. I think moving your guys forward to cover the corpses is the best advice though.

I'm not so sure spearwall is the answer, because in these large numbers, you kill one with the spearwall and another one moves right on top of the corpse and grows before you can cover it. I like to go for maximum damage on (my turn), that way I can kill and cover the corpses.

Another option is load up on some throwing nets on the back row guys or archers to net the big ones while you clean up the fodder.

If your archers have sure footing, move them way up or down the map and try to kite some of them away. You could equip them with a net and for sure a dog, so even if they catch you, release the dog and then one step away with sure footing, then you can just quickshot them while the dog ties them up, throw the net if things get dicey.

[Justin_760]

Basically spearwall and lancers. Have at least 4 spear dudes, and in the gaps in the zone of control where they can slip by put your 2-handers. Lancers in the back so they can quickly take out any that break through shieldwall. Crossbows are inferior to bows in this situation IMO, and cleavers/swords are very effective against them so unequip weapons like hammers that are good against armor.

Its also extremely gear dependant. A group of 24 can be stupid hard if your wearing low-tier gear. Good armor and helms and they start doing pitiful amounts of damage.

[Lampros]

Update:

Guys, thanks very much. It helps so much to know the actual mechanics - especially about when these monsters eat corpses or swallow you.

After reading this board I immediately had a fight with another huge group of 24. I was worried, because I didn't have money for spare spears. Yet, just by using knockback and more intelligent targeting, I did it so easily. I had nobody even get hurt; and I had only one guy get swallowed.

Another thing I did differently was not to loosen all the dogs I have. In fact, I released none. I didn't realize that all that did was to provide more corpses for these ghouls!

One question remaining, however: Do only the biggest ghouls swallow? I don't recall the smaller ones doing so...

[Mr.M]

Originally posted by Lampros:

Thanks much - I didn't notice that they prefer to consume corpses, rather than fight.

Yes, gotta be real careful bout that. Especially if you fight a few weak Wiederganger + 3 Nachzehrers early on.

Not crowd control is needed, but corpse control ;p

Originally posted by Lampros:

One question remaining, however: Do only the biggest ghouls swallow? I don't recall the smaller ones doing so...

Short answer: Yes

Long answer: Yes only them.

[Grigsey]

Yeah, only the big big ones swallow.

In short I turtle until the lines meet, then I do a slow and steady murder advance to prevent too much corpse consumption.

[1632189633]

Bow and crossbow. But don't kill. Weaken them before they hit your frontline and then spearwall on their corpse.

If it's tier 3 use pike or knockback to delay fighting them