Siege Equipment

[101Titan101]

How do I build siege equipment without using build points?

[Neithan]

There is basically two kinds of siege equipment. One is build in the field (ram, ladder, siege tower), and can only be build with build points once you started the siege, thus need at least one extra turn. The other type is the artillery you can build at the siege works (ballista, catapult, trebuchet, all kinds of cannons) and then bring with you for a siege (be aware, those have lower movement points as regular units and slow your army down), enabling you to start the siege attack the turn you arrive, without needing to build anything on location.

Btw. spies can enable you to attack a settlement without the need for any siege equipment, as they have a chance (you can see on the city info screen when the spy is present) to open the gates for your troops. Just you need to actually start a siege to see if your spy will manage to open the gates.

[CHE]

Originally posted by Neithan:

There is basically two kinds of siege equipment. One is build in the field (ram, ladder, siege tower), and can only be build with build points once you started the siege, thus need at least one extra turn. The other type is the artillery you can build at the siege works (ballista, catapult, trebuchet, all kinds of cannons) and then bring with you for a siege (be aware, those have lower movement points as regular units and slow your army down), enabling you to start the siege attack the turn you arrive, without needing to build anything on location.

Btw. spies can enable you to attack a settlement without the need for any siege equipment, as they have a chance (you can see on the city info screen when the spy is present) to open the gates for your troops. Just you need to actually start a siege to see if your spy will manage to open the gates.

Well, you can bring a large enough number of high enough level spies to get 100% gate-opening chance - and then you can be sure they'll open the gates, without needing to attack to check.

[Aquilifer]

You can't not use build points. There's no cheat for it either (unless you give your generals ancillaries and traits that give them more build points)
I recommend you get 1-2 battering rams and the rest, ladders. Ladders are far better in this game than in Rome 1. Or spam spies.

[BRox]

Originally posted by Amazonite:

I recommend you get 1-2 battering rams and the rest, ladders. Ladders are far better in this game than in Rome 1.

Yeah, use ladders if you want your whole army routed.

[Aquilifer]

Originally posted by Lykan:

Originally posted by Amazonite:

I recommend you get 1-2 battering rams and the rest, ladders. Ladders are far better in this game than in Rome 1.

Yeah, use ladders if you want your whole army routed. :lol:

Hence why I prefer to have spies open the gates. Ladders are maneuverable and if they can get to one unguarded spot, you're good to go.

[Neithan]

Originally posted by Amazonite:

Originally posted by Lykan:

Yeah, use ladders if you want your whole army routed. :lol:

Hence why I prefer to have spies open the gates. Ladders are maneuverable and if they can get to one unguarded spot, you're good to go.

That's the thing... ladders are only of use if you can reach some empty wall with them, if you are trying to storm a guarded wall with ladders, better bring 5 or more units for each one unit guarding the wall - and even then, you might fail.

[Two Gun Bob]

I've always put together a basic build of 1 ram, 2 towers and 3 ladders. On a tough assault i repeat it the next turn. Sometimes rams and towers are going to get burnt, but not the ladders. I like to throw a few archer units on the flanks with ladders, but also putting shock troops on the ladders can focus the defense and keep them occupied. also spreading a few extra ladders out, even with just console peasants on them, causes the AI to split forces and leave a soft spot.

[Darth Cannabis]

Originally posted by CHE:

Originally posted by Neithan:

There is basically two kinds of siege equipment. One is build in the field (ram, ladder, siege tower), and can only be build with build points once you started the siege, thus need at least one extra turn. The other type is the artillery you can build at the siege works (ballista, catapult, trebuchet, all kinds of cannons) and then bring with you for a siege (be aware, those have lower movement points as regular units and slow your army down), enabling you to start the siege attack the turn you arrive, without needing to build anything on location.

Btw. spies can enable you to attack a settlement without the need for any siege equipment, as they have a chance (you can see on the city info screen when the spy is present) to open the gates for your troops. Just you need to actually start a siege to see if your spy will manage to open the gates.

Well, you can bring a large enough number of high enough level spies to get 100% gate-opening chance - and then you can be sure they'll open the gates, without needing to attack to check.

Well actually you do see before you start the actual siege/battle. If your spy isn't sucessful, the icon to start siege is greyed out on the pre battle screen. If he is, you can start the battle without siege equipment cause the icon to launch siege WILL NOT BE greyed out.

The only time you are unsure about spy, is when you actually have siege equipment (thus allowing you to start battle), AND a spy. In that case you have siege equipment IF spy fails anyway.

[Aquilifer]

My favourite exploit:
1. Split your army up so you have 1 unit by itself
2. Besiege city or castle with that unit (preferably fast cav)
3. Send rest of your army to the other side of the settlement, but don't besiege with it
4. The AI sallies out against the weak besieging army but your main army comes in as reinforcements.
5. Take settlement with only 3 casualties (true story)

[Neithan]

Originally posted by Darth Cannabis:

Originally posted by CHE:

Well, you can bring a large enough number of high enough level spies to get 100% gate-opening chance - and then you can be sure they'll open the gates, without needing to attack to check.

Well actually you do see before you start the actual siege/battle. If your spy isn't sucessful, the icon to start siege is greyed out on the pre battle screen. If he is, you can start the battle without siege equipment cause the icon to launch siege WILL NOT BE greyed out.

The only time you are unsure about spy, is when you actually have siege equipment (thus allowing you to start battle), AND a spy. In that case you have siege equipment IF spy fails anyway.

Maybe it was a bit hard to understand the way I put it, but what I meant is that if you sent a spy to a settlement, you can then see on that settlements info screen the chance for the spy to open the gates. Then when you bring in an army to besiege the settlement, on the siege screen you will be able to start the attack IF your spy was succesful (and yeah, if you got some siege equipment, you won't know if he was succesful or not, as you will ALWAYS be able to attack), and that is what I meant with "you have to actually start a siege to see if the spy is successful", not that you have to start the actual battle, but just besiege the city.

So, unless you "overload" the settlement with spies like Che mentioned (never tried it myself and dunno if it works, but assume so), you can attack a settlement that is "spied upon", but you could end up having to build siege equipment anyway, there is no way to know before your army actually arrives at the settlement.

[jefrada194]

Originally posted by Bruno Bear:

How do I build siege equipment without using build points?

You can get some siege equipement as mercenaries in certain areas (ex: holy cross near Rome, Elephant artillery near jedda, bombards near german cities etc.). Otherwise, only by beseaging settelments can you build rams and etc.

[Aquilifer]

Originally posted by jefrada194:

Originally posted by Bruno Bear:

How do I build siege equipment without using build points?

You can get some siege equipement as mercenaries in certain areas (ex: holy cross near Rome, Elephant artillery near jedda, bombards near german cities etc.). Otherwise, only by beseaging settelments can you build rams and etc.

Holy cross is not siege equipment. The developers just didn't know what else they could classify it as.

[jefrada194]

ya, I know

Originally posted by Amazonite:

Originally posted by jefrada194:

You can get some siege equipement as mercenaries in certain areas (ex: holy cross near Rome, Elephant artillery near jedda, bombards near german cities etc.). Otherwise, only by beseaging settelments can you build rams and etc.

Holy cross is not siege equipment. The developers just didn't know what else they could classify it as.