Any tips on fighting phalanx units?

[⚞ ᴥ ⚟]

playing as roman julii house and i find it difficult to fight phalanx with them unless i have way more troops.

[WILK1NSON]

Using missile units to lower their numbers/morale and then charging them from behind with cavalry works well for me. Try to get them to attack you, so you have the defensive advantage. Typically when seiging the Greek and Macedonian cities, I try to starve them out because I struggle being on the offensive against them.

[Sardonic Angel]

It's super easy to deal with Phalanx units as Rome. First exhaust your pela before engaging, having a frontline in the standard checkerboard formation will help with this. Use skirmishers first at the front, and then after the infantry lines meet move your skirmishers to the side and then ultimately to the rear. Cycle charge cavalry in between vollies and they will route very quickly.

[EoNightcore]

Originally posted by Sardonic Angel:

First exhaust your pela before engaging,

To note, just in case you didn't know, Roman Heavy Infantry have the ability to throw pila automaticaly, it's just disabled at first. It's a good way to kill several enemy units charging at your men before the melee combat starts.


It's possible to lead phalanx units away from the main force and destroy them individually, due to the fact that they can't run when the phalanx is active, and so can't support the other units effectively. However, this requires some micromanagement on your part.

In sieges, this is less valid of a tactic, and on the city streets, phalanx units are incredibly deadly, as you may already know. One possible thing you can do is try to bait the phalanx into a T section where you can flank them from the other side.

[⚞ ᴥ ⚟]

thank you for help and tips guys

[kekkuli]

in rome 1 its super easy because cavalry is lighting fast...just flank them with cavalry (equites will do) and engage with melee troops at the same time...pike units have amazingly poor melee ability in this game if they are fighting with their swords.

[Red Spot]

Assuming you may find yourself facing a phalanx unit with just 1 of your own units and cant flank or such. Attack the phalanx, then when engaged, order your men to run to a point behind the phalanx unit. They will take losses and I would not try it with hastati or lighter.
Basicly the unit stops fighting, try to run towards the enemy phalanx only to re-engage them, but some of your men will get past the spears and into the phalanx formation, which in turn may force the phalanx unit to switch to swords. That is pretty much where you want to have the phalanx unit, not using the actual phalanx formation.

Disclaimer: Do not try this on Spartans, your men will die, rout and then die some more.

[sam.pidgeon]

use missle units to weaken them even the miltia hoplites and hoplites morale is poor so sometimes killing the general may help force them to flee.

once they panick finish them when one line goes whole thing collapses if you play as greeks vs romans the wars against them take ages.

i managed to crush all roman families in the game as greek cities.

[Khorps]

Originally posted by Matt ツ:

Using missile units to lower their numbers/morale and then charging them from behind with cavalry works well for me. Try to get them to attack you, so you have the defensive advantage. Typically when seiging the Greek and Macedonian cities, I try to starve them out because I struggle being on the offensive against them.

really? the AI is so stupid it rarely is able to properly defend a chokepoint with pikes

[Jambie Lionheart]

I'f you're fighting many phalanx units in one battle, and you have limited missiles but good striking/charging power then you can target one specific unit of phalanx (preferably not a heavily armoured unit that can shrug most archer fire) from YOUR left flank. If you hit them on thier right side, their shield is less effective and you'll do a lot more damage. When they close in on your main battle line you hit them hard at that specific point after winning cavalry supremacy on the battlefield. So long as your main line holds out for long enough, you'lll often trigger a mass route. Then it's all about mopping up the run aways. But you have to get that all done before they start regrouping.

[The Konrad]

I only use light cavalry.

It's easier when the enemies attacks you, as you can wear them down and out run them.
At some point they get exhausted.
This works especially well in the Greek hillsides.

But the classic is just wait until the point their spears in your direction,
outmaneuver them quickly and crush them from all possible directions.
Reform quickly and take out the next unit.

[JARB]

Phalanx is a nightmare for AI .but the easiest for us :)
they are heavily unmanoverable and you can easily flank them and once you do it most of them will break. Cav units or missile units are the gamechanger here.
Roman vs Phalanx : first you want ur legionaries or whatever infintary who are capable of pilla toss to throw them first and then you can flank them with other units or charge at them
eastern faction : horse archers are gunships and probably the most OP units in the Game