Land battle | Battle Total War: Attila Guide

Last update: 11 May 2016

Gunfire

In most cases at least one side will have shooters - archers, horse archers or others. Every shooter have longer attack reach than any other units and they will be the ones that will make the first move during battle. Even a charging cavalry will be at least once fired at with bows or spears before it will reach the shooters.

When fighting against enemy that has archers you must remember that enemy will rarely move first. He doesn't have to, as it is more profitable to him to wait until you walk into his range. It's not a problem in a defensive battle, where time works for your favor, but if you're the attacker then it is bad for you. Even worse if enemy have taken positions on a hill or in forest, which will make it harder to reach him.

You can force him to move in four ways. First - siege machines. Reach of most of them is long enough to force enemy to react as soon as first missile hits his positions. It is one of reasons why every army should have at least one catapult. Second - your shooters. Although enemy shooters might respond to your fire with fire, but the attack will force other enemy forces to move in your direction. It's not a perfect solution, but at least it will force enemy to react. Third - cavalry. Any type of horse soldiers charging at shooters will force them to move back and the rest of enemy forces to help them. Archers on horses will be even more effective for that purpose as they can ride towards enemy army from flank, shoot at it and run away. You don't even need to attack enemy archers, as in case of flank attack they will need to change their position to have your cavalry in their reach. The simple fact of shooting enemy forces will be a sign for them to react. Four - direct attack. With cavalry, but mostly with infantry, in best case covering themselves with shields and running in loose formation. A final solution, if all others have failed or aren't currently available.

If you have shooters and enemy doesn't, then most of all think about positioning them correctly. Their reach is most important. Because of that, archers should be closer to the front line than machines. In best case on hills, but not every battlefield offers such luxury. If enemy is standing in one place, move your shooters closer to him and force him to attack. If he attacks, wait for him, shoot at him and them make place for infantry.

When a melee battle starts, don't move your archers at back. Keep attention to nearby cavalry, enemy reinforcements, running away formations, groups that try to drag some of your unit from rest of the force or enemy archers that your cavalry and infantry haven't killed. Attack those groups with your archers, and all other enemy forces that aren't currently fighting with yours as well. Archers fire is a two-sided weapon and it hurts both your enemy and allies that are too close.

Melee combat

For each enemy unit that fights in close combat there should be two your units of similar type. Fighting one on one is also good, but it greatly lowers chances for victory. A fight of two enemy units against one yours is unacceptable, especially if it involves your general or experienced cavalry. In general, don't allow your formations to fight lonely or cut away from rest of the army. In that case you might have trouble with retreating them, in some cases you can even lose them completely.

Formations should fight face to face, at least when they fight one on one. Don't allow enemy to flank you or attack you from the back, as it will be bad for army morale and will greatly reduce chances for survival. Groups with low morale attacked from the back can quickly give up and retreat from the battlefield.

During melee combat don't forget about using all available abilities. If one of them increase army integrity, morale, remove tiredness or increase defense when fighting cavalry, use them. A small morale boost can have great influence on the outcome of the battle. Try to keep your commander behind fighting formations, so that he will be able to back them up with abilities and morale.

First to start a melee combat is always the cavalry. If you have it, don't let it ride to far away from main forces. Three heavy cavalry formations is a powerful force, but it can be easily crushed by enemy that is superior in numbers while your infantry will be only half way to the battle. And tired because of forced run. Let cavalry ride on front, but the infantry move close behind it, so that both those unit types can help each other in battle.

Tiredness

Formations become tired because of long battle or run. Rested formations fight better, tired worse, so the key to victory is keeping them in perfect condition for as long as possible. It means limiting unnecessary running to minimum, as the movement in general. If you're not in a hurry, march. Make stops. Run only when you're under fire or you hunt running enemy. After battle let your formation rest a while. If you can, change him with another, rested one. Use tired units for attack only if you have no other choice.

Use tiredness against enemy as well. Don't give assaulted units a moment of rest. Use horse archers to force enemy infantry to run at them or away from them. Shoot at enemy positions with archers and catapults, forcing enemy to run at you. Attack main enemy forces before reinforcements arrive, which will force the latter to move more quickly.

Flanking

If two of your formations face a single enemy formation, order only one of them to attack. Let the second one move toward the fighting ones, move around them and attack enemy from the side or the back. Enemy reacts worse against attack conducted from the side or the back, so his morale will receive a great hit.

Flanking can be used by any type of unit. Because of their speed, cavalry is best suited for this task, but infantry can do it as well. Position your infantry in a line. Then move the formations on the edge slightly in front and wait for enemy. When your central forces start fighting enemy, order the edge ones to attack from the side. When the most advanced enemy forces are defeated, order the victors to move forward towards center of enemy army, gradually surrounding his formation.

Flanking can be used as protection from being surrounded as well. In previous example both armies started as two lines of warriors fighting each other but after a while one of sides started surrounding the other one. If there were additional infantry or cavalry troops nearby, the groups that tried to flank enemy could have been attacked from the back. Because of that, try to always have one or two formations as a reinforcement. Cavalry is best for that, as it can react faster to risk of being surrounded.

You can use even archers for flanking, especially if they are out of arrows. Though they are weak in melee combat, their presence itself will lower enemy morale and can decide about victory. Just watch not to flank too strong enemies with archers.

Hiding

This tactic is available in two situations - when there is fog on the battlefield or when battle takes place in forest. First situation greatly limits visibility for both sides, especially on large maps. A formation that stays on one edge of the map doesn't see the other edge, and sometimes even the central part. It allows for short, but very effective hiding from enemy and forcing him to send few units as scouts. It is a very good situation for the defender, as it allows him to use battle time limit for his advantage.

Second situation requires positioning infantry troops in the forest and waiting for enemy move. Formations hidden in forest are invisible until enemy gets close enough, which allows for creating ambushes. Place a group of archers with infantry backup in the forest. Let shooters start attacking enemy forces. When enemy gets close to the forest, he will be attacked by hidden infantry. You can hide some additional cavalry troops in forest as well, their task will be to leave it and attack enemy forces from the back or flank.

Cavalry role

Cavalry is one of most versatile unit types in the game. On forest and fogged maps it can be used as scout. On plains it can avoid enemy ranks and attack general formation at the back. He can focus archer fire on himself and allow the infantry to get to enemy without losses. He can distract enemy shooters, and even kill them before infantry will have time to react. Equipped with bows it can shoot and immediately run away, forcing the enemy to run after it. It can also be used for quick raids, weakening enemy positions and luring enemy troops into traps. Finally, it can hunt running away troops in order to catch prisoners or beset those that are near panic, so that they finally collapse mentally and start running. During siege cavalry will be perfect to quickly take key positions, destroy towers, siege machines and getting archers at defense positions.

Infantry weakness is limited mobility, and archers don't do well in melee combat. Cavalry has some weakness as well, like lower numbers and high recruitment costs, but its speed and mobility makes it a very useful formation. It is especially visible when playing nomadic tribes like Huns. A large and well commanded horse army is able to win most battles with small casualties.

Siege machines

Machines can be divided into two categories. First is tasked with allowing army get inside a city. Because of that they are being build before a siege and after it they disappear. In second category you will find all machine throwing missiles, that can be used against buildings or formations. In this category you will find various catapults and ballistas.

While first category is useful only during siege, as you can't defeat enemy armies with a ram, the second can be used during battles as well. In comparison to archers catapult have even lower numbers and is worse in melee combat, but have much greater reach and firepower. Damage dealt by a onager is four times larger than by a sagittarii, one of archer units. It makes siege and field artillery a perfect weapon for luring enemy from their positions, for preliminary fire, for finishing formations that are running away or for hunting generals hiding behind enemy lines. Every army should have at least one onager. A well aimed salvo will kill 1/3 of a charging cavalry formation, and with a bit of luck it will force it to retreat. That is, if it hits the target, as charging cavalry is a hard target. An infantry formation will be much better target.

You must take the softness of artillery into consideration. Catapult crew will give up after a very short fight, minimum reach of the weapon is too small for it to work without the backup of infantry or cavalry. Because of that, around a catapult a friendly formation must always be found. It forces you to place it at the back of your army as well. When it is in front, it can be easily destroyed by enemy.

Siege artillery duels give most fun during battle. Because of simple reason - it is a strong, but very inaccurate weapon. While archers in most cases hit the target, catapult can hit a formation neighboring with the one it aimed at. So, two onagers shooting at each other can do it through the whole battle, thus protecting the rest of the army from their assault. Low accuracy is another reason why siege artillery shouldn't be left on the battlefield alone. Field artillery, as one can guess, is better in that aspect, but even it will fall under a charge of single cavalry formation. And it has smaller reach than siege artillery.

Reinforcements

In this category you will find all forces that join the battle gradually after it begins. Formations that you keep on the second line can be treated like reinforcements for those on the frontlines as well. Reinforcements show on the battlefield gradually, and where they appear depends on their location on the strategic map. If the main army was located north, and additional south from enemy, then reinforcements will show on the battlefield from the south.

Because they appear gradually, reinforcements can be a great trouble for army that doesn't have them. It all depends on their numbers, speed and army type. If army is small and reinforcements are large, you must quickly dispose of army, before reinforcements arrive. If army is large and reinforcements are small, then you don't need to hurry. Backup that consists of cavalry will quickly reach main forces, so there is no need to hurry. But infantry reinforcements can be too slow and they can reach the main army after it is defeated. Grade the army, grade the reinforcements and based on that make a decision. If you decide that you need to hurry, then do it. If not, then act slower, but remember that enemy will gain strength with every moment.

Situation becomes more complicated when both sides are waiting for reinforcements. It forces you to make a decision - walk towards the backup and together attack the main army, attack it from two sides, or maybe split and attack both main army and reinforcements. In that case you must look at strength of each group and where it will appear. If enemy reinforcements are small and they are near your reinforcements or main army, first destroy them and then focus on main enemy forces. If reinforcements are small or they are far away, first destroy main army, then focus on backup.

In most extreme case one of armies have two or more reinforcements group that come from different sides. If that happens, you must check before the battle how strong they are and from where are they coming. Frequently main enemy forces are waiting for reinforcements to arrive and they attack after that. By moving at reinforcements you will provoke move of the main forces and be forced to fight on two, or even three fronts. Once again, it all depends on size and numbers of reinforcements, but with one important annotation. Enemy army usually can be found in the central part of the map, and reinforcements on the edges. By attacking main enemy army you move your forces on the territory where you have no cover and can be attacked from all sides. In that case it might be wiser to find yourself some defensive positions and wait until enemy gathers all his forces and starts the attack.

Morale

Many factors have influence on morale, but it is easy to guess when morale changes. If situation is bad - enemy have more units, formation is attacked by archers, it must march up a hill, is tired, have casualties, is on fire, friendly formation starts to run away and so on - morale drops. When situation is good - you have advantage in numbers over enemy, there is a general nearby, formation is rested and so on - morale raises or stays on same level. Situation on the campaign map have influence on morale as well, just as general abilities, army traditions and so on. But it only affects the beginning of the battle and it will surely change during combat.

The lower the morale is, the greater possibility of breakdown or running away. After breaking down a formation will start to retreat, but you will not lose control over them. If for some time formation won't have any more reasons for morale to drop, breakdown will pass and soldiers will return under your command. If morale will drop again, a formation will give up and start running away from the battlefield. During that, enemy can start hunting your units and capture them. Breakdown can happen rapidly because of sudden and wide morale drop, for example after death of general.

Remember, that sudden drop of morale doesn't depend on a single event. Death of a general might happen at the beginning of battle and cause only one formation to run. The rest will fight and they still might win because, for example, you have taken a control point in besieged city which have increased your morale.. But death of a general further in the battle might cause immediate capitulation of rest of your army as their morale have been weakened by casualties and enemy strength. In other words, events that have great impact on morale doesn't necessarily mean end of the battle, but they will make it much harder to win it.

Ammunition

Every unit capable of range attack has a limit of ammunition. Archers and crossbowmen have largest one, infantry that is capable of throwing spears before melee fighting has smallest one. Siege machines have ammunition as well. The amount of ammunition depends on strength and tasks of unit on the battlefield. Archers have more of it, because their main way of fighting is by shooting. Infantry have less, as it is supposed to fight directly.

As one can guess, usefulness of a unit on the battlefield depends on the amount of ammunition. In longer battles archers might become completely useless unless you decide to use them to hunt running enemies. Amount of arrows can be increased with items and skills of generals, but during battle ammunition can't be replenished.

Because of that you should save missiles. Let your archers concentrate fire on single enemy formations. Let catapults shoot at tight groups, not dispersed ones. Let spearmen throw at cavalry that charge at them, not infantry group walking nearby. To save ammunition, you can forbid your units free shooting and pick their targets by yourself. Additionally, don't shoot at formations wit which your soldiers fight, as you will hurt both sides. In large battles your archers will probably use all bullets, but with right leadership none of their shots will be wasted.

Traps

When being a defender with some time to prepare yourself, for example with fortify state, you will be able to set few traps before battle. They are given randomly and after the battle they disappear.

Sudes caltrops block the way for cavalry formations. They receive damage after riding into them, especially if they do it fast. Stakes work similarly, but they harm only cavalry that rides at them frontally, while caltrops work from every direction. Sharp stone beds slower a formation, making him a perfect target for shooters. Spike traps harm every formation that will be unlucky enough to walk through them.

On plain territories traps aren't very useful. Especially caltrops and stakes, that are visible after getting close to them. They show their true value during defense of hills, swamps and rivers, placed in narrow pathways they force enemy to walk through them or search for alternative roads. One line of stakes with one or two formations of infantry are able to stop many cavalry charges, and sharp stones allow shooters to give very accurate shots at formations trapped by them. On the battlefield you will usually have a small amount of traps, but well used they can greatly help you in victory.

General

The biggest advantage, and in the same, biggest disadvantage of general is his worth on the battlefield. General is always accompanied by a group of elite soldiers, he has ability that can raise morale or help other formations in other ways, his presence itself increase morale of nearby soldiers, and thanks to skills and items he is able to fight with even few enemy formations at once and win. On other hand, general is always a target for enemy formations, he can be easily recognized by the star next to his icon, and his death greatly reduces morale of rest of the army. In other words it is a very useful unit, but his death usually ends with catastrophe.

Because of that you should use general carefully. Never leave him alone. If he must fight, let few formations accompany him. Send them there, where morale of your troops starts dropping. Use his skills as frequently as possible. If he becomes surrounded, immediately send him backup. Do everything that is possible to keep him alive. If you worry about his state, don't send him to battle. Let he instead move behind fighting units, thus increasing their morale.

You should treat especially well generals with high rank, and even more the ones from your family. Death of a fifth rank general, although painful, can be survived. Death of a fifth rank king might end with civil war.

Retreat

A formation that is in the middle of combat can be given an order to move. If it is not alone and enemy isn't pushing too strong, then the formation will leave the battle and start marching. In other situation enemy will immediately start the pursuit, which won't allow you to stop the fighting. It's even worse when fighting cavalry, that is too fast for infantry to walk away. Because of that retreating units from battle is hard, but not impossible.

If you want to move a formation away from battle, send another one on its place. Enemy fighting two formations at once might let one of them retreat. Retreating must be done selectively. If you pick five formations and order them all to retreat you can be sure that one of them will fail. Decimated, tired formations or those with low morale should retreat at first and new, fresh forces should take their place.

You can order your formation to completely leave the battlefield as well. In that case a formation will try to leave the combat and will start moving toward the closest border of the map. If it gets there, it will leave the battlefield. This allows to keep general alive after losing a battle. He simply must retreat before he gets surrounded and killed.

Taking prisoners

After morale breakdown formations will start to run away from the battlefield. Broken formations can be recognized by a white flag in place of their icon. Leaved broken formations will get to the edge of the map and disappear. If the battle haven't ended with complete failure, they will become part of retreating army. If army have been destroyed during battle, those formations will disappear after the battle.

You can make one of two decisions with running away formations - leave them alone or pursuit them. Broken formation won't fight back, so instead of killing enemy soldiers, your units will capture them. Captured prisoners count only if the battle have been won by you. So you shouldn't hunt broken formations if the victory isn't obvious yet. And you shouldn't hunt them with infantry, unless they are close by. Light cavalry is best for capturing prisoners, especially a rested one. It will take some time for infantry to get to defeated formations and thus it will catch less prisoners. And, for obvious reasons, infantry is completely ineffective when capturing cavalry.

After the battle you can get ransom for prisoners, include them in your own army as replenishment for your formations or kill them. First order will increase your treasury, but lower army integrity. Your soldiers won't be happy that you release enemies captured by them. Second order won't give you money, but will increase your army size., which after a long and bloody battle might be important for the rest of the war. On other side, because of their presence abilities of your army will drop. Third order harms diplomatic relations with defeated enemy and his allies, but increase with their enemies. Useful when there is no chance for signing peace and you want to improve your relations with enemies of your enemy.

There orders from above are available after winning a naval battle as well.