How to kill Orcs, Fantasy Re-Armed

[@artix548]

Roses are Red, the Death Star is Round It's over Anakin, I have the High Ground

[@Elkator955]

But what about Dragons?

[@InSanic13]

I don't like dragons. They're coarse, and rough, and irritating, and they burn everything...

[@nathanbrown8680]

Mustafar doesn't have enough animal life to support a dragon population so they don't really have much impact on the situation. Context.

[@darkrite9000]

What if the dragons are capable of traveling in space or teleporting, like a dimensional dragon (Bahamut), then the lack of population on Mustafar would probably make it a very likely planet for dragons who prefer sleeping in areas with fewer things to bother them (or if they just want to be near lava on a hot as hell planet).

[@nathanbrown8680]

Lord of the Void If that was what they wanted they'd choose a planet without a mining installation. There have to be tons of them in the galaxy.

[@amfcapone]

So pretty much how to defeat any fantasy creature: plate armour, shield, a horse and a Lance. Knights rock!!!!!

[@mrdropkicker1]

That’s also the way to defeat humans with light armor on foot... no wonder knights got shit done

[@ls200076]

@@mrdropkicker1 Fking pikes it is!

[@raph3699]

Andrew Capone except when zig face giants

[@zachnerdydude6605]

GUYS 2 handed shield

[@andrewgreenwood9068]

but what about dragons

[@bigcat5348]

One note: in Tolkien's legendarium, there is no real difference between goblins and orcs. Goblin is just what they are called in The Hobbit. The word has however come to mean "short undisciplined orcs that are generally not under the direct control of Sauron or Saruman" or "orcs that live in the Misty Mountains". Incidentally there are multiple examples of orcs in the service of Sauron or Saruman on wargback.

[@willmatthews5861]

This is true, but there is a distinction between orcs and uruks/uruk-hai, even if Uruk does just mean orc and Uruk-hai orc-folk in the black speech. Nonetheless the Sauron’s uruks are taller and stronger than normal orcs/goblins and then Uruk-hai are a further improved breed of uruks, so Shad’s distinction does make sense IMO. Also, as a rule Sauron uses the southrons, the Easterlings and the variags of khand as his source of cavalry, which suggests orcs prefer fighting on foot. So yeah there are several references to warg riders, but as a rule human cavalry is used, which to my mind suggests it is better, at least as heavy cav, also saruman uses his warg riders to raid he does not commit them to a battle which again suggests that horse-mounted cav is better, and I would suggest that horses are hard to train to accept orcs given that Sauron had orcs steal horses from Rohan, but clearly only for the nazgul and the mouth of Sauron and other such servants, hence also why the orcs only stole black horses.

[@BernddasBrotB7]

@@willmatthews5861 As a belated further note, Uruk-Hai are crossbred with Men and BARELY on par with them physically (ditto Uruks, which is just an ad hoc term for the bigger and less crippled examples of Orcs), without the weakness of light sensitivity. Most of Shad's comments are completely flipped on their heads in LotR since aside from things like Ents and Trolls, Men are actually the physically strongest race, with Elves and Dwarves having a near parity (Dunedain being a thing pushes it in the favour of Men). The tech level also matters, since there is not much full plate armour in the time period of the main books, being limited to the absolute most wealthy nobles who can afford to hire the few Dwarven smiths capable of making plate. 99% of proper soldiers from developed countries (e.g Gondor, Lothlorien, Umbar) are using mail or scale armour.

[@ДокторЯдо]

@@willmatthews5861 Uruk-hai is just plural of Uruk.

[@Gormathius]

Ask it a mathematical question. Then retreat to a safe distance and wait for the explosion.

[@stinkyboi7294]

Or a philosophy question on peace?

[@zaidanhakim1072]

@@stinkyboi7294 talk no jutsu?

[@stevefilms1997]

@@stinkyboi7294 you mean like this : “What about dragons?”

[@flamo3961]

How about a paradox?

[@rysonperry8069]

Haha Humie! Everyone knows dat the da answers 'WAAGGH' or a Red Krooze Missile. Yer' Weak Humie logic has no power here...

[@DemigodoftheSea]

This just makes me want to throw into my fantasy setting that Orcs (even friendly ones) unnerve horses, and so you get the Orc in the adventuring party being the only one walking and someone asks "Why aren't you riding on the horses?" "I can't go near the damn things... I spook them...." And he just looks all grumpy and indignant.

[@Staf00plz]

Orcs ride Dire Wolves, duh.

[@dragonfell5078]

That's a damn good idea, sounds interesting.

[@bubbykins4864]

[laughs in orc racial mount being a wolf]

[@DemigodoftheSea]

@@bubbykins4864 Now if only they had enough to make a difference.

[@Randomdudefromtheinternet]

@@Staf00plz Would make horses MORE afraid of Orcish cavalry.

[@bob.justbob.3875]

I never realized how much I wanted a short sci-fi story in which the protagonist is perpetually distracted by an irrelevant and unhealthy obsession with dragons.

[@teslashark]

*DISTANT ROARS FROM CLONED SUE* (If you don't know what Sue is, it's a one of the best studied T Rexes)

[@dg3218]

BUT WHAT ABOUT DRAGONS!!!

[@tofuthebland]

See: Don Quixote

[@Joe_Potts]

Bob. Just Bob. "Sehn! Focus!! That Fel-Sock weilding dwarf is going to steal the Azure Quartz Gem of Stamina!" "But WHAT ABOUT THE DRAGONS?"

[@Joe_Potts]

"Sehn, there hasn't been a dragon in the realm since the last Feast of Shlurg'in Buarglg !" "Ah, apprentice, you are forgetting about the wyverns."

[@Dwarfurious]

Shad shad shad... If fantasy has taught us anything, its that beautiful people easily defeat hordes of orcs! You dont need weapons you just need make up, beautiful things ALWAYS defeat ugly things effortlessly!

[@duchessskye4072]

I think I sense a LOTR burn in there....

[@strongback6550]

Fair point

[@Reaper419Darkangel]

Dwarfurious then I'd be screwed... Thanks for keeping me from a horrible death

[@Andrew-gn9qp]

LOTR elves are stronger than Orcs, though, because of magic, they have stronger fea (life force).

[@shan9usfc]

Tell that to my dead mercenary company in Battle Brothers.

[@CanuckBacon]

a little over the top at the start, but then again... what about dragons?

[@GrimdarkCrusader20th]

Best way to fight Orks: bolter and chainsword

[@psychologyresources5421]

But we orks gots da biggest shootas! WAAAGH!

[@GrimdarkCrusader20th]

@@psychologyresources5421 Assault cannon it is then

[@ricaroanimar6695]

Slowly grabs imperator class titan

[@RaptorTroll360]

Heavy flamers

[@darthvader6533]

@@psychologyresources5421 _reloads quake cannon aggressively_

[@kungfuskull]

Looking at the cosplayer or HEMA or whatever guy in full plate; I often wonder if a thousand years from now, nerds will be dressing up as SWAT, or making working tank replicas, etc. War... war never changes, and neither do nerds.

[@petergerman3832]

That "cosplayer" in full plate sitting under the tree is Mike Rowe, better known as the host of Dirty Jobs that used to run on Discovery Channel.

[@TerLoki]

Oh please, people already run around in restored tanks and such even today. Nerd-dom acts quickly.

[@SeismicHammer]

It is rather weird to think that, one day, there will be History classes about Facebook, PewDiePie, and Justin Bieber. Imagine future reenactment of youtubers.

[@Allycat-wc8hj]

@@petergerman3832 Honestly, I was amazed that they missed that... my family was obsessed with that show though, so I'm probably a bit biased.

[@petergerman3832]

@@Allycat-wc8hj HAHA, same here. was the best show on TV imo.

[@silphaer5353]

The best way to fight Orcs? Aragorn already solved that one. It's obvious. All you need is a ghost army.

[@AirLancer]

"Hey Ghost Army, could you just like, fight this one last battle at The Black Gate for me? I totally promise I'll let you guys go after."

[@morgothastartes]

Ghost army won against corsairs from Umbar not Orcs at Pelenor field. That would be Dunedein and Lord Imrahil knights.

[@hjalmarholm3]

@@morgothastartes And the Rohirrim, otherwise fair point.

[@filipferencak2717]

But...what about dragons?!

[@ImAlpharius]

What about Warhammer 40k orks?

[@darionietlispach2470]

plot twist... the orcs watched shads video and half of them now go into battle with bows, one handed warhammers and stupidly thick towershilds ^^

[@MrAnvalos]

Dario Nietlispach We're doomed...

[@Debilinside]

We still can use space-time destroying katanas. If its not enough, as a final push we can throw katana pommels as well.

[@Marcusjnmc]

katana with pommels . .

[@ganjagank4787]

USE DA DAKKAPULT

[@Randomdudefromtheinternet]

Dario Nietlispach And because of their strength, their shields and armor could be as thick as a tank (literally).

[@DominionSorcerer]

With the amount of people discussing orcish cavalry in the comments as well as references towards Lotr as the orcs were shown as having warg riders in their ranks; Lotr orcs, or goblins as said by Tolkien, goblins are neither taller nor stronger than men. They were in almost all instances smaller, to the point of Frodo and Sam being able to pass themselves off as orcs when they snuck around Mordor. Even the Uruk-hai were smaller than men and Tolkien himself wrote that one huge orc chieftain was on par with the average human.

[@bjmaguire6269]

Thanks for the information:)

[@couchpotatoe91]

Isn't it that the Uruks of Mordor (basically Sauron's best soldiers) were almost as big as a man, but the Uruk-Hai from Sauron were bigger than men? I'm pretty about this.

[@DominionSorcerer]

@@couchpotatoe91 The Uruks in service of Sauron were just another breed of orcs, but they were the biggest and largest of Sauron's orcs. But they were still far shorter than humans on average and stood with the same typical hunched backs you might see from them, with long arms and crooked legs. Sauroman's Uruk-Hai are a bit different, though. They stood taller than the Uruks of Mordor, but were still shorter than men. Their physical form was different; they weren't just taller, they were larger, more muscular, they stood more straight. They did not like the sun, but were able to withstand them better than any other orc subspecies. We don't get a definite answer, but in-universe Treebeard ponders whether or not the Uruk-Hai of Isengard are a cross-breed of orc and man, which would account for them being, well. More human in appearance, which I do believe makes sense myself - Sauroman has been seen with half-orcs in his service before and after.

[@rachdarastrix5251]

Orc culture is all about taking their own physical evolution into their own hands. After over 80 years yes they could end up bigger then men, even if not by much.

[@Dualbladedscorpion7737]

@@couchpotatoe91 Imagine Uruk-Hai were in d&d

[@williamdracul5864]

So, heavy infantry in close formation, armed with long spears or pikes and shields, advancing towards the orcish static arrow-fire, while fast moving, attack and retreat units of heavy cavalry rend the orcish flanks. Yeah, Alexander the Great conquered Persia that way.

[@Jay_Frank]

The only difference is the macedonian phalanx used smaller shields to use the longer pikes. So you'd use the more greek style phalanx (probably leaning towards spartan) and macedonian cavalry.

[@ThmSphone]

My favorite weapon against orcs are Mongolians. Don't ask me how, they just work.

[@couchpotatoe91]

Not sure how well Mongolian horse archers would work though if the orcs can just fire at them from a much greater distance with massive bows.

[@beckybrown1123]

They work against most things to be honest

[@joynelbonetdelgado4952]

So basically real mongols vs fantasy creatures inspired after mongols.

[@ashtongiertz8728]

@@couchpotatoe91 horses move fast; harder to hit

[@couchpotatoe91]

@@ashtongiertz8728 Doesn't really matter though when the enemy can fire into a whole group of horsearchers from a much greater distance.

[@haleffect9011]

Suggestion for next video: How a human kingdom could rise to prominence in a fantasy world with all of these creatures. From possible alliances (with likely allies that we can tell, which would be few and far between) To macro army composition (would they keep several small elite armies, or massive legions) And their relationship with Water (how would they react to mer-folk?) just for fun, you could also throw in governments, just wondering if classical feudalism would work in such a setting. As for geography, I would feel that you should take you favorite fantasy map, and plonk the human kingdom in the best location in that map. Then add in one hostile and one neutral creature kingdom next to it, then others further away, depending on how well the humans could deal with them. I feel that the main advantage humans have against fantasy creatures in most settings is organisation coupled with numbers. Almost all fantasy creatures are seen to be better than humans in some respect, but Humans seem to field the largest and most organised and logistically sound armies. While the Elves are more disciplined in peace and before combat, they are ultimately very precious about their own lives (understandibly), their discipline extends as far as they are in control. But because of their expected immortality, if a situation goes south, I expect them to have very low morale. And quickly resort to individual skill over combined arms. Not to mention that their population is far far smaller than that of humans. While Orcs are more formidable warriors, Humans are far more organised and can field much larger and better formations with far more disciplined warriors and troupes. While goblins are far more numerous, once again, humans are so much more disciplined and organised, that they would unquestionably defeat them. Honestly, if you look at history, even with all the disadvantages, I still feel that humans would dominate that landscape as well.

[@haleffect9011]

they are kind of the jack of all trades default, but I feel that they are also weaker than any other race that exits, by a significant margin. Their tech second to the dwarves, magic second or third to elves (sometimes to dwarves, sometimes to orcs), strength is lower than orcs and usually dwarves and elves as well. And numbers are lower than goblins and sometimes orcs as well. They can try to use tech against the Elves, but the elves can generally counter it easily. so too can the dwarves counter magic. They can try to swarm the enemy, but usually the enemy can fend off goblins, so humans aren't a concern. Their ability to form large sprawling empires, however is their one true advantage that we see time and time again, from Warhammer, to Tolkein, to Eragon, to Elder Scrolls. Somehow, it's always humans which control the vast majority of lands with sprawling empires and kingdoms to the chagrin of all the other races. And when we see their armies and politics. We see that they are generally able to assemble huge and organised armies from rabble. organised trading guilds larger than all the other races, form alliances quicker and faster than any other, and are the quickest to unite against an external threat. Even peasants are quickly able to be trained to follow orders and to fight very effectively in a relatively short amount of time to allow for sprawling formations unseen by any save for the dwarves and elves. Neither of whom have either the will (in the latter case) for prolonged warfare and combat, or the numbers for excessively large engagements (in both cases since Dwarves are also seen as far less numerous) I feel like the humans are truly the masters of administration, organisation, bureaucracy and diplomacy in any fantasy setting. And that's what allows them to excel at all of them.

[@yansakuya1]

Although you listed all these reasons why humans would win against other fantasy creature. I feel like you are over looking something much more prominent that would spell the doom of humanity before they can even get organize to fight the orcs, strong enough to defeat the goblins, large enough population to defeat the elves, and even have skill enough craftsmanship to beat the dwarfs in a complete fantasy world. War, Famine, and Disease. For humanity to have large number, you need the resources to feed them all and if you have such large number there is also going to be disease that will develop into epidemic that might wipe out a large portion of the human population. But even if that wasn't for the time being there might be more cases of other humans attacking each other get enough farmland to feed themselves. Since who wants to fight against the warmongering orcs, the goblins that have nothing like African nations, and Elves that could potentially be superior to humans in almost every way depending on the fantasy world to get food for their people? Heck, a Goblins horde might pose the biggest problem to the rise of humanity than one might imagine if they keep attacking humans to feed their own large numbers. This is not modern human with our tech vs other world fantasy creatures, but medieval humans as most high or low fantasy setting goes and in those time farming does not yield as much food as we do today or the industrial revolution. So humans are screw no matter how versatile we are in the end, because before the modern era, mother nature can bitch slap us any time with a single natural disaster and will have to face utter devastation. I argue that the Elves would be the most suited race to survive as the dominant race in the end because while humanity maybe versatile, Elves could survive almost all of nature deadliest methods to slaughter us normal humans if they are so close to nature as we portray them to be in popular fantasy culture. Which means that the most talented elves from long ago could also live longer and with their experiences have more chances to develop their civilization to be stronger and numerous enough that by the time humans have a chance to shine we will be licking their feet for survival against mother nature to not starve to death.

[@legg1499]

But what about dragons?

[@SuperYoshikong]

@@artruisjoew5473 I could imagine the elves and humans allying for survival against the uglier more vicious races. After that, it's just who shoots who first

[@joshwist556]

Artruis Joew until orcs gets guns too and then paint them red to get faster fire rates and more bullets.

[@jamcalx]

How to kill Orcs? Chant "context" 3 times into The Metatron's Holy Cellphone in order to open a HellGate to Matt Easton domain to rain down Skallagrim's army of pommel-throwing Vikings!

[@mithirenardane5192]

We shall end them all rightly

[@darionietlispach2470]

Or just call lindybeige and ask him to bring a souvenir of the tank museum ....

Tanks would do the trick, yeah... Lindybeige is on to something. :D

[@pseudonym9599]

I have a magic brick in a sock that destroys the universe.

[@darionietlispach2470]

Pseudo Nym are you trying to get a divorce from your husband ?^^

[@JustAPotato1998]

Orc Cavalry? *SUMUN DA BOARS*

[@hunterskidmore1672]

Anthony Clark WAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH

[@donkeystew2432]

TYME FO' SUM SMASHIN' YA GITZ! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!

[@firetarrasque4667]

Hersy? No? No hersy? Really? I'll... i'll just show myself out.

[@justintaylor9315]

STIKKIN' IT TO DA GITZ! 'EAVY SMASHIN', ROIGHT N' PROPPA'

[@ganjagank4787]

BOARS?! WHO'S EVA' 'EARD OF A BOAR?! USE A SQUIG YA GROT!

[@eruantien9932]

As a Tolkien nerd, I feel the need to wade in on 14:45. So, orcs, goblins and uruks (and uruk-hai). In the real world, orc meant some kind of ferocious, possibly demonic, sea creature, but this term fell out of usage a few centuries before J.R.R wrote LotR. In the Legendarium, orc comes from the Sindarin (Elvish) word orch (plural yrch), which means goblin. Or from the Ñoldorin Quenya (also Elvish) word orko (nominative plural orkoli, nominative dual orkos), which also means golbin. The languages are pretty heavily related. Uruk on the other hand, is Black Speech, and simply means goblin. Likely deriving from the Valinorean Quenya word urko (urkoli, urkos). Uruk-hai means, roughly, goblin-folk, and refers to the warriors created by Sauron and Saruman that, though various means, did not suffer in sunlight like the older orcs did. In the books, the term uruk is used interchangably with uruk-hai, generally the ones from Mordor are simply called uruks, or black uruks (of mordor). Uruk/uruk-hai is used within the forces of Mordor and Isengard to refer to their soldiers, with other breeds being called snaga (slave).

[@bjmaguire6269]

Thanks for this info:)

[@Fighter7811]

Shad: "Orcs are generally not mounted on horses or something, they are on foot..." Me: "What about Dragons???"

[@timeshark8727]

.... he's still forgetting the dragons... * sob *

[@diredm3889]

what about dragons is a question a lot of people in game of thrones need to ask

[@kurtfoster6036]

A medieval weapons video that starts with prequel memes? this is why I'm subscribed to you shad.

[@Titan360]

Everyone's been waiting for Obi wan to finally confess his feelings for Dragons....

[@stinkyboi7294]

"anikin..." *Tears form in obi's eyes* "I have a high ground advice always.... BUT WHAT ABOUT DRAGONS!?!??" *Tears slide down obi's cheeks while he smiles knowing he gave his protege the last most important lesson on high ground*

[@lafortya]

Shad, you may appreciate this. I've been working on my own miniature combat system. One of our test games involved orcs vs dwarves. When I combined the orc profile with war bows they did in fact turn out to be shockingly effective, nearly wiping out an entire unit of dwarves with ax, shield, and chainmail in one round of shooting at close range. So quite independently, your assessment of orc archers and my own home brew game arrived at the same conclusion. I think in future I'll try kitting out more of my fantasy warriors along the lines of your analysis.

[@thekinginyellowmessiahofha6308]

Here’s what I would do: make the longbows an elite unit. It takes a lot of training in order to get someone proficient with a long bow, and orcs typically don’t live that long.

[@lafortya]

@@thekinginyellowmessiahofha6308 Well the orcs did have less skill with bows, but the power of their hits when they did land from an orc scaled war bow was pretty brutal. Stronger than humans with long arms means slightly bigger bows with more draw weight and larger arrows at the same effective range. Typical orc shooting. Not very accurate, but strong and a lot of it.

[@PolluxA]

The most important factor when discussing plate armor is thickness and quality. So let's say 1 mm of iron plate requires 35 Joules. Now, if you increase the thickness to 2 mm, it's now 106 Joules, three times more. From 2 mm to 4 mm it's 321 Joules. Iron have a Vickers Plate Hardness of around 150. Air-Cooled medium carbon steel have a Vickers Plate Hardness 300, so twice as much. Therefor 1 mm, 150 VPH = 35 Joules 2 mm, 150 VPH = 106 Joules 4 mm, 150 VPH = 321 Joules 1 mm, 300 VPH = 70 Joules 2 mm, 300 VPH = 212 Joules 4 mm, 300 VPH = 643 Joules The formula for the 300 VPH quality is: 35*thickness in mm^1.6*(300/150)

[@gn1144]

Is the real amount of joules required for every MM, known?

[@PolluxA]

Yes, but it varies from one arrowhead shape to another and from arrowhead quality. It has been verified with bows, drop tests and arrows shot out of an air-cannon. 35 Joules is what you need with a square shaped arrowhead with a 18 degree point 5*5 mm thick. An arrowhead with a triangular shaped cross section and an arrowhead with a lozenge shaped coss section will do better, respectively.

[@bavettesAstartes]

Looking forward to the other races, especially the weirder ones like the undead (vampires, liches, zombies, etc) or some obscurer types: like shapeshifters (werewolves, doppelgangers, etc). How would weapons and warfare would fare for them. I certainly know the best tactic for anything that doesn't die, doesn't eat, breath, drink or sleep is to just... wait until your enemy dies. But what about Dragons, shad?! What about those undead dragons!?

[@braydoxastora5584]

Undead Alien Dragons

[@SuperExodian]

how to fight a necromancer: make damn sure you can defeat him in one battle, or don't fight him at all.

[@itsjonesh]

How to fight a vampire, you ask? First: have an amazing whip. Then, get yourself an cross-shaped boomerang that defies the laws of physics making arcs and actually returning to you. For last, get buff and wear Conan-ish clothes. Bonus: Have an amazing and catchy themesong.

[@bavettesAstartes]

João Baptista Hahahaha

[@exumbra1399]

Vampires -- greater power comes with greater weaknesses to everyday things, and their arrogance which stems from their supposed immortality actually makes their life expectancy shockingly low. anything Undead (vampires don't really count) -- cut at the joints (axes and concave-bladed swords best) as they can't do much in little pieces, and it's hard to go wrong with lots and lots of FIRE. Doppelgangers -- suffer from a crippling lack of individuality, but otherwise are utterly awesome; the mind is the only weapon against them, and any assassination weapons (example: stiletto & mini-crossbow, etc.) or impersonating tactic/fraud scam/political defamation would be their tools of choice. Undead Dragons -- should NOT be able to physically fly, explosives in the form of laser-guided missiles (or the magical equivalent) would be my weapon of choice.

[@hyrumcannon3789]

In Tolkien's universe, which is, to my knowledge, the only one with Wargs and therefore the one you must have been referring to with the "only goblins ride Wargs" comment, goblins and orcs are the same thing. Orc is just a different version of the Sindarin word, orch, and goblin is the commonly translated version.

[@bjmaguire6269]

Except that the Urak-Hai(?) were referred to as a hybrid of Orc and Goblin men(or was it Golden men?). Is that theatrical license? Or something else? Thanks for this comment:)

[@robertschmidjr.1718]

BJ Maguire goblin men are the same thing as half-orcs. Since in Middle Earth orcs/goblins were the same size as dwarves humans were bigger, so when you breed orcs with humans they become bigger than purebred (if you’ll excuse the racism inherent in the description), and then when you breed those BACK with orcs you getter bigger orcs... not necessarily as big half-orcs/goblin men, but still bigger than purebred. But yes, orcs on wargs is a thing as we even saw in The Hobbit movies.

[@HighViewOfficial]

@SamTheWayne ^

[@Siegmernes]

He mentioned in his original rearmed video for the orcs that he classifies the orc in lotr as goblins and the uruk-hai as orcs because that's more accurate to the modern interpretation of the orc and the goblin

[@unsacapuntas1441]

He's referring to orcs and goblins as 'goblins' and the Urak-Hai as 'orcs'

[@HiopX]

Kenobi: It's over Anakin, I have the highground Skywalker: Yes, but what about DRAGONS?!!

[@kholtonthebarbarian2590]

At which point he uses the dark side of the force to summon a space dragon, which I do think was a thing in the expanded lore.

[@bedeoof5948]

Kenobi: Dragons would have the even higher ground

[@darthvader6533]

@Samuel Dimmock did you just say two space dragons became jedi knights and grievous killed one? I know so much useless star wars lore, WHY is this not a part of it. What are they called? :o

[@MacCoalieCoalson]

Everyone asks "what about dragons".... Nobody asks "how about dragons" *cries in dragon*

[@justsometroglodyte4056]

yes

[@porkins93]

Why about dragons?

[@zachnerdydude6605]

*cries tears of fire*

[@loredragonwrites7673]

I wonder if anyone could test the strength of an orc bow by constructing a crazy high poundage bow and getting a super strong man to shoot it. Something for the Slingshot Channel to tackle!

[@supremeleadersmeagol6345]

What about the droid attack on the Dragons?

[@averongodoffire8098]

He’s right they’re a fantasy resource we cannot afford to lose

[@churchboy4609]

Everything about ur comment and ur username is a huge nerdy reference and I love it

[@turtleborn]

Replicator dragons

[@RaptorTroll360]

@turtle born Zerg dragons

[@Chaosism]

Man, doesn't that intro just seem to _drag-on?_ ;P

[@verbalbbq7976]

Chaosism underrated comment

[@maxmustermann1455]

bad puns are best puns.

[@MrSpartanspud]

But also yes.

[@ianmiller4195]

What about Drag-ons?

[@duncanmcokiner4242]

It took me two seconds to get that. There goes all meaning in life.

[@MrMaxamumdes]

These types of videos are always so fun to watch. Coming up with the different theories, using actual logic and applying it to a fantasy setting. Your comment on wargs though had me thinking of an interesting idea. Often in fantasy, different races have different mounts instead of the traditional horse. Goblins with wargs, ogres/giants with mammoths, and lizardmen with raptors, just to name a few. I'd love to see a video discussing these different mounts and the advantages and disadvantages each would have over the common horse.

[@josephalvarez6735]

"Orc mounted on something or whatever..." What about dragons?

[@mwinton1986]

Joseph Alvarez in Tolkien’s universe dragons were extremely intelligent creatures and were classed as melkors best servants that were no mair spirits like the balrog. Orcs were always just the weak foot soldiers that were used for their cruelty but mostly because the orc races were terrified of the dark lords, nazgul balrog and dragons. Think it comes down to dragons would think nothing of orcs and would never allow these lower race creatures to ride them.

[@comradebork]

@@mwinton1986 s/melkors/Melkor's/ s/no mair/not Maiar/

[@firebladeentertainment5739]

i can't resist to use a "what about dragons" in an argument anymore. still hilarious to use.

[@Madocvalanor]

... I forgot about the dragons... now I can't find bessy, half the village is burned, and a local band of adventurers have come into town, looted what's left, sold it back to us, and are now on their way to slay the dragon... hopefully.

[@markloeffler85]

"It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations if you live near him" J.R.R. Tolkien

[@chamber0461]

-The dragons are coming! Hide! -But what about...oh wait

[@thomasmcgraw8778]

Okay guys serious time. We need to put forth an effort as a community to get that all important question memed

[@thomasmcgraw8778]

Oh my god senpi noticed me. That was a joke

[@Hanariel]

Shad: Machiculatiooooooooooooons! Me: But... what about dragons? Shad: Bluescreen.

[@medieverse]

Fantasy Re-Armed, finally a great title for this series! Jolly good stuff, sir!

[@cerocero2817]

There exist a compromise between the volume, the density and the stopping power of blindage. I think the pavise would be a good place to choose a very thick but light material, since the projectiles will have to spend more time in contact with the armor, this offers a better stopping power than the same weight of a hard but dense material. Of course, it would be too bulky for armour or a shield to use in combat, but this should not be much of a problem with a pavise. A layer of dense material could be combined for versatility. Also, for the sake of fantasy, a collapsable stick could be added in the bottom so that in an emergency situation it could be used like one of thoose extravagant dueling shields

[@ree-man3508]

I like how Shad pays attention to the comment section Edit: as shown by him "liking+" my comment the same day I post it (thanks)👍😉

[@bgwlf1]

I know, in some fantasy settings, Orcs ride either giant boars or large, specially bred cattle. Sometimes they're simply too big for a mount, in those cases they usually have massive stamina reserves. I still feel like cavalry is the best solution when it comes to wars with orcs though.

[@siililiik]

Good vid, I especially like the cavalry part. Though I would add a few things: - As the difference in mass is a huge part in a cavarly charge, if your enemies are 200+ kg black orcs, some of them probably big enough to just grab the head of your horse and pull it to the dirt, then just charging in the middle of them will be an effective but far from safe plan. - You are perfectly right about the orc bows. And even if you didn't take into account such things as the advantages of composite bows (there's a reason why almost all bow-wielding peoples used them), I think if our orcs can draw 200-300 lbs simple bows, they already have the strength of medieval armour-piercing crossbows (just for the armour vs. bows debate). And humans can use crossbows if they have the technology. - I think you missed javelins as ranged weapons, mostly heavy ones with nasty heads. It's a strong option for both sides, especially the orcs. - And, imo, you missed one of the most reasonable 'anti-orc' weaponry, at least if we talk about the usual fantasy setting where orcs are barbarian warriors and humans are more advanced, civilised and disciplined. If I should set up an army like that, the main body of the army would be heavy armored shield+pike infantry (defense against superstrong orc bows/slings/javelins, reach advantage and with forming lines negating the orcs' mass advantage), with crossbows and even ballistas in the back. And - following your ideas - heavy shock cavalry on the wings. (One more thing: The pure thickness of the shields doesn't matter that much as they aren't supposed to take all the energy of a blow, as they would transfer it to your arm what will just broke. Using a shield was more about the angles and leading the incoming blows off.) Anyway, a very nice video, thanks!

[@pretzel1265]

You put so much thought and effort into these! I just wanted to say thanks for all the great content :D

[@shadiversity]

A true pleasure sir, thank you for your appreciation.

[@jeremyleyland1047]

Shad Fact: Shad spent a year as a professor at Hogwarts teaching defense against the dark arts.

[@CarnalKid]

You should try the potion he makes out of mountain dew and the juice from his body pillow.

[@CyarSkirata]

How to kill an orc: be a dragon.

[@HighViewOfficial]

But what if the Orc is riding a Dragon?

[@Actually_Alice_Orchid]

InfectionSquad you get more dragons

[@perspicillazaplaza7737]

In medieval Japan, samurai and foot soldiers had to deal with both melee weapons AND guns. And they did use pavise like shields as you suggest to stop bullets (insert orc arrows), and they would also stack rolls of bamboo in front of them. These techniques of portable cover could work for medieval European infantry to support cavalry.

[@gabrielmedina2320]

I remember making a comic in a fantasy setting where I gave the orcs type of mounts referred to as a "beast mount" which were animal mounts breed to be not only stronger but also more ferocious on the battlefield. I remember giving my orcs monster sized hyenas.

[@MuradBeybalaev]

17:00 Shad, that's not how physics work. The initial kinetic energy of the arrow along the vertical axis, as it ascends, gets deposited into its potential energy by gravity, acting on the same axis, which, after the peak, gets converted back into kinetic the same way. You don't even lose any of the horizontal momentum component, unless we factor in the air friction which is lesser at higher altitudes. Basically, gravity gradually "borrows" a part of the arrow's "power" but returns it in the same manner after the peak. Another way to illustrate this is: "an orc with an orcbow would be able to fire his arrows up to such a height, unattainable to other bowmen, that the "power" it gains from gravity, falling all the way down from there, would be immense". Gravity doesn't have a speed limit - it's an acceleration constant instead. Also, do you not realize that arrows always fly in arcs? It might be the slightest of arcs at close range but still an arc. In terms of physics it behaves no different than a big arc.

[@scojo6373]

Depends on what the terminal velocity of the arrow is.

[@karlcattegut8100]

according to wikipedia, skydivers going head down with arms tucked in reach about 530 km/h (150m/s) In the documentary "The Weapons That Made Britiain - The Longbow" they measured an arrow fired from a 150# bow at 52m/s. From that i conclude that if terminal velocity comes into play when shooting arrows, you're doing it wrong, probably by using way too small arrows.

[@anonarchist1936]

Also, regardless of the speed of travel, as Shad points out, Orcs could have much heavier arrows, so there'd be more power/energy there.

[@pavelshafirin8718]

Friction doesn't kick in when an object reaches terminal velocity, it might be strong long before that. At terminal velocity friction causes an acceleration of 9.8m/c^2, a good estimate for friction is a square dependency from velocity (F= some stuff * v^2), so if we assume that an arrows terminal velocity is the same as a skydivers (150 m/c) (which is actually a really ridiculous thing to just assume, but I'l do it anyway) then the friction at a third of the speed (50 m/c) should be 3^2 = 9 times weaker i.e it causes about 1 m\c^2 of acceleration. That doesn't look like much, but it's there on the way up and down. It shouldn't drain all the energy out of the arrow ofcorse but might make a difference when it comes to whether it pierces a breastplate. This will also become a lot more impactfull if we make the arrow faster and the terminal velocity smaller (which if I had to guess, I would say it is). And as for less friction at higher altitudes, air density doesn't change much up to about a kilometer up, so, yeah, that's not a thing that will bother you much (unless you are fighting somewhere REALLY high up I guess, where the density gradient is bigger).

[@lidular]

There is still the fact that when you shoot a bow there is air... so you have to take that in to consideration. then the arrow that travels the shortest ditance has the least time to lose energy to drag and wind resitance. thus the shot with the most energy must be the one that where the arc of the arrow best approximates a straight line from the archer to the target.

[@JustinW101]

I find that taking a dragon and just swinging like a club against an orc can be quite effective. Haven't tested it so I'm just speaking from personal experience.

[@mizutoryu242]

I have the solution to many races and creatures. Fairies en your team, easy transportable in large numbers, you can't have more death per volume than that. You only have to somehow tame them or train them to target your enemies (or everyone but your unit).

[@TheManofthecross]

heh possible but then again there is many typies of fairies so you got to be clear on which one your using.

[@darekkonik9186]

Ye, but what about dragons? It'd be like deodorant flamer vs a bunch of flies.

[@KursarTV]

I still have nightmares about that, it changed the way I view fairies forever. I just imagine a bloodthirsty death swarm now, like killerbees but much... much worse.

[@corwinhyatt519]

Pixie (as Shad did in his vid), Nixie, Grig, Leprechaun? What type of fairies are we talking about?

[@0tt0Pilot]

Nymph ;)

[@timschommer8548]

Actually Shad, unless your opponent is on a different elevation to you, the only thing that will take power off of an arrow is air resistance, not the need to elevate the shot. At any given point in time an arrow's velocity has two components (technically 3 due to three dimensional space, but 2 makes my point and is easier): vertical and horizontal. The horizontal component is unaffected by gravity. So, barring air resistance, an arrow's horizontal velocity is the same from the moment it is fired, to the moment it strikes it's target. As for the vertical component, aside from air resistance the only thing affecting the arrow is gravity, which affects it uniformly on the way up and on the way down. Barring air resistance, at any given height an arrow will have equal vertical speed on the way up as on the way down, but in the opposite direction. Yes, once an arrow reaches the top of the arc it will have no vertical speed and can only gain the vertical speed gravity can give it, but is hasn't lost it's horizontal speed and the height it gained before its vertical speed reached zero would be enough to regain that vertical speed. In short, unless your arrow is generating a lot of drag or there is a significant elevation difference, arcing the bow is not going to affect its power noticeably. Granted, I am using physics principals as my basis rather than tests with a bow, so if there is evidence to refute this I would be more than happy to hear it.

[@johncole3986]

I agree the main advantage humans have over orcs is cavalry, although I think it is not outside the realm of possibility that orcs could employ cavalry with just a few considerations. Orcs are larger, heavier and prefer using beefier weapons. This means any mounts of theirs would need to be bigger and stronger, so thinking draft horses or in fantasy possibilities rhinoceros or bears. Which raises their most significant problems, taming them and keeping them fed. Given the orc culture of violence most mounts would not survive long enough to be trained for combat, either if they are killed early in combat or their trainer is. The other problem is that they would put massive strain on the tribes resources so they would not be able to raise large numbers of them. The other consideration is that even if orcs had cavalry the larger mounts they need would still be slower than horses, to a lesser extend than orc on foot but still slower; although this does give the option of devastating orc cavalry charges. So in conclusion i think you would find orc cavalry but only in really large tribes and even then only the most elite orcs would use them, so cavalry would still be a big advantage of the human army.

[@karolkwiecjasz9356]

In Warhammer Orks often ride on Boars or Wild Pigs as units of Boar Boyz. And the ones who utilize them the most are Savage Orks that are even stronger and have magical bodypaint that protects them like a secound leather armour skin. Nasty stuff.

[@karolkwiecjasz9356]

But then again in Warhammer Orks are much dumber, more powerful and specyficly created to wage uncoordinated natural war. This one thing is stoping them from conquering the world as the only coordianted units in their army - the goblins - are too traitorous to really compensiate for the orks lack of finesse.

[@Ambichook]

what's more, their physiology protects them. they can be shot and ignore it, and be beheaded, have the head stitched back on and keep on fighting.

[@Tenesfer]

You also can't forget that the orcs don't REALLY employ archers. Sure they have them but the orcs using them pretty much need to be beaten into using them iirc, thus only the smaller weaker orcs, aka Boyz, use them as opposed to their larger specimen. >This one thing is stoping them from conquering the world That and the fact that the waaaagh pretty much immediatly collapses once you killed the Waaaghboss.

[@karolkwiecjasz9356]

Tenesfer Actually, that's half-true. Arrow Boys are basicly the slightly smarter and slightly weaker orks who saw archers of other armies and gone to mimick them. That or the Boss ordered them to use bows, that happens too. Warlords ussually employ arrow boys as a form of supressive fire against infantry that is hard to hit with the huge arrows but is still scared sh*tless of them and arrow boys are actually pretty effective against large monsters, so much so that I think game systems should consider them as javeliners...

[@Tenesfer]

Will have to take your word for it seeing as I mostly gathered my 'knowledge' from tidbits and second hand. One constant was that orcs prefered melee FAR over bows. (To clarify: I believe you) Then again that might change if you convince them that using them is just headbutting/punching/etc from somewhat far away and that you just show them this way who is bigger and meaner. Or at least the later.

[@lukasbergman648]

Top human tactic against orcs: Hire the orcs to fight a stronger opponent then the weak humans they are. For exampel A DRAGON!!!

[@etiennesauve3386]

or just hire a dragon mercenary... if you can find one cheap enough lol

[@glowstickofdestiny1290]

All this talk about dragons... don't get me wrong, it's a very important discussion, but I think we're overlooking a critical issue here: What about wyverns?

[@CyarSkirata]

GlowstickOfDestiny *is a wyvern* What about me?

[@Tadicuslegion78]

or Wyrms, nobody gives Wyrms any love

[@gidkath]

Always nice when somebody points out that modern military tactics would serve really well in typical fantasy settings. Like trenches and, dare I say it, dungeons - great defenses against dragons (and similar military-grade monsters) and attack spells, both of which are at least as damaging as artillery and machine guns were in World War I and the US Civil War, where trench warfare first really came into play on an extensive, permanent scale (at least as far as I know - I welcome correction if I'm wrong, so I don't make the mistake again).

[@subratadhar7698]

So according to Shad, footmen in Warcraft 3 is the best for facing Orc grunts. Unfortunately, Blizzard has different opinion. :/ :/

[@4nd3rzzon]

Aye, my lord

[@visbaluz]

Sorry for the necro response (just subscribed and eating all of shads content while he recovers from injury). Well footmen were in fact decent Vs grunts . Knights demolished several clans in both wars (1 and 2) , is just that bloodlust was helluva drug (and Dragon's)

[@benmasta5814]

what shad, what ABOUT dragons?

[@ThunderClawShocktrix]

*roars* well we can kill orcs easliey

[@Klaaism]

A pair of Nikes and a better running speed than the other guy.

[@Emppu_T.]

What is it, dragons !?

[@fantasywind3923]

:) yeah what is it about dragons? Dragons can even rule Orcs as kings in some universes :). "Now the power and malice of Glaurung grew apace, and he waxed fat, and he gathered Orcs to him, and ruled as a dragon-King, and all the realm of Nargothrond that had been was laid under him."

[@ninjahombrepalito1721]

7:24 "But what about..." . My mind went straight to "dragons" XD

[@timothymclean]

It's weird that orcs don't usually have cavalry. After all, they're often used as a fantasy counterpart to Mongols and other foreign "hordes" who invaded Europe in the Middle Ages, and I don't think I have to tell you that Mongols were famous for their horses.

[@SirAroace]

in some storys it just they are to heavy for horses.

[@cookiecutter4431]

The only calvary unit they have was the Warg Riders. I think that they're just special units.

[@beertjeboshout4851]

In the lotr the orcs are mortally afraid of cavalry. Also, horses are very afraid of orcs so that's why they don't use cavalry there

[@rossta888]

orc boar boyz . warhammer has heavy cavalry . light cavalry is goblin warg or spider riders.. or goblin squig hoppers, orcs got the heavy. and they do all day in warhammer its not rare .. all the time . ha

[@TheManofthecross]

ik but they can't handle the European weather at all there bows don't work over there granted they can out ride and out fight there but the weather would prevent them from using there bows out right not to mention all of Europe united can stop the mongol army in a prolonged match of attrition for Europe would have nothing to lose for the weather is there greatest weapon and the mongols would have to change tactics and fight infantry style which they are not very well known for.

[@CerealScrummage]

Great job! Your show is incredibly inspiring for my D&D campaigns!

[@MorgorDre]

I think this is really one of the hardest to answer questions as orcs are the most different depicted race/species of all. Examples: Comparing DnD Orcs with the ones from Warhammer, Warcraft and/or Lord of the rings you really get most of the spectrum... some tropes here: LotR: Greatest Weakness - sunlight, weak senses, no morale, bad craftmanship - topped by Uruk-Hai who seem to have the overcome the problem and get the prominent feature to be easy to taunt, in line with the dark powers, some armour Warhammer: easy to taunt, easy to distract, bad craftmanship, fungus type creatures, no morale, „no brainers“ as most of the time they fight for fights sake, some to heavy armour... until you use wildorcs which have no armour at all, weak/not in favour of ranged weapons Warcraft: Honor-System, good craftmanship, aware of dark powers, all types of armour, favor hand-to-hand combat but no dishonour if ranged, good morale ... DnD: May depend on your GM ;-)

[@bensilk6431]

It's over anakin! I have the MARCHICOLATIONS!!!!!!

[@amitabhakusari2304]

ben silk Technically, still high ground. But high ground on a wall sounds a lot better.

[@dragonkenkyona7363]

This is by far my favorite show you have going on.

[@GunRunner106]

how to kill orcs, - ...but what about the dragons?

[@nathanbrown8680]

Dragons kill orcs the same way they kill anything else.

[@patrickbuckley7259]

Bold of you to assume the Orc isn't the hero in this scenario.

[@rachdarastrix5251]

Its all perspective. Except in 2020 then its just right and wrong. But, war is usually all perspective.

[@conanedogawa4798]

It's official, everyone in my D&D campaigns from now on are going to consider "protection from missiles" to be one of their most valuable spells in the early levels.

[@sternhell7821]

The first thing I see is a prequel meme. Instant watch.

[@Simtar123]

I never get tired of these over the top intros! Bravo! XD

[@Slayerlord13]

BUT WHAT ABOUT WYVERNS?!

[@laal6290]

We can't forgot wyvrens

[@Peregrin3]

who cares about wyverns but what about dragons

[@emilianorios4761]

Wyverns are way cooler, they're more realistic in evolution and they're dumber so you can domesticate them

[@reddragon3759]

but what about Drakes? dear sir.

[@emilianorios4761]

What about dragoons?

[@meeshermans297]

''let me just manually reload this giant f*cking ballista'' Orc, 2018

[@Philip_Noland]

Hmmmm against Orcish bows and infantry? Maybe a whole line of deploy-able shields (the great big wooden ones with arrow slits and an army of crossbows). Infantry behind in reserve wielding a long spear and round shield (Kind of like a phalanx). Btw I might be wrong on this, but if orcs are larger than humans i think one of their weaknesses would be less tight formations. For every orc with a halbeird you would have two humans with spears. So a phalanax of steel-clad "hoplites" might do rather well even in a melee.

[@itsjonesh]

I really was thinking Shad would go all Palpatine on us asking "what about dragons?". Now i ask: What about UNLIMITED POWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA dragons?! Note: About the orc artillery - We have to take into account what kind of bow and the material it's made. Orc bows could probably barely penetrate the pavise so reinforce them would be a must. Also, an strategy would be the creation of a co-op unit of artillery: An bowman or crossbowman, and also an shieldbearer. The real problem would be having upper protection, since if the orcs have the highground, their arrows would be pretty much as piercing and lacerating handcannons. So to our human artillery to really make those greenskins sorry, they MUST be on high terrain so they could have the upper hand. The only orcs that i know of that have some kind of mount are the ones at Lord of the Rings and World of Warcraft, who use Wargs and Direwolves. If the orcs have an cavalry line of direriders, the humans would have an hard time only because the wolves themselves are also an soldier - Even with proper protection, an bite from one of those animals would probably cost you a limb or two (not by tearing it off, but it could proabably penetrate your armor a little). So when fighting orcish direriders, the humans would be fighting an two-on-one most of the time. Our advantage is that horses are faster, so we can outmaneuver them. Now when it comes to infantry: Pike formations and zweihanders. If the humans have something akin to the german Landsknechte and their Doppelsoldners, we could fight orcish infantry even from an distance, giving room to our artillery to finish them off, but disturbing their formation? Probably not. At least not with the weapons that we have. All in all, our advantage to orcs is that humans usually are smarter and more tecnologically advanced, so if we bring out the big guns (XV century firearms and gunpowder), we would outright thrash the f*ckers. Second note: Silk as far as i'm aware was highly valued by chinese soldiers and generals because of its durability and comfort, so having an layer of protection made of silk would probably be an good idea as protection agains arrows (and it could save the soldier's life, since it cannot be cut, shredded or pierced... At least not by an human hand).

[@shanerooney7288]

A few notes of my own: Orks lack dexterity. This (should) translate into poor craftsmanship. Armor and weapons should be more crude. Bows, especially those designed for long range, require accurate craftsmanship. Thus they shouldn't be using bows. Maybe Plumbata (war darts) or any type of throwing spear are a better choice. Although personally, I think a throwing axe is more the Ork style. Armor construction also requires skilled craftsmanship. A single piece breastplate should be relatively easy to construct. Where as intricate interlocking plates should be beyond the skill of an ork. Gamberson made from woven fabrics layered ontop of each other.... if the fabric is stolen then maybe. But multiple animal hides should do the trick also. The Orks (Uruk-hai) from LOTR were the exception. Partly because they are not "true" Orks. And even if they were true orks they were part of a larger organization that could have others craft the armor for them. Shields would be a better choice of protection for the Orks. They are a single piece construction that is in no way intricately detailed.

[@LiamN4321]

João Baptista Warhammer orcs ride boars.

[@hypoaktivnaovca]

"Orks lack dexterity" is a blanket statement that doesn't apply to all orks. Besides, a bow is just a sanded down piece of wood. They could also have slaves or allies create their equipement.

[@CommanderJonny]

João Baptista I was thinking similar thoughts through the video. I would use a unit with a ratio of two heavy infantry, three medium infantry, one light infantry and one bowman (probably a crossbowman). I'd also have two supporting units, one of light infantry and bowmen (this time longbowmen), and the other of cavalry (mostly light cavalry, but with a core contingent of heavy/shock cavalry). As for equipment and position (aside from the requisite sidearms of arming swords for the infantry, and short swords for the bowmen), I'd have either both the heavy infantry be primarily armed with a long spear and tower shields, or with the first rank armed as such and the second rank armed with pikes and small shields (think of Greek or Macedonian phalanxes for an equipment comparison for the second rank). In the third rank, I'd have the bowmen, who'll use the first two ranks as cover, hiding behind the tower shields (the reason I'd have crossbowmen is because they'd probably have a bigger punch at closer range, and you can shoot volleys more consistently because they don't have hold a drawn bowstring); these tower shields would about a foot taller than scuta, allowing protection for the head (there'd be two cut-aways in the shield, one on the middle of the side to put the spear in, and one near the top to see through. This also helps if there's a cavalry charge (orc, human, or otherwise), as the spearmen can put their spear in its cut-away, lock shields, kneel behind them, and then brace their spears at a good angle in the ground.). In the fourth, fifth, and sixth ranks, I'd have the main part of the army, wearing the best armor and armed with a heater shield, and one of a variety of weapons (halberds, maces, etc.); these troops are there to plug an gaps that may appear in the friendly line, exploit gaps in the enemy's line, or to just add weight to a charge; the fourth rank could also help protect the the third rank, at least in part. The seventh rank would be made up of light infantry, with round shields, a regular spear, and maybe a javelin; these troops would serve a similar role as the main infantry, although in a completely defensive capacity. The second (or first support) unit would nominally make up the eighth and ninth ranks, as they're effectively a reserve force like the light infantry in the previous rank, however, they can also be used as a mobile flanking force, going where the cavalry or bigger infantry units couldn't get to. The longbowmen would have the range to attack from the back, and the light infantry could protect them when they're not in the rearmost line. When they're flanking, the light infantry can create disruption with javelins, or charge at weak spots in the enemy formation. The third (or second support) unit would sit on the flanks, ready to charge the enemy, engage enemy flank attempts, or flank the enemy themselves. I'd split the cavalry of all types evenly to each of my flanks, formed up in a layered pattern. The heavy cavalry (for the sake of simplicity let's call them knights) would be in full plate (their horses would also be armored with plate and mail), armed with shields (probably heaters), lances, and one of a variety of weapons (pretty much the same as the medium infantry above); they're armed as such, so they can dismount and fight if need be, or stand a good chance on foot if they lose their horse (for one reason or another). The lighter cavalry (let's call them [mounted] men-at-arms) would make up the bulk of the cavalry, and wear mail (perhaps with some plate pieces), and be armed with a shields (probably kite shields for extra protection, but maybe heaters instead), lances, and probably swords. The last type of cavalry would be mounted missile troops; mainly mounted archers, but also some mounted javelin throwers, with both types armed with small round shields and swords aside from their primary weapons. The cavalry would be in a layered pattern formation, with the heavy knights in the front, the lighter men-at-arms behind them, and then the mounted missile troops behind them in support. Here's a simplified representation: SSSS AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA SSSS H= Heavy Infantry SSSS LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL SSSS M= Medium Infantry CCCC MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM CCCC L= Light Infantry CCCC MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM CCCC B= Crossbowmen CCCC MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM CCCC A= Longbowmen (Archers) CCCC BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB CCCC K= Heavy/Shock Cavalry ('Knights') KKKK HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH KKKK C= Light Cavalry ('men-at-arms') KKKK HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH KKKK S= Mounted Missile Troops ('Support' Cavalry) O= Orcish Infantry ooo OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ooo 0= Orcish Archers ooo OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ooo o= Orcish Support Troops (Let's Say Cavalry) ooo OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ooo 0000000000000000000000 P.S.- To be fair, the best army to field against any foe is probably slingers using pommels as ammunition...

[@shanerooney7288]

*"__ is a blanket statement that doesn't apply to all orks"* True, but this entire series is about the _average_ characteristics of members of that race. "Orks are stronger than humans" is also a blanket statement which is the core to Shad's whole argument about bows. *" a bow is just a sanded down piece of wood."* Good quality bows are a lot more intricate than that. And really it is the arrows, not the bows themselves, that require the fine details. *"they could also have slaves or allies create their equipment"* Yes, but that isn't really looking at the Orks as a stand alone race. Like the Minotaur video about using a door as a shield; A dwarf or elf could have made a good quality shield but the video puts the shield building task squarely on the race who uses the shield. Same with the Orks.

[@Jpipooly]

I'm a simple man. I see a Shadiversity video, I like it.

[@artix548]

Anakin, the floor is Lava! But what about DRAAAGOOONSS!!!

[@kyleproffitt3562]

You could also employ a combination of calvary and ranged weapons by sending in a force of mounted archers. Use the swiftness, and mobility of the horse to get in close and evade the orc arrow volleys and pic as many off as you can. Then reck em with the heavy shock calvary!

[@mazeradeville2911]

I think that larger scale strategy would be the most effective way to fight orcs in battles. Because of their larger size and seemingly faster metabolism, I'd imagine they'd be much more susceptible to attacks on their supply lines due to their increased caloric consumption. If the orcs really don't use cavalry, then raiding parties of horse-mounted humans hitting their logistics seem like the most effective way to deal with them as fighting a war of attrition against them would just result in catastrophe. It's just like how the best way to kill a tank isn't with RPGs or mines, but by cutting off its supplies it so it can't refuel. Even the mightiest of beasts need to eat.

[@spooder_jockey]

That intro makes me want to hang out with you so much

[@ourtube1128]

But what about orcs riding dragons?!?

[@sohambanerjee6343]

OurTube - Beyblades n’ Animation Warcraft has orcs riding wyverns.

[@1nt9rn9t-dudewillheim2]

OH HELL NAH!

[@1nt9rn9t-dudewillheim2]

Every army would basically be like "f*** this sh*t i'm out"

[@medli7725]

Wyverns in Warcraft aren't Dragons. You may be thinking of Warhammer.

[@flippingchips7343]

"Wyvern's is good fer one thing, eatin' smashin' smellin' and flyin.' They're also good fer lettin' the other boyz know who's boss!" - Azhag the Slaughterer, Orc Warboss and Mathematical Genius

[@draconisthewyvern3664]

Shadiversity what about driders and arachne? Fairies should fear the utility of spider webs combined with human intelligence.

[@danielzandora6521]

There was an instance in history where pavese shields were made strong enough to withstand gunfire, in the battle of Kumbalao Pass, in India, 1504, Captain Duarte Pacheco employed heavy pavese shield on the boards of his two caravels to stop the indian armada on its way to the city of Cochim, at that time the indians had both archbuss and cannons, the pavese were very successful in defending the ship, to the point there were no portuguese casualties in the entire campaign, which spread through 3 incredibly intense battles when the 150 portuguese soldiers were against a 60.000 strong indian armada.

[@bjmaguire6269]

Thanks for this informative comment:)

[@BobMcBobJr]

When you ride of horse there is a magic item you need! The barding of barding. It gives your horse one lvl of bard allowing it to inspire you to be less likely to be hit by orc arrows.

[@kingcaleb7057]

I LOVE the idea of using Cavalry and Lances against Orcs...I do though wonder if the lances would pierce THEIR level of armour? ? AWWWESOME VIDEO SHAD!!

[@luunguyen4931]

Blunt force and mass will just roll over the orc line, unless the ork reach the mass and strength of monster infantry cavalry will just do the job fine.

[@htoodoh5770]

Artruis Joew well, damn.

[@matteussilvestre8583]

What about dragons, you ask? I guess they probably trigger the hell out of Vader since flight means having the high ground almost all the time.

[@DHeaco7]

Lmfao that intro had me rollin' XD

[@arvindvinod3631]

Lone Wolf yeah... but *WHAAAT ABOUUUT DRAAAAGOONS?!!!*

[@mariuszentz5214]

so the best army to fight the orcs is Alexander's macedonian army with buffed up shields then.

[@nyanbrox5418]

orcs attack in clans, it is rare to see them working together in large numbers or in formations like they fought in lord of the rings, although under certain circumstances they may band together to say murder elves in other fantasies its different across divent settings so that is always an issue

[@generalgage4780]

gambesons . . .LOOK AWESOME - AND I SAYS AWWWESOME WITH SHADS AMAZING AUSTRALIAN ACCENT

[@Eeter26]

General Gage uh... ok?

[@bushveldwizard]

The opening is the best

[@CyarSkirata]

I'm suddenly imagining Shad as a military leader in a medieval fantasy world.

[@pougetguillaume4632]

Cyar Skirata he would propably say: where is my dragon? Or : is there any MACHICULATIOOOOOOOOOONS on this castle?

[@CyarSkirata]

POUGET Guillaume Definitely things to consider. I'm working on the concept for a strategy game with lots of leaders and heroes, I might even ask him if he'd like to be a general or something in it (if I actually get as far as making it.) :P

[@ValgusOrdo]

Absolutely loved seeing the other side of this hypothetical! Have you considered doing one of these videos on dealing with Berserkers? It's an issue that came up in some writing and roleplaying I was doing recently, what with how invincible they can be until the rage "wears off." It'd be especially relevant for any players or fictional armies facing a Viking/Barbarian faction that such warriors belong to. If you do see this comment, thank you for your consideration.

[@Row.]

I love how "Pavese" is also an adjective that indicates that you're from the area around the Po river, which makes me think that it was probably used or invented around my natal city

[@edwardelric717]

They were used by mostly Milanese crossbow men.

[@delta1138e]

hey Shad, I just wanted to say thnksfor all of the cool videos you do, with the orc videos in preticular it has made me rethink what I would give them as far as weapons and armor in a story that I am creating (If I ever get around to writing it lol), now I'm going to watch other videos of yours and see what else I might change or adapt in my story, thanks again.

[@Immopimmo]

Yay! It's always a happy occasion when Shad posts a new video. It's better than Antidepressants! :D

[@maxmustermann1455]

That's not really a compliment. "Hey that cake is tasty! Even better than cow poop!"

[@HaarigerKlumpen]

WHAT ABOUT the droid attack on the Wookies?

[@MrMarinus18]

9:50 What about guns? Firearms were used by the 15th century which is usually considered within the middle ages.

[@theuncalledfor]

If you want firearms, all you need to do is find a stick with some leaves on one end. Chances are, in the leaves, there's gonna be a hidden korok. With a _machine gun._

[@rachdarastrix5251]

I've already considered it. In my fantasy orcs being so strong use 88cal rifle barreled muskets.

[@MazokuJun]

In LotR, the terms Orcs and Goblins are interchangeable, they mean the same thing, so you have wolf riding orcs. Though in most modern fantasy(likely influenced by DnD), will have the ones like the Saruman bred as Orcs and the shorter natural corrupted elf kind as goblins.