Total War Rome II Mechanics: Smashing Infantry With Cavalry - Fire at Will, Shieldwall, Bracing

Fire at Will allows infantry to throw javelins and wreck cavalry - but when charged, it can be risky under some circumstances and essential during others. It will remove bracing, but allow them to damage enemy units at range. Microed well, cavalry easily becomes the most cost effective units on the field against mid-tier swords in open terrain.. If you don't have elephants or chariots, that is.

[@deVeresd.Kfz.1515]

In Lord of the Rings, the Rohirrim calvaries knocks basically 5 legions of heavy units down

[@angrycentrifugebobby7131]

Keep it up. Im glad to see your popularity has grown significantly, your work deserves that. Little joke, counting with maximus: "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, Shitload."

[@maximusnorvegicus]

Hehe, true story!

[@omerta926]

Just wanted to say that you’ve got the best narration voice of any gamer on KZbin! Cheers

[@stochastic24]

10:15 He asked CA to explain it. Lol they don't care they are like bro you already bought it why do we care if the mechanics make sense.

[@nostromo9743]

you guys are pathetic, your zealous/irrational hate for CA just makes you look like giant cry-babies and is the reason why the total war community doesnt respect you

[@nourtag69]

For scientific reason for the shield wall why they take more casualties.. its bec when you are nocked back most of the impact force doesnt inflect too much damage on the body while in bracing you try to stop the force with your body and that put too much weight to the body so it can kill you immedietly

[@rush4in]

"beautiful nemetocena" gg xD

[@alejandromaldonado6159]

Infantry nowadays throw the pila straight into the faces of the cavalry as they are charging in causing the cavalry to lose a quarter of their men before they get close. Infantry are now much harder to deal with cavalry alone. It's like the infantry are standing still but perform a javelin throw like they're charging even though they're standing still.

[@KenjiWatanabe1]

10:15 "I have asked CA to explain this but I haven't gotten an answer" yeah pretty much. "If I ignore them, maybe they'll go away!..."

[@maverick8697]

@10:06 I think that it can be quite realistic. When an unit is in a shield wall, guy in the first row is bracing while being pushed by the shield of a guy in the second row and so on. So when a cavalry charges them the first line is hit by 500-600 kg horse at 30-40 kph with a pointy stick ;). So it's like being hit by a small car having a wall behind you. Plus shield wall is very dense so there is no place for dodging. That is assuming that the horses are trained well enough to actually charge such a formation.

[@wildcard9010]

I tried a cavalry/ 4 levy freemen only build as the Arverni against one of the Numidian factions and I actually managed to win. There desert legionnaires couldn't respond good enough against the cav and the rest of there infantry was only mediums. There light cavalry did give me trouble but I just got rid of it quickly. Though if they brought hella Numidian cavalry to skirmish my heavies to death I would have definitely lost

[@silverrush2508]

Maybe in Total War, Shield-wall is not designed to stop cavalry, but I saw a special on the History Chanel that said the Scots used Schiltrom (shieldwall) to great effect against English Cavalry. I believe they also interspersed Archers after the front ranks, so best of both worlds (Bracing and Missiles).

[@maximusnorvegicus]

It will help stop cavalry from breaking through, which historically has been the case as well. Schiltroms are different than shieldwalls - they are circular formations of pikes/long spears. A shieldwall can be used with any tope of weapon provided the shield is large enough.

[@mullenio4200]

Yeah schiltroms are different than shield walls. The Scots didn't actually use any shields in that battle if I remember right. If the English had used archers against them they would have annihilated them.

[@hawkeye2847]

ok first of all i love u cuz u rly give ppl (especially new at tw) how the game,battles works!!!and about the sheild wall,yes cavalary,especially shock,can put more dmg in charge due to the fact that sheild wall has a blob of men smushed into a small erea,so when the cav charges (or chariots) they can put a lot of dmg within a small place!BUT the elephants are not that good vs sheild wall.if u want test it out,but i can tell u that elephaunts can be stopped by a nice sheild wall,and if its been combined by quick reactions then u can go to fire at will,put some javs int the ele and then go sheild wall :D

[@maximusnorvegicus]

Yup! When the elephants hit you have a small window of opportunity to fire at them - they will push through, and if they start moving sideways they will wreck your guys. To simply stop them though, Shield Wall works and often makes players pull back, giving you even more time to shoot.

[@hawkeye2847]

;) indead!!

[@xXJeReMiAhXx99]

hahaha so it turns out shield wall is just like stand there and take all the damage where as no shield wall is like screw this man jump out of the way

[@infidreamer6984]

I tried the exact same thing and my noble cav got butchered before they crossed 7 kills...any help? And is it possible to kill mercenary Gallic warriors with Roman auxiliary cav?

[@casio1810]

What is actually better against infantry? Diamond formation or standart formation?

[@mullenio4200]

Did you say you have a macro for Charing and repeating or did I misshear that?

[@alcibiades4716]

Im new, i play rome 1, how do multiple units attack multiple enimies at once? Would be useful using phalanx formations like warband, iberian mercs, the greeks ect.

[@TheSunIsMyDestroyer]

i think he just uses the forward arrow to move the entire cav way pass the soldiers hes attacking and then he presses j to turn back as soon as he makes contact not sure tho im a nub lol i just saw him do it on some guide, im not sure if you can because u have to choose each attack individually or he might be doing it fast

[@cavanclark3687]

How does he order all the cavalry units to charge at the same time? Is he pausing it and giving orders or is there some other command that I don't know of?

[@xbl1tz2clawx]

Locked group command!

[@eniotanaka2229]

Thanks

[@Borgnrox]

How do you make your line attack their line? Woudnt the command make it so that all your units attack the 1 unit you clicked on?

[@markw8543]

its called a locked group. search it up if you haven't already since you posted lol

[@alexandruabrudan]

@@markw8543 oh how years pass

[@berug091]

better be using spear armed soldiers in a wall formation than swords..hahaha

[@RobertWF42]

If CA ever makes Total War: Rome 3 it would be cool if we could "program" units with more sophisticated orders, like "Throw pila if unit is attacking, not retreating" or for cavalry units "Attack infantry on their flank or rear when possible". The more orders you attach, the more expensive the unit.

[@jezusziomowski8659]

That is a very interesting idea!

[@iclapuyt5582]

How bout hoplites?

[@Tedfranss00]

Hello

[@experiencewithmartin972]

Is this still relevant in 2023 ?

[@jezusziomowski8659]

I think so

[@wolfrog8428]

how 'bout screen shield?

[@rayensedjil5077]

Cavalry is so weak in this game, nothing like medieval 2 or Rome 1 😔