Advanced Unit Formations & Tactics

Advanced Unit Formations & Tactics

Beyond simply grouping units, mastering advanced formations and tactical deployment can turn the tide of even the most challenging battles in Age of Mythology: Retold. This section delves into specific strategies for optimizing your army's effectiveness.

Flanking Maneuvers & Encirclement

One of the most devastating tactics is to attack an enemy from multiple sides, reducing their defensive capabilities and morale. This is particularly effective against slow, heavily armored units or ranged formations.

• Execution:
  1. Initial Engagement: Engage the enemy's front line with your primary melee force (e.g., Greek Hoplites, Egyptian Spearmen). This fixes their attention and movement.
  2. Flanking Force Deployment: Simultaneously, send a faster, more mobile contingent (e.g., Norse Raiding Cavalry, Atlantean Murmillos with Heroic Trait) around the enemy's exposed flank. use terrain features like forests or hills near the Sacred Grove or Mountain Pass to conceal their approach.
  3. Pincer Attack: Once the flanking force is in position, order them to attack the enemy's rear or side. Target vulnerable units like archers (e.g., Egyptian Slingers, Greek Toxotes) or siege weapons (e.g., Norse Ballista, Greek Catapult).
  4. Encirclement (Optional): If you have sufficient units, attempt to complete the encirclement, trapping the enemy. This often leads to a rapid rout.
• Key Units for Flanking:
  • Cavalry: Fast and high damage, ideal for quick flanking. Examples: Hippikon, Chariot Archer, Raiding Cavalry.
  • Myth Units: Many Myth Units possess high speed or area-of-effect attacks that are devastating from the flanks. Examples: Minotaur (for knockback), Fenris Wolf (for speed and pack bonus), Sphinx (for area damage).
  • Atlantean Heroes: With their ability to transform into powerful forms, Atlantean Heroes like Arkantos or Ajax can be excellent solo flanking units, especially when upgraded with the Heroic Trait.

The "Hammer and Anvil" Tactic

This classic military strategy involves pinning an enemy force with a resilient "anvil" while a powerful "hammer" unit strikes from another direction, often the rear.

• The Anvil:
  • Role: Absorb damage, hold the enemy in place, and prevent their retreat.
  • Units: Heavily armored infantry with high health and pierce armor. Examples: Greek Hoplites (especially with the Bronze Weapons upgrade), Egyptian Spearmen (with Copper Shields), Norse Hersir (with Iron Shields). Position them in a tight formation, perhaps a Phalanx, at a choke point like the entrance to a Town Center or a narrow valley.
  • Support: Ensure your anvil units are supported by healing (e.g., Egyptian Priests, Atlantean Oracle) or ranged units positioned safely behind them.
• The Hammer:
  • Role: Deliver decisive damage to the pinned enemy, often targeting their weakest point.
  • Units: High-damage, mobile units. Examples: Greek Gastraphetes (for concentrated ranged damage), Norse Ulfsark (for high melee DPS), Atlantean Contarius (for charge bonus). Myth Units like the Colossus or Mountain Giant can also serve as devastating hammers.
  • Approach: Maneuver the hammer force around the engagement, ideally out of sight, and strike the enemy's rear. The goal is to break their formation and morale quickly.
• Synergy: The effectiveness of this tactic relies on precise timing. The hammer must strike while the anvil is fully engaged and holding the enemy's attention.

Countering Siege Weapon Formations

Siege weapons like Catapults, Ballistae, and Gastraphetes can be devastating if left unchecked. Disrupting their formations requires specific approaches.

• Direct Assault with Fast Melee:
  • Strategy: Send fast, high-damage melee units directly at the siege line.
  • Units: Cavalry (Hippikon, Chariot Archer), Myth Units (Minotaur, Fenris Wolf), or even Hero units (Ajax, Arkantos, Ragnar).
  • Walkthrough: Identify the siege weapons. Use a small, dedicated force to bypass the enemy's front line and charge directly into the siege units. Siege units are typically weak in melee and have low health. Focus fire on one siege unit at a time to quickly eliminate threats.
• Ranged Counter-Siege:
  • Strategy: Use your own ranged siege units to destroy theirs from a distance.
  • Units: Gastraphetes (Greek), Ballista (Norse), Catapult (Greek), Siege Tower (Atlantean).
  • Walkthrough: Position your siege units carefully, ideally on high ground or behind a defensive line. Target the enemy's siege units first. This is a battle of attrition, so ensure your siege units are protected by melee units or walls. Upgrades like Burning Pitch (Greek) or Flaming Arrows (Norse) can increase their effectiveness.
• God Power Disruption:
  • Strategy: use powerful God Powers to instantly neutralize or severely damage siege formations.
  • Examples:
    • Zeus's Lightning Storm: Can decimate a tightly packed siege line.
    • Isis's Ancestors: Summons powerful units that can quickly overwhelm siege weapons.
    • Odin's Forest Fire: Can be used to create a barrier or damage siege units positioned in forests.
    • Gaia's Forest: Can be used to block line of sight or create a defensive barrier against incoming siege fire.
  • Timing: Deploy these powers when the enemy siege is most vulnerable or when they are about to unleash a devastating volley.

Defensive Formations & Choke Points

When defending or holding ground, strategic unit placement at choke points can maximize your army's survivability and damage output.

• The Wall of Shields:
  • Strategy: Create a solid front line of high-armor, high-health units to absorb damage.
  • Units: Greek Hoplites, Egyptian Spearmen, Norse Hersir.
  • Placement: Position them in a narrow passage, bridge, or the entrance to your base. Ensure they are in a tight formation (e.g., Phalanx) to minimize gaps.
  • Support: Place ranged units (Archers, Slingers) directly behind the melee wall, and healing units (Priests, Oracles) just behind them. Siege weapons can be placed further back to target enemy reinforcements.
• Tower/Fortress Support:
  • Strategy: Integrate defensive structures into your unit formations for added firepower and protection.
  • Structures: Watch Towers, Fortresses, Town Centers.
  • Placement: Position your units directly in front of or around these structures. The structures will provide additional ranged attacks, softening up incoming enemies. This is especially effective when defending a Forward Base or a key resource location like a Gold Mine.
  • Upgrades: Research upgrades like Fortified Town Centers or Ballista Towers to maximize their defensive output.