How to utilize Javelins and Cavalry with Javelins effectively?

[exante80]

New player here, and I have been experimenting and playing a randomly generated campaign. I got Indo-Greek army and I liked them quite a lot but they seem to utilize javelins like most armies. So I wondering how to use them to the best effect during battle, as they seem to be quite ineffective in battle.

[SimonLancaster]

Main point for skirmishers and Jav Cav is to use them together in a group. Usually, around three units together firing at one enemy unit will cause a cohesion test in one turn.

[MVP7]

Yeah, inflicting casualties alone isn't that important. Always try to shoot the same enemy enough to get a cohesion test (held firm, disrupted, fragmented) and once you see a cohesion test, switch to another target. Try to avoid wasting ammo on pot shots that don't work towards a cohesion test on that turn. Try to pre-emptively set up stationary shots (shooting without moving or turning) for best effect.

In terms of tactical use against the AI, you should open the battle by trying to use your skirmishers to bait the enemy into disrupting their formation. If the enemy has a lot of missile troops, it's often best to receive those hits with your cheap javelin units. After the armies start getting close, try to move the javelin units to the flanks where you should try to cause disruptions to the enemy before attacking them with heavier units. When in doubt, try to keep your missile units with your cavalry units.

After the javelin units run low on ammo, they are generally most useful at running down enemy light units. Light cavalry might even be used to flank and rear charge heavier enemy units as they might cause disruptions and will try to avoid prolonged melee.

[Karvon]

LH jls are really awesome units. They are dirt cheap, can inflict missile casualties, are ultra fast, and can be used to charge anything - unlike LF. Here are a few uses for them in no particular order.

1. Dive off LF by charging them at extreme ranges. If you get too close, they will usually stand instead, you may still do some damage at impact, but more likely to simply bounce.
2. Move into flanking positions on other lights before charging them with other units. The threat on the flank will often cause the lights to flee the chargers; if not, you're in position to flank the following turn.
3. Drive off LH bow by charging at longer ranges. Again, if too close, they will stand, where you may, or may not do so well.
4. Attack flanks or rear of heavier units. This can sometimes lead to disruptions or pinning, which may free up other units to move. This is less effective vs heavy foot, so not really recommended.
5. Hunt down enemy artillery. A very cheap counter, especially if the opponent fails to keep any guard units around.
6. Lurk along the flanks or rear of the enemy line and be ready to pounce on fragmented units to break them.
7. Pursue enemy routed units, particularly ones with generals or high morale grades. Don't bother with units which are over 50% losses as they can never rally. Sometimes though pursuing such units can help you move across the field faster or uncover other vulnerable targets.
8. Move to block enemy unit fallbacks to keep them pinned in melee. This is particularly helpful vs enemy mounted fighting infantry or elephants.
9. Fully encircle a unit to prevent it from evading when charged. This is easier to do if you're playing an army with a lot of LH, but in more crowded fights, you might pull this off with fewer.
10. Move to prevent a friendly unit from falling back or being pushed back in melee. This can be very useful in pinning enemy units attacked by friendly mounted, particularly other LH. If you only move a short distance, you can optionally move further after the melee to allow your other unit to fallback the following turn, to avoid CT checks if the other unit breaks, or to limit chances of getting caught by other enemy units.
11. Make sacrificial attacks in combo with point 10 which allows heavier units lurking on flanks or rear to attack and gain an autodrop of the enemy target. This is a great tactic when running horse archer armies; you can use your lights to pin and your heavier horse archers to hit for the disrupt.
12. Use as sacrifices vs heavier mounted. When your unit breaks, they have to pursue at least one turn which can allow you to set up flanking ambushers. Near edges of the board, they may pursue off after you and be out of the battle for awhile - or permanently if you're lucky.
13. Use as a delaying force by attacking screening LF in combo with point 10. If the screening LF are engaged, the enemy units behind will not be able to advance as quickly, or at all. LH can sometimes last several turns in such melees, slowing down your opponent and giving you time to develop elsewhere.
14. Gang up on heavier mounted, skirmishing on the flanks or rear where you can not be charged.
15. Try to maximize your shooting by ganging up and firing in main arc. Don't generally waste ammo single shooting unless you didn't move and are in main arc of the target.
16. Hunt enemy massed bow. Charge them from flanks or rear and longer ranges. Don't loiter in their main arcs as they can really shred you.
17. Scout out edges of woods, marshes and BUA in advance of your main body to avoid unpleasant surprises. You can even move into woods a space as you can outrun enemy foot nearly all the time.
18. Serve as mobile escort for a general. If you need to get from one sector of the field to another, this is the way to travel. It can be very helpful to attach at least one LH to mounted commands for this purpose in horse armies.

Regards,

Karvon

[exante80]

Main point for skirmishers and Jav Cav is to use them together in a group. Usually, around three units together firing at one enemy unit will cause a cohesion test in one turn.

I did see the ai use this tactic once, 3/4 Javelin/Light horse Javelin units and it caused a disruption to one of my units. It does seem like Javelins are a bit weak when on their own.

[exante80]

In terms of tactical use against the AI, you should open the battle by trying to use your skirmishers to bait the enemy into disrupting their formation. If the enemy has a lot of missile troops, it's often best to receive those hits with your cheap javelin units. After the armies start getting close, try to move the javelin units to the flanks where you should try to cause disruptions to the enemy before attacking them with heavier units. When in doubt, try to keep your missile units with your cavalry units.

After the javelin units run low on ammo, they are generally most useful at running down enemy light units. Light cavalry might even be used to flank and rear charge heavier enemy units as they might cause disruptions and will try to avoid prolonged melee.

So a bit like I used them lately, I would usually set them up in the flanks and use them as bait or to distrupt and harass single units or lighter targets

[exante80]

LH jls are really awesome units. They are dirt cheap, can inflict missile casualties, are ultra fast, and can be used to charge anything - unlike LF. Here are a few uses for them in no particular order.

1. Dive off LF by charging them at extreme ranges. If you get too close, they will usually stand instead, you may still do some damage at impact, but more likely to simply bounce.
2. Move into flanking positions on other lights before charging them with other units. The threat on the flank will often cause the lights to flee the chargers; if not, you're in position to flank the following turn.
3. Drive off LH bow by charging at longer ranges. Again, if too close, they will stand, where you may, or may not do so well.
4. Attack flanks or rear of heavier units. This can sometimes lead to disruptions or pinning, which may free up other units to move. This is less effective vs heavy foot, so not really recommended.
5. Hunt down enemy artillery. A very cheap counter, especially if the opponent fails to keep any guard units around.
6. Lurk along the flanks or rear of the enemy line and be ready to pounce on fragmented units to break them.
7. Pursue enemy routed units, particularly ones with generals or high morale grades. Don't bother with units which are over 50% losses as they can never rally. Sometimes though pursuing such units can help you move across the field faster or uncover other vulnerable targets.
8. Move to block enemy unit fallbacks to keep them pinned in melee. This is particularly helpful vs enemy mounted fighting infantry or elephants.
9. Fully encircle a unit to prevent it from evading when charged. This is easier to do if you're playing an army with a lot of LH, but in more crowded fights, you might pull this off with fewer.
10. Move to prevent a friendly unit from falling back or being pushed back in melee. This can be very useful in pinning enemy units attacked by friendly mounted, particularly other LH. If you only move a short distance, you can optionally move further after the melee to allow your other unit to fallback the following turn, to avoid CT checks if the other unit breaks, or to limit chances of getting caught by other enemy units.
11. Make sacrificial attacks in combo with point 10 which allows heavier units lurking on flanks or rear to attack and gain an autodrop of the enemy target. This is a great tactic when running horse archer armies; you can use your lights to pin and your heavier horse archers to hit for the disrupt.
12. Use as sacrifices vs heavier mounted. When your unit breaks, they have to pursue at least one turn which can allow you to set up flanking ambushers. Near edges of the board, they may pursue off after you and be out of the battle for awhile - or permanently if you're lucky.
13. Use as a delaying force by attacking screening LF in combo with point 10. If the screening LF are engaged, the enemy units behind will not be able to advance as quickly, or at all. LH can sometimes last several turns in such melees, slowing down your opponent and giving you time to develop elsewhere.
14. Gang up on heavier mounted, skirmishing on the flanks or rear where you can not be charged.
15. Try to maximize your shooting by ganging up and firing in main arc. Don't generally waste ammo single shooting unless you didn't move and are in main arc of the target.
16. Hunt enemy massed bow. Charge them from flanks or rear and longer ranges. Don't loiter in their main arcs as they can really shred you.
17. Scout out edges of woods, marshes and BUA in advance of your main body to avoid unpleasant surprises. You can even move into woods a space as you can outrun enemy foot nearly all the time.
18. Serve as mobile escort for a general. If you need to get from one sector of the field to another, this is the way to travel. It can be very helpful to attach at least one LH to mounted commands for this purpose in horse armies.

Regards,

Karvon

Thanks for the tips! I may try some of these later on.

[SuitedQueens]

LH jls are really awesome units. They are dirt cheap, can inflict missile casualties, are ultra fast, and can be used to charge anything - unlike LF. Here are a few uses for them in no particular order.

Thx for the tips.

Light Horse is the best unit. I would rearrange and expand your points a bit:

1st stage - light horses should be used to win otherwise zero sum light troops engagement. They typically part of platoon that consist from meatshields, medium cavalry and other lights that allows you to win decisively in order to leverage your mobile units and skirmishers properly. Same for helping cavalry vs cavalry engagement, which otherwise can grind to the halt.

2nd stage - never hover your horses for the wide enveloping maneuvers unless you pullback your forces on the same flank and opponent chases you i.e. the same maneuver takes less time. Most of the time them on frontlines tactically:

- to create wedges (pin opponent unit and disrupt his line shifts) on delayed part of the board to win time. Other lights from platoon block their flabacks;

- block fallbacks of your own meatshield sacrificial units or block fallback temporarily (for impact phase) for evading horses if you want them to stick for the same purpose;

- use them to make evading horses stick while attacked by your infantry or horses since ZoCs preventing break offs and bouncing no longer work with one exception;

- use them to temporarily disable ZoCs of any given unit, but again want to utilize typically other lights from platoon as fallback block;

- use other lights to block your horses path of attack for the given enemy unit. I call it blocking the threat map. Use light horse to engage an enemy unit using the tactic from the previous point. That way he will turn his facing on his turn thinking that there are no flanking threats. Profit: easy flanking autodrop.

- since your light horses always around the frontlines they can help Unmaneuverable units or other units to alter their pathing in order to achieve the proper fwcong at the end of the turn.

- for the same reason they can pounce on fragmented units to get into the rear fast unlike wide enveloping maneuvers. And they will be able to chase the high Quality broken units that otherwise very likely to return.

- light horses are great at chasing evading units, but as I said before they always should be the part of mini platoons that consist from meatshields, lights and horsies. They are the best counters to overpowered units like masses bows and horse archers, which otherwise can kite you for the whole game.