Formations & Battlefield Tactics

"Your formations win battles before the first arrow flies."

Why formations matter

Numbers and veterancy help, but positioning decides who takes the first volley, who eats the cavalry charge, and whether your lines hold long enough for archers to work. Treat formations as a rhythm you rehearse: deploy fast, give a small set of orders, and let your captains maintain cohesion.

This guide complements broader tactics pages like Combat & Battle Tactics and Battle & Skirmish Tactics with formation-first drills you can drop into any fight.

Core formation types and when to swap

• Shield Wall: Tight, high missile block; use for holding against cavalry or buying time while archers reposition.

• Line: Balanced spacing for melee; best default when you expect to push.

• Loose/Spread: Reduce arrow/bolt casualties and friendly fire; switch to this when facing heavy ranged, then tighten before melee.

• Square/Circle: Anti-cavalry panic button for small infantry groups; keep archers inside and issue "hold fire" until cav is stalled.

• Wedge/Column: Use on cavalry only for breakthrough charges and for threading streets in sieges; cancel wedge after impact to avoid drift.

• Skirmish (horse archers): Keep them in Line or Loose and use Tactics for Fighting Horse Archers concepts when the enemy mirrors you.

Ready-to-use order strings (combined arms)

Use numbers for formation groups (1 infantry, 2 ranged, 3 cav, 4 horse archers):

• Defensive hill: 1 to ridge in Shield Wall → 2 20–30 paces behind in Loose → 3 on flank in Line for counter-charge → 4 on wide arc harass. Hold fire for archers until enemy closes to javelin range.

• Aggressive push: 1 Line advance step-by-step with Face Direction; 2 follow in Loose; 3 Wedge through gap once infantry pins; 4 stay far flank and cut off retreats. Borrow charge timings from Cavalry Tactics.

• Skirmish kite: 2 in Loose on a ridge; 1 behind them in Line to intercept; 3/4 on the far wing to threaten a wrap. Pair with Army Formations Counters to pick safe swaps.

Delegation vs manual control

• Assign captains with perk synergies (Leadership, Tactics) from Army Command & Formations.

• Manual micro first minute only: set lines, angles, and target priorities. After that, let captains maintain facing while you roam to snipe high-value targets.

• If morale dips, pull back to a pre-set fallback marker rather than toggling Follow spam; it keeps Party Speed & Map Movement advantages for repositioning.

Terrain, weather, and pacing

• Use forest for ambushes (cav slowed) and snow/desert knowledge from Terrain & Weather Effects to choose where to fight.

• Fight downhill only if you need cav acceleration; otherwise take high ground for ranged LOS.

• When outnumbered, start closer to map edge to allow intentional retreats and regrouping.

Counters and matchup tips

• Versus heavy cavalry: Shield Wall or Square, braced polearms, and a timed cav counter-charge into their flank; see Army Formations Counters.

• Versus archer blobs: Loose → advance in short bursts, then tighten into Line right before impact. Use cav screens to force them to move and lose accuracy.

• Versus horse archers: Stretch them thin—pin with infantry, chase with cav only when they’re cornered, and keep archers in Loose. Pair with Combat & Battle Tactics for timing.

Sieges: assault and defense

• Assault: Keep infantry in Line behind towers/ram until impact; archers in Loose suppress battlements; cav waits off-angle to intercept sallies. Rotate fresh units into breaches.

• Defense: Two archer blocks—one on walls, one on inner stairs; infantry in Shield Wall at choke; cav in reserve courtyard. Borrow ideas from Siege Warfare & Defenses.

• Relief battles outside walls: Fight on the uphill near ladders to deny their siege engines LOS.

Quick checklist before every battle

• Establish groups (1–4) and captains before contact.

• Pick the ground: ridge, forest edge, or street corner for sieges.

• Choose your starting formation per unit type and know the first swap condition ("Loose until 30m", "Square on cav whistle").

• Pre-plan a fallback line so a brief retreat doesn’t turn into a rout.

• After battle, save order strings that worked and roll them into your next Battle & Skirmish Tactics run.