Strategies and Tactics
INTRODUCTION
This section deal with strategies and tactics that are useful and could prove very beneficial during battle. Study these strategies and put them to good use on your foes. You will need to use a form of strategy to help you get through Myth 2 because simply running in guns a blazing will not do you any good. You will have to learn how to do hit and fient attacks, ambushes, co-ordinate attacks from every direction (and defend against attacks comming from every direction), crazy attacks, long ranged attacks and many others that will be described here for you to learn. These strategies can be used in both the Single Player Campaign and when playing a Mulitplayer Game.
OFFENSE STRATEGY
AMBUSHES
First off if you don't know what an ambush is you need a swift clip round the ear, but I will explain what an ambush is anyway. An Ambush is where you have your army/troops/soldiers set up in an area where they are hidden while one man walks up to the enemy and lures them down to the waiting force you have hidden. Once the enemy gets really close to your men they jump out and attack the enemy taking them by surprise and hopefully killing them all wihout too much fuss.
Ambushes play a vital role in Myth 2. Ambushes come in especially handy when you are low on troops or your enemy has some stronger men with him. Ambushes are best kept to closed in places and they don't have to keep your units out of sight. Have your Bowmen on the highest ground near you and also have your Dwarves to the side of your troops. Have any Warriors or Berserks or any other infantry unit in between the Dwarves. Now have the fastest unit available to run up to the enemy maybe hit them a few times then begin to run back towards your awaiting ambush. You may need to stop every now and then to let your chasers catch up them continue your run back to your awaiting army. Once they are close your Dwarves should let loose some explosives, but when they get closer move your Dwarves away back behind your Bowmen. Your Bowmen should also have started hitting the enemy but as they near your Warriors or Berserks have them stop as to not hit their own men. Hopefully yo should easily kill the poor army that just marched right into your trap. If you want you can have some Warriors or Berserks off to the sides to come round behind them once you they ahve passed them to make sure no one gets away. There are many variants of this manoeuver and you should experiment wiht different techniques anduse the one that suits you best.
One other variant for a Multiplayer game is to leave some Thrall or even some Wights hidden in deep water, then lure the enemy past them with the rest of your army. Have the Thrall or Wights emerge from the water attacking from the rear to get them in a crossfire or to flank them taking out as many as they can before the rest of your units get there to assist. There are many good ways of setting your Thrall and Wights in the water so you should also experiment with this procedure also.
HIT AND FADE ATTACKS
Hit and fade attacks can be used to disrupt enemy formations, take out some of the enemies vital units with a small task force that will return to your main army they have finished, act as a diversion for the rest of army, and the list goes on. Hit and fade attacks should be surprising to the enemy and should not last long (a decent hit and fade attack usually lasts around 30 seconds and at the most a minute), you will need to be near the enemy and be on top of them before they can say boo, and be equally as fast as getting away as possible. Hit and fade attacks are best used to kill a certain enemy that is exceptionally strong, long ranged fighters and any one that could pose a major threat to you and the rest of your troops. The best targets for a hit and fade are usually Dwarves, Bowmen, Soulless, Fetch or Warlocks. Try not to attack big groups, usually aim to kill one or two at a time. With the surprise involved in a hit and fade you should kill the enemy unit you have targeted and be out before they can react. The best units for a hit and fade are Berserks, because of their strength and their speed they make great hit and faders. Your hit and fade force should not exceed 5 men, these men need to be fast and resonably strong (this is why Berserks are best). Try and get your hit and fade force as close to the enemy unit before launching the attack. Hit and fade attacks make great diversions for the rest of your army to waltz in during the chaos and get the enemy in a crossfire. Hit and fades should be used wisely and not stupidly, meaning that you shouldn't waltz into the enemy base with Archers on the battlements and the courtyard full of Warriors. Instead plan your attack carefully and make sure to time right when your target unit is rrelatively by himself and away from the rest of his army so that he can be picked off and you can get away before they come after you.
MULTI-DIRECTIONAL ATTACKS
During the Single Player Campaign and even the Multiplayer Skirmishes you participate in you will probably end up co-ordinating your attacks from several directions at once. For Multiplayer this strategy is a must because an opponent having to defend a single attack from one direction is easy but from directions all around he is put in a difficult position eg. You have sent a main attack force to meet your opponent head on, as they get there you have two smaller forces come in from the sides pushing them into a box. Now to seal his fate you have another small force come from behind to get them trapped. Now if you had just charged in from one direction they could of fled and regrouped or even led you into an ambush, but having the extra men come in from all sides puts them in a no win situation.
Planning your attacks is a must, don't throw you men into the fray without thinking. Before you execute your plan make sure that all the teams of attacks are near the areas where they will emerge from (the sides, back or front. Try and get them into position instead of have to move them there on the spur of the moment.) then execute your attack. If your enemy ahs Dwarves, Bowmen or Warlocks they should be your first targets as they are ranged units and could ruin your whole day. Try to have your main force tackle the enemy head on thus creating a diversion for the rest of your men to get in and pummel them from the sides and the back. This tactic comes in especially handy if your enemy is trying to hold down a fort.
DWARVEN ATTACKS
Dwarves can be vital to taking on an army that drasticly outnumbers you. Dwarven explosives are great at ripping apart the enemy and wiht careful positioning Dwarves can even take on entire armies by themselves. When setting up a Dwarven attack make sure they have the highest ground. Also make sure you have some Warriors or Berserks behind them in case they are overwhelmed. Have your Dwarves attack the fore most enemies and they will usually injure or kill moer than what they aimed for.
Dwarves also have the ability to place Satchel Charges. Satchel Charges are great to use in ambushes and in defensive situations and they make a great offensive weapon. It is best to have your Dwarves lay a minefield of Satchel Charges then have a Berserk lure them over it, then let your Dwarves fire and Ka-Boom! Satchel Charges should be kept for use when you are greatly out numbered and you need to level the odds a little or for when your enemy is in control of some strong units like Mauls, Giant Mykridia and Fetch.
SNEAK AND SURPRISE ATTACKS
Ah, there are never too many sneak and surprise attacks in Myth 2! Sneak an surprise attacks are great for when you must a kill a key target (A Baron or Villager etc). when preparing for a sneak attack try and get your troops into position where they are near the enemy they are attacking. Then time it right so that they are not facing you or a portion of their army have gone somewhere else and left them defeseless, it is now time to move in for the kill! Just have your units charge at the unsuspecting enemy or enemy army and you should have no trouble taking the poor soul out. This tactic should also not be confined to single targets, sometimes whole armies can be taken under a surprise attack. To have a surprise go effectively start a diversion to lure away the key target's defense then mve in quickly, kill the target. then disappear as quickly as you came. The best units to use in a sneak or surprise attack are Berserks and Trow because they are fast and also Bowmen and Dwarves are good too jsut make sure they can get away in time.
DIVERSIONS
Diversions are a neccessity if you want a succesfull attack on a larger army than yours. Diversions are best used to lure away or distract strong enemies with a fraction of your army, while the rest of your army moves in on the rest of the enemy. Diversions are best used in assaults on a large enemy army, when an enemy army is holding a fort/castle or for taking out a key target. To make a diversion work you will need to split your men into two or more groups. Posistion one groupd near the group of people that you want to distract. send in that group to attack the enemy then slowly move away and attempt to keep the enemies attention on that group, now as the enemy is chasing your first group send in the rest of your army to take out what is left of the enemy. Hopefully by distracting a portion of the the enemies army you should ahve evened the odds and should win the battle. This works best for luring away Mauls, Trow, Myrkridia and Myrkridian Giants, Fetch and Dwarves. With these strong units gone your enemy can move in on the rest of the army then after they ahve killed them move on to help the diversion group kill the nemy they got to follow them.
Diversions are also great if you need to get a unit of yours past the enemy (say a Villager, Baron or someother unit which must survive). Just create a diversion off to the side then slip your unit past them after they have gone to investigate. Remember that Sacrificing one or two units for the benefit of many is not such a stupid thing. If you are being chased by an enemy army sacrificing a Berserk to slow them down could be the differance between life and death.
ATTACKING A KEY UNIT
Attacking key units is not unusual in Myth 2, killing a key unit is a game type in Multiplayer and in the Single Player Campaign you will also have to hunt down and kill key units. Killing key units is usually not an easy task, the unit that must be killed will be heavily protected and will require some thought and effort to get him. You can cross out "A Full On Charge" from your options list because there wil be no way of that woriking if the unit is defended by Dwarves, Bowmen, Soulless or Fetch. Multi-directional attacks, diversions, ambushes and hit and fade attacks are the way to go, even combinations of these strategies work just as well and sometimes even better. When attacking the key unit keep in mind that this unit is all you want not the entire army defending the unit. Once the key unit is dead try and leave without too many casaulties.
Use diversions to lure away some of the units defense and then move in swiftly for the kill. Diversions can also lead into an ambush to kill some of the main defenders like Mauls, Fetch, Berserks etc. After your diversion has been initiated send in another portion of your army to sweep through the rest of the enemy guarding the unit, kill the unit then move out and disappear.
Hit and fade attacks can be used to whittle down the units defenses to a fraction of what they once were and then move in on the small army and crush them and the unit you are after. Remember that hit and fade attacks are meant to be small fast attacks that leave the enemy confused as to what just happened, many of these can tear an enemy army to bits, especially if they come from different directions.
Multi-directional attacks are best used when you do not have much time and need to take out any defenders around the unit without having to spend precious time on ambushes, hit and fades and diversion attacks. Remember that multi-directional attacks should be well co-ordinated and well planned.
SACRIFICING UNITS
Sacrificing one unit for the benefit of many is not as ridiculous as it sounds. If you are being pursued by an army that you could not possibly beat at the present time until you can regroup and form a strategy to beat them or you moving one thing to another part of the map (for Multiplayer, a flag or ball. For Single Player, a villager important person) you could sacrifice one unit to slow down the advancing enemy. Just select one unit and have him attack the closest enemy. This unit will make the enemy army stop for about 5-15 seconds will they attemp to kill him and in this time you will be getting further and further away. You may have to sacrifice some more units as time goes by to stop them from getting too close to your troops.
CRAZY MANOEUVRES!
Well sometimes crazy works! If you are low on troops or time then maybe a crazy perhaps suicidal attack may be appealing, now I'm not saying that you shouldn't use this strategy but it shouldn't be used if you have healthy troops and some tricks up your sleeves. Crazy attacks should only be used as a last resort! If you are perhaps low on troops or time is almost up then maybe a crazy suicidal attack may wim you the game. This does not always work and most of the time you will probably be slaughtered but don't get dicouraged, I have played many a game where I was stuck in a no-win situation but then I thought of unlesahing a crazy act of stupidity, but for some reason I won the game and I was happy. So there, sometimes crazy does work so try it for yourself and maybe you might win as well.
FLANKING
Flanking the enemy from both sides can be quite rewarding. Flanking runs along the same lines of a Multi-Directional attack (see above for further info). Simply split your men into two groups and sneak them around till they are on both sides of the enemies army. Then launch an attack aimming to hit the two sides of the army and launch the attack simultaneously, nothing is worse than having one group attacking one side and then to have the second group arrive and find the first group dead.
FORMATIONS
Formations play a vital role in Myth 2 and having the right formation for your troops may get you through that rough spot. Formations should always be used and this way you shouldn't lose any men that you don't have to. These Foramtions can be used for both Multiplayer and Single Player.
The Short Line Formation should only be used for long walks or for moving your troops through tight gaps.
The Long Line Formation can be used with large groups of melee troops, but it works best for your Bowmen or Soulless. Though the Staggered Line Formation is just as good.
The Loose Line Formation is the same as Short Line, but the spacing is wider. This makes it your first choice for small groups of Dwarves. Also try not to put your Dwarves in Long or Short Line Formations because they are dangerous to each other.
The Staggered Line Formation is useful for large groups of Dwarves or Bowmen when standing on a narrow hilltop. This allows all units to have a clear shot in narrow passages or terrain.
The Box Formation allows units to move in a square formation. This Formation is extremely useful for protecting a key item like a Villager or Baron.
The Rabble Formation places your troops in random, widely spaced positions. This is useful for moving large groups of Dwarves or moving troops in against Fetches, whose lighting spreads between tightly grouped units.
The Shallow Encirclement Formation sets your units in a wide, shallowly arched formation. Set this up behind a line of Bowmen or Dwarves and, when danger approaches, move your shallow encirclement line forward. Covers a wide area and allows for troops to converge on an attacker.
The Deep Encirclement Formation is the same as shallow encirclement, but it covers a more narrow area and is more deeply curved.
The Vanguard Formation is a V-shaped line that acts as a wedge when cutting through enemy troops. Use Warriors in Vanguard formation as a wall in front of a line of firing Bowmen.
The Circle Formation is a surround formation best used to guard stationary objects or units in multiplayer games. Although units will face outward when set in this formation, it can be used to surround Trow or Myrkridia, because your units will turn inward to attack the threat.
DEFENSE STRATEGY
GENERAL DEFENSE STRATEGY
The best thing to keep in mind when in defense is never to loose your senses, don't do anything rash and don't go overboard with anything, be conservative and thoughtful. Don't let your brain turn to mush once the pressure builds.
Try and keep your defense together and don't let your army drift apar because that is what your oopsition is looking for, a gap in your defenses. Try and keep your units in a fromation of some kind don't let them be spread across the area you are defending. Also use the land to your advantage, you can retreat to higher ground so that your Bowmen or Dwarves can be more useful, you can drwa your attackers into a gully or canyon so that you can funnel them to a killing point, the possiblities are endless.
The main part to a good defense is being able to co-ordinate your defenses properly. Have your defense aimed at the general location where the enemy is attacking from. If your attacks split into groups then that is what you have to do, split your army into groups so that they can deal with the split groups of the enemy. You will need to match their every move, use any holes in their attack to move in and cut them off, have your defenses cirlce around them pushing them into a tight circle to easily kill them, flank them, use Dwarves to take out their Bowmen or Soulless and once again the possibilites are endless. The main thing to focus on here is to keep control of yuor army, don't let them drift away or chase a group of attacks away from the main battle because this is what they want you to do. Keep your defenders together and make sure that yuor Dwarves and Bowmena re not hitting your own men.
DEFENDING A KEY UNIT
Having to defend a key unit in the Single Player Campaign is necessary for some missions and defending a key unit is a game type in Multiplayer. Defending a key unit can be quite easy and sometimes can be as difficult as trying to sell a Hawian Snow Boots. The best key to defending the unit is to keep the unit as close to you as possible, putting the unit inside some of your formations (the Cirlce Formation, the Vanguard and the Incirclement Formations) is also one of the best ways to keep the unit alive. The other way to keep the unit alive is to make sure your are not taken by surprise, to prevent this have some of your fastest units patrol the area around your men and when the enemy arives re-orientate your units to meet the enemy head on. Another good defensive unit is the Bowmen, they can take down a force of men coming to get your unit beofre they even get close.
After your unit has been found you will need to move away from where you are now to somewhere far away and as quickly as possible, becuase now that the enemy knows where you are they will be out in force to get you. The main key to keeping this unit alive is to have the unit close and not drifting off by himself, having adequete protection and to also know when and where from the enemy is coming from. If your defenders are losing the battle then break off some of your units and take the key unit and flee to another part of the map.
COUNTER DEFENSES
You will need to learn these strategies to be able to sufficiently defend against the offensive versions of theses strategies (see Offensive Strategies above for the Offensive equivilents of these strategies).
AMBUSHES
Most ambushes are pretty obvious but some are not. With the most obvious don't rush in because there is a 75% chance that it is an ambush, instead send in one fast unit to check out the area and if it is clear then proceed. Do the same if you think there might be an ambush, you are about to enter an inclosed are or confined space or if you are sure there is an ambush there. If there is an ambush there then you will need to so some quick thinking. You will have to decide wheather you want to flee or stay and fight. You should now ahve the upper hand because you know there is an ambush and there are 2 ways to go about it, the first, if they know your there and come out to meet you, you will have to use all your skills and knowledge to beat them because there are probably more of them and it will be a difficult battle. You can still win if you employ the right strategies or using your Dwarves to take out their front line defense, it is up to you on how you will react. The second. Situation: You know they have an ambush set up and you will not proceed inot it, but they don't know you are there. This is the fun part. If they do not know you are there then you have a multitude of possibilities, you can sneak around the side and flank them out of their position, pushing them into the rest of your army, you can use your Bowmen and surprise them form behind following up wiht some Berserks or other fast unit, yo can lay down Satchel Charges and then lure them over then turning it into an ambush of your own, the possiblities are endless. I suggest that you experiment with your own ideas using this strategy as a base for your own.
HIT AND FADE
Hit and fade attacks can be very annoying and also wear your troops down quite quikcly because you usually have no warning of the attack and the attack only lasts about a minute. The best thing you can do when you are being attacked frequently by hit and fade attacks is to find the source of the attack and stop them at the heart of the problem. The only other option is to flee and regroup at a different location, but after doing this you will still have to go to the heart of the problem to fully stop it.
When under attack from hit and fade attacks always have your Bowmen/Soulless ready, so that they can easily move to get a shot at the enemy. Never leave untis by themselves because they can be ripe targets for the enemy. Also never leave your Bowmen/Soulless unprotected because they too will be ripe targets waiting to pciked off.
MULTI-DIRECTIONAL ATTACKS
SEE CO-ORDINATING YOUR DEFENSES
DWARVEN ATTACKS
Dwarves will not usually be by themselves when they attack so you will have to punch through teh rest of the uits before you can get to the Dwarves, this is annoying because in the meantime they are raining down explosives upon you. Your best form of defense is to rush a few of your fastest units at the Dwarf or to use your Bowmen/Soulless to kill him from a distance. When a Dwarf starts his attack you should have your men scatter to avoid the explosion and the Dwarf should be amongst your high priority target list. Setting the ground alight beneath the Dwarf is also very effective.
SNEAK AND SURPRISE ATTACKS
There really isn't a strategy against sneak and surprise attacks, the only way of surviving is to be fully aware at all times, don't let your guard down for a second. Keep all your men together or in tight groups so that no-one is left alone, no matter how long it is never leave units by themselves! Be ready to change the orientation of your units in case you are attacked from the sides or from the back. If your units are not moving move them to an area where you can defend yourself more easily (in the corner of a fort, up against a cliff/canyon etc.) this way the enemy can really only attack you from certain directions making it easier for you to defend yourself. Have one or two units scout the area around your units so that you know when they are coming before hand.
DIVERSIONS
Diversions can not really be defended against, you will need to follow the same rules for the counter strategy to the sneak and surprise attacks, remain alert and be ready to re-orientate your units in case of a multi-directional attack against you. If yo see a small number of enemy units lurking nearby coaxing you to go after them then don't, stay put because that is probably what the enemy wants. The next best thing is to get your units to a safe position where the enemy can only attack from certain directions and to also have scouts roam the area near your units so that you can get an idea of when the enemy is making an approach.