Starting position | Battle Total War: Attila Guide

Last update: 11 May 2016

First thing you should do after entering a battlefield is to check the territory. See if there are forests, narrow passages between swamps or hills. If yes and you have the right formations, use the situation for your advantage. If not, you will be forced to position your armies in front of enemy forces.

When positioning your forces, use the basic rule - infantry at front, missile behind, cavalry on flanks, and artillery at the back. In that way units cover each other and they fully do the task they are supposed to do. You can divide shooters into two rows and move cavalry on one flank, in the end it isn't important.

You can also divide army in two and position them on two sides of the battlefield. It isn't a bad move, especially if you plan to attack a settlement that lacks fortifications. But you must be aware of the risk that dividing forces have, especially if one part is larger than the other. In that case you must always give shooters backup from infantry. You can, for example, position archers and infantry on one side of the battlefield, and on other, on a far flank, cavalry, that will attack enemy from the back. You can also position artillery with small backup far from the main forces and use it to fire at the battlefield from safe distance.

No matter the situation, never leave general alone. You can lose artillery or shooters, but the loss of general will be much more painful. If you plan to place him away from the main army, for example for protective reasons, let he have some backup, as big and strong as possible. In worse case it will buy him time required to run away from the battlefield.