Game battles guide

### Introduction

Throughout history, battles in Age of Dynasties will play a pivotal role in solidifying your dynasty's power in the known world.

Some battles will be told as **game events** and will be resolved based on your decisions.

As soon as the **game acts** begin, some battles will instead be faced with tactics and strategy on the battlefield. This guide focuses on these types of battles although we will give some tips to better face the battles in the game's events.

### Battles in game events

Battles in game events are played like any other event in the game. You will have a number of choices. Depending on the choices you make, there will be an impact on the kingdom indicators and the probability of winning the battle.

#### Participation of the ruler in the battle

Sometimes, you may decide to have the ruler himself participate in the battle. By doing this, in addition to greatly increasing your chances of winning you can also earn valuable dynastic points to further grow your family. But be careful, every time the ruler participates in a battle if the battle is lost he can risk dying.

If the ruler has positive traits it is convenient to improve his defense skills to prevent him from dying on the battlefield. You can do this by giving the ruler an heirloom and a noble title in the royal palace.

If, on the other hand, the sovereign has negative traits, it is sometimes convenient to have him die on the battlefield. In this case it is better to remove any objects that improve his defense and make deliberate choices that lower the probability of victory.

#### How to increase the chance of winning a battle

You can increase the odds with which to win a battle in game events in several ways:

* by investing points in the Strategy talent
* by improving your ruler's Tactics skill (you can do this by assigning noble titles and family heirlooms in the royal palace)
* letting the sovereign participate in the battle whenever possible

#### Frequency of battle events

Battle events can happen randomly throughout the kingdom. Their frequency is influenced by the traits of the ruler sitting on the throne

### Battles in game acts

When the first act of the game begins, you will automatically have your first army of 400 soldiers at your disposal. The army is deployed awaiting orders in the initial territory where your first city lies.

The best thing to do is to start recruiting new soldiers right away, even if you do not want to wage wars and prefer to implement a cultural victory policy, it is better to have an army deployed in defense of your territory. You can control every of your armies using the army management panel.

#### Army management panel

You have two options to access the army management panel, both of these options are available in the actions of the ruler before ending a game turn:

* you can open the **strategic map**, select the territory of your interest, set the view to "armies", touch the army to open the army management panel.

* you can use the **shortcut** "**We shall conve the defense council**" to view the list of your armies and click on the army to open the army management panel.

##### Information box

For each army at the top you can immediately view this information:

* **Morale**: the percentage measures the morale of the army. If the percentage drops too low, soldiers may flee the battlefield before the battle is over.
* **Condition of the equipment**: this percentage indicates the current condition of the equipment supplied to the army (weapons, armour, etc). Equipment wears out during battles. Occasionally it will need to be repaired, or it will lose its effectiveness and become unusable by your soldiers.
* **Stamina**: the stamina percentage measures the army's energy level. Stamina is very important and is used during battles to apply complex military tactics that could decide the fate of the fight.
* **Skill level**: the army's operational capability level determines how many units can be recruited into it. With each additional level, the army gains \_NUM\_ additional slots in which to recruit new units.
* **Size**: the army size is the total number of soldiers currently enrolled in the army.
* **General**: a good general improves the odds that an army will win in battle, even under unfavourable circumstances.

##### Available actions

Within the army management panel you can assign the army a new order via the military operation, change the name, assign a general, recruit new soldiers.

* **Military operation**: military operations allow you to assign a new order to your army. In order for you to be able to recruit new soldiers, the army must be camped in a military camp. You can have the army camp using the appropriate military operation.
* **Army name**: here you can change your army name
* **Manage the generals**: use this feature to assign a general to your army. Generals can greatly improve the odds of victory on the battlefield based on their skill
* **Strength of the army**: the strength of the army determines how many units can be recruited at most within it. At level 1 you have up to 4 units available. Each level adds 4 additional slots.
* **Army report**: the report is useful for analysing the current condition of the army, its composition, and other statistical data.
* **Maintenace cost ratio**: the report is useful for analysing the maintenance costs of this army compared to the current subsistence produced by your cities and the costs incurred by other armies.
* **Army - Health**: this feature is very useful for simultaneously restoring wounded units when the army is not engaged in battle
* **Army - Current level**: this function is very useful for raising the level of all your units simultaneously and therefore recruiting new soldiers without the need to increase the level of each individual unit
* **List of units**: at level one you will have 4 units available. by increasing the strength (capacity) of the army you will have 4 additional units that you can recruit into your army

##### Types of military units

The type of military units varies according to the Age of Dynasties game you are playing. For a detailed explanation you can view the units in the Series menu.

##### **Military operation**

* **It remains on standby, in formation.** The army will distance itself from any enemies and erect a military camp in a safe place, where it will remain camped until further notice. Once in camp, the morale, equipment, and stamina of the army will be restored automatically. In addition, you can give orders to tend to the wounded, upgrade the level of military units, or enlist new ones. However, you will not be able to assign any new military operations until ongoing upgrades are completed. An encamped army cannot be attacked by enemy armies.
* **On standby, in a military camp.** The army will distance itself from any enemies and erect a military camp in a safe place, where it will remain camped until further notice. Once in camp, the morale, equipment, and stamina of the army will be restored automatically. In addition, you can give orders to tend to the wounded, upgrade the level of military units, or enlist new ones. However, you will not be able to assign any new military operations until ongoing upgrades are completed. An encamped army cannot be attacked by enemy armies.
* **Travel to another territory**. The army will travel to defend the selected city and will prevent any enemy armies from besieging it. If the city is under siege, the army will engage the enemy and try to break the siege. You can only select cities in the territory in which the army is currently located.
* **Defend a territory**. The army will attack any enemy army that tries to besiege any of the allied cities belonging to your empire or to that of the allied factions. Only cities that are in the same territory as the army can be protected.
* **Attack enemy city**. The army will march to the city, engaging with any enemy armies deployed in its defence in battle, and will initiate a siege. The city will be able to last a certain number of turns before its defences are destroyed and the city falls. The number of turns your army takes to damage the defences depends on the condition and level of the defences as well as the number of artillery units in your army. ATTENTION: you can only attack cities belonging to the factions with which you are at war.
* **Stand the army down**. In peacetime, it can be useful to stand an army down in order not to have too many armies to maintain. Standing an army down is beneficial to the empire's resources. An army that has been stood down is effectively deactivated. It will not be able to fight until it is called to arms again.
* **Call to arms**. You can call up an army that has previously been stood down, but at the cost of investing a lot of the empire's resources. Once called to arms, the army can fight again.

#### Preparing for War

Until your armies are ready to repel any enemy attacks or to attack the territories of the opponents try to avoid war at any cost.

##### How to avoid war

The opposing factions may take tribute from you to continue to remain at peace. Try to pay these taxes regularly should this happen. This is a great way to avoid war. Alternatively, you can also send gifts to the factions. Improving relations with them will prevent them from declaring war on you.

##### How to prepare the army for war

###### First Army

When you start the first act, you will have a small army of 400 soldiers awaiting orders. Start recruiting more soldiers right away by using the "Army - Current level" button to increase the level of the army. At the same time, the strength (capacity) of the army increases. The goal is to be able to have the army at an initial size of 4000 soldiers as soon as possible.

An army of 4,000 soldiers is the least you can have to hope to defend yourself against enemy attacks should negotiations fail and a war breaks out.

###### Maintenance costs

A very important thing is the maintenance costs of the army. Each city contributes to the upkeep cost of your armies. The larger the city level, the greater the maintenance costs it can absorb. Each city can absorb 100 upkeep costs for each level. In your army screen you can see what the upkeep costs are. One of the first things that is convenient to do in your main city is to expand the city. This will not only allow you to incur higher maintenance costs but also unlock additional slots to build buildings. Try to get your city to at least level 3 or higher as soon as possible. If the upkeep costs paid by your cities are lower than the upkeep costs of your armies you will have to bear the costs through the kingdom indicators.

###### How to reduce maintenance costs?

* you can keep upkeep costs for your army by enlisting less prestigious units. Initially it is more important to have a large army rather than a large prestigious army. Check the units that make up your army and select the ones that cost the least. As you progress through the game you will be able to afford more prestigious armies
* some guests of honor in the royal palace allow you to reduce the maintenance costs of your army and increase the chances of victory on the battlefield. if you decide to opt for military conquest it would be appropriate to invite these great characters to court

###### How to build a new army

To have an army build you need to have the barracks building in your city. Once the building is built you will be able to use the "create army" production in your city.

##### Strategies

###### Cultural Influence Conquest

If you intend to conquer the target cities of the game act you are playing with peace, you will not need large armies. You can try to keep the peace by improving relations with other factions (paying tribute, sending gifts, making deals) while increasing your cultural influence in target cities with spies, royal weddings, cultural exchanges and inaugurating influential shows in your cities.

If you go through this strategy, two armies of 4000 soldiers will be more than enough to defend your cities. You can deploy armies in defense of your territories.

###### Military Conquest

In case you want to proceed with the military conquest of the target cities, you will need a large and powerful army.

In case you want to proceed with the military conquest of the target cities, you will need a large and powerful army. At a minimum, it will take 10,000 soldiers to conquer the first opposing city as total in your armies.

###### Preparations to besiege a city

First of all if you intend to conquer an opposing city you need an army with a minimum size of 6000 soldiers. This should allow you to face more battles before the army is forced to rest.

The required army size may vary depending on which target city is to be conquered. You don't necessarily have to try to conquer the target city of the act of play right away. It may be advisable to conquer the cities in your own territory first so as to consolidate your position and be able to defend your cities in the entire territory with only one army while you will then continue the invasion of the other territories with other armies. Conquering more cities will allow you to have an ever larger army because you can increase the maintenance costs incurred by your cities.

Once your army is powerful enough to attack and conquer the target cities, proceed with the invasion.

###### Composition of the army

The best composition of any army is clearly a balanced composition. Having in your army different types of military units (light infantry, heavy infantry, missile units, cavalry, siege weapons) will allow you not to have great penalties against opposing armies or on particular battlegrounds.

Ideally you would need at least 40% infantry, 20% cavalry, 20% missile, 20% siege weapons.

###### Assign generals to the army

Generals are of paramount importance if you intend to proceed with military conquest. Remember that relatives can also be indoctrinated to be excellent generals. You can improve your relatives' general skill by assigning them heirlooms and noble titles in the royal palace as well as investing experience points to increase their competence. But remember that generals can die in battle. It would be advisable in the case of relatives to ensure that their defense ability is also high.

###### Defeat and restoration of the army

Your army will most likely not be able to take over an opposing city right away. There will be many executioners defending the city. While you may also be able to score several victories, sooner or later your army will be defeated. Once defeated you can restore your health by making him camp in a military camp and using the "army -health" button. Your army will be back up and running in a few turns.

###### City defenses

Monitoring the defense status of your cities and the opposing cities you intend to conquer is of paramount importance during the war.

City defenses can be weakened by sieges by armies or by spies.

###### Siege of cities

When you order your army to attack and besiege an opposing city, all armies deployed in defense of the city or territory in which the city is located will try to stop you. Because of this, it can often happen that your army will have to face different battles every turn of the game and sooner or later it may be forced to retreat and heal the wounded before being able to return to battle.

When there are no more armies deployed in defense of the city, your army will begin to besiege the city and wear down its defenses. Defenses are worn down faster if siege weapons are present in the army.

###### Espionage against enemy armies

If an objective city is defended by a very powerful army it might be convenient to hire a spy to sabotage the equipment of the opposing army thus reducing the chances that it will win you in battle.

#### Battlefield Strategies

When your army and a faction's army meet there will be an event that will ask you if you want to be routed to the battlefield or if you want the battle to automatically resolve.

If your chances of victory are overwhelming it may be convenient to use the automatic resolution of the clash but generally it is always good to start the battle and give the orders to execute in such a way as to still take the maximum advantage from the battle and thus have the least number of dead.

##### The clashing of armies

As soon as the battle begins, you have the possibility to choose how to behave by analyzing the forces at play.

In the upper bar you can see the composition of the armies compared.

You will be able to choose whether to start the clashes by letting the ruler lead the battle rather than without it, whether to resolve the combat automatically or to withdraw. If the battle is uncertain it is always advisable to have your sovereign participate in the battle to greatly increase the chances of victory and have more morale to use for the army's maneuvers.

If you want to involve the sovereign often in battles, remember to increase his defense and tactical skills. You can do this by assigning heirlooms and noble titles in the royal palace.

##### Choice of formation

When the battle begins, the first thing to choose is the formation. Before choosing the army formation it is advisable to check which formation the opposing army has chosen to counter it.

There are several formations available whose effectiveness depends on the composition of your army, the composition of the enemy army and the type of terrain on which the battle takes place:

* **Balanced attack**: Divide the army equally across all fronts and order the advance in formation!
* **Central assault**: Position the majority of army in the centre and, if available, place your heavy units on the front line.
* **Pincer manoeuvre**: Concentrate your forces on the right and left flanks, using the fast units in particular.
* **Surprise attack**: Concentrate your army on all fronts except the rear and strengthen the vanguard with the majority of your cavalry.
* **Left flank breakthrough**: Deploy the bulk of your army on the left flank and vanguard dividing the rest of the forces between the other fronts.
* **Right flank breakthrough**: Deploy the bulk of your army on the right flank and in the rearguard, dividing the rest of the forces between the other fronts.
* **Attack on three fronts**: Divide the cavalry and heavy infantry units equally on all fronts and concentrate the light and missile infantry and the artillery units in the centre and rear.
* **Left flank defence**: Defend the left flank with the majority of your light units. Conceal the bulk of your army in the rear to repel the attack of the enemy vanguard.
* **Right flank defence**: Defend the right flank with the majority of your light units while unleashing a mighty attack on the enemy's rear with the bulk of your army.
* **Defending the centre**: Defend the centre with your heavy units and the majority of your ranged and artillery units, while distributing the rest evenly amongst the other fronts.

###### Which formation to choose?

The choice of formation is of fundamental importance to be able to increase the chances of victory on the battlefield. After the formation is chosen, the battle begins and the armies meet each other in 5 battle fronts:

* **Centre**: This battle indicator summarizes how the fight between the centre of your army and the centre of the enemy army is unfolding.
* **Right flank**: This battle indicator summarizes how the battle between the right flank of your army and the left flank of the enemy army is unfolding.
* **Left flank**: This battle indicator summarizes how the battle between the left flank of your army and the right flank of the enemy army is unfolding.
* **Vanguard**: This battle indicator summarizes how the battle between the vanguard of your army and the rear guard of the enemy army is unfolding.
* **Rearguard**: This battle indicator summarizes how the battle between the rearguard of your army and the vanguard of the enemy army is unfolding.

If you have the numerical superiority you can choose either the balanced attack or a formation that is opposite to that chosen by the opponent.

If you are outnumbered, you have to look for a risky maneuver that can allow you to shake the enemy army and surround it. In this case, choose a formation that allows you to gain the advantage on one front. He then employs a **tactical maneuver** to gain superiority on that front and obtain a quick victory. By doing so, as soon as you have won the front you will be able to deploy the troops of that front on another front by surrounding the enemy.

###### Tactical manoeuvres

The tactical maneuvers are used to be able to overturn the fate of a confrontation on the stalled fronts or in which you are at a disadvantage. Army tactical maneuvers are more effective but consume stamina. If you don't have enough stamina you won't be able to use them. The strength, morale and equipment of the army can be restored by having the army camp.

The tactical maneuvers of a front, on the other hand, can be used once per type in each battle.

###### Random events in battle

During the battle, events may occur that could also turn the tide of the clash. These events cannot be predicted and produce effects that will modify the course of the clashes on the various fronts. The effects are visible under the bar of the various fronts.

###### Conclusion of the battle

When the battle is over you will be able to view a report in which you are informed of who won and how many deaths each army has had.

### Tips

* always try to assign a general to your armies and invest in his expertise to improve his ability
* your relatives can make excellent generals. you can improve their proficiency by using experience points and assigning them heirlooms and noble titles that increase the tactics skill in the royal palace
* the ruler can more easily survive in battle if he increases his defensive skill
* some honored guests increase the chances of your armies winning in battle as well as reduce the upkeep cost of your armies
* investing points in the Strategy talent increase the chances of your armies to win
* when you are defeated in battle order the army to camp the army as soon as possible and order to restore the health points
* remember to repair the defenses of the cities you conquer and to monitor the defenses of your cities