@@EvilMonkey403 they already have good accuracy, i'd recommend to recruit them at blacksmith province with upgraded armour so they can withstand a lot more against bow units and last longer when catched in melee
I stopped using archers all together because I find my self just firing a volley and then just throwing them in the corner, so now I use 5 cavalry, and the rest is 50 50 naginata and katana, works like magic
That gets countered by a heavy archer - naginata samurai stack. I'd say 4 or 5 bow warrior monks, shoot a bit at you and when you charge them, they run behind the naginatas with lots of tanking power.
@@TheVikingGeneral I do the same but I use bow cav for it. Bow cav has comparable stats to bow warrior monks but are better than bow infantry at kiting enemy. Not to mention if they get charged by the enemy cavalry, they are in a much safer position than bow infantry when it comes to fleeing. They can also use swooping crane while luring enemy infantry. Bow cav can switch to melee and charge enemy archers if the opportunity presents itself. A really versatile but micro heavy unit. The bow cav hero unit is even better since if you fire into a mass each volley guarantees 30 kills and they get 200 range and flaming arrows.
I love going 2 yari ashigaru and the rest all bow monks. Make them block out the sun with their arrows! 😊 I know its dumb, but its fun and thats why i play the game
Glad it helped! Of course, playing thematic armies are generally also viable. It'd be weird playing the Takeda without using their cavalry for example.
I like changing playstyle based on the clan’s strength and for thematics. Examples being like, I played the Mori with usage of gunpowder units, Wako Raiders, and cavalry to make a offensive army that is keen at flanking. Played the Chosokabe with a defensive setup with a large amount of archers and naginata samurai. And with the Date, I did a balanced setup that was meant to draw the enemy to charge at my line, before crushing them with a counter Nodachi charge occupied by the warcry of Warrior Monks to cause a mass rout. It adds some variety to gameplay.
Wow. I propose this video yesterday and he made it for today. Unbelivible. I think many of us needed this fantastic explanation. Thank you for this content
I prefer defensive play style - bait enemy archers, kill them with cav, then ai usually run towards my lines and crashes against the yari wall, cav in the rear and the battle is won.
I enjoy a defensive-very defensive style. Here is my standard army composition: - 1 General - 4 Yari Cavalry - 6 Bow warrior monks - 5 Naginata Samurai - 4 Katana Samurai. I also have a “Siege” army (These can be used to reinforce the “standard army,” or this army can initiate the battle and the “standard army” can reinforce them) - 1 General - 4 Fire projecting Mangonel - 3 Fire Rockets - 6 Bow warrior monks - 6 Naginata Samurai
would you use this bow on offense and defense since i personally use lots of yari ashigaru and matchlocks for my garrisons plan is 1.)use a reserve of archers to wear down enemy archers 2,)matchocks on walls will fire down into enemy units as they advance until the enemy starts to climb about halfway up walls 3.)retreat matchlocks and archers behind yari ashigaru 4.)form yari wall and since the enemy is very out of formation they cant affect the yari that well
I would have to disagree with the massive amounts of missile units used on defense. I find that if I am defending against a much larger army the enemy is more likely to come charge at me, in which case the best course of action is to turtle in a forested hill where missile units are pretty much useless, be there your own or your opponents. In addition, even a very good army can have some Yari ashigaru, as they can be used to bait out enemy units and you don't mind leaving them behind in a village for order.
Firing out of a forest into the open isn't too bad. Also, the high amount of missile units isn't for defending, but if you have a defensive playstyle on the battlefield. And Yari ashigaru are indeed always useful ;)
Best army comp imo is General: 1 Yari ashigaru: 5 Yari cav: 3 Naginata samurai: 4 Bow warrior monks / samurai: 5 The last 2 units can be whatever you want really. Some ashigaru guns can really destroy enemy flanks but i like getting more bow monks for the range. Defense is OP in this game on higher difficulty, and having an ashigaru core means the enemy will tire on your lesser value units before you even bring your samurai in to the fight. Cavs job is to kill enemy cav that try to flank, and then to disrupt missile units, then cycle charge the rear of their engsged front line. Naginata samurai reinforce the flanks but hold a couple in reserve to plug any weak spots in your front line.
Please expand into FOTS after you finish with original Shogun 2. I mainly play FOTS and your videos would be super helpful. Love your videos btw, I just wish your guides could be longer.
Sadly I'm not that comfortable with FotS (yet), so I will probably expand into other games first. But I'm still trying to get into it, so who knows what direction everything ends up taking.
get 4 arty (Armsrong if teched or Parrot) 4 Revolver Cav and highest tier line infanry availble these is not much varients in FotS since artillery too strong
Great video! I understand a lot more now. I used to spam bow warrior monks covered by naginata samurai to tank, but find battles that the AI stand on a hill or in a forest hard to win. Now, from you I learned to charge the naginatas in, followed by katana samurai. Hope you cover some niche clans and styles like Fire cav spam Takeda or Donderbuss cav-heavy Otomo. Love your stuff, keep it up!
Spear units are good in defense and with loose formation is basically a net for cavs( yari samurai are very good at it) No dachi+ katana samurai is a steam roller combo: charge first with no dachi(BANZAI) and then charge with katana samurai, pull back the no dachi and recharge the units in the rear and boom, unit broken gg. Matchlock are just op
I forgot to mention that I usually have a reinforcing army composed entirely of cavalry (10 bow cavalry 5 spear cavalry 4 katana cavalry 1 general, replace 5 bow cav with matchlock/donderbuss cav if available)
10 ranged unit, definitely defensive. How do you even achieve 5 matchlock without going Otomo or Christian? Matchlock tech were way too slow to get, by the time you have it i rather spam better ranged and deadlier bow monks.
As someone that still has not finished an Oda Legendary campaign but still love them, I do have to say that the answer to most of my problems is always "MOAR ASHIGARU". I normally end up losing when I forget this maxim completely.
ahh i would fall under defensive then im huge into real world matchlock tactics (ill make a ^ shape with long yari in phalanx and on the bottom 2 edges ill have squares of matchlocks with naginatas behind them) highly recommend it if they dont play passively quite literally devastates everything since no matter where they go its a meat grinder. if they try to go around they just get lit up by all the matchlocks and then calvary will finish them off or naginatas
As Oda I bring - 1 General - 9 Long Yari Ashigaru (after unlocking him; before that, the normal version works fine) - 10 Bow Ashigaru Prepare five full stacks of this before the realm divide (yes, even in the late game) then blitz them all at the same turn forward
One time in a defensive siege my Yari Cavalry was super useful because i managed to take out their general before their archers even got in range because the AI decided to isolate it's general and charge it at the wall
Cavalry is a lot more useful in defensive sieges than offensive ones! They can snipe generals, draw away troops from the walls, kill archers and chase down routed, but not broken units.
I often play as the Oda and run a 11-8 stack of yari (later long yari) and bow ash. Mid-game, I'd recruit a few cavalry mainly for running down the enemy in full rout.
It is rare for me to even think about army composition, im usually just go with whatever unit i just created in the nearby provinces i made since most of the time provinces that i created for that specific unit i want is not available. My playstyle generally went defensive real quick. Be it archers spam or matchlock spam.
I don't think about it in depth as I explained in the video, but I generally have an idea of what roles I want to have covered in an army. So I will recruit units from nearby provinces to just get an army ready if I need, but I also try to have my unit producing provinces close together.
I am very good at most total war games, but exceptionally bad at Shogun 2. It just seems to go bad no matter what approach i take. If i try to turtle and build a very strong economy, i get steam rolled by Ikko Ikki/various AI hordes that have claimed most of the map in seemingly 20 turns. If try to be a bit more aggressive....i have revolts everywhere and can't defend anything i have taken. I keep playing this game and then rage quitting it for months because it is so frustrating, lol.
This as expensive army. The true army comp is replace the melee infantry with spear ashigaru, and the bows with archer ashigaru. Calvary can be replaced with light cav. The army costs half as much, so bring two when you got the money.
With all due respect I doubt a Viking has the qualifications to talk about 16th century Japanese armies. I know you guys were great explorers but this seems far fetched .
I'd say im defensive or very defensive. I usually play as Oda and try to bait the enemy into attacking my ashigaru in unfavourable terrain through superior missiles.
I do like 50% horse archers, yari ashigaru, and yari cav. I pull the chinggis strategy on my enemies, use bow cav to harras the fuck out of them lead them into my yari wall and then use my yari cav in a pincer movement.
Good video as always. Although i'm mostly play balanced. My composition of missile is 6 archer at first but replaced it with 4 archer & 2 matchlock on the late game(i use the matchlock cause it's ignore armor, and after they go back by skirmish, i hurried them to go the enemy flank side, so they can still firing the enemy and reduce the friendly fire chances more) For the cavalry, 2 yari cav and 1 katana cav(i usually use 2 yari cav on the flank to attack the enemy missile unit and katana cav beside my general as precaution and intercept some of enemy unit that slipped through my army. For anti cav, like the oda, i use yari ashigaru cause they cheap. As for melee infantry i use the plain but reliable katana samurai.
Having an army that works for you is generally better than just some army format you're not used to. Especially since you can then start to experiment a bit with your other armies.
@@TheVikingGeneral that's true. I sometimes also do some experiment too. usually i sacrifice some of my infantry unit to make some space for artillery. from my experience, having 2-3 artillery is good on plains battlefield, having 1 is not devastating enough, but more than that, like 4-6 would risk of exchange using cavalry to use more infantry.
@@rizalalbar Of course, if you like using artillery go for it! I didn't include things like artillery or other special units in the video to keep it as general as possible. If I had to go over every option with all the irregular units, the video would probably quadruple in length :P
@@TheVikingGeneral true. I like where you going, keep it simple as it is, Pretty helpful and welcoming for those who are new to total war. There's too many option if you show us with special unit and artillery, and this video also didn't show the usage of missile cav in army composition. But that understandable i guess, cause the thing with missile cavalry for me is, their needs of micro managing. Like the guy on other comment said. Where he just put the cavalry as the second army that'll reinforce the main army since they're pretty fast because they ride a horse. Although, the cons is melee cav can't do wedge formation, unless on the second army, there's also a general who has the skill to allow the cav to use the wedge formation.
Could you please do a video on what CA is doing to ruin their older games? They are removing in game chat under the guise that it will help the game but we know what a greedy move this is to make us move on to their newer titles. Please spread the word about this disgraceful conduct
Recently did a chosokabe playthrough. My army consisted of naginata samurai recruited from a province with a fully upgraded weaponsmith and an encampment for armor, along with bow warrior monks from a fully upgraded bowmaker and hunting lodge, and 1 general. They did pretty well
Yeah, Gold armor Nagisams + Gold accuracy Bow Monks is a very deadly composition. I love how the monks destroy enemy armies 2-3 times the size of mine while the NagSams hold the line
If i play as otomo, 4 gun 4 archer 4 yari 4 katana and 3 yari cavalry. My killer is that 4 gun with fully upgrade one have 100 accuracy. Invented sniper rife in sengoku Lmao
Best thing to do, is go Otomo, and spam EXCLUSIVLEY Tercios. Their melee is just a little worse than katana Samurai yet their armour is better,and the morale clap you do with 3 firing at 1 unit is actually insane
I'm a huge fan of muskets, but I feel 4 matchlock ashigaru is probably the maximum for a Shogun 2 army because they can be so fragile. Naginata or Yari Ashigaru to form the main line and then katana samurai and cavalry to flank. I get the impression Viking General isn't a big fan of matchlocks lol.
I like to have 1 general. 3 cav units. 4 0r 6 sword units and 4 or 6 spear units. And 4 or 6 range units. I like to be defensive in battles so I usually go with 6 spear units. My ocd bugs me if I use odd numbers except for the cav.
Very useful video, I really love Shogun 2, so these are my standard armies: Early balanced army: -1 general -3 light cavalry -8 bow ashigarus -8 yari ashigarus Mid-late balanced army: -1 Stand&Fight general -4 yari cavalry -6 bow monks -5 naginata samurai -4 katana samurai Mid-late Defensive army (My favorite EVER ❤️👍): -1 Stand&Fight general -9 bow monks -10 naginata samurai Mid-late Offensive army: -1 Stand&Fight general -4 yari cavalry -8 no-dachi samurai -7 naginata monks Late being shogun army: -1 Stand& Fight general -2 great guard -4 bow monks -4 matchlock samurai -5 naginata samurai -4 katana samurai
Hiii hope u reading this. So i just install back shogun war2 because i remember how fun it is. I play single game. And the game stated the duration of year about 1500-1600. What happened after 1600?. Please dont say game over. I want it to continue!!!!
I'm honestly not sure, since I never reached 1600 during my playtime with the game. I think you're allowed to continue, but you don't 'win' the campaign if you haven't reached your victory objectives.
Nice to see that Shogun 2 is well and alive, best historical Total War game to date, I find while the newer games may have their own charm, the franchise has been and still is regressing. Have you read or seen The Three Firing Methods on the Steam Guides? May be of interest for this channel. Keep up the nice work, much love to the Shogun 2 Community.
I find that after playing the newer installments, shogun 2 definitely shows its age at some points, but holds up amazingly well regardless. I don't recall reading or seeing the Three Firing Methods. I'll check it out!
Amazing video Viking General! I find your videos thoroughly enjoyable and equally interesting to watch. Are you planning on doing videos for Fall of the Samurai? Especially army compositions and unit comparisons. Thanks :)
Thank you for your kind words :) Both Fall and Rise of the Samurai are expansions I don't have a lot of experience with. So I'm not confident enough talking about those in great detail. But I might do so in the future!
Huh, I always thought naginata samurai were more defensive than yari samurai due to their (comparative) lack of mobility. I love having one or two yari samurai just to see them scramble uphill at Mach 3.
Naginata samurai are pretty much the jacks-of-all-trades. I rate them as more offensive because of their value as shocktroops when attacking the enemy formation.
I disagree with Yari Samurai beeing a line holding unit, for the price they are simply not worth it imo, they are much better as a reserve unit, protecting missile troops in the back or as a replacement for cavalry in infantry heavy armies where they can move on enemy flanks quickly with rapid advance without fear of retaliation, that beeing said I'd never take more then 2-4 of yari samurai in an army.
I'm sorry if I came across that yari samurai are a line holding unit. What I meant is that they're generally best used in defense, as a reserve unit. In my yari samurai overview I go a little bit more in depth on what the unit actually does ;). But yeah, a yari ashigaru unit in yari wall formation is better at holding the line than a unit of yari samurai for half the cost.
Your videos are awesome and informative, I hope one day you'll make your own take on how to use Kisho Ninja units cause I always end up getting them massacred lmao
In my opinion, Samurai based army is good and powerful in theory. But in reality in legendary AI tends to bring 2 armies towards you. Having Samurai based army is costly in middle late game unless you raise the tax level or had sufficient income. But remember, taking more territory without fear of Realm divide is incredibly dangerous especially if you not prepared. So, instead making 1 powerful army against 2 armies regardless ashigarus or samurai, I think making 2 but ashigaru armies with ninja maxed sabotage army skill supporting them can do the job while gaining experience. They're cheap to maintenance and good in battlefield as well until in realm divide you gained spectacular economy power. Ashigaru and Samurai Combine in my opinion is still best option, balanced to very defensive play style is the best way in my opinion in middle to almost realm divide. Your main core is and should be the YARIMAZING in first and /or second line depends the enemy while the rest is archer and cavalry. Play like what Viking General suggest and you can win but you don't need Virgin Yari Samurai or Naginata Samurai, YARIMAZING with maxed armor can do the job. Sometimes battlefield can force your play style into something that you don't want, like you must become aggressive while your composition army made for very defensive one. Therefore, the best unit who can adapt battlefield situation while cost effective is the best unit ever. That's why in MrSmartDonkey, I am very agree with his tier list unit. I even can use Yarimazing for aggressive purpose, just make sure you go yari wall before making contact and no gaps between main line and you can win the battle ❤️
Of course, your funds should always also be in consideration. Mixing ashigaru and samurai is perfectly fine! Experienced Yari ashigaru can surely be used in an offensive way, but they are definitely best used in defence.
Yari ashigaru tend to be micro intensive in offensive since timing yari wall in front of your enemy while not dying to archers is hard. If you failed the timing you can say goodbye to your yari ashigaru. Unless you are an experienced player, mediocre player find ashigaru hard to use to it full potential.
I agree with a lot of what you said and this is an amazing video. However, the comment not to bring cavalry to a defensive siege? Having one or 2 units to send out to attack enemy arachers when the enemy commits all mele forces over the wall is an amazing option in my opinion
I only play against the AI so I usually use to attack and defense: 1 general 4 yari cavalry 5 samurai archer 2 katana samurai 6 yari ashigaru to defend the castles I try to change the ashigarus archers for ashigarus with musket and some yari ashigarus
@@TheVikingGeneral since the AI tends to crash against my ashigarus i use the cavalry mainly to eliminate their archers and make sure that no enemy soldiers escape
Dude, thank you so much for commenting on every video! I read them all, and it's great to have such an active viewer. I really hope you enjoyed the videos. ;)