Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Ashery]

You could also do some minor modding and reduce the base damage of bolts and arrows. Just checked my current install and both arrows and bolts are sitting at 60 for their base damage compared to the normal 100. It seems to have hurt the goblins more than me, however, as a handful of marksdwarves with decent crossbows and bolts can still heavily damage a squad of modestly equipped goblins, but the goblins, with their lower quality gear, can hardly scratch my melee squads equipped with high quality steel plate.

[Graven]

I don't know, guys. I've faced elite goblin bowmen only several times, but unless I was using something similar to Pie's strategy, they've been a source of great pain for all my dwarves, including steel-clad legendary everythings (fighting skills, that is). So, unless your dwarves are using two layers of masterwork armor, in which case they should be rather unstoppable, I'd suggest great caution when dealing with elite bowgoblins. Or magma, that works too.

[Martin]

A combination approach is generally reliable. Give yourself multiple options to engage the enemy, depending on what gets sent your way. Have an approach that is open so your ranged units can be effective but have a different one that blocks line of sight so that you can deal with enemy ranged units. Open/close entrances based on what sieges you.

For the elite bowgoblins, make sure you have very well trained marksdwarves and send multiple ones out behind fortifications to engage the enemy - I usually send 8 when I do this. By blocking line of sight until the enemy is in close range, all 8 will unload at once rather than getting in range one by one and getting picked off by the enemy unit.

Finally, training cannot be overstated. I know Morul is exceptional, but he's faced 20+ ranged units while going melee with 20 more, had all of the ranged units exhaust their ammo and never take a scratch. Make sure your military are training constantly - run them through all the weapons and make sure they get shield skill maxed out.  All they really need to do is survive long enough to take out the elite bowgoblin and if they have to heal for a few seasons, no big deal.