This article is a comprehensive guide focused on unit composition in the strategy game, Europa Universalis 4. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced player, learning more about the game’s mechanics is essential for strategic success. The Europa Universalis Guide offers practical advice and strategies that will help you hone your gameplay. It’s an all-encompassing guide intended to refine your understanding and tactical use of different units within the game. Let’s dive into the Unit Composition Guide for EU4 to elevate your gameplay strategy.
| Military Technology | Combat Width | Num. Infantry | Num. Cavalry | Num. Cannons | Total Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 15 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 21 |
| 2 | 20 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 26 |
| 5 | 22 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 28 |
| 6 | 24 | 26 | 4 | 0 | 30 |
| 9 | 25 | 27 | 4 | 0 | 31 |
| 11 | 27 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 33 |
| 14 | 29 | 31 | 4 | 0 | 35 |
| 16 | 30 | 32 | 4 | 30 | 66 |
| 18 | 32 | 32 | 6 | 32 | 70 |
| 20 | 34 | 34 | 6 | 34 | 74 |
| 22 | 36 | 36 | 6 | 36 | 78 |
| 23 | 36 | 34 | 8 | 36 | 78 |
| 24 | 38 | 36 | 8 | 38 | 82 |
| 26 | 40 | 38 | 8 | 40 | 86 |
Combat Width
An important consideration in unit composition is the Combat Width, a feature visible on the military screen of your country’s interface. The Combat Width reflects the number of regiments that can simultaneously engage in combat. Advancement in-game allows for an increase in your Combat Width. This is made possible by unlocking Military Technology, a key upgrade that enhances your Combat Width. It’s also vital to remember that the effectual use of Combat Width becomes an important factor that shapes your battle strategies, due to its direct influence on the outcomes.
Artillery
Artillery units, uniquely capable of attacking from the back row, must be strategically positioned behind the infantry to maintain their efficacy in combat. While situated on the back row, they deliver decreased damage compared to their potential on the front line. However, placing them on the front row renders them vulnerable, incurring them an additional 50% damage. The fall of the infantry, leading to the advancement of artillery to the front row, precipitates a quick loss due to the escalation in damage artillery units receive.
Cavalry
Cavalry units, on the other hand, tend to fall short of expectations in the later stages of the game, a matter better discussed in later sections of this guide. The contentious issue comes into focus when considering the cost of cavalry, which is a staggering 2.5 times higher than that of infantry. Despite this prohibitive cost, an interesting trend of cavalry overuse has been observed within the game’s community. This paradox might be linked to particular bonuses, or perhaps certain exclusive abilities that these pricier units possess.
When starting out you should still use cavalry but it’s best to ditch them at around Tech 10. Put your artillery at the back and infantry on the front row. A full Combat Width cavalry is useful for a short time during the early stages of the game but once the units on the flanks are defeated that cavalry will be left out and won’t be used. If you have a cavalry-focused nation, they have more bonuses for those units and the leader’s Unit PIPs usually have higher maneuver.
When in combat your units are reinforced by the back row, so if your Combat Width is 16 and you have 20 thousand soldiers ready for battle 4 thousand will be in the back row. When a unit ahead of them dies the reserves move forward to replace them. When you get Tech 5 update your Military Template to the 24,4,0 template now that your Combat Width has increased. You can change to this and any others by going to Conform to Template.
The Shock Damage cavalry does is superior to infantry, and they deal good flanking damage. A decent composition at the start of the game is 12 infantry, 4 cavalries, and 0 artillery. All battles go through 3 phases alternating between Fire and Shock. Fire Phase is first which represents ranged attacks such as longbow, artillery, muskets going first. The shock Phase is next which is hand to hand combat, these battle phases will continue until one side has no more moral and discipline and they retreat.
An ideal Army Composition is to have all infantry at the start of the game since cavalry costs a lot. The first round of artillery you unlock they’re not very good but are useful and when sieging they’ve extremely useful. Keep up to date with your Military Templates and bring multiple of your armies together (stacking) to create a larger force but by doing so you will get more attrition. By splitting the army before and after a fight you will get less attrition; no one wants that to be high.
With that, we wrap up our comprehensive guide on EU4 Army Composition. This concluded look highlights the key aspects of unit effectiveness such as Combat Width, situational unit choice, and Military Tech level. Balancing infantry, cavalry, and artillery by considering costs and strategic application can greatly influence your military performance in Europa Universalis 4.
