A pike is a long pointy stick. Pointy end points at the enemy

Pike infantry are extremely tough in the right situation. Especially against infantry and cavalry. Although they will die against Ranged units and a good Cavalry commander. If it's Ranged Cavalry, just go home. Best use a different army mix against a Ranged Cavalry heavy army.

Anything that attacks their front will die. Anything that attacks their rear or flanks will kill them.
Arrows are particularly annoying as Pikemen have small shields and move very slowly.

pokey pokey stabby stabby

Simple Tactics:

Form a line. Use magic to summon pikes. Wait for enemy to impale themselves.

Standard Tactics:

Have Flankers: Protect your flanks with spear infantry (medium or light, speed is needed) and/or melee cavalry. Preferably both. Two-Four spear infanry and one to three cavalry.

Duct Tape Can Fix Anything: Have melee infantry on hand to plug any holes that may appear. Two should be enough. Medium or heavy infantry, light infantry isn't sticky enough.

Have Annoying People: Ranged infantry can annoy the enemy into attacking you. Two or three should be fine. Minimum range for them is 120, any less and they will be run down before they can get behind the pointy sticks. On that note, ensure they do not move too far away, they aren't as annoying (or useful) when dead.

Pike Formations:

• When possible have buildings/rocks/cliffs/river or other impassable obstacles on one or both flanks of your Pikemen, this makes it easier to defend them. Let your usual flankers have a tea break. Biscuit anyone?
  
  
• A single line only works when the numbers are roughly equal.
  
  
• If you have more men I recommend an Indented Concave shape (aka. Inverted Wedge). Do not make a semi-circle, think of bricks. All pikes should still be facing the same direction.Place the Pikes from behind so that they protect the flanks of the Pikemen in front. In other words, line the pointy end up just past their mates' front line.
  Note: This is a rule for ANY formation other than a single line. Not doing this means the enemy will find gaps and micro-flank each unit.
  
  
  
  Use light infantry or annoying people (ranged units) to lure the enemy in. This can be difficult since it's quite obvious. I don't use cavalry for this because it disrupts the orderly battle lines too much and then OCD kicks in.
  
  Failing that, form a single line, engage in the center before forming the indent. Tricky but possible. In this case, your most veteran pikemen should be in the center and one on either flank to hold the formation.
  
  
• If you are outnumbered (20% or more) use the Wedge Formation. Pikes behind protect the flanks of those in front. Allow the enemy to envelop you, as they would anyway, but this will stretch their line, which gives you an advantage.
  
  Your flankers are vital for this as they will prevent overflowing and can intercept any more plucky forces. No tea break today chaps.
  
  
  
  
• If you feel like confusing the hell out of your opponent or if you have to move across uneven terrain use the Checkerboard. Exactly like it sounds. One line, broken into two, every second unit should be 1/2 to 1 unit back (unit simply referring to the depth or width of each group of Pikemen). Pikes behind protect the flanks of those in front.
  
  This Formation can expand or contract as it moves with ease, with minimal disruption to the formation and without comprimisng your line should you be attacked.
  
  
• If you are significantly outnumbered (20% larger or more), only have pikemen and are making a last stand then use the classic Hedgehog Formation. Form a circle with pikes sticking out and hold still. Five or more groups of Pikemen are needed to make this work. Four leaves huge gaps in each corner. This formation will allow you to defend against any melee attackers.
  
  Unfortunately there is little you can do about ranged units. Ranged cavalry and infantry are too quick for your pikes, so hope they forgot to bring arrows. (Hence why they are annoying people)
  
  If they have artillery you can move behind something solid (like a mountain), if there isn't that option then pray they are from the Artillary Academy of the Three Blind Mice (or send a sacrificial group of men all sneaky-like to flank and hit them from behind).
  
  
• If you heavily outnumber the enemy and they only have melee then the Reverse Hedgehog works beautifully. Same as the Hedgehog but pikes face inwards. Be sure you won't be attacked from behind otherwise you will look quite silly.

Flanking, flanking, and more flanking

Use cavalry to flank the Pikemen, they move slowly so only engage in the rear, charge in, run out, repeat. Do not get caught up in an extended melee engagement (else pokey pokey stabby stabby).

Ranged units work very well, especially against static formations. Don't engage the Pikemen in melee, just pepper them with arrows. Preferably from the flank or behind but it doen't matter too much. The higher the level of Pikemen the more damage you want your ranged units to do per projectile. Use archers or skirmishers. Just make sure to kill their cavalry and light infantry first.

Ideally, use Cavalry Archers, as you can use both of the above tactics and they will never catch you.

The biggest issue is during a siege. Pikemen can block off roads and gates easily. Again, you need archers for this. Cavalry archers work too but you will be galloping up and down streets a lot.

Failing that, get some cheap sword infantry, run through the pikes to engage them in close combat. This can work if you break up their lines enough as the Pikemen, be default, will abandon their Pikes in close combat. Usually the spam will die without killing too many Pikemen though, so you will need support in some form. Even a heavy Cavalry charge will work wonders as long as you have disrupted the formation enough.

For a look into the ultimate army counter to Pikemen see my other guide here.

• Pikemen are extremely powerful if used correctly. If used incorrectly then they will just be a costly lesson.
  
  
• Pikemen have very limited mobility and limited projectile armour.
  
  
• Any attacks to the rear will kill a lot of Pikemen.
  
  
• Fast flanking troops are vital to Pikemen's survival and defeat.
  
  
• Use the heavy infantry support to mop up any charge through tactics and plug holes.
  
  
• Straight lines work well if you are against an unskilled opponent.
  
  
• There is a formation for every situation.
  
  
• The pointy end must always point at the enemy.
  
  
• Pick your engagements and your ground carefully.
  
  
• Pikemen and seiges are a happy combination.
  
  
• Cavalry archers mean death by tickles.
  
  
• Be annoying. *poke*
  
  
• Defensive stances work best for Pikemen.

Try to not die.

I will add more images when I'm not lazy anymore I can.

PM me or comment if you have any suggestions I can ignore consider. Feedback is appreciated.

Pointy sticks are dangerous. Do not run with pointy things. Now you know why Pikemen are so slow.

Please rate to help others learn the ways of the pike.

Thank you to everyone who has rated this guide. I first started this guide when a friend of mine told me pikes were cheesy and useless against any player with a little bit of skill. So I decided to share what I knew from my love of ancient history and gaming. I'm so glad so many people have found this niche little quirky guide helpful.

There have been quite a few suggestions and comments so I decided to respond as best I can.

MrJohnBoi - I have yet to learn how to train soldiers armed with this "C4" - is this the new weapon of the gods?

Samuel Allan - Using heavier or shock infantry on the side of the formation is a really good adaption to the formation. It just makes you slightly more vulnerable to cavalry who would rather out maneuver the infantry than fight them. This is probably better for siege battles or battles with a large (2 armies) on either side, however, for a stand alone force I would keep the original formation, but this is my personal preference. If you like Thracian Flax infantry then reap away.

To add to that, if you have an elite unit of peltasts they can fill multiple rolls in your army as well, forming a javalin harass unit as well as a medium-light infantry unit. This can be effective and I have played this variant a fair amount. (Boonchi actually mentioned this - woo!)

Samuel Allan - Thanks for being so engaged! Using a cheap infantry unit to distract the pikes while heavier infantry flank is a great idea! However, besides the unit having to be isolated from its formation (a major no-no for pike commanders), any commander worth their salt should see if coming and about face the pikes or send a unit to intercept. You will find a lot of inexperienced commanders (and ai) won't have this level of awareness or practice with pikes, so this strategy will work. (I am aware that about facing the pikes takes time and will still leave them flanked, but being flanked by a weak unit is better than being flanked by a strong unit).

Darth Invictus - I'm sure there are guides available somewhere on the internet for recruitment. I'm afraid I only make super niche guides.

Jollygoodfew - My methods with pikes are actually based on the Macedonian tactics of combined arms. I used a similar method when using the romans (but they are too easy). Sadly the successor kingdoms lost sight of what made pikes good in the first place and ran into the spam-only-one-unit-type trap.

Rabbit - Cycling out pikemen when they are exhausted is a good idea but usually a bit more difficult to do due to their large engagement range. If you have the infantry to do it then charge them through the pikes to meet the enemy before pulling back. I would like to note though that ideally your pikes should never be more exhausted than your opponent (don't run with pointy long things when you can) and an exhausted pike will beat exhausted (insert almost any infantry in the game). So the tactic is a little niche. But valid.

e_thibault - Using pikes to pin a unit while your missiles pepper them is a great tactic! As stated in a comment above, cheap infantry is a great way of pinning pikes but you need to have a way of finishing them or demoralising them so they flee. Remember, clubs strong together. (Club swarm FTW)

Boonchi - I didn't forget to answer your comment, I mentioned the same thing you did in a response to Samuel Allan. . . anyway, yes. Is good idea. Thumbs up.

Duwang JEff - Ah yes, the cheese box in the corner of the map. I try to avoid this but if you do need to do this because you are outnumbered 4+ to 1 then sure. Balistas are a great addition to this particular formation as they force the enemy to come to you, but are way to clumbersome for most field battles where you would otherwise have to protect them with a more mobile unit.

Lurker Man - Where you put your veteran units is mostly a matter of preference. Personally I find people a bit too unpredictable to determine where exactly they will hit your line, so I find the center the best, as usually the formation will win one of the flanks and wheel around onto the other flank, with the center constantly engaged as the 'fulcrum' (or hinge I suppose) about which the formation moves. Basically you end up with an L shape or an angle like that with the central unit being the pointy bit in the middle. However - I tend to find veterancy on pikes as one of the least useful units to gain veterancy on as they tend to win or lose their combats more due to tactics and strategy.

DatRat - It depends how many pikemen they have. If you only have three archers and they have one pike unit then spray and pray. However, if it is more than two, try weakening one, and if they out number your archers then pepper them as best you can before rushing melee units through the formation (you have to click through the pikes, even once your infantry engage), you will take huge losses but unfortunately that situation is one of the very best for pikemen.

WickeySticket - pokey pokey stabby stabby indeed

Rich Brian - Defeating a pike box is very tricky. usually if it is a 'box' there will be weaker corners you can run infantry through. If it is a circle you dont really have much option other than exhaust your missile options, while attempting to disrupt the formation. TLDR: disrupt the formation by any means nessecary. If an opponent is using this you should be outnumbering them significantly or they are fairly new to the game. Either way, getting into the middle of the formation will cause chaos.

Rage o' Fire - adding hoplites in front of your formation to soak damage will work against the ai but not humans and is a more costly way of dealing with ranged enemies than other options. As for being identical armies, this almost never happens and when it does it's more down to advanced tactics and terrain advantage. This guide won't go into that kind of detail.

Other comments:

Thanks so much for the positivity, I did not expect people to still be reading and rating this guide in 2020 and your awards make my day every time!

Hope you are all keeping safe and well!