A combined-arms warband is infantry, archers and cavalry fighting as one, each arm covering what the others can't. No single arm wins a battle — the combination does, which is why disciplined groups drill together rather than fighting as a crowd of duelists.
The arms
Infantry — the shieldwall — the body of the host.
- Holds ground and anchors the fight (The Shieldwall).
- Soaks the enemy charge and pins them in place.
- Spears in the line keep enemy cavalry off everyone behind it.
Archers — the pressure — the fight before the fight.
- Soften and break the enemy as they cross open ground (Archery).
- Interrupt charges and focus-fire called targets.
- Need the line to screen them, since they're fragile up close.
Cavalry — the hammer — the decisive blow.
- Flanks, breaks wavering formations and runs down routers (Mounted Combat).
- Needs the wall to pin the enemy so the charge has something to hit.
Medics — the staying power — what keeps it all standing.
- Bandage, revive and triage so the line outlasts the enemy's (Health & Revives).
How the arms cover each other
The whole is a set of locks and keys. Archers need the wall to keep them from being charged; the wall needs the archers to soften the enemy and the cavalry to chase a beaten foe; the cavalry needs the wall to fix the enemy in place so a charge lands on a target that can't simply turn to face it. Pull one arm out and the others get exposed.
Don't swing through your own line
Fighting shoulder to shoulder carries one tax worth drilling into every new member: the ally damage debuff. Swing your weapon through an ally before it reaches the enemy and your own damage collapses. It never harms the ally — it only punishes *you*.
- One-handers — hitting an ally first cuts that swing's damage by 70%: an *ally-then-enemy* blow lands for just 30%.
- Two-handers — each ally in the arc eats one of your cleave stacks. A clean cleave through three enemies reads 100% / 60% / 30%; clip an ally first and it becomes none / 30% / 30% — and three allies in the way can zero out the whole swing.
- The danger bubble is large — you don't have to visibly pass *through* a teammate, only swing too close to one.
This is why a real line spaces out and angles its swings rather than bunching up — and why a disciplined warband out-damages a mob of the same size. Stand clear so your neighbour lands clean, and they'll do the same for you.
Fight as a unit
This is why effective warbands train as a unit, not a mob. If that's the way you want to fight, find an in-game guild that drills together and bring this discipline to the line.