What should I have done in this case?

[Deleted User - 60107]

I'd like to ask for some advice what I should have done. Some info:
My squad size: 69 (max possible at this time)
Enemy squad size: 83 (it was a 5-on-5 battle)
Enemy squads: 3 squads of 21 Enchantress, 1 squad of 21 Abbot, and last 1 squad of Steinlings

First attempt: I tried not attacking and keeping my 5 squads of Elven Archers as far away as possible. 2 squads were hit by Enchantresses, the other 3 remained untouched. End result: I lost the battle.

Second attempt: I decided to attack and managed to weaken 2 of the Enchantress squads. End result: I won at the cost of over 4 squads (see screenshots below).




What would have been the best course of action here:
- Use Elven Archers I the way I did?
- Use Sword Dancer II?
- Use Cerberus I?
- Use a mix of units - what sort of mix?

Treants seem pretty useless here, as they are slow and mages have a bonus against them.

For the record, I have one other province scouted. Enemy squad size there is 86. I need to complete 1 more province to reach 30 and unlock the next chapter, so it's either this one or that one.

 

[DeletedUser283]

having one squad of sorcs (as long as you have them, of course) dedicated to weakening the steinlings could be a solution;
-all the while trying to evade enemy mage units, yes I know, this will not last long, although ....
enemy squads tend to focus onto what hurts them : I had enemy knights focusing one of my archer squad while one of my golems squads (used to get rid of enemy light melee) was just next hex; weird ...
unfortunately, mages are a priority, because they weaken your troops badly, so you have to take care of them, but you also have to silence that steinling as quickly as possible; tough situation

 

[Deleted User - 60107]

I am stuck at the end of chapter II. Sorceress and Golem are in chapter III - that's why they are not included in the options I listed.

Enemies tend to focus on the unit with highest intiative within range. If multiple units have the same initiative the target is the unit that moves first. Since Light Ranged have the highest initiative the enemy knights focused on your archers. That's how it has always been, the only difference is that in the old system Light Melee had the highest initiative, while in the new it's Light Ranged.

Thanks for trying, though. Let's see if anyone else will have a better diea.