Mines are an excellent tool in the defensive toolkit in Arma Warlords. They can eliminate enemy armor, wipe out enemy squads, and take out aircraft. And most players do not carry mine detectors so the moment they discover the mines is the moment they blow up.
Anti-Tank Mines
The best way to take out tanks with mines is to skip the AT Mine and instead use a Slam Mine with an Explosive Satchel placed on top of it. The slam mine will cause the satchel to explode. However the satchel will not cause the slam mine to explode.
This Slam+Satchel strategy works great on roads where you know the enemy armor will travel.
Place the Slam mine at an angle across the road, not directly down one direction or the other. This improves effectiveness because the vehicle will be closer to the satchel when detected.
If you can sneak behind OPFOR lines, the following roads are very effective.
- Rodopoli-Anthrakia
- Agios Petros-Telos (Prevents central airport camping)
- Ioannina-Paros
- Bridge between Pyrgos-Dorida
- Bridge between Chalkeia-Panagia
If you sneak behind BLUFOR lines, the following roads are very effective:
- Poliakko-Neochori
- Bridge between Lakka-Airbase
- Agios Dionysios-Lakka
- Poliakko-Theresa
Note: Many players tell me that two large dug-in IEDs next to each other are effective against tanks. I have not played with them as of this article being written.
Anti-Aircraft Mines
Aircraft can be heavily suppressed using the same anti-tank strategy described here. Placing the Slam-Satchel combination on runways will destroy jets that land on those runways when placed in the path properly.
Airplanes don’t typically travel down the middle of runways so it’s important to place the mine on the standard path for auto-pilot.
To remove incoming Blufor aircraft place mines at:
- Central Airbase East Runway with mines placed middle of the west side of the runway. Mines should be placed as south as you can, 20 meters or so apart
- Central Airbase West Runway in the middle of the runway as far south as you can get them, 20 meter or more spacing
- AAC Airport as far north as you can mid runway. Place slam mines facing both directions with a satchel on top, all on top of eachother. Run in to the blue zone to place, or use the AI as described in the following section
To remove incoming Opfor aircraft place mines at:
- Selakano Airport near the North end of the runway, before the roadway, East side of center line
- Molos Airport south side of the zone to the west side of center (See the following section for instructions on how to do this)
- Central Airbase East Runway with mines placed middle of the west side of the runway. Mines should be placed as south as you can, 20 meters or so apart (this is less effective than for Blufor because Redfor players tend to be more experienced and adjust to mines more quickly)
Defending A Sector With Mines
Mines take some time to deploy, so by the time the enemy targets a sector, it is often too late to be very effective. Get a sector ahead for mine placement.
Note: Friendly players are often ignorent to the red triangle that shows up on their screen and will drive right over the mines you place. When placing mines, communicate with your team to help them not run them over. It seems stupid, but this will save your team a lot of CP.
When choosing the type of mine and placement for best defense, be thoughtful.
If there is a central road, place several Slam-Satchel combinations along the way.
If there is a corridor that players will take to clear the sector, place AP mines there. These are also great places for automatic turrets and marksman overwatch.
Placing Mines In Enemy Zones
Your AI can place mines and your AI can enter enemy zones. So, get an AI with a backpack and stand them next to the Explosives box to manage their inventory and put mines in the backpack.
Then, get the unit in to the enemy sector, command them to face the direction you want the slam mine to point (Use the engage menu) and then use the Action menu to order them to place the mine.