# Indian elephants should get stampede mode, change my mind **URL:** \ **Category:** III - Discussion\ **Created:** [September 27, 2026, 8:51am UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/indian-elephants-should-get-stampede-mode-change-my-mind/290009 "2026-09-27T08:51:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ekdal1378](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/ekdal1378/32/34504_2.png) [@Ekdal1378](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/Ekdal1378)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2026, 8:51am UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/indian-elephants-should-get-stampede-mode-change-my-mind/290009/1 "2026-09-27T08:51:03Z")
If winged hussars, a 3 pop unit with a charged attack and arsenal upgrades, can get it India, which has no massable canons, no arsenal and not anti mass infantry unit (rockets depend on XP) should have it. My propousal is a new monastery tech after Crushing Force in order to not make it too strong. It would help eles a lot since they have a horrible pathfinding and are easily focused by infantry. Of course stampede has to be nerf to not cut trees and not work during treaty time. Dreaming is free ---
**Author:** ![coffeeco01](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/coffeeco01/32/29258_2.png) [@coffeeco01](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/coffeeco01)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2026, 9:41am UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/indian-elephants-should-get-stampede-mode-change-my-mind/290009/2 "2026-09-27T09:41:54Z")
could be interesting, tbh i still dont know what is the real difference between stampede and trample which all units already have, is the only real difference that they also deal damage while moving? would be interesting to see how it interacts with the greater damage thing cause if the mahouts ends up doing too much damage which it might just kill itself instantly edit: looking at the tactics file it does look like the stampede mode is just trample with a small tuck tuck tuck attack added along side it which deals 10 dmage are 1 rof with 2 aoe ---
**Author:** ![JordiGarLee](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/jordigarlee/32/162587_2.png) [@JordiGarLee](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/JordiGarLee)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2026, 3:54pm UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/indian-elephants-should-get-stampede-mode-change-my-mind/290009/3 "2026-09-27T15:54:26Z")
> [@When should you use TRAMPLE MODE? \[Tested\]](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/when-should-you-use-trample-mode-tested/175457): > > Since this forum by another user [[When is tremple mode of cavalry useful?](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/when-is-tremple-mode-of-cavalry-useful/112182)] pretty much reached a dead end, thought I would bring it up again. [https://ageofempires.fandom.com/wiki/Trample\_damage#Age\_of\_Empires\_III](https://ageofempires.fandom.com/wiki/Trample_damage#Age_of_Empires_III) All present info about this mode. Not much at all… arrow_forward Part 0 - What is known When active, it: Decreases melee attack. Grants/melee attack aoe (Area of effect). Decreases melee attack speed. Decreases unit speed. Makes the unit receive damage f… The whole trample/stampede thing was buffed at some point, but not enough to be used on a regular basis. It’s so niche you only really use it in 1 out of 10 games. - Taking out 1hp militia - Dispatching strelet/chu ko nu FAST at the cost of the cavalry (Maybe could save a composition) - Desperate attempt to make HIGH damage when you are most certainly going to lose cavalry (Surrounded by pikemen, set to trample, let them do aoe to as many as you can before they kill all cavalry) > [@coffeeco01](#): > > is the only real difference that they also deal damage while moving? Seems to be the case. When you use either on a unit that already has aoe, it just increases it further (it still slows down all else), but watch out, some units don’t get the extra stat. > [@coffeeco01](#): > > it might just kill itself instantly That’s why it’s not as used, it’s not worth the aoe to reduce overkill when your unit’s health drops to nothing too. ---
**Author:** ![Quirriff](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/quirriff/32/66356_2.png) [@Quirriff](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/Quirriff)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2026, 11:01pm UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/indian-elephants-should-get-stampede-mode-change-my-mind/290009/4 "2026-09-27T23:01:37Z")
a true stampede mode is a thunderous cavalry change done by true heavy cavalry, bred with with their fear removed. elephants are all wild animals… ---
**Author:** ![M00Z1LLA](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/m00z1lla/32/104042_2.png) [@M00Z1LLA](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/M00Z1LLA)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2026, 11:13pm UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/indian-elephants-should-get-stampede-mode-change-my-mind/290009/5 "2026-09-27T23:13:10Z")
> [@Quirriff](#): > > a true stampede mode is a thunderous cavalry change done by true heavy cavalry, bred with with their fear removed. That’s literally the opposite of a stampede. Stampedes are driven by fear and panic. And Elephants were notorious for stampeding, often into their own side’s ranks. ---
**Author:** ![coffeeco01](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/coffeeco01/32/29258_2.png) [@coffeeco01](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/coffeeco01)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2026, 1:51am UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/indian-elephants-should-get-stampede-mode-change-my-mind/290009/6 "2026-09-28T01:51:02Z")
Yeah so tbh outside of very niche cases i dont think mahouts are a good candidate for stampede mode considering that for the most part if they make contact with skirms and stuff they already chew through them so fast that it doesnt matter they are also so bulky that the damage spread isnt very good. ironically with stuff like the royal horseman, winged hussars and shit cause they are smaller that means that they have more distributed surface area for it to take effect. If this was like AOM where large units can sorta push units aside then i think it would be very good since you can just click through massess but in this game a single pike will cause the mahouts to stop and if they cant path they are worse then sitting ducks its not a bad change since its just bonus damage but im not feeling it ---
**Author:** ![Quirriff](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/quirriff/32/66356_2.png) [@Quirriff](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/Quirriff)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2026, 1:52am UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/indian-elephants-should-get-stampede-mode-change-my-mind/290009/7 "2026-09-28T01:52:34Z")
I guess you got me, but words are different from the in game effect. Elephants can’t and won’t behave by charging into enemy lines…unlike warhorses used by heavy cavalry and the polish winged hussars. Elephants cannot be domesticated so certain traits could not be bred for. They be be tamed, guided, coraled…but controlled? No way. ---
**Author:** ![M00Z1LLA](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/m00z1lla/32/104042_2.png) [@M00Z1LLA](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/M00Z1LLA)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2026, 3:14am UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/indian-elephants-should-get-stampede-mode-change-my-mind/290009/8 "2026-09-28T03:14:04Z")
> [@Quirriff](#): > > Elephants can’t and won’t behave by charging into enemy lines What exactly do you think war elephants did on the battlefield? They’d be kind of useless if they didn’t do exactly what you’re saying they can’t. And even if you were right, the mechanic being proposed here is stampede damage, not a charged attack. ---
**Author:** ![MatM1996](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/matm1996/32/29566_2.png) [@MatM1996](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/MatM1996)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2026, 5:35am UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/indian-elephants-should-get-stampede-mode-change-my-mind/290009/9 "2026-09-28T05:35:44Z")
> [@coffeeco01](#): > > could be interesting, tbh i still dont know what is the real difference between stampede and trample which all units already have, is the only real difference that they also deal damage while moving? It would be an ability like the one in the Delhi siege scenario… for example, you activate it for one second to devastate your enemies and run them over, but on the other hand, you can’t use your elephants during this ability, since they become Gaia units capable of destroying all units around them, both friendly, allied, and enemy…🤷‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![M00Z1LLA](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/m00z1lla/32/104042_2.png) [@M00Z1LLA](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/M00Z1LLA)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2026, 4:15pm UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/indian-elephants-should-get-stampede-mode-change-my-mind/290009/10 "2026-09-28T16:15:25Z")
Elephants should have the ability, but it doesn’t need to be restricted behind a Monastery tech. Rather this should just be something inherent to all elephant units. A small amount of stampede damage wouldn’t be game breaking but could help offset the poor pathing of bulky units and would be thematic. Making this the schtick for elephant units makes a lot more sense than arbitrarily giving to the random units that have it now. Royal Horsemen are supposed to be bodyguards that protect those nearby but with this they stomp on everything nearby. And Winged Hussars have so many other abilities going on that they arguably don’t need another thing to complicate them. ---
**Author:** ![M00Z1LLA](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/m00z1lla/32/104042_2.png) [@M00Z1LLA](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/M00Z1LLA)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2026, 4:34pm UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/indian-elephants-should-get-stampede-mode-change-my-mind/290009/11 "2026-09-28T16:34:34Z")
> [@coffeeco01](#): > > ironically with stuff like the royal horseman, winged hussars and shit cause they are smaller that means that they have more distributed surface area for it to take effect. Then increase the AoE for elephants to compensate for the bigger hitbox. ---
**Author:** ![Ekdal1378](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/ekdal1378/32/34504_2.png) [@Ekdal1378](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/Ekdal1378)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2026, 5:44am UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/indian-elephants-should-get-stampede-mode-change-my-mind/290009/12 "2026-09-29T05:44:42Z")
Maybe we should check their effectiveness via mods, I guess spammable 2 pop flail eles may be too much idk