Celts vs Norse mass TA

[Hacsa]

I'm having a real hard time playing vs norse mass TA.
As Celts, what can I do in age 2 to beat this?? Mass slinger + druids?
If yes, how many.

I'm reading the guide made by Andy Pierce and here what it says:
"
○ Defending Norse and Their Damn, Dirty Throwing Axeman

Norse Throwing Axeman pose a particularly difficult match-up for Celts. Throwing Axemen are
infantry who have armor and bonuses against both infantry and ranged units. Ideally, they
should be countered by anti-infantry cavalry.
But Celt has no such unit and can’t even make a Stable until Age 3.
I have seen a few theories on dealing with Throwing Axemen, all of which involve a healthy
complement of Druids: (1) outpop them with infantry, (2) kite them with slingers, (3) race to Age
3 for Bowmen and Forts, and (4) pray to god until you can spam Horsemen.
No matter what, nothing is easy for Celt v. Norse, and you are probably going to try everything a
few times before you find something remotely promising.

Since it is hard to find a consensus on the forum, the best I can do is this:
■ No matter what, start with a Double Rax TC. The question is whether in
Age 2 you focus on infantry or whether you jump to Age 3 for Fast
Fortress into Bowmen/Druid Ball.
■ For the love of all things holy, scout.
■ If your enemy is aggressive (big army, multiple Barracks before 2nd TC,
etc.), then you need to hunker down in Age 2.
■ On maps that are large or open, focus on Longswords. But beware
that their advantage is greatest when the armies are small.
■ On maps that are small or have narrow aisles, focus on
Slinger/Druid kiting. But beware that slingers aren’t effective until
you have a bunch (more than 10). The more the better.
■ If your enemy is initially passive (mining stone), it could be either a fast
2nd TC or a Tower Rush.
■ If fast 2nd TC, then do Fast Fortress into Bowmen/Druid ball.
■ If Tower Rush, fight it off with spears with longswords and druids
mixed in."

I was told to turtle until age 3 BUT, their the Norse. They can push with towers.

Please, I need some light about this.

 

[WiriWout]

What i posted in the pvp discord:

You can play more longsword heavy and rely on good raids/ positioning to deal with the ta ball. They have low hp and no armour, so with a good position LS slice through them. Or you can play more slinger heavy, with maybe an earlier age 3 for bowmenor some horsemen. Always mix in druids.
What style you prefer depends on your playstyle, map, opponent etc.

 

[Ardeshir]

Don't forget that you can probably get away with raiding with your spears if he's pushing super aggressively and delaying TCs and stables in favour of towers and forward raxes, as they're your pre A3 raiding unit, and he's going to need to get war dogs or cavs to catch them. I keep kicking myself for not playing a much better hit-and-run game against norse (and on them too, war dogs are sick) to make up for their tower and TA fighting power. If you don't think you have the opportunity to take a good fight, either because he's got a much better unit count, or you can't get him away from towers if he already has them, can't get good surrounds for whatever reason, or you doubt you can stall til you get seige, you need to create opportunity. Obviously the other civs, and particularly mirror norse have better tools for this pre A3, but dont discount the speed and disposability of your spears. Be mindful that as long as you have a woodline and can defend your golds, having your berries and outer hunts overrun isn't *as* big a problem on the civ that makes their own deer.