The Swiss vanguard and Bernese main body combine

After losing its commander and guns, the imperial army initially gives ground as Conrad's roughly 2,000-man vanguard penetrates the camp. Imperial infantry eventually organizes and begins to press the smaller Swiss force back, though it is unclear who assumed command after Fürstenberg's death. The 3,000-strong Bernese main body then arrives at the decisive moment. The vanguard falls back into this larger formation rather than remaining isolated and destroyed. Imperial heavy cavalry offers little help: many are dispersed raiding, and of the roughly 400 still present, most prefer robbing the dead to supporting the line. Fixed artillery aimed at Dornach Castle cannot be redirected. The battle therefore becomes an infantry contest in which imperial numbers cannot compensate for weaker cohesion and leadership.