combo archer/infantry unit?

[Iasonis]

Does anyone know of an infantry unit that had both capabilities of ranged and have the ability to stand in the front lines, something like the ottomans of the middle ages had? A ranged unit wearing chainmail or something more substantial than the quilted tunics of the persians? Were there any units like this during EB's time frame? Im hoping for middle eastern/north african origin.

[Fluvius Camillus]

Closest would be:

- Archer spearmen
- Kretan Archers
- Bosphorans
- Also Numidian Archers have AP clubs

Still there are a lot better units for the front lines.

~Fluvius

[Macilrille]

You forgot Medininkas Fluvius, bur you will get to know them now that you play Sweboz ;-)

[WinsingtonIII]

If you're specifically looking for a middle eastern archer wearing armor, then Toxotai Syriakoi (Syrian Archers) are your best bet. They have 9 armor (for reference, that is one more than Pantodapoi Phalangitai and one less than Theurophoroi) which is fairly respectable, especially for an archer, but it still places them squarely in the "medium" category I would say in terms of armor. They are certainly not a "heavy" unit, although they are heavy for an archer unit. I believe they are armored in scale, although I am not entirely sure, and they carry a small buckler shield and wear a helmet, so they are certainly better equipped for melee than most archers. However, in my opinion, they are far better archers than they are melee soldiers, and placing them in the front and allowing them to take a charge seems a waste of their capabilities to me. Morale wise they are average (11 morale), so they will hold decently for a while, but the swords they carry are short swords with a low 0.1 lethality, so they will have trouble killing many enemies in melee. Since they do not have spears they will also have trouble with cavalry, which is problematic in the East. My opinion is use them as archers, not as melee troops, but that's just my opinion and I think you should still try the tactic. I would be curious to hear how the Syrian Archer front line works out.

There are archer spearmen units that you could use for this purpose, as they will repulse cavalry better. However, they are poorly armored, Persian Archer-Spearmen only have 2 armor and a low 8 morale, so don't expect them to hold for too long against decent enemy troops. That said, they can still occasionally surprise you and be quite effective in melee when you need them to be.

The single best melee archer in the game is certainly the Thureopherontes Toxotai (Bosphoran Heavy Archers), they have 10 armor and 11 morale, plus a small shield and helmet. But most importantly for melee purposes, they have a 0.225 lethality Skythian longsword, which means that they are actually quite effective at killing enemies in melee. However, they are not a middle eastern unit but rather a Hellenic/Skythian fusion unit, so they may not be what you are looking for.

[bobbin]

I recall ages back Moros talking on the twitter feed about working on a elite armoured infantry unit armed with a bow and either a longsword or spear.

[antisocialmunky]

Indian Longbowmen have AP axeswords of complete death.

[seienchin]

Indian Longbowmen have AP axeswords of complete death.

Yes they can not only hold a line, but bucher enemy units. Complete overkill. Can destroy phalangitai from the side. They are one of the units that seems rather gimmicky. But I love them

[Moros]

I recall ages back Moros talking on the twitter feed about working on a elite armoured infantry unit armed with a bow and either a longsword or spear.

yes, they should do the trick in almost every case.

[bobbin]

I really love multipurpose infantry hence heavy archers that are capable of fighting on the front lines are a favorite of mine. Cant wait to see them

two small questions you could answer if you so wish:
Are they a redesign of an existing unit like the Bosporan archers or a completely new unit?
What faction/factions will get them?, I'm thinking they are possibly for Saba given thats your main area but I imagine the Bosporans or Baktria would be likely to have similar units as well.

[Moros]

1) What on earth gave you the idea I know the awser to such a question.
2) The xiognu of course!

[satalexton]

The Xiongnu were a horrible pain, but were their influence that high during 272 BC? I thought they were still merely a 'localized' threat for the warring states (somewhat kept at bay by the growing Qin and the Zhao)...

[anubis88]

The Xiongnu were a horrible pain, but were their influence that high during 272 BC? I thought they were still merely a 'localized' threat for the warring states (somewhat kept at bay by the growing Qin and the Zhao)...

I think Moros was sarcastic.... Thi Xiongu were mentioned lots of times, but never for real








as always

[Iasonis]

Wow, i used 20 units Syrian archers on a small hill vs a regular roman polybian army setup with cavalry and it was a slaughter. 3000 plus kills vs 40( i lost maybe 100+ due to friendly fire). As soon as a few of thier units came close enough to engage in melee 20 units of archers fired flaming arrows at the same time, only the triarii lasted more than the first volley lol.

[Cute Wolf]

I Think someone must mention Komatai Agrianai too.. dirt cheap, has hooribly effective volleys (decimate haploi mercilessly), and their longswords can butcher thureophoroi with ease.....

[Andronikos]

I'm thinking they are possibly for Saba given thats your main area but I imagine the Bosporans or Baktria would be likely to have similar units as well.

Yeah, that would be my guess too, especially the Bosphorans, I'm looking forward to see their unit roster, they may be one of the first factions I will try.

I like the idea of heavy archer capable of melee, I believe somebody from AtB team mentioned such units for Indian factions, but that's not on EB map.

[WinsingtonIII]

Wow, i used 20 units Syrian archers on a small hill vs a regular roman polybian army setup with cavalry and it was a slaughter. 3000 plus kills vs 40( i lost maybe 100+ due to friendly fire). As soon as a few of thier units came close enough to engage in melee 20 units of archers fired flaming arrows at the same time, only the triarii lasted more than the first volley lol.

Did any of the Roman units even make it to your lines and engage in melee? Not even the cavalry?

[bobbin]

1) What on earth gave you the idea I know the awser to such a question.
2) The xiognu of course!

Oh well, thought I was pushing my luck

Will the Xionghu finally get their Armoured Otter Throwers?