Spearman

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Introduction

The Spearman is the most straight-forward example of a counter unit. Its normal combat stats are terrible, but it has a huge bonus versus cavalry. Therefore, it is an ideal unit to counter scout rushes or knight rushes, especially due to its cheap cost. However, while it’s faster than the militia line, savvy players can outrun spearmen with their cavalry, so spearmen must be used intelligently to cleanly counter such rushes. In all, spearmen see a fair bit more use than the Man-at-Arms. Since it only costs food and wood, the spearmen line are commonly considered trash units along with skirmishers and light cavalry because they are the only affordable units after the gold on the map has run out.

Overview

In-Game Description: Medium infantry. Attack bonus vs. cavalry, especially War Elephants.

History from the Game Manual: The medium infantry of medieval armies were often spearmen wearing half-armor, usually a helmet and
armor on the upper body. As the Middle Ages advanced, the role of the spearman became more important.
Armies learned to employ large formations of spearmen as a counter to heavy cavalry attacks because horses
would not charge home against a bristling wall of spear points. Spearmen were most effective when emulating
the ancient Greek phalanx, a dense box of men that could extend several spear points in a chosen direction. As
towns grew in importance toward the end of the period, they fielded large contingents of trained spearmen.
These were very effective in battle for the cost of their equipment and training. Spearmen were originally
deployed in a defensive posture, but the best of the spearman armies, such as the Swiss, Scots, and Flemish,
learned to maneuver and take the offensive.

Civ Bonuses and Upgrades

Statistics

Note: Click on a column header to sort the list by the selected column. Click on the Icon column header to return the table to its default state. The other units in its unit line are included for comparison.

Standard Statistics

Advanced Statistics

Civ Availability