Superior Line Infantry (ETW Unit)
The reputation of these elite soldiers and the example they set provides encouragement to comrades nearby.
Overview
These men are a cut above the average line infantry regiment and they are often the lynchpin of a commander’s battle strategy. The presence of such men in the line of battle is enough to lift the hearts of all those around them, strengthening their determination to resist any enemy. A general can be confident that these men will hold, and he can base the rest of his strategy around that fact.
The factors which lead a regiment to acquire an exalted position within its country’s military are hard to define: training and skill play their part, but in the main it is physical and mental endurance that keeps good men fighting even when the tide of battle is against them. A lucky few carry such strength within themselves, but others derive it from the proud martial traditions of their regiment. In Europe, the famous ‘vieux’ and ‘petits-vieux’ regiments of France have centuries of such history to call upon, whilst the various deeds of the British Coldstream Guards and Black Watch regiments reinforce the natural grit of the men in their ranks.
Details
Superior line infantry are available to Prussia and Sweden, in sufficiently upgraded recruitment centers. They have a 15 unit cap and will utilize platoon firing unless it is not researched. They have superior statistics to regular line infantry, but are inferior to Life Guards. However, they are available much earlier than guards and their variants, and so can be used as an earlier substitute for elite infantry. Since they have the opportunity to use Fire By Rank (unlike guards, which are only available after researching Platoon Firing) it is possible to use superior line infantry as a much superior substitute for line infantry.