Long Shield Cavalry (RTW Unit)

Long Shield Cavalry (RTW Unit)
Class	Heavy Cavalry
Unit Size	108
Weaponry	Spear, Sword
Morale	8
Melee Attack	9
Ranged Attack	N/A
Defence	13
Charge Bonus	6
Accuracy	N/A
Range	N/A
Ammunition	N/A
Region	Global
Recruitment Cost	510
Upkeep Cost	140
Turns to Build	1
Unit Limit	None
Building Requirements	Warlord's Stables
Technology Requirements	None
Attributes	Can hide in woods

Long shield cavalry are spear-armed light cavalry, who can be used to break enemy formations, drive off skirmishers and pursue fleeing foes.

Overview

Long shield cavalry are spear-armed light cavalry, who can be used to break enemy formations, drive off skirmishers and pursue fleeing foes. This makes them a flexible and powerful force for any commander to have under his hand. They can also fight effectively in melee after a charge, as they carry swords of the falcata design. These are cunningly balanced so that the weight is towards the tip of the sword, giving a powerful cutting blow. Against spearmen, however, they can be at a disadvantage.

Details

Long Shield Cavalry effectively replace Round Shield Cavalry as they are better in every way. They have high morale for light cavalry so they are useful for smashing into enemies from the flank and chasing routers. They provide decent support for heavy cavalry as well due to their morale they can hang tough even when outmatched.

They are rather similar to Roman Cavalry, with a higher attack and morale but lower defense and stamina. This makes them very useful medium cavalry that can crush lighter troops even from the front. Because of their superior stats they don't need support from a generals bodyguard nearly as much as Round Shield Cavalry, although the two still work together very well, with the general charging first and the Long Shields providing the support to break the enemy.

These are the best cavalry that Spain and Numidia can recruit. While Carthage gets Sacred Band Cavalry, they require a Huge City with the largest stables, making Long Shields the main cavalry force until very late in the campaign.