Velite Gladiator (RTW unit)
Velite gladiators are more than mere light infantrymen - they are superb individual fighters, unmatched by any ordinary warriors.
Overview
Velite gladiators are more than mere light infantrymen - they are superb individual fighters, unmatched by any ordinary warriors. They fight wearing little armor - their lot in life isn't always to live through a fight, but to die in an entertaining manner. The style of the velite is one that uses only a spear and shield combination, relying on natural agility to avoid injury and death.
Gladiators are used in battle as a specialized elite, one that cares little for personal safety - the only way to attain freedom is through victory! Gladiators, after all, are part of the damnati: the disgraced, the condemned, and the untouchables in society. There is nowhere else for them to go.
Details
Gladiators are soldiers with high morale and considerable skill on the battlefield despite their smaller unit size. The House of the Brutii can recruit Velite Gladiators from the Arena, and they are armed with a spear and shield. Although called “Velite Gladiators” these soldiers do not have any missile weapons. Since Samnite Gladiators that the Julii and Senate can recruit are from the Amphitheater and Mirmillo Gladiators of the Scipii from the Coliseum, Velite Gladiators are definitively the cheapest and most accessible gladiator in Rome: Total War.
Their lower requirements make them the best choice since their stats are almost as good as the others. The fact that they are Spearmen also lets them fill an important anti-cavalry role, against infantry, however, it is better to stick with the Legionaries.