Hoplitai

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“He ordered the Greeks to form their lines and take their positions just as they were accustomed to do for battle, each general marshalling his own men. So they formed the line four deep, Menon and his troops occupying the right wing, Clearchus and his troops the left, and the other generals the centre.”

Xenophon, Anabasis (Bk I)

In game[edit | edit source]

Spartan WBI.png
Hoplitai — Vital statistics

Greek unique spear unit which replaces Heavy Spearmen in AoC, RoA; and Warriors for AoE and Alexander. Heavily armed but slow-moving unit that bests all other units in close-up encounters.

Prereq: Build time HP LOS Attack Attack speed Movement
speed
Upgrade of

None.

6s
(90t)
235 7 17 2.2s
(32t)
17
Argivespear2.blend.png l Hspear1 wbi.png
(AoC, RoA only)
Cost Created from Armour Weapon range Specialty
Base Ramp Pop
Food.jpg: 50;
Metal.png: 30
Food.jpg: 2;
Metal.png: 2
1 Barraccks wbi.jpg 4 Melee
  • Strong versus cavalry
  • Defensive penalty versus ranged units
  • Small attack penalty versus buildings.
Roundel hellenic.png

Overall strategy[edit | edit source]

While not as heavily armoured nor as powerful as the Greek Long Spearmen that they replace, these units still pack a punch — they have better armour than Heavy Spearmen or Warriors, and so give the Helladic factions (Achaeans, Greeks, Greece) a powerful heavy infantry unit that can overpower other enemy melee units - especially cavalry and other spear units - in melee encounters. Like most units from Rise of Nations' heavy infantry class, however, they are still vulnerable, especially to units with long range such as bowmen and slingers, and thus are best supported by units with ranged attacks, or have good mobility, such as Horse Raiders or Light Cavalry.

In battles against cavalry (save missile horse, or war elephants) Hoplitai are the best counter, using their large shields and long spears to fend off attacks by enemy cavalry. Yet although these units are the penultimate unit in Age of Chariots and Rise of the Ancients, in Age of Empires (and the New World Empires chapter, Alexander) they however aren't the most powerful units out there. While in Alexander, the Tyrrhenoi must content themselves with using them as their main frontline unit, the Greek nations (with one famous exception) are endowed with the option of upgrading them later a more powerful unit (of the same name; this unit's clone in Alexander is called the promakhoi or "frontliner"). Only Lacedaemon doesn't need to upgrade them, since they train Homoioi instead. A similar issue is also present in Age of Empires — while fairly powerful, Hoplitai are soon outclassed as the game progresses, and other factions start training more powerful or cheaper heavy infantry units (or counter-units) as a result.

Unit summary[edit | edit source]

  • In Age of

Notes[edit | edit source]

Under HQC: Originally cost only 2f, 1m, and could be trained in just 2 seconds (30t).

This unit is the Hoplite unit of Age of Chariots and Rise of the Ancients. In Alexander it appears as the Promakhoi (Greek, "frontliners") — a heavy unit that sooner or later must be upgraded to Hoplitai in the Classical Age.

See also[edit | edit source]

History[edit | edit source]

The predominate Greek soldier of antiquity was the Hoplite, named after the great round shield he carried into battle. Hoplites wore helmets, leg armor, and chest armor, and carried a great long spear. They fought in dense columns with the spear points from several ranks projecting out from the formation. They thus presented a formidable block bristling with spears held above the shoulder. In battle they would close with the enemy as a pushing wall of shields, stabbing with their spears over the shields. Men behind would push those in front and stab over them. This fighting was face-to-face and terrifying, requiring high skill and discipline. Battles were usually short but deadly. Before the rise of the Hoplite, most army fighting had been more long-range archery and posturing. The Greeks made war personal and intense, and Hoplites dominated ancient battlefields for centuries.

References[edit | edit source]