Skirmisher Levy

From Warbirth Wiki

In game[edit | edit source]

Leves-kc.png
Skirmisher Levy — Vital statistics

Light melee infantry with slow but powerful, armour-piercing attack. Ideal for attacking buildings and large units, especially war elephants, siege weapons and chariots.

  • Strong versus unarmed units, siege weapons and missile units with low accuracy or rate of fire
  • Weak versus military units, especially heavy cavalry.
Prereq: Build time HP LOS Attack Attack speed Movement
speed
Upgrades to
31px Military
3.3s
(50t)
50 5 19 4.7s
(71t)
26
Halberdiers
Cost Created from Armour Weapon range Specialty
Base Ramp Pop
Food.jpg: 30;
Timber.jpg: 10
Food.jpg: 3;
Timber.jpg: 1
1 Steph Barbarian 2.png 1 1-5
  • Fast and cheap to create.
  • Cannot resist attrition.
  • Cannot be directly selected using the mouse.

Roundel ark.png Roundel knaan.png Roundel teresh.png Roundel othala.png Roundel celtic.png Roundel yin.png Roundel zhou.png Roundel s3ba.png Roundel phrygia.png Roundle qmt.png Roundel s3ba.png Roundel ord.png Lauburu.png Roundel korea.png Roundel bharat.png

Overall strategy[edit | edit source]

While they may seem to be weak and defenceless, do not underestimate Skirmisher Levy units. Naked and seemingly defenceless against melee they may be, yet the salvoes they carry, short-ranged as they are, are highly effective and very deadly, especially if used against heavily armoured units. Skirmisher Levy do not count as archers but instead are considered by the system as a "ranged melee unit" -- if such a terminology would make any sense. So the debuffs and perks associated with ranged units do not apply to them.

That does not make them any less important, however, for any civs that can train them. For one thing, they are cheap and fast to create, and can be used to great effect, peppering and destroying more heavily armoured units at short range. Supported properly they can be an unspeakable force, being capable of tearing up a melee line in anticipation of the kill. For this reason, use far-ranged units, like Archers or Medium Chariots to engage them, or charge in with melee weapons to destroy them.

Not all factions rely on Skirmisher Levy units, however, and there are sometimes better units around if you seek them out. Most prominent of them all are the Zhou Crossbow Infantry — these units are by far have the greatest propensity for armour piercing attacks, even if they don't fire very frequently. In addition, there are a slew of javelin-equipped units, ranging from ragtag mercenaries to Light Chariots and Javelin Cavalry, who have the same sort of attack, but combine it with various tactical and strategic parameters, forming different options for use other than Skirmisher Levies, but they, like Crossbow Infantry, can't be raised from a Settlement in times of need.

See also[edit | edit source]

  • Levy Crossbowmen
  • Slingers

Notes[edit | edit source]

Factions that train both javelineer and slinger mercs in the early game of Age of Empires don't get these units or the Peasant Hovel.

Age of Empires:

3 different Skirmisher Levies -

  • Asian, Malay - copy Chinese
  • Arab - use Indian/Arab from Rise of Kings.
  • NA -copy Rise of Kings mediaeval version and see what happens. Copy in Celtic units or create new units, with Germanic lozenge shields, if it doesn;'t work.
  • European - bring in Super7700's Akontistai?


Chinese Skirmisher Levies should use Bows, where possible.

Raiders?

  • Only available for Age of Chariots / Rise of the Ancients