War Chariot

From Warbirth Wiki

In game[edit | edit source]

Hvchar-TaP.png
War Chariot — Vital statistics

Chariot cavalry. Very weak in melee, but immensely powerful if used against melee targets whilst attacking while moving.

Prereq: Build time HP LOS Attack Attack speed Movement
speed
Upgrades to

None.

15s
(225t)
195 9 23 1.67s
(25t)
30 Machimoi Hippeis | Iberian Rider
Cost Created from Armour Weapon range Specialty
Base Ramp Pop
Timber: 60;
Wealth.jpg: 40
Timber: 1;
Wealth.jpg: 1
2

Stable.png

10 0–12
  • Attack debuff versus buildings, heavy cavalry.
  • Defence debuff versus long spears, pikes, elephants.
  • Can attack enemies while moving.
Roundle qmt.png Roundel carthage.png

Overall strategy[edit | edit source]

While War Chariots can be mighty units, capable of commanding the battlefield early on with their good HP, armour, and offensive parameters, they are also costly, requiring one extra Pop cap space as opposed to just one for horse archer or heavy horse cav units. Equally, they also suffer from the same issues that chariot units all have in Warbirth - they are susceptible to heavy projectile weapons, such as crossbow bolts and javelins, and are insta-killed regardless of their armour if they ride too close to pike units, be they Han Pikemen or Phalangitai.

So as a result, you should always keep them mobile in the field, and away from enemy crossbows and pikes at any cost, until you can begin upgrading them to better units. Fortunately, Egypt and Carthage both have two choices: Iberian Riders, and Machimoi Hippeis. While clearly not as powerful as a single chariot, they are still cheap enough to be produced in vast numbers.

See also[edit | edit source]

Notes[edit | edit source]

These units are highly anachronistic in their portrayal in the Age of Empires submod chapter: for a better depiction of what chariots in Punic armies were like, consider playing New World Empires: Alexander, or Kings & Conquerors: The Wolf Among Lions.