Dagger-Axemen

In game

Dagger-Axemen — Vital statistics
Axemen	Light melee infantry with slow but powerful splash melee attack. Ideal for infantry but weak against cavalry. Strong versus light and assault infantry, especially missile units with low accuracy or rate of fire Weak versus melee units, especially heavy cavalry.
Prereq:	Build time	HP	LOS	Attack	Attack speed	Movement speed	Upgrades to
31px Military	8s (120t)	100	4	23	2.3s (34t)	22
Cost			Created from	Armour	Weapon range	Specialty
Base	Ramp	Pop
: 20; : 10	: 1	1		2	Melee	Defensive bonus versus light missile units. +1 splash damage radius. Damage penalty versus horse and camel cavalry. Replaces .

Overall strategy

Replacing Skirmisher Levies for Shang, Choson and Zhou, Dagger-Axemen are armed with the vicious dagger-axe, a mattock-like weapon that can be used to bludgeon and crush, and is highly proficient for swarming enemy infantry. They are in effect a form of "Heavy Slinger" that however is armed with a melee weapon, not a ranged one, and thus are proficient in anti-infantry combat.

Because they are not armed with javelins, they are not that proficient at attacking elephants or chariots, but that is not their main task — rather, they are better of being tasked at being trained in large groups and drawing javelins and other salvos from your chariots, before closing in and causing mayhem with their powerful dagger-axes. Combined together, the sweep of their weapons can create untold misery especially if they are backed up by a Red patriot (eg Strongman, Warlord or Monarch).

As a result, these units are not defensive units — you should rely instead on Light Axemen, Spearmen, Bowmen and (early on) Renegade Halberdiers to "hold a line" and then use these cheap units primarily for infantry fights, or in support of other melee units in prolonged encounters. If you are playing as Zhou (or the Chinese in Rise of the Ancients) upgrade them to Halberdiers as quickly as possible so that you don't have to rely so much on the costly Renegade Halberdiers, as Halberdiers do not have an attack penalty against horse or camel cavalry of any kind.