Libyan Chieftain

"At its head marched around ten to twenty horsemen, one of whom, wearing a white mantle, was sitting on his horse as on a bench, both his legs on the left side of the animal." — Boleslaw Prus, Pharaoh (cap 43)

In game

Libyan Chieftain — Vital statistics
	Light melee cavalry, cheap to create and capable of good speed and flexibility Strong versusmissile infantry, missile cavalry Weak versus cavalry, melee infantry
Prereq:	Build time	HP	LOS	Attack	Attack speed	Movement speed	Upgrades to
[2]	9.3s (139t)	86	4	12	1.6s (35t)	31
Cost			Created from	Armour	Weapon range	Specialty
Base	Ramp	Pop
: 80; : 50	: 5	1		1	Melee	Bonus damage versus light infantry. Attack penalties versus enemy camels and elephants. Can charge.

Overall strategy

The Libyan Chieftain is in essence a light cavalry unit that can be trained without the need of a Corral. He is slightly costlier and weaker, but can be trained faster as he is a mercenary, and functions well as an early game melee cavalry unit for use against light infantry, and to a certain extent, chariots. Libyan Chieftains are best used en masse for shock effect, but should be kept away from other cavalry-type units whereso possible, not to mention spear units. The Libyan Chieftain is one of the few sword cavalry units in the game, and for this reason is highly proficient in the role of modern light cavalry.

In Age of Empires, Libyan Chieftains can be upgraded to become Berber Chieftains, which are far more efficient as cavalry units, and capable of killing both Berber and Libyan units alike.

See also

• Libyan Spearmen
• Libyan Skirmishers