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HomeHome / Total War: Rome II / Aorsoi (Imperator Augustus) / Units / Steppe Noble Lancers
Steppe Noble Lancers Aorsoi (Imperator Augustus)Aorsoi (Imperator Augustus) Shock Cavalry

Steppe Noble Lancers

Keen lances are deadly in the hands of those bred for war.

Developed from the cavalry skills of their ancestors, the steppe lancers of the Scythian, or Saka, tribes and the Sarmatians were a type of heavy cavalry comparable to their Hellenic counterparts. They wore scale armour to protect themselves and their mounts, and used a long lance known as a kontos. This enabled them to deliver devastating charges in a fashion comparable to the Alexandrian Companion cavalry. The scale armour was made from horn, or later metal, and allowed the wearers to run down their western counterparts. They were still vulnerable to dense pike or spear-armed formations. Archery provided a solution: sustained volleys from skirmishing foot and horse archers were used to thin and spread out the enemy. At the Battle of Carrhae in 53BC, the tightly-packed Roman infantry were forced to spread out by Parthian archers, which enabled their cataphracts to charge and break an overconfident Roman force four times their number.

Steppe Noble Lancers Steppe Noble Lancers Steppe Noble Lancers Steppe Noble Lancers Steppe Noble Lancers Steppe Noble Lancers Steppe Noble Lancers Steppe Noble Lancers Steppe Noble Lancers
Steppe Noble Lancers

Unit Name

Steppe Noble Lancers

Main Unit Key

Ste_Noble_Lancers

Land Unit Key

Ste_Noble_Lancers

Naval Unit Key

barbarian_transport_small

Soldiers

80

Category

Cavalry

Class

Shock Cavalry

Custom Battle Cost

750

Recruitment Cost

750

Upkeep Cost

130

Melee Attack

46

Weapon Damage

25

├ Melee Weapon

rome_lance

├ Melee Damage Base

14

├ Melee Damage Ap

11

├ Armour Piercing

No

├ Bonus vs. Large

10

├ Bonus vs Elephants

10

└ Bonus vs Infantry

0

Charge Bonus

76

Melee Defence

21

├ Base Defence

21

├ Shield

none

└ Shield Defence

0

Armour

40

├ Armour

scale

├ Armour Defence

40

└ Shield Armour

0

Health

95

├ Man Entity

rome_infantry_very_heavy

├ Man Health

45

├ Bonus Hit Points

15

├ Mount

rome_scythian_horse_lance_vh

├ Mount Entity

rome_horse_very_heavy_shock

└ Mount Health

35

Base Morale

60

Abilities

No Ability

Attributes

  • Hide (forest)
    This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.
  • Resistant to Cold
    This unit tires less quickly in snow.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Light Transport
  • Very poor hull strength
  • Very slow speed
  • Weak ramming
Steppe Noble Lancers
  • Very good charge
  • Low damage but average armour penetration
  • Weak in prolonged melee
  • Good morale
Requires Buildings
Steppe Noble Lancers Lv. 0 Bronze Forge
Bronze Forge
(barb_artisan_bronze_3)
Level 2
Bronze Furnace
Bronze Furnace
(barb_artisan_bronze_4)
Level 3
Garrison Buildings
Steppe Noble Lancers x 2 Bronze Forge
Bronze Forge
(barb_artisan_bronze_3)
Level 2
Bronze Furnace
Bronze Furnace
(barb_artisan_bronze_4)
Level 3