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HomeHome / Total War: Rome II / Massagetae / Units / Missile Raider - Steppe Archers
Missile Raider - Steppe Archers MassagetaeMassagetae Missile Ship

Missile Raider - Steppe Archers

These ships keep a contingent of archers aboard to harry enemy crews.

Men who cannot shoot go hungry on the steppes.

Most of the northern European tribes were not naval powers, but there were still able seafarers to be found amongst them. Shipbuilding techniques were well understood, so while many vessels were small leather-skinned boats for inland and inshore use, bigger sea-going vessels were also made. Shipwrights used heavy planking for hulls, stitched together and then fastened to a wooden skeleton to create sturdy craft able to cope with Atlantic conditions. Julius Caesar was surprised at the quality of the enemy ships when his fleet clashed with the Veneti from modern-day Brittany. The Veneti vessels had flat bottoms to cope with shallows, but were also of heavy oak construction to cope with rough seas. This made them tough opposition for Roman galleys, and capable of shrugging off a ramming attack. Caesar said that the enemy ships "...were constructed of planks a foot in breadth, fastened by iron spikes the thickness of a man's thumb; the anchors were secured fast by iron chains instead of cables”. When the Romans were forced to board, they faced fearsome warriors used to close-quarters fighting at sea.

(Steppe Archers)
Far from being simple, ignorant barbarians, the various steppe tribes had a great cultural wealth. Living in an area stretching from the Caspian Sea to the northern shores of the Black Sea; the Greeks called them 'Scythians' and the Persians 'Saka', while a western group became known as the Sarmatians. Wearing trousers marked them as barbarians as far as the Greeks were concerned, before their tall, pointed caps and swarthy appearances were even considered. Looks apart, they were, however, exceptional horsemen, highly-skilled with composite-recurve bows and deadly hand-to-hand fighters. Grave goods suggest that Scythian women were as warlike as their men, and probably fought alongside them in battle. This may well be the origin of the Greek myths of Amazon warrior women.

Missile Raider - Steppe Archers Missile Raider - Steppe Archers Missile Raider - Steppe Archers Missile Raider - Steppe Archers Missile Raider - Steppe Archers
Missile Raider - Steppe Archers

Unit Name

Missile Raider - Steppe Archers

Main Unit Key

Ste_Archers_Raider

Land Unit Key

Ste_Archers

Naval Unit Key

barbarian_raider_ranged

Soldiers

80

Category

Medium Ship

Class

Missile Ship

Custom Battle Cost

380

Recruitment Cost

380

Upkeep Cost

70

Missile Damage

40

├ Missile Weapon

rome_composite_bow

├ Projectile

arrow_composite

├ Missile Damage

36

├ Missile Ap Damage

4

└ Base Reload Time

12

Accuracy

5

Range

150

Reload

13

Shots Per Minute

6

Ammunition

15

Ship Health

└ Ship

barbarian_raider

Ship Speed

Melee Attack

8

Weapon Damage

24

├ Melee Weapon

rome_shortsword

├ Melee Damage Base

20

├ Melee Damage Ap

4

├ Armour Piercing

No

├ Bonus vs. Large

0

├ Bonus vs Elephants

0

└ Bonus vs Infantry

0

Charge Bonus

3

Melee Defence

12

├ Base Defence

12

├ Shield

none

└ Shield Defence

0

Armour

10

├ Armour

cloth

├ Armour Defence

10

└ Shield Armour

0

Health

45

├ Man Entity

rome_infantry_very_light

├ Man Health

40

└ Bonus Hit Points

5

Base Morale

20

Abilities

Missile Raider
  • Row Hard 10
    Increases speed for 10 strokes.
    Ship speed

Attributes

  • Resistant to Fatigue
    Fatigue has less of an effect on this unit.
  • Hide (scrub & forest)
    This unit can hide in scrub and forest until enemy units get too close.
  • Resistant to Cold
    This unit tires less quickly in snow.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Missile Raider
  • Good hull strength
  • Medium crew
  • Fast speed
  • Weak ramming
  • Poor boarding
  • Good missile combat
Steppe Archers
  • Long range
  • Average rate of fire
  • Good damage but low armour penetration
  • Very weak in melee
  • Very poor morale
Requires Buildings
Missile Raider - Steppe Archers Lv. 0 Harbour
Harbour
(barb_port_military_2)
Level 1
Boatyard
Boatyard
(barb_port_military_3)
Level 2
Raiders' Port
Raiders' Port
(barb_port_military_4)
Level 3
Garrison Buildings
Missile Raider - Steppe Archers x 1 Harbour
Harbour
(barb_port_military_2)
Level 1
Boatyard
Boatyard
(barb_port_military_3)
Level 2
Missile Raider - Steppe Archers x 2 Raiders' Port
Raiders' Port
(barb_port_military_4)
Level 3