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HomeHome / Total War: Rome II / Massagetae / Units / Steppe Bastion Ballista
Steppe Bastion Ballista MassagetaeMassagetae Field Artillery

Steppe Bastion Ballista

A wise horse-general knows that there are other ways to kill a foe.

At close targets, a ballista could be aimed effectively but accuracy came at a cost in range; it could fire around 500 metres. The machine used two torsion springs with levers inserted into twisted ropes made from animal sinew, giving incredible power for its size. Firing either solid shot or bolts, it was equally effective against infantry or cavalry, but could also be deployed to destroy light fortifications during sieges. Originally developed by the Greeks around 400BC, and based on the oversized Oxybeles composite bow, ballistae were widely used by many cultures of the period, including the Romans. Later Roman versions included adjustable caps that enabled crews to quickly alter the tension of each sinew bundle to provide balance and therefore improve accuracy.

Steppe Bastion Ballista

Unit Name

Steppe Bastion Ballista

Main Unit Key

Ste_Ballista_Bastion

Land Unit Key

Ste_Ballista_Bastion

Naval Unit Key

barbarian_transport_small

Soldiers

40

Category

Siege Engine

Class

Field Artillery

Custom Battle Cost

530

Recruitment Cost

530

Upkeep Cost

100

Missile Damage

180

├ Engine

ballista_medium_bastion

├ Missile Weapon

rome_ballista_medium_bastion

├ Projectile

stone_ballista_bastion

├ Missile Damage

90

├ Missile Ap Damage

90

└ Base Reload Time

23

Accuracy

5

Range

460

Reload

20

Shots Per Minute

3

Ammunition

25

Melee Attack

9

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

6

Melee Defence

14

├ Base Defence

14

├ Shield

none

└ Shield Defence

0

Armour

10

├ Armour

cloth

├ Armour Defence

10

└ Shield Armour

0

Health

40

├ Man Entity

rome_infantry_medium

├ Man Health

40

└ Bonus Hit Points

0

Base Morale

35

Abilities

No Ability

Attributes

  • Cannot Run
    This unit cannot run and will only move at walking pace.
  • Resistant to Cold
    This unit tires less quickly in snow.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Light Transport
  • Very poor hull strength
  • Very slow speed
  • Weak ramming
Steppe Bastion Ballista
  • Very accurate
  • Very long range
  • Average rate of fire
  • Lower damage than other artillery
  • Easily destroyed
Garrison Buildings
Steppe Bastion Ballista x 2 Hundred
Hundred
(barb_city_3)
Level 2
Steppe Bastion Ballista x 3 Industry Oppidum
Industry Oppidum
(barb_city_industry_4)
Level 3
Trade Oppidum
Trade Oppidum
(barb_city_trade_4)
Level 3
Tribal Oppidum
Tribal Oppidum
(barb_city_tribal_4)
Level 3