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HomeHome / Total War SAGA: Thrones of Britannia / / Thrall Spearmen
Thrall Spearmen Spear Infantry

Thrall Spearmen

Even the humblest spear can bring down the most formidable horseman.

Thralls were the slaves taken by the Nordic peoples as they raided the coastlines of northern Europe. As a result, most were captured from the coast of Britannia or on the Vikings' forays down the Volga River, where the Norsemen became known as ‘Slavs’. The men who captured the thralls were known to the Mediterranean peoples as the ‘Rus’ – whose land eventually became Russia - or the ‘Varangians’, who of course served as unbiased Imperial bodyguards in the Byzantine Empire that succeeded the Eastern Romans.

The lowest of the low in Nordic society, thralls were pressed into fighting and were often poorly-armed and armoured – the idea behind their use being that they would increase a Nordic army’s size until its opponents were overwhelmed by superior numbers, rather than their skill at arms. Armed with spears, they were arguably wielding the oldest purpose-built weapon in existence. Given its comparative cheapness and ease of construction, the spear was one of the most commonly used weapons among all classes of fighting men before and throughout medieval times. Its notable advantage was the longer reach it afforded its bearer, enabling effective engagement with a larger or mounted enemy who might otherwise be out of reach. The Viking tendency to emblazon spears with ostentatious decorative carvings indicates that some were primarily used for thrusting rather than throwing, reducing the possibility of losing what were obviously prized weapons.

Thrall Spearmen

Unit Name

Thrall Spearmen

Main Unit Key

vik_thrall_spearmen

Land Unit Key

vik_thrall_spearmen

Naval Unit Key

vik_dreki

Soldiers

160

Category

Melee Infantry

Class

Spear Infantry

Custom Battle Cost

100

Recruitment Cost

100

Upkeep Cost

40

Melee Skill

22

Melee Damage

28

├ Melee Weapon

vik_spear_levy

├ Melee Base Damage

20

├ Armour-piercing Damage

8

├ Armour Piercing

No

├ Attack Against Cavalry

20

├ Attack Against Elephants

0

└ Attack Against Infantry

0

Charge Bonus

15

Melee Defence

47

├ Base Defence

22

├ Shield

vik_medium_wood

└ Shield

25

Armour

5

├ Armour

vik_cloth

├ Armour Defence

5

└ Shield Armour

0

Health

100

├ Man Entity

vik_inf_med

├ Man Health

100

└ Bonus Hit Points

0

Morale

26

Abilities

Thrall Spearmen
  • Shield Castle
    "Heads down, lads, things are about to get a little hairy around here!"
    Units cannot move in this formation.

Attributes

  • [[col:yellow]]Expert Charge Defence[[/col]]
    This unit’s melee attack and damage are increased against charging enemies.
  • [[col:yellow]]Hide (forest)[[/col]]
    This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.

Strengths & Weaknesses

No Strengths and Weaknesses

Faction Pool

Pool
No. Pool Faction Initial Unit Count Chance To Replenish Max Replenish Per Turn Max Count
1 viking 2 0.15 1 3