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HomeHome / Total War: Rome II / Ardiaei / Units / Assault Dieres - Illyrian Raiders
Assault Dieres - Illyrian Raiders ArdiaeiArdiaei Melee Ship

Assault Dieres - Illyrian Raiders

With a ramming attack that can break an enemy hull, these ships are deadly weapons.

Fast-moving, stealthy infantry are ideal for hit-and-run tactics.

The waterline ram was first mounted on a vessel in around 850BC. Warships and naval tactics were transformed. Ships were no longer platforms for infantry battles on the water; the ship itself became the weapon. Galleys changed as the new reality sank in. Ramming at speed would hole and sink an enemy, therefore slimmer, faster, handier ships were required. More speed on demand obviously required more oars a fast ship with a single row of oars ended up being stupidly, impractically long. The solution, then, was to put in a second set of oars above the first, but slightly offset to allow for rowers' benches. These biremes, a Latin word meaning 'two oars', or dieres, the Greek equivalent, were no longer than previous designs but had twice the number of rowers. They were fast, manoeuvrable, and could carry a fighting contingent. Some nations also gave their bireme crews fire pots; these clay pots filled with oil and pitch were hurled at enemy ships in the entirely reasonable hope of setting them ablaze.

(Illyrian Raiders)
Although called Illyrians by Greeks and Romans, these seafaring people from the Adriatic coast were actually not a single nation or tribe. The Greeks first had dealings with them during the Bronze Age, and the name was then applied to everyone in the area. The Illyrians were actually several petty, and not-so-petty, kingdoms that warred with each other when not fighting Greeks or their Macedonian neighbours. The Illyrians could not be lightly dismissed as barbarians: under powerful warlords such as Bardyllis, king of the Dardanians, they conquered Macedon and installed a puppet ruler in 393BC. It was Phillip II and Alexander the Great who eventually ended Illyrian interference in their affairs. The Illyrians were also pirates, and terrorised the Adriatic for centuries; this was what eventually prompted their subjugation by the Romans.

Assault Dieres - Illyrian Raiders

Unit Name

Assault Dieres - Illyrian Raiders

Main Unit Key

Ill_Raiders_Two

Land Unit Key

Ill_Raiders

Naval Unit Key

greek_two

Soldiers

80

Category

Light Ship

Class

Melee Ship

Custom Battle Cost

360

Recruitment Cost

360

Upkeep Cost

72

Missile Damage

32

├ Missile Weapon

rome_javelin_precursor

├ Projectile

javelin_prec

├ Missile Damage

20

├ Missile Ap Damage

12

└ Base Reload Time

15

Accuracy

5

Range

40

Reload

0

Shots Per Minute

4

Ammunition

2

Ship Health

501

└ Ship

greek_two

Ship Speed

6

Melee Attack

34

Weapon Damage

26

├ Melee Weapon

rome_celtic_axe

├ Melee Damage Base

16

├ Melee Damage Ap

10

├ Armour Piercing

Yes

├ Bonus vs. Large

0

├ Bonus vs Elephants

0

└ Bonus vs Infantry

0

Charge Bonus

16

Melee Defence

40

├ Base Defence

15

├ Shield

thureos

└ Shield Defence

25

Armour

60

├ Armour

chest

├ Armour Defence

25

└ Shield Armour

35

Health

45

├ Man Entity

rome_infantry_medium_fast

├ Man Health

40

└ Bonus Hit Points

5

Base Morale

55

Abilities

Assault Dieres
  • Row Hard 10
    Increases speed for 10 strokes.
    Ship speed

Attributes

  • Guerrilla Deployment
    This unit can deploy outside of the deployment zone.
  • Stalk
    This unit can move hidden in any terrain.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Assault Dieres
  • Very poor hull strength
  • Very light crew
  • Fast speed
  • Weak ramming
  • Good boarding
Illyrian Raiders
  • Average attack
  • Weak defence
  • Average damage but low armour penetration
  • Poor morale
Requires Buildings
Assault Dieres - Illyrian Raiders 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