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HomeHome / Total War: Rome II / Syracuse (Rise of the Republic) / Units / Assault Dieres - Light Hoplites
Assault Dieres - Light Hoplites Syracuse (Rise of the Republic)Syracuse (Rise of the Republic) Melee Ship

Assault Dieres - Light Hoplites

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

Discipline is needed to fight with spear and shield in the phalanx.

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.

(Light Hoplites)
Hoplites date back to the wars between the Greek city-states in the 8th and 7th centuries BC. During the Greco-Persian Wars most hoplites wore a Corinthian-style bronze helm, and a cuirass of bronze or stiffened linen or canvas. They were armed with a short sword and an iron-tipped spear with a bronze counterbalance butt-spike. Hoplites were named, though, after the round hoplon shield they carried. The hoplon-and-spear combination required them to fight as a phalanx, a block of spearmen some eight ranks deep. When closed up, each man would find shelter behind the shield of his neighbour, creating a wall of bristling spear-points. While all hoplites were originally citizen-soldiers, full-time mercenaries took over and became the standard fighting unit of the Greek world. Later, under Phillip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great, the shield became smaller, while the spear developed into the five metre sarissa pike. Many armies adopted the phalanx of hoplites as a tactical unit because it was very successful in battle.

Assault Dieres - Light Hoplites

Unit Name

Assault Dieres - Light Hoplites

Main Unit Key

inv_gre_two_assault_greek_light_hoplites

Land Unit Key

inv_gre_light_hoplites

Naval Unit Key

greek_two

Soldiers

60

Category

Light Ship

Class

Melee Ship

Custom Battle Cost

360

Recruitment Cost

360

Upkeep Cost

72

Ship Health

501

└ Ship

greek_two

Ship Speed

6

Melee Attack

25

Weapon Damage

26

├ Melee Weapon

rome_hoplite_spear

├ Melee Damage Base

20

├ Melee Damage Ap

6

├ Armour Piercing

No

├ Bonus vs. Large

15

├ Bonus vs Elephants

15

└ Bonus vs Infantry

0

Charge Bonus

15

Melee Defence

40

├ Base Defence

25

├ Shield

hoplite

└ Shield Defence

15

Armour

55

├ Armour

cloth

├ Armour Defence

10

└ Shield Armour

45

Health

50

├ Man Entity

rome_infantry_light

├ Man Health

40

└ Bonus Hit Points

10

Base Morale

35

Abilities

Assault Dieres
  • Row Hard 10
    Increases speed for 10 strokes.
    Ship speed
Light Hoplites
  • Hoplite Wall
    The unit moves into close wall formation.
    Bracing, melee defence, shield strength
    Acceleration, speed

Attributes

  • Formation Attack
    The unit will try to stay in formation when in melee.
  • Hide (forest)
    This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Assault Dieres
  • Very poor hull strength
  • Very light crew
  • Fast speed
  • Weak ramming
  • Good boarding
Light Hoplites
  • Good defensive unit
  • Low damage but average armour penetration
  • Average attack
  • Normal morale
Requires Buildings
Assault Dieres - Light Hoplites Lv. 0 Port
Port
(inv_gre_port_1)
Level 0
Harbour
Harbour
(inv_gre_port_trade_2)
Level 1
Docks
Docks
(inv_gre_port_trade_3)
Level 2
Fish Market
Fish Market
(inv_gre_port_trade_4)
Level 3
Megas Limen
Megas Limen
(inv_gre_port_trade_5)
Level 4
Garrison Buildings
Assault Dieres - Light Hoplites x 2 Port
Port
(inv_gre_port_1)
Level 0
Assault Dieres - Light Hoplites x 1 Harbour
Harbour
(inv_gre_port_trade_2)
Level 1