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HomeHome / Total War: Rome II / Masaesyli / Units / Desert Chariots
Desert Chariots MasaesyliMasaesyli Chariot

Desert Chariots

War chariots, used with skill, can break ordered ranks of infantry.

Perhaps influenced by earlier Egyptian and Hittite examples, some kingdoms in Saharan Africa adopted the chariot by the 5th century BC. Usage was most prevalent amongst the Garamantians, and Herodotus recorded them raiding their southern Ethiopian neighbours using four-horse chariots. Whether drawn by two or four horses, chariots were built for speed and manoeuvrability, rather than impact and protection. They consisted of little more than yoke and a platform with axle and wheels at the back and a waist-high screen. The driver and passengers wore cloth armour and used javelins, or in some cases bows. The emphasis on speed probably comes from the role chariots played in hunting being transferred to the battlefield, especially when raiding for slaves. Despite their weight, when many chariots were drawn up together their impact against light or untrained infantry and cavalry could still be devastating!

Desert Chariots

Unit Name

Desert Chariots

Main Unit Key

dk_afr_desert_chariots

Land Unit Key

dk_afr_desert_chariots

Naval Unit Key

pel_transport

Soldiers

20

Category

Cavalry

Class

Chariot

Custom Battle Cost

850

Recruitment Cost

850

Upkeep Cost

150

Missile Damage

32

├ Missile Weapon

rome_javelin

├ Projectile

javelin_normal

├ Missile Damage

20

├ Missile Ap Damage

12

└ Base Reload Time

10

Accuracy

5

Range

80

Reload

13

Shots Per Minute

7

Ammunition

7

Melee Attack

16

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

17

├ Base Defence

17

├ Shield

none

└ Shield Defence

0

Armour

10

├ Armour

cloth

├ Armour Defence

10

└ Shield Armour

0

Health

85

├ Man Entity

rome_infantry_medium

├ Man Health

40

├ Bonus Hit Points

20

├ Mount

rome_generic_chariot_horse

├ Mount Entity

rome_horse_medium

└ Mount Health

25

Base Morale

55

Abilities

No Ability

Attributes

  • Resistant to Fatigue
    Fatigue has less of an effect on this unit.
  • Hide (forest)
    This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.
  • Fire Whilst Moving
    This unit can fire when mounted and moving.
  • Parthian Shot
    This unit can fire all around and not just in-front of itself.
  • Resistant to Heat
    This unit tires less quickly in the desert.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Transport
  • Very poor hull strength
  • Very slow speed
  • Weak ramming
Desert Chariots
  • Fast moving
  • Javelins thrown when moving
  • Good charge
  • Weak in prolonged melee
  • Good morale
Requires Buildings
Desert Chariots Lv. 0 Horse Studs
Horse Studs
(dk_all_stables_2)
Level 1
Cavalry Stables
Cavalry Stables
(dk_all_stables_3)
Level 2
Royal Stables
Royal Stables
(dk_all_stables_4)
Level 3