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Companion Cavalry SeleucidSeleucid Shock Cavalry

Companion Cavalry

These superb cavalrymen are an armoured fist to drive deep into enemy ranks.

Macedonian Companion cavalry, known in Greek as the hetairoi, were the foremost shock troops of their age. Originally formed from the Macedonian nobility, esteemed friends and companions of their kings, these elite horsemen evolved under Philip II and Alexander the Great into a highly disciplined and formidable force with the adoption of the wedge formation that increased not only their manoeuvrability, but also their impact. Eventually their numbers were extended to include not just nobles, but in fact anyone who had been a friend to the king. Early Greek cavalry had been limited to skirmishing scouts and archers, as square formations of heavy cavalry up until this point were difficult to direct and wheel. However, the adoption of the wedge formation enabled the companions to exploit weak points or break the flanks of enemy infantry with precision. To achieve this they were armed with the 'xyston', a fearsome double-ended lance, designed to counter-balance itself and be reversible should one end break, plus a straight sword or curved kopis for close-quarters fighting. Armour took the form of a shaped bronze corselet, with optional greaves, and an open Boeotian helmet, which afforded some protection without hampering vision. The horse itself was unarmoured. The rider sat on a blanket, as neither saddle nor stirrups were used at this time.

Companion Cavalry Companion Cavalry Companion Cavalry Companion Cavalry
Companion Cavalry

Unit Name

Companion Cavalry

Main Unit Key

Gre_Companion_Cav

Land Unit Key

Gre_Companion_Cav

Naval Unit Key

pel_transport

Soldiers

80

Category

Cavalry

Class

Shock Cavalry

Custom Battle Cost

1300

Recruitment Cost

1300

Upkeep Cost

200

Melee Attack

46

Weapon Damage

27

├ Melee Weapon

rome_lance_elite

├ Melee Damage Base

15

├ Melee Damage Ap

12

├ Armour Piercing

No

├ Bonus vs. Large

10

├ Bonus vs Elephants

10

└ Bonus vs Infantry

0

Charge Bonus

76

Melee Defence

21

├ Base Defence

21

├ Shield

none

└ Shield Defence

0

Armour

70

├ Armour

bronze_elite

├ Armour Defence

70

└ Shield Armour

0

Health

100

├ Man Entity

rome_infantry_very_heavy

├ Man Health

45

├ Bonus Hit Points

20

├ Mount

rome_hellenic_horse_lance_vh

├ Mount Entity

rome_horse_very_heavy_shock

└ Mount Health

35

Base Morale

70

Abilities

Companion Cavalry
  • Diamond
    The unit moves into a diamond-shaped attack formation.
    Charge bonus, melee attack
    Acceleration, melee defence

Attributes

  • Disciplined
    This unit does not suffer a morale penalty when the general dies. It can also rally after routing more often.
  • Encourage
    This unit provides a morale bonus to nearby allies.
  • Hide (forest)
    This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Transport
  • Very poor hull strength
  • Very slow speed
  • Weak ramming
Companion Cavalry
  • Very good charge
  • Low damage but average armour penetration
  • Weak in prolonged melee
  • Good morale
Requires Buildings
Companion Cavalry Lv. 0 Royal Barracks
Royal Barracks
(greek_military_heavy_4)
Level 3
Garrison Buildings
Companion Cavalry x 2 Satrap's Stables
Satrap's Stables
(greek_military_east_stable_3)
Level 2
Royal Stables
Royal Stables
(greek_military_east_stable_4)
Level 3
Faction Availability
Grand Campaign