

Bow Horsemen
Horse archers should never be underestimated: enemies always respect them.The exact origins of the Dacians are something of a mystery. Dacian lands were centred around the Carpathian Mountains but, unlike their Thracian neighbours, they seldom got involved in the conflicts of others. The Dacians fought almost entirely on foot, and usually looked to their Sarmatian allies when serious cavalry were needed. Many Dacian infantry fought as peltasts, equipped with javelins, short swords and oval shields, but they also fielded archers. However, the Dacians were most feared because of a weapon called the 'falx', which they used with deadly, limb-lopping skill. A two-handed sword with a forward-curving blade, a falx could cut a man in two from the top of his head to his breastbone. This weapon was so effective that the Romans improved their legionary armour to cope with it. The brow-ridge on later legionary helmets was there to stop a blow from a falx. Rome’s eventual victory in the Dacian Wars (AD101-106), celebrated by Trajan’s Column, finally dealt with the warlike Dacian tribes once and for all.
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Unit Name Bow Horsemen |
Main Unit Key Dac_Bow_Horsemen |
Land Unit Key Dac_Bow_Horsemen |
Naval Unit Key barbarian_transport_small |
Soldiers 80 |
Category Cavalry |
Class Missile Cavalry |
Custom Battle Cost 420 |
Recruitment Cost 420 |
Upkeep Cost 80 |
Missile Damage 40 |
├ Missile Weapon rome_composite_bow_horse |
├ Projectile arrow_composite_horse |
├ Missile Damage 36 |
├ Missile Ap Damage 4 |
└ Base Reload Time 12 |
Accuracy 5 |
Range 125 |
Reload 18 |
Shots Per Minute 6 |
Ammunition 15 |
Melee Attack 9 |
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 4 |
Melee Defence 13 |
├ Base Defence 13 |
├ Shield none |
└ Shield Defence 0 |
Armour 10 |
├ Armour cloth |
├ Armour Defence 10 |
└ Shield Armour 0 |
Health 70 |
├ Man Entity rome_infantry_light |
├ Man Health 40 |
├ Bonus Hit Points 10 |
├ Mount rome_celtic_horse_sword_l |
├ Mount Entity rome_horse_light_missile |
└ Mount Health 20 |
Base Morale 35 |
Abilities
Bow Horsemen- Wedge
The unit moves into a wedge-shaped attack formation.
Charge bonus, melee attack
Acceleration, melee defence
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.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Light Transport- Very poor hull strength
- Very slow speed
- Weak ramming
- Long range
- Average rate of fire
- Fast moving
- Good damage but low armour penetration
- Very weak in melee
- Very poor morale
Requires Buildings | |
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Stables
(barb_agriculture_horse_3) Level 2 ![]()
Horse Ranch
(barb_agriculture_horse_4) Level 3 |
Garrison Buildings | |
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Stables
(barb_agriculture_horse_3) Level 2 ![]()
Horse Ranch
(barb_agriculture_horse_4) Level 3 |
Faction Availability | |
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Grand Campaign | |
Imperator Augustus |