Age of Stainless Steel - Military units - Part 6 tutorial

This article is a explanation of the military units of Age of Stainless Steel mod. This is the 6th part of this tutorial, and this time we will focus 2 types of units: Levies and Mercenaries. The building you can recruit this unit are 2 special and 1 common. The 2 special building, that are unique for Age of Stainless Steel, are Camp Tent and Noble Tent. To build these unit you have to recruit Caravan Camp and Noble Caravan Camp, located in the Siege Workshop, the idea is to have a transportable camp for your military campaign, and by deleting the unit in an open field, you can build the camp. Once build you can hire the various unit available in those buildings. The common building you can hire mercenaries is the Monastery. Lets see in some more detail.

1. Camp Tent units

The units you can recruit in the Camp Tent are all levies (peasant with a weapon), these units have no armor and blacksmith upgrades will not influence them. All these units cost the same (20G) and they are train very fast. The only way to use them is by harassing enemy villagers in early game (max. Feudal Age), with large numbers considering their low cost and fast train. The 4 types are Bow Levy, Spear Levy, Club Levy and Crossbow Levy. Bow Levy is basically an archer with no preview training, Spear Levy is a spearman, Crossbow Levy has near the same characteristics as Bow Levy but it shoot 2 times slower with 2 times the accuracy. Club levy is a peasant with a club that does blunt damage (vs melee armor). These units are not recommended to be use after castle age. The population limit required for these units is the same as the villager limit (house pop).

2. Noble Camp units

The units you can recruit in the Noble Tent are all mercenaries (unique units for each civ), these units have their own stats and blacksmith upgrades will not influence them. The cost of these units varies depending on the type and stats, but the cost is only gold. Most of the faction have 1 mercenaries available (unique unit), but there are exception, that can have 3 types of mercenary unit. There are too many units to go in detail, but I will only mention their usage and base name:

• English: Longbowman - Good vs low armor and no shield unit, bonus vs building (flaming arrows).
• Scots: Highlander - Good vs spearman and large unit numbers.
• French: Gendarme - Good vs everyone except late units
• German: Doppelsoldner - Good vs large unit numbers especially spear/pike/halberd units.
• Danes: Huskarl - Good vs everyone, weak vs range units.
• Norse: Berserk - Good one on one unit, weak vs late units.
• Byzantines: Cataphract - Good vs everyone except late units, hit and run tactic.
• Byzantines: Varangian Guard - Good one on one unit, weak vs late units.
• Fatiminds: Mameluke - Good vs everyone except late units.
• Fatiminds: Camel - Good vs mounted units, weak vs every other.
• Kwarezmian: War Elephant - Good vs large unit numbers, weak vs range units.
• Chinese: Chu Ko Nu - Good vs no armor units, weak vs everyone.
• Chinese: Zhuangjia De Nu - Good vs range units.
• Chinese: Hwacha - Good vs 1 target (multiple arrows).
• Japanese: Samurai - Good one on one unit, weak vs range units and cavalry.
• Mongols: Kheshig - Good vs low armor and no shield unit, good hit and run tactics.
• Mongols: Hwacha - Good vs 1 target (multiple arrows).
• Ottoamans: Janisary - Good vs high armored units, especially mounted units, weak 1v1.
• Spanish: Lusitan Javelinman - Good support units vs everyone, weak when unsupported.
• Lombards: Genoese Crossbowman - Good vs range units, weak 1v1.
• Hungarian: Hussars - Good vs everyone except late units, hit and run tactic, very fast unit.
• Novgorod: Druzhina - Good vs spearman, weak vs late units.
• Aztec: Jaguar Warrior - Basic infantry with blunt damage.
• Aztec: Eagle Warrior - Basic spearman.
• Aztec: Archer Warrior - Basic archer.
• Aztec: Town Militia - Basis levy, like Spear Levy

Note: Aztec unit are the only unique units that are recruited in Castle and Town Center.

The population limit required for these units is the same as the villager limit (house pop). All the units mention will cost gold to recruit except Aztecs.

3. Order Knight

This is the unique unit of the catholic factions. This unit is recruited in the Monastery and will cost only gold (half the price for it's stats). There is a limit for this unit, 2 units for each monastery (8 monasteries max.), 16 Order Knights in total. This unit represent the knights of different orders like Templars, Hospitallers, Santiago, Teutonic, Livornia etc. This unit is very cost effect, and will be a powerful foe to your enemy.

This is the end of part 6 - Levy and Mercenary units, will continue with other military units of Age of Stainless Steel.