2.5 Pikemen.

Pikemen are the successors to spearmen, they serve the same function and receive the same rank bonus as the spears ( +1 defence, +1 charge per supporting rank and +1 attack for each second supporting rank) but they can claim up to four supporting ranks. Therefore you should deploy them in ranks of six, one to fight, four to support and the sixth providing men to fill the gaps left by the dead. The supporting ranks mean that pikemen need to hold their formation in order to fight effectively, therefore keep them on hold formation at all times. You should also be careful when moving them, let them stop frequently to recover their formation. You can charge pikes somewhat more effectively than spears, just walk them up in front of the enemy, pause for a second to allow them to redress the ranks and then order the charge from close range. This arrangement allows the unit to take losses without losing the rank bonus too quickly. The need for a deeper deployment means that pikemen can cover less ground per unit as they have the same number of men as the spear units (133), this makes them less efficient for holding a front line. They are also more vulnerable to being flanked as the shorter frontage makes it very easy for enemy units to wrap around the pikes and attack from three sides simultaneously. Pikemen have one major problem – everything they can do another unit can do much better. Spears still provide a better front line troop for protecting missile units and providing a base for mobile units to work from. Polearms are much, much better at killing cavalry and they also have a bonus against armoured units, swords, spears and polearm units are also better for leading the charge into battle and engaging the enemy’s front line while others flank. These units are also less vulnerable to being wrapped in a combat situation.

There is one bonus to their small frontage – they are ideal for holding small spaces like the mouth of a bridge or a castle gate (not breach though, they are usually much larger than the gates) for a long time. They are often able to beat off many determined attacks when given a little missile support.

Pikes are best at: Charging the enemy, holding a position, holding a small space, guarding missile units.

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Image M13: This picture shows a unit of pikemen against a unit of spearmen. Both are in their optimal formations (pikes = 6 ranks, spears = 4). This shows just how easy it is for pike formations to get wrapped in combat, it also illustrates why spears are better for building a front line.

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Image M14: Here is an illustration of the pikes supporting rank bonus in action. Look at the row at the bottom of the screenshot. The first man is doing the actual fighting. The four behind him are in their fighting animations even though they are not near the enemy; this is because they are supporting the first man. The final man at the back is doing nothing, this is because he is the reinforcement rank – he will move in to replace a dead man. Because you can see the supporting ranks working in most of the formation you know that this unit is fighting at its best.

THE FOLLOWING STATS DO NOT CONTAIN THE RANK BONUS – YOU WILL HAVE TO ADD THAT YOURSELF!

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Pikemen.
Charge 4 Attack 1 Defence -1 Armour 1 Speed 6, 10, 11 Morale 2 Cost 250 Support cost 62

Pikemen are a solid foundation for the class, however like any foundation they are dull in comparison to their more advanced brethren. They do the job but their morale isn’t the greatest and they don’t do much damage.

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Swiss Pikemen.
Charge 4 Attack 2 Defence 2 Armour 2 Speed 6, 10, 11 Morale 6 Cost 525 Support cost 48

Swiss Pikemen are much better in every way than the standard pikes, they are better in every way. These pikemen can carry the battle to the enemy and do some real damage while taking reasonable losses. They have excellent morale too.

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Swiss armoured Pikemen.
Charge 4 Attack 2 Defence 5 Armour 4 Speed 6, 10, 11 Morale 6 Cost 750 Support cost 60

Swiss armoured Pikemen are elite and generally the best pikemen in the game. They will pack a punch in battle as long as you keep their flanks protected, the formation intact and kill any armour piercing units before they reach this unit. You should also be extra wary of armour piercing missile units – Swiss armoured pikemen are very expensive so you don’t want them to get shot up!

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