Fusilier

Fusilier
Statistics
Health	390
Damage per Second	200
DPS vs Infantry	50
Damage Multiplier	25%
Range	1.5
Range Type	Melee
Training Cost	370
Training Time	35s
Troop Space	1
General Information
Troop Type	Heavy Infantry
Strength	High damage against buildings and cavalry
Weakness	Defending soldiers, mortars, redoubt
Favourite Target	Any
Upgrade Information
Age Unlocked	Enlightenment Age
Upgrade Cost	4,000,000
Upgrade Time	4d
Experience Gain	1,115
Upgrade Navigation
Previous	Halberdier
Next	Shock Infantry

“Well-armed and plentiful, these troops are effective at tearing down enemy buildings.”

Fusilier is a level 8 standard Heavy Infantry unit unlocked in the Enlightenment Age. Its predecessor is the Halberdier and can be upgraded to the Shock Infantry. It is researched in a level 7 Armory.

General Information

The standard Heavy Infantry's default A.I. or purpose is to destroy the closest building (excluding walls), but they may fight back when attacked by an enemy troop. They're excellent at taking down defensive Heavy Cavalry (noticeably on cavalry at an age lower than them) and are able to destroy buildings quickly. However, their disadvantages are that they have low health, meaning that they can be killed very quickly. They can get destroyed easily by Splash Damage Structures such as Catapults or Mortars and Multiple Target Damage Structures such as Redoubt or Machine Gun. They are also weak against other Heavy Infantry (and even Ranged Infanty} spawned by the City Center, Garrisons, Ambush Traps etc.

Historical Description

Fusiliers were infantry soldiers armed with primitive flintlock muskets and bayonets. In the British Army, Fusiliers were elite units deployed to escort artillery units which were otherwise vulnerable to cavalry and infantry attack. Although the flintlock has since been supplanted by far superior weapons, the title of 'Fusilier' persists in some military units as an honorific. Unlike how they are used in DomiNations (when deployed troops scatter targeting and moving using A.I.), most armies deployed fusiliers by placing them side by side in 3 rows one in front of the other (length of each row varied on the size of the force, and commanders could join them together to surround an enemy force). As soon as the first row fired, they got on their knees began to reload as the second row aimed and fired. By the time the third row fired, the first row had reloaded and was ready to fire. By the 1770s, modernized versions of muskets only required 2 lines because they were faster to reload. This tactic was known as 'The Thin Red Line' first used by the British Redcoats.

Visuals

Mediterranean: The uniform resembles an Italian mercenary grenadier. The fusilier wears a reddish-brown shirt with a silver grenadier hat. This soldier carries a musket with a straight bayonet.

North European: Fusiliers wear a red coat which is the traditional colour of the British army and wear a tricone, or colonial hat and have a Brown Bess musket or baker rifle with a bayonet. This was the standard uniform and weapon used by British Fusiliers in the American War of Independence/Late 18th Century.

Oriental: Wearing a traditional Chinese shirt (maybe in Ming Dynasty of China) and also have musket.

Attacking Strategies

• If these units are used in large groups and not in heavy fire, they can be devastating and can destroy a base easily.
• Catapults or Mortars, with their splash damage, are devastating against these units and can kill a group of them in a few hits if in the range of the impact. Spread the units around so that the mortar would have to hit each infantry to kill it and that its impact would not affect other infantry as well, or deploy a few Heavy Cavalry to destroy it.
• Redoubts or Machine Guns buildings can likewise be devastating against these units, if it is not dealt with appropriately. Keep the units away from it until it is destroyed or position them to destroy it quickly.
• If a group of these units are under fire from Catapults or Mortars or Redoubts or Machine Guns buildings, consider using war tactics such as Sabotage or Protect and destroy the buildings as quick as possible, or use Demolition beforehand to eliminate these threats. You may also consider using Heavy Cavalry or other units to destroy these threats early on.
• The Missile Silo can eliminate a group of these units quickly. Don't group them together so much that will attract the Silo attacks. Or you could deploy them after the Silo is destroyed, sabotaged or distracted by other units with high HP.
• Use Ranged Infantry or Machine Gun Infantry to support them, so they don't perish easily to defenders.
• They can be used as a distraction for many defenses and can help protect ranged infantry such as Ranged Infantry from defenses.
• A group of them can easily overwhelm single target defensive towers, but are vulnerable against machine gun buildings.
• While using an army entirely composed with Heavy Infantry can decimate enemy bases early on, this strategy becomes less useful as you advance ages as your opponents will use more powerful defenses with AOE effect such as the Missile Silo.

Defensive Strategies

• The level 7 Garrison can train up Fusiliers to help defend the village from attackers. Put the garrison defended and inside walls: that way, the garrison can train Fusiliers without getting attacked for a short amount of time. It is suggested that a garrison should be close to the Acropolis since training Fusiliers would be quicker than usual; spawned defenders will also have increased hitpoints.
• The level 4 Ambush Trap deploys Fusiliers when triggered by enemy troops too close to it. It is suggested to put in areas where enemies may deploy Heavy Cavalry.

Trivia

• Fusiliers are the first level of Heavy Infantry to have small ranged attack.
• Historically, Eastern Nations didn't have fusiliers, since flintlock weapons never reached Asia.They used matchlock muskets until the Europeans introduced modern firearms in the 19th Century.
• The word fusilier is derived from the fusil, which is the french name for a flintlock weapon.