Halberdier

Halberdier
Statistics
Health	364
Damage per Second	192
DPS vs Infantry	48
Damage Multiplier	25%
Range	0.75
Range Type	Melee
Training Cost	260
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	Gunpowder Age
Upgrade Cost	2,200,000
Upgrade Time	2d
Experience Gain	760
Upgrade Navigation
Previous	Pikeman
Next	Fusilier

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

Halberdier is a level 7 standard Heavy Infantry unit unlocked in the Gunpowder Age. Its predecessor is the Pikeman and can be upgraded to the Fusilier. It is researched in a level 6 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

The versatile halberd is an axe on a long shaft, topped with a very sharp spike. Popular during the 14th and 15th centuries, this curious weapon could be used to fight spearmen, pushing them back or hacking at their spears with the axe, while the spike on the other side of the axe was useful for hooking cavalrymen and dragging them off of their mounts.

Visuals

North European: A War of the Roses soldier, with steel Armour.

Mediterranean:Similar to a Conquistadores, with gold armour and Spanish like helmet.

Oriental: looks very Asian which is really cool

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 6 Garrison can train up Halberdiers to help defend the village from attackers. Put the garrison defended and inside walls: that way, the garrison can train Halberdiers without getting attacked for a short amount of time. It is suggested that a garrison should be close to the Acropolis since training Halberdiers would be quicker than usual; spawned defenders will also have increased hitpoints.
• The level 3 Ambush Trap deploys Halberdiers when triggered by enemy troops too close to it. It is suggested to put in areas where enemies may deploy Heavy Cavalry.

Trivia

• This weapon is still used today with ceremonial purposes by some traditional military organizations. The most notable examples are The Vatican Swiss Guard and the Spanish Royal Halberd Guards.
• Basically, a halberd is just a hybrid (combination) of a battle-axe and a spear.
• A halberd is also known as a Swiss voulge.
• The Oriental version uses a spear, not a halberd.