Halberdier

Tactical Briefing

The Halberdier is your absolute answer to all Cavalry and Elephants. It deals massive bonus damage to mounted units. However, it is extremely weak against Infantry and Archers due to having zero base armor. Use them as a meatshield to protect your own siege or archers. Prioritize defense upgrades at the Blacksmith. Classes: Infantry and Spearman.

Statistics

HP

60

Attack

6

Melee Armor

0

Pierce Armor

0

Speed

1

Cost

• Food: 35
• Wood: 25

Strong Against

• Paladin
• Hussar
• Battle Elephant

Weak Against

• Arbalester
• Skirmisher
• Champion

Strategic Analysis

The Halberdier is not just a counter unit; it is the **backbone** of many Imperial Age compositions. While they lose 1v1 against most gold units (Champions, Arbalesters), their massive bonus damage against cavalry makes them the most cost-effective unit in the game when used correctly.

• Anti-Cavalry Screen: Place them in front of your Arbalesters or Siege Onagers. They absorb the charge of Knights, protecting your high-value damage dealers.
• Trash Wars: In late game when gold runs out, Halberdiers dominate Hussars. Controlling the 'Trash War' allows you to take map control and raid efficiently.
• Meatshield: Even against ranged units, they are cheap enough (35 Food, 25 Wood) to absorb shots while your main units deal damage.

Warning: Never leave them unsupported against **Skirmishers** or **Archers**. They have 0 base Pierce Armor and take bonus damage from Skirmishers.

Attack Bonuses

• +32 vs Cavalry
• +28 vs War Elephant
• +26 vs Camel

Available Civilizations

Armenians, Bengalis, Bohemians, Britons, Bulgarians, Burgundians, Burmese, Byzantines, Celts, Chinese, Cumans, Dravidians, Ethiopians, Franks, Georgians, Goths, Huns, Incas, Japanese, Jurchens, Khmer, Koreans, Lithuanians, Magyars, Malay, Mayans, Persians, Portuguese, Romans, Shu, Sicilians, Slavs, Spanish, Tatars, Teutons, Vietnamese, Wei, Wu