| “ | The riders of the Celestial Host are the elite of the elite. The Dragon Emperor trusts only his own kin more than they. | „ |
Great Longma Riders are a 
Grand Cathay melee cavalry unit introduced in Total War: Warhammer III.
Recruitment[]
Unlocked with: Longma Paddocks
Description[]
The Celestial Dragon Guard are formidable soldiers, easily the equal to the best mortal troops of other realms. Supplementing their natural skill, they are given the best equipment in the Cathayan empire – often carrying Celestial blades and armour forged in the workshops of Kunlan. Their presence on the battlefield almost guarantees victory for the Cathayans, and other troops in the army draw courage from the sight of the Dragon Emperor’s personal troops. Almost without exception, the Longma cavalry of the Celestial Host consist of the Dragon-blooded. Swifter than normal horses and able to spear their foes on their horns, Great Longma are the ultimate shock horse soldiers anywhere in the world.
Attributes[]
- Flying Cavalry
- ▲ Armoured & Shielded: Armoured units can block damage from any source apart from Armour-Piercing damage. Shields have a chance of blocking arrows, bolts, rifle shots and similar small arms fire - but only in a forward facing arc.
- ▲ Harmony: Yang: This unit counts as a Yang unit and gains increased melee defence and leadership when near Yin units.
- ▲ Anti-Infantry: Anti-infantry units have an advantage against targets that are smaller than a horse. This advantage can be a damage bonus against small targets, superior weight used to smash through lighter enemies, or an explosive attack from range that effects a large area.
Unit Abilities[]
Passive Abilities[]
Strategy[]
Easily the best Cathayan cavalry unit, Longmas have a number of traits which make them useful to this army: speed, relative toughness, and flying. This enables them to be a superb troubleshooting unit, hopping around to wherever you most need them. On the offensive, they can be used to target exposed artillery, towers and ranged units. Defensively, you can use them to protect your Junks and Lanterns if the enemy has a lot of flyers of their own, or to foil attempted flanks by stalkers, chariots and other cavalry. Once an enemy has been broken, there are few units that can outrun them when you're mopping up, which otherwise tends to be difficult for Cathay.
Be aware though that just like any cavalry they are very vulnerable if left in an engagement too long, and are best kept on the move and readying for another charge. Ultimately they are slightly better on the defensive side of things for the simple reason they will get their harmony bonus used this way, and the fear breaks they can cause is highly useful for your ranged troops.
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