| “ | You'll never find a less trustworthy rabble, but for the right price they'll fight to the death... and beyond. | „ |
Sartosa Free Company are a 
Vampire Coast melee infantry unit introduced in Total War: Warhammer II with Curse of the Vampire Coast, exclusive to the 
Pirates of Sartosa.
Recruitment[]
Unlocked with: Smugglers' Landing
Description[]
The Decadent Pirate Principality of Sartosa, known more politely by its swashbuckling inhabitants as the Free City of Sartosa or simply the City of Pirates, is an anarchic pirate island-stronghold located on the southern reaches of war-torn Tilea, off the coast of the Tilean city-state of Luccini. A notorious haven for criminals, it harbours all manner of pirates, brigands, lawless mercenaries - anyone wanting to avoid the various legitimate powers of the Old World. It is a tremendously dangerous place, where drunken pirates press-gang unsuspecting individuals, brawls and duels are an hourly occurrence, and thieves ply the dirty, crowded docks looking for easy marks. Despite the risks, however, it is a place where someone with the toughness and willpower to survive can not only live but thrive, far from the yoke of unfair taxes, overbearing noblemen, and stringent laws. From Sartosa to Araby in the south, the Border Princes to the east, and the mainland past the Great Ocean, exotic lands await. In short, Sartosa is a perfect place for finding fame, plunder and endless adventure!
Attributes[]
- Dual Sword Infantry
- ▲ 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.
- ▲ Vanguard Deployment: This unit can deploy in an expanded deployment area, allowing it to start the battle within striking distance of the enemy - or somewhere unexpected.
- ▲ Aquatic: Where other units of small stature struggle to fight and move in shallow water, Aquatic units excel.
Unit Abilities[]
Passive Abilities[]
Strategy[]
Unique to Aranessa Saltspite, the Sartosa Free Company is a solid upgrade to the Zombie Deckhand Mobs Vampire Coast factions will typically use, easily doing more damage with their anti-infantry bonus. With Aranessa's army specific buffs in campaign they can become far superior to the Deckhands, shredding through most infantry. Outside of her army, they are still solid units, although not as strong.
However, the Free Company are not line troops, a role that should be left to the Undead -- as living units with Morale they can Rout, leaving holes in the line, and as dual-weapon units they are lacking in defense, particularly against charges. SFC are best used as damage dealers rather than damage takers, ordered to bomb into a melee against a tough target that has crashed into your undead seawall and cut it up.
Very worth noting is their speed and their Rowdy trait. SFC's foot speed of 36 is dramatically faster than any of the Undead infantry and indeed most of the Vampire Coast's units overall, and Rowdy means that so long as their morale stays up, they have Perfect Vigour, letting them run forever without tiring. This can let SFC act as pseudo-cavalry units for the Sartosans early on, capable of flanking maneuvers around enemies expecting a much slower line or "gunspiking" expeditions to attack enemy ranged and artillery units, but with much more melee strength than Fell Bats or even Deck Droppers.
Like all Vampire Coast infantry Sartosan Free Company boast the Aquatic trait, which grants them a serious melee advantage over landlubbers on wet terrain. For instance, the considerably higher tier and higher priced Chaos Dwarf Warriors will beat Sartosans comfortably 1v1 on dry land, but stage the same fight in swamps or shallow water and the Sartosans narrowly take the day. With a quick survey of wet terrain and careful positioning, an astute Admiral can steer Sartosans into immensely cost effective engagements.
Despite their status amongst the living Sartosans benefit enormously from Lore of Vampires, and specifically Vanhel's Danse Macabre. An overcast Danse Macabre can buff several units of Sartosan Free Company at once, turning an entire battle line of these already swift reavers into a ferocious, rushing tide of bloodied cutlasses.
These attributes together let Sartosan Free Company form the backbone of a powerful melee rush build unique to Sartosa, which is useful for Aranessa's difficult early game matchups against Skaven and Dwarves. Their speed and vanguard deployment let's them swiftly silence ranged units, while their stats and numbers ensure that anything they can't cut down themselves will be bogged down long enough to get hammered by spells, Mournguls, and Maneaters.
Sartosan Free Company are also, likely deliberately, perfect for the niche application of treasure island farming. Treasure Islands are a much needed supplement for Coast's initially weak economy, and none benefit from them more than Aranessa whose unique faction-wide perk massively boosts their yield. It's difficult for most factions to make a career of treasure islands as the upkeep of an army strong enough to reliably contend with coves offsets the potential gain. Sartosan Free Company are very low upkeep, boast high leadership for facing the undead, shred Zombie Deck-hands, vanguard deploy too close for Gunnery Mobs or artillery to come in to play, and when bolstered by the anti-large bonus from Aranessa's Kraken's Bane Harpoon can even fell Leviathans. Depthguard will be by far their greatest threat, with one unit capable of killing hundreds of Sartosans single handedly. Curse of years and Danse Macabre paired with the Sea Shanty helps shorten their punishment. One instance where this will not be necessary is when the Sartosan Free Company are embedded in Aranessa's stack, as they can fight almost toe to tentacle with Depthguard. Make sure to manually swap out the unit(s) fighting the Depthguard when possible as veteran Sartosan Free Company often choose to fight them to the death rather than flee, costing you a unit.
Supported by a fleet captain for buffs and replenishment, a stack of Sartosan Free Company under Aranessa's command can clear as many treasure islands a turn as it encounters, loosing a flood of gold and enchanted treasures. It's also worth noting that all which they lack in survivability (armor, physical resistance, regen, etc.) are granted army-wide for ten turn durations by the Events at Sea they frequent. Cheap, reliable, and always available, these fearless adventurers prove their versatility from Naggarond to Nongchang. And many a close battle has been swayed by Sartosans committing to dig in their heels and go down swinging while their undead allies crumble.
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