Skeleton Spearmen is a Tomb Kings melee infantry unit introduced in Total War: Warhammer II with the Rise of the Tomb Kings DLC. Spears extend, like gnarled and sharpened bones, held firmly in place by their deathly-grip.
Description
The Skeleton Spearmen of Nehekhara are not mindless automatons slaved to the will of an evil necromancer. The incantations of the Liche Priests summon the spirits of long-dead soldiers from the Realm of Souls and bind them into corporeal forms. However, without the extensive mummification lavished upon their lords and betters, the spirits of these warriors do not retain the full memory of their former existence. Upon awakening from their death-sleep, the only things that every one of these Undead soldiers can recall with perfect clarity is their unswerving loyalty to their king and the ways of war that were drilled into them in life. Thus, the skeletal regiments of Nehekhara obey every command of their Tomb King without hesitation - as they served him in life, so they serve him in death.
Abilities
Spear Infantry- ▲ Shielded: Shields have a chance of blocking arrows, bolts, rifle shots and similar small arms fire - but only in a forward facing arc.
- ▲ Anti-Large: Anti-Large: Anti-large units have an advantage against targets that are at least as large as a horse. This advantage can be a damage bonus against large targets or an attack that focuses on a very small area. However, some units are simply better against large targets because their attacks are slow and easy to dodge by skilled melee combatants.
- ▲ Meat Shield: While unimpressive at causing damage, this unit is useful as a 'meat shield', absorbing damage that would otherwise hurt a more useful or precious target.
Strategy
Skeleton Spearmen pack two major advantages over skeleton swordsmen, that basically make them a far superior unit: first, they have a markedly better defense than skeleton swordsman, which makes them a much superior tarpit unit, as they will last much longer, and take many fewer casualties in the process. This means that they will remain useful for much longer in the game, which will let them accrue several ranks' worth of experience...and that, in turn, will make them even more useful, and lead you to keep them around even longer. Honestly, between their unit size, and their surprising durability, they're one of the better tarpit units in the game.
Secondly, they are one of your only anti-large units, which means they will be absolutely critical if you want to fight any seriously cavalry-heavy faction, such as Bretonnia. With a total damage of 37 against large units, they are a powerful--and dangerous--barrier to enemy cavalry charges, which leaves you free to commit monsters and Tomb Guard where they can turn the tide against enemy infantry units, rather than relegating them to fighting off cavalry charges.
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