Swordsman

Swordsman
	14
	2
	75
Resource Cost	Iron
Unlocked at	Iron Working
Upgrades From	Warrior
Upgrades To	Longswordsman

The Swordsman is a Melee unit available in the Classical Era.

Overview

First appearing during the Bronze Age, the earliest swords were little more than extra-large daggers. It wasn't until the development of iron forging (in approximately 1200 BC in Europe) that swords became viable combat weapons. The earliest swords were short and sharp, designed primarily for stabbing. Further advances in iron-work allowed bigger swords, and by the Middle Ages monstrously-long and heavy two-handed swords could cleave through all but the toughest armor.

Strategy

The Swordsman is the most powerful standard melee unit during the early game, much stronger than the Spearman and Warrior. Armed with the first forged weapons and armor, the Swordsman can soak up quite some damage and as such are very useful as a first line of defense and when attacking early-era cities. A player that has Swordsmen can decimate large lines of Spearmen or Warriors very quickly.

Swordsmen are particularly vulnerable to mounted units, as all bar the Chariot Archer can move after attacking, getting a hit and moving away so the Swordsman can't retaliate. Also, keep in mind that you'll need Iron resources to train Swordsmen.

Unique Unit Replacements

Icon	Unit	Civilization	Abilities
	Antrustion	The Franks (Clovis I)	+14% Combat Strength (16 vs. 14) Yields Gold if garrisoned in a conquered city Yields Faith if garrisoned in a founded city
	Azd'Uman Warrior	The Umayyads (Al-Walid I)	Doesn't require Iron. When it captures a City, a free Mosque is built in that City (not retained when upgraded). +1 Combat Strength for every three Religious Buildings in the Empire (max. +10 ).
	Bakil Highlander	Yemen (Arwa al-Sulayhi)	May claim adjacent desert or mountain tiles while fortified; tiles acquired this way yield +1 Food. Hills do not slow the Bakil Highlander's movement.
	Bataroas	Gallia (Vercingetorix) (LastSword)	-24% Production Cost (57 v. 75) Does not require Iron If Iron is available, +2 Combat Strength
	Battle-Axeman	The Massagetae (Tomyris)	Unlocked at Horseback Riding Requires no Iron Gains extra Combat Strength for every used Movement Point of adjacent units
	Beifu Guard	Jin (Sima Yan)	-60% Production Cost (30 vs 75). May only be trained in the Capital and former capitals. +20% attacking strength against Melee and Mounted units while adjacent to rivers, +15% defensive strength against units belonging to civilizations with less Happiness.
	Berserker	The Vikings (Ragnar Lodbrok)	+1 Movement +1 Combat Strength per 15HP lost
	Birkebeiner	Norway (Haakon IV)	Does not require Iron. +20% Combat Strength in Hills. Double Movement in owned Snow, Tundra and Hills while there is an enemy unit within Norwegian borders.
	Bordweall	Kent (Aethelbert)	More Combat Strength Fights better in defense More effective against melee units Requires no Iron
	Chonnonton War Band	Neutral Nation (Tsouharissen)	+3 Combat Strength, +25 Production, +25% attacking bonus, -10% defending penalty Upon being trained, may spawn a source of Flint. Can upgrade to a Musketman for free when on a source of Flint upon researching Gunpowder.
	Cohort	Judea (Herod)	Does not require Iron to be built. +33% Defense against Ranged attacks. Generates Gold when garrisoned in cities following your Religion or Faith in cities not following your Religion.
	Elephantarch	Bactria (Demetrius I)	Has 4 Movement Points. Each Movement point spent before attacking increases the Elephantarch's Combat Strength by 10% Starts with additional XP based on the amount of Food produced in its home City.
	Epilektoi	Argos (Pheidon)	Does not require Iron, but halts city growth while being trained. Gains +25% Combat Strength when stacked with a civilian unit May be disbanded in friendly territory while at peace to increase the nearest city's population (up to three times per city).
	Falxman	The Thracians (Sitalces)	+25% Combat Strength when attacking -25%  Combat Strength when defending
	Fiann	The Gaels (Niall)	Grants Great Writer points to the Capital when pillaging tile improvements, more if the tile contains a resource May use enemy roads May not pillage roads
	Francisca	Francia (Charlemagne)	+33% Combat Strength vs Melee units Does not require Iron
	Gadrauht	The Goths (Alaric)	Heals double when pillaging a non-road Improvement Starts with the Drill I promotion
	Gaisgeach	Alba (Alexander III)	Begins with the Amphibious promotion. Yields +1 Production for each level earned when garrisoned in a City constructing Buildings.
	Galatian Guard	The Ptolemies (Cleopatra)	May move after being purchased Turns Experience into  Culture if disbanded While within 2 tiles of a Ptolemaic city, gains +100% Experience and +15% Combat Strength
	Geoguth	The Saxons (Widukind)	Does not require Iron. Moves through forests at twice the rate. Whenever an Enemy Religious Unit begins their turn in your territory for the first time, receive Production toward a Geoguth in the nearest city.
	Hadzab	The Mayans (Lady Xoc)	Removes heresy when promoted adjacent to a city. +25% Combat Strength when fighting in forest or jungle tiles.
	Hellenistic Elephant	Bactria (Eucratides I)	Combat bonus vs Spearmen +1 Movement +15% Combat Strength vs fortified and wounded units
	Hemangi	The Yali (Wimayuk Wandik)	Does not require Iron If promoted while on a neutral tile with a resource, claims that tile
	Hendinos	The Burgundians (Gundahar)	+42% Production cost (115 vs 75). -1 Combat Strength (13 vs 14). +2 Movement on Forested Hills. Adopting Social Policies causes the unit to be promoted, regardless of experience. While at war, one Hendinos may be upgraded into a Great General.
	Huskarl	The Swedes (Erik)	Begins with the XP normally granted by a Runestone even when the city is not in a 'We Love the King Day', or otherwise double. Receive a free Huskarl when a Great General is spawned.
	Khevsur Warrior	Georgia (Tamar)	Double Movement in Hills. +25% Combat Strength in rough terrain.
	Knight of Alcantara	Leon (Alfonso IX)	Recieves twice as much strength against ranged and mounted units while next to a river. While at War, may claim the Enemy's citadels and fortresses for a small sum of Gold. +1 Combat Strength. More expensive than the Longswordsman to train.
	Kris Swordsman	Indonesia (Gajah Mada) Mataram (Sultan Agung)	After its first battle, receives a random, unique Promotion (Mataram Only) Passively gains gold in enemy territory.
	Kyundaw Conscript	Burma (Anawrahta)	Gains +3 Combat Strength and heals +2 HP while inside or adjacent to cities. Increases to +4 Combat Strength and +3 HP adjacent to enemy cities.
	Legion	Rome (Augustus Caesar)	+21% Combat Strength (17 vs 14) Can build Roads and Forts
	Legio Regia	Holy Roman Empire (Otto I)	Gains +15% Combat Strength when beginning its turn stacked with a religious unit Generates Great Artist points when capturing cities
	Lundwiga	Wessex (Egbert)	Gains extra combat strength depending on your Gold income Generates local Happiness in the city it starts its turn in.
	Maccabee	Israel (David)	+20% Combat bonus on flanking attacks Kills yield  Faith
	Mohawk Warrior	The Iroquois (Hiawatha)	Does not require Iron +33% Combat Strength in Forest and Jungle
	Nobatian Swordsman	Makuria (Merkurios)	+20% Combat Strength in friendly territory When garrisoned, causes Trade Routes with the city to produce +2 Gold
	Nzappa Zap	Luba (Ilunga Sungu)	Generates Great Artist points from kills Cities captured by a Nzappa Zap do not enter Resistance
	Oathsworn	The Gauls (Vercingetorix)	+7% Combat Strength (15 vs 14) Upon death, grants the 'Battle Fury' promotion to adjacent allies, giving +10% Combat Strength per Level earned by the Oathsworn for 10 turns (max +50%)
	Petulantes	Rome (Julian)	Begins with more XP based on the city's Local Happiness.
	Praetorian	Rome (Julius Caesar)	+10 Production Cost (85 v. 75). +3 Combat Strength (17 v. 14). May be stacked with a Great General for a 15% Combat Strength bonus. Earns Golden Age Points from kills equal to 100% of the enemy's strength if beginning its turn stacked with a Great General.
	Prajurit	Sunda (Prabu Siliwangi)	Does not require iron. Gain 1 XP per turn when stationed on Farm tiles. Gain 1 XP per turn when stationed with a worker. (Effects stack)
	Quangariecha	The Purépecha (Tariácuri)	Can be used, once in its lifetime, to claim neutral Hill tiles
	Qurubuti	Assyria (Ashurbanipal) (When Tiglath-Pileser III's Assyria is installed)	Initimidates (-15% Combat Strength) nearby enemy units whilst beginning its turn garrisoned in the Capital or a former Capital. Does not require Iron to be trained.
	Rhyfelwr	The Silures (Caratacus)	+25% Combat Strength when defending in rough terrain. Receive a Unique Promotion after entering Combat for the first time that allows the Unit to ignore terrain costs. May build Forts at double the speed of a worker.
	Samogitian Warrior	Lithuania (Gediminas)	-4 Combat Strength (10 vs 14). +50% Combat Strength in Forests. When beginning in a Forest or Jungle Tile, heals an extra +5 HP, doubled if within a city following your Pantheon. Does not require Iron.
	Shark-Tooth Swordsman	Abemama (Tembinok')	Doesn't obsolete until the Modern Era. Is trained with additional combat strength depending on the culture output of the city and the era. Passively gains experience every turn.
	Tomahawk Warrior	The Iroquois (Hiawatha) (When Chrisy15's Revision is installed)	Makes ranged rather than melee attacks Does not require Iron Ignores Zone of Control Starts with the Woodsman promotion
	Vexillatio	Rome (Marcus Aurelius)	Generates +1 culture when garrisoned in a captured city. Receives 10XP bonus for every great work present in the city which produces it.
	Wasay Axeman	Igorot (Aliguyon)	It, and any stacked units, may cross Mountain tiles after the first Great Engineer is earned (not lost upon upgrade). Heals itself and stacked units from Mountain attrition damage at the start of the turn (not lost upon upgrade).
	Xingar-Yir	White Huns (Toramana)	Has less strength (8 vs 14) Produces Gold if promoted next to a mountain, and Golden Age points if promoted in territory not originally owned by you. Receive a free Xingar-Yir when conquering a city that has a Guild or National Wonder. Requires Iron.

Fictional

Icon	Unit	Civilization	Abilities
	Black Marvel	Kahndaq (Black Adam)	Does not require Iron. Gains experience 67% faster (carries over on upgrade).
	Tatau Warrior	The Rakyat (Citra)	Does not require Iron to build. Gains +33% more Experience from combat per Social Policy Tree unlocked.