Halberdier

Overview

The most advanced standard Spearman-line unit, fielded to blunt cavalry armies.

Availability and investment

Halberdier becomes available in Imperial Age. Its listed production context is Barracks. The listed cost is 35 Food, 25 Wood and the training time is 22 seconds. This tells you when it can first join an army and which resources must be reserved alongside Villager production, upgrades, and other military lines.

• Upgrade path: Spearman → Pikeman → Halberdier

Combat profile

The available combat values are included here so the numbers can be read as a profile rather than an isolated list. Hit points and armor describe how long the unit can remain exposed; attack and any bonus damage describe what it threatens; range, reload, accuracy, and movement describe how reliably it can engage or disengage. A value shown for a whole upgrade line applies to the listed stages as recorded, so compare the stage names instead of treating the line as one base unit.

• Melee attack: 6
• Hit points: 60
• Melee armor: 0
• Pierce armor: 0
• Line of sight: 6
• Reload time: 3 seconds
• Movement speed: 1

Field use

Choose engagements against mounted units or other targets named by its bonus-attack entry. Its low cost and matchup bonus are most useful when it protects a more expensive army or blocks a cavalry approach.

Armor classes and counters

Armor-class bonuses are separate from base attack and the target’s melee or pierce armor. The class list below shows the unit’s documented combat categories and bonus-damage relationships; use it to judge matchups instead of relying on the unit label alone.

• Armor class: Infantry
• Armor class: Spearman
• Halberdier deals +1 bonus damage to units in the Shock infantry class
• Halberdier deals +32 bonus damage to units in the Cavalry class
• Halberdier deals +26 bonus damage to units in the Camel Units class
• Halberdier deals +28 bonus damage to units in the Elephant Units class
• Halberdier deals +17 bonus damage to units in the Ship class
• Halberdier deals +1 bonus damage to units in the Standard building class
• Halberdier deals +17 bonus damage to units in the Fishing Ship class
• Halberdier deals +7 bonus damage to units in the Mameluke class

Related unit plan: Halberdier cavalry-stop line

Halberdier: Halberdiers are a high-impact answer when cavalry or elephants form the opponent’s main army. Their upgrade is most valuable when enough enemy cavalry exists to justify its cost, and a few Halberdiers can make a larger force reconsider a direct charge Place Halberdiers where they protect ranged units, Villagers, or siege from mounted attacks. Hold them near the unit they must screen instead of chasing faster cavalry, then bring them forward with the main army once the opponent commits. Research the upgrade when it changes the next major fight, especially against an elephant-heavy composition Halberdiers are slow and can be kited by ranged units. They do not solve the whole army composition; pair them with a unit that can pressure archers and avoid spending heavily on the upgrade when the opponent has little cavalry