Pikeman

Overview

A stronger Spearman upgrade for meeting larger cavalry forces.

Availability and investment

Pikeman becomes available in Castle 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: 4
• Hit points: 55
• 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
• Pikeman deals +1 bonus damage to units in the Shock infantry class
• Pikeman deals +22 bonus damage to units in the Cavalry class
• Pikeman deals +18 bonus damage to units in the Camel Units class
• Pikeman deals +25 bonus damage to units in the Elephant Units class
• Pikeman deals +16 bonus damage to units in the Ship class
• Pikeman deals +1 bonus damage to units in the Standard building class
• Pikeman deals +16 bonus damage to units in the Fishing Ship class
• Pikeman deals +7 bonus damage to units in the Mameluke class

Related unit plan: Pikeman cavalry-screen upgrade

Pikeman: Pikemen provide an affordable way to deter cavalry and protect a slower army, making the Spearman upgrade important when mounted units become a real threat. Their role is to control contact around vulnerable troops rather than chase Upgrade a surviving Spearman group when cavalry production appears, then station Pikemen near Archers, siege, or exposed Villagers. Move the screen with the army and let cavalry run into it instead of pursuing them across the map Pikemen are slow and vulnerable to ranged units. Do not produce large numbers before confirming a cavalry threat, and add another unit line to handle Archers