Berber Spearman
Berber Spearman is a Commerce Age Heavy Infantry unit in Barbary Pirates and Moroccan rosters. Its recorded production routes are the European Barracks and Galleon; scenario-specific access can differ.
Recorded values
- Available
- Commerce Age · European Barracks; Galleon; Native Embassy (Unknown); Watch Tower (Unknown)
- Training
- 15 sec · 1 population · 7 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 110 hit points · 10% hand resistance · 4.0 speed · 12 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 7 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 5.0x vs. Cavalry; 3.5x vs. Shock troops
- Siege attack
- 26 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
Role, availability & values
Production is available through European Barracks or Galleon. It has 110 hit points. It moves at 4.0 speed and uses 1 population. Training costs 35 Food and 35 Wood; it takes 15 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 7 damage. Siege attack deals 26 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 5.0× against Cavalry and 3.5× against Shock troops.
Matchup & timing
Use Berber Spearmen as a Commerce Age answer when Cavalry threatens the archer line: their hand attack has 5× against Cavalry and 3.5× against Shock troops. Their 26 siege damage can finish a structure after the counter fight, but 110 hit points leave little room for an unsupported chase. Keep them close to ranged allies and upgrade them only while that matchup matters.
Early anti-cavalry infantry and siege pressure
The Berber Spearman is a Commerce Age heavy infantry unit used by the Barbary Pirates and Moroccans in Definitive Edition Historical Battles. It replaces the Pikeman for those scenario forces and can be produced from the European Barracks. The unit costs 35 Food and 35 Wood, takes 15 seconds to train, uses one population and has 110 hit points with 10% hand resistance. Speed is 4.0 and line of sight is 12. Its standard hand attack deals seven damage every 1.5 seconds, with a 5.0 multiplier against Cavalry and 3.5 against Shock Troops. It also deals 26 siege damage at range six every three seconds. Those bonuses make the Spearman a dedicated melee counter to cavalry and shock units, with a useful secondary role against buildings. It must close distance to attack, so use ranged units or Outposts to discourage Light Infantry and Artillery from firing into it. Counter-skirmishers are also dangerous. The unit is not a general frontline replacement for ranged infantry: its value depends on the opponent sending cavalry into its reach or on an opportunity to siege a structure after defenders are cleared. Historical Battles begin with preset forces and can use scenario-specific access. On the Unknown random map, the Berber Spearman appears as a native warrior available from a Watch Tower or Native Embassy with a limit of ten and no population cost. That map version is affected by Home City Cards and technologies that improve native warriors. Research Moroccan Allegiance at the Native Embassy to unlock Berber Archers at Barracks for all civilizations. This access is separate from the Barbary Pirates and Moroccan scenario version, which uses the unit as ordinary population-consuming heavy infantry. The standard Veteran Berber Spearmen upgrade costs 200 Wood and 200 Coin in the Fortress Age and improves hit points and damage by 20%. The Unknown map’s Berber Warrior Societies technology grants Veteran status. Legendary Native Warriors or Exalted Natives can add 50% hit points and damage in the Imperial Age for 1,500 Food and 1,500 Wood where those technologies are available. African civilizations upgrade native warriors automatically and for free. These upgrades and their access buildings depend on which version of the unit is being used. In battle, keep a small group near the Berber Archers or artillery to intercept cavalry and protect fragile ranged troops. When a cavalry charge arrives, focus it with the spearmen rather than scattering attacks across the enemy army. After the counter threat is gone, the 26 siege damage can help finish a nearby building. Do not chase mobile ranged cavalry across open ground; it can kite the slower Spearman and leave it exposed. The unit’s strength is a clear counter role with a low Wood cost, and its weaknesses make a mixed force essential.
Defend the Berber archer line
A practical scenario formation places Berber Spearmen just ahead of Berber Archers. The spearmen threaten Hussars and Lancers that try to dive on the archers, while the archers deal with enemy infantry at range. Move the two groups together, but avoid putting the spearmen so far forward that Crossbowmen or Pikemen can isolate them. If the enemy has no cavalry, stop expanding the spear group and invest in units that answer the actual army. A few spearmen can still siege an undefended structure, but their strongest value is denying a cavalry engagement. In the Unknown map version, the population-free cap of ten makes them efficient native defenders, and Home City native upgrades may apply; the Historical Battle version has ordinary population cost and scenario access.
Upgrade only when the counter role remains useful
The 200 Wood and 200 Coin Veteran upgrade improves both durability and damage, but the player may need those resources for artillery or a transition to the next Age. If the enemy stops producing cavalry, the spearmen’s value falls and the upgrade should not be automatic. If repeated cavalry charges threaten the archer line, Veteran status makes the screen more durable and increases the punishment for units that enter melee. Keep the target profile in mind when deciding whether to improve the unit or switch production.
Stay with the infantry formation
Use the spearmen as a bodyguard for Berber Archers and artillery, rotating damaged units behind the line when possible. This preserves the anti-cavalry screen for the next engagement and prevents a small raid from breaking the formation.
Berber anti-cavalry for Barbary and Moroccan forces
The Berber Spearman is a Commerce Age Heavy Infantry unit available to the Barbary Pirates and Moroccans. It costs 35 Food and 35 Wood, trains in 15 seconds and uses one population. Its 110 hit points and speed 4.0 are modest, but the seven-damage hand attack has a 5× multiplier against Cavalry and 3.5× against Shock troops. The unit also deals 26 Siege damage every three seconds, giving it a useful way to help destroy a structure after the enemy Cavalry has been checked. Use a fast, inexpensive group to protect ranged units or artillery, while remembering that the Spearman itself has only 10% hand resistance and can be worn down by ranged Infantry. Its low resource cost makes it easier to replace than a mercenary, but repeated losses still consume time and population. Keep it near the target it is meant to deter instead of sending it alone into a defended base.