Maya Holcan Spearman
Maya Holcan Spearman is Heavy Infantry available from the Commerce Age through an American Citadel. Its strong bonus against Cavalry and Shock troops makes it a specialized melee defender.
Recorded values
- Available
- Commerce Age · American Citadel
- Training
- 30 sec · 10 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 185 hit points · 10% hand resistance · 5.0 speed · 12 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 10 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 3.0x vs. Cavalry; 2.25x vs. Shock troops
- Siege attack
- 24 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
Role, availability & values
The unit has 185 hit points, moves at 5.0 speed and costs 75 Food and 25 Wood. It takes 30 seconds to train. Its attacks are 10 hand damage and 24 siege damage, with a 3.0× bonus against Cavalry and a 2.25× bonus against Shock troops.
Matchup & timing
Use Holcan Spearmen to protect ranged units or buildings from mounted attacks. They must reach their targets to apply their bonuses, so keep them with support and avoid exposing them to ranged fire. Their siege attack can pressure structures when an opening appears.
Current status and legacy availability
The Maya Holcan Spearman is a legacy heavy-infantry native warrior. After update 54545, the Maya settlement’s ordinary recruitable unit was replaced by the Maya Holcan Javelineer, a Musketeer-type unit. The Spearman may still appear in older versions, in treasure rewards or at the American Citadel on the Unknown map. It should therefore be described differently depending on version: in legacy content it could be recruited at a Trading Post or Tambo on a Maya settlement, while the current standard roster no longer provides that normal recruitment route. This distinction matters when following an older guide or examining a scenario; the current Maya settlement unit is not the same unit with a renamed entry.
Definitive Edition base values
In the Definitive Edition profile, the Spearman costs 75 Food and 25 Wood, trains in 30 seconds and has a limit of 17 per Maya settlement when that recruitment route exists. It has 185 hit points, 10% hand resistance, speed 5.0 and line of sight 12. Its hand attack deals 10 damage every 1.5 seconds, with a 3.0 multiplier against cavalry and 2.25 against shock troops. The siege attack deals 24 damage at range six every three seconds. Earlier versions list 180 hit points, eight hand damage, 45 siege damage and a four-second siege interval, with a lower cap and shorter train time. Always identify the edition before comparing those values or planning a legacy strategy.
Anti-cavalry role and siege trade-off
The Spearman’s melee multipliers make it an anti-cavalry unit: its 10 base hand damage becomes 30 against cavalry before other modifiers, and 22.5 against shock troops. Its heavy-infantry classification also makes it useful as a frontline body that can punish a cavalry charge. The siege weapon deals 24 base damage in the Definitive Edition, which helps against buildings, but its three-second cycle is slower than the ordinary hand attack and exposes the unit while it stands near a structure. The historical profile’s siege attack was much higher but fired more slowly. Use the current values when assessing building pressure; do not combine the old 45-damage shot with the newer three-second rate.
Strengths, vulnerabilities and formation
Cavalry, shock troops and buildings are the unit’s favorable targets, while light infantry, counter-skirmishers and artillery are listed as counters. Its 10% hand resistance helps against melee attacks but does not prevent ranged units from wearing it down. Keep Spearmen in front of ranged units where they can deter cavalry, and use other troops to answer skirmishers or artillery. A slow siege attack can punish an undefended building, but a group left standing under ranged fire will take losses before the next attack cycle. If using the unit in a legacy scenario, watch its movement and formation; speed 5.0 lets it keep up with ordinary infantry but does not make it a fast raider.
Age upgrades
Maya Warrior Societies upgrades the Spearman to Elite for 100 Wood and 75 Coin in Definitive Edition, adding 25% hit points and damage; the older price was higher. Champion Maya costs 400 Wood and 300 Coin in the Fortress Age and adds 35% after the Elite step, whereas earlier versions listed a 40% bonus. The Imperial native-warrior upgrade adds 50% for Legendary status and costs 1,500 Food and 1,500 Wood through the applicable Capitol, Town Center or equivalent. African civilizations use their automatic native-warrior upgrade rule where applicable. These improvements increase durability and combat output, but they do not change the unit’s availability: an upgrade cannot restore ordinary Maya settlement recruitment after the roster replacement.
Legacy strategy and modern reference use
In a version where the Spearman can be recruited at a Maya settlement, it can provide early anti-cavalry without relying on a conventional Barracks. The per-settlement cap limits the size of that force, so use it as a complement to ranged infantry or other native units rather than the entire army. Defend the settlement if continued recruitment matters, and avoid building a large strategy around a site that can be lost. In the current Definitive Edition roster, the Maya Holcan Javelineer fills the recruitable settlement role instead. Players consulting an old scenario, save or guide should confirm that the Spearman is actually available before spending resources on native-site upgrades.
Version comparison at a glance
Across the original and Definitive Edition values, the unit gains modest hit points and melee damage, has a higher training time and a larger settlement limit, while its siege damage and attack interval are standardized downward. The earlier profile lists 180 hit points, eight hand damage, 45 siege damage, a four-second siege rate, 20 seconds of training and a limit of 15. The Definitive Edition profile lists 185 hit points, 10 hand damage, 24 siege damage, a three-second siege rate, 30 seconds and a cap of 17. These are meaningful balance changes: the later Spearman is better at melee defense and more available per settlement, but no longer delivers the old high-damage siege blow.
How to use a surviving group
When the Spearman appears in a legacy match or treasure reward, use it to protect vulnerable ranged units from cavalry rather than sending it ahead as a lone siege unit. Keep the group close enough to intercept a charge, but allow ranged allies to attack counters from behind. Its cavalry multiplier is most valuable when it actually reaches melee range; use terrain or a screen to prevent skirmishers from kiting it. Against buildings, move in only after the area is secure and account for the slow attack cycle. If the enemy brings artillery, retreat and let your own counter-artillery or mobile units clear the guns before the Spearmen return.
Native-site and technology planning
In versions with Maya settlement recruitment, a Trading Post or Tambo on the site provides a capped source of the unit. The older limit of 15 and Definitive Edition limit of 17 mean the settlement can reinforce a useful support group but not a full unrestricted army. Maya Warrior Societies and Champion Maya improve combat statistics, while the Imperial native upgrade provides the final age-based increase. These technologies improve units already available; they do not create access on a map without the Maya site or reverse the later roster replacement. On the Unknown map, the American Citadel route is a special exception. Treat treasure, site training and Citadel access as separate methods when explaining where a particular Spearman came from.
Do not mix edition values
The historical 45-point siege attack and four-second interval belong to the earlier profile; the Definitive Edition values are 24 damage every three seconds. Likewise, the Elite upgrade price and Champion bonus changed. Keep the version label beside any comparison so an older scenario’s numbers are not mistakenly presented as current balance.
Why the successor is a separate unit
The Maya Holcan Javelineer introduced by the roster update is a Musketeer-type replacement, not a direct balance patch to the old Spearman. Its weapon role and counters differ, so use the Javelineer page for current settlement recruitment and this page for legacy Spearman statistics, treasure appearances and compatible scenarios.
Finding it in an older match
If a settlement no longer offers the Spearman, check for a Maya Holcan Javelineer instead and confirm the game update. A Spearman found in a treasure or scenario may still retain its legacy profile even when ordinary recruitment has changed.
Scenario checks
Treasure rewards and scenario placement can preserve the unit independently of the standard civilization roster. Verify the actual unit card before investing in upgrades.
Anti-Cavalry infantry with siege utility
The Maya Holcan Spearman performs a role similar to a Pikeman, giving an army a melee answer to Cavalry and a way to threaten buildings. Its siege attack is stronger than a typical comparison suggests, though its siege attack cadence was standardized in Definitive Edition. Use Holcan Spearmen to protect ranged troops and artillery from Cavalry, or to add pressure when an enemy structure is already exposed. They remain vulnerable to ranged infantry and should not be sent alone against a prepared gun line.
Availability depends on map and scenario
Holcan Spearmen are not a standard unit in every Maya or Native settlement setup. Their availability can be tied to specific Trading Posts, treasures, maps or scenario rules; the Unknown map’s American Citadel is one documented way to train them. Check the current map and alliance menu before planning a force around them. When available, pair them with ranged units that can answer the infantry counters likely to target a slow melee formation.
Original release and Definitive Edition values
This unit’s numbers changed substantially between releases. In the original game it was tagged as a Siege unit, trained in 20 seconds, had a build limit of 15, 180 hit points, 8 hand damage and 45 siege damage with a 4.0-second siege rate of fire. In Definitive Edition it is no longer tagged as Siege, trains in 30 seconds, has a limit of 17, 185 hit points, 10 hand damage and 24 siege damage with a 3.0-second siege rate of fire. Do not combine the original siege classification and damage with the Definitive Edition profile: the tag change affects how counters and upgrades interact, while the longer training time and new limit also change how quickly it can be fielded. Update 54545 replaced the Maya Holcan Spearman with the Maya Holcan Javelineer; check the active release before planning around this entry as a currently trainable unit.