Quick overview
| Type | Offensive, Melee |
|---|---|
| Source | Barracks level 1 |
| Cost | 100 |
| Recommendation | Rather yes |
rating
The Veteran Axeman is your upgraded striking infantry for close-range attack, which you unlock through research in the Research Tower. The research replaces the regular Axeman with a stronger one, but the veteran costs more gold and requires more food. He has a respectable attack of 118, but defense is split, 20 against close combat and only miserable 6 against archers. Take him as purely offensive front-line soldier, not as something that would survive in a garrison. You recruit him for 100 coins and he consumes 4 food.
How to use it
You send him forward to the front to break through enemy defenders in close combat. With attack 118, this is a proper lever against melee garrison at the beginning of the game, the regular Axeman has attack 38, so the research roughly triples the strength of one soldier. He performs best where you know you're facing mainly close-range combat, not rows of archers. He has speed 22, which is slow compared to cavalry and faster units, so don't take him on lightning raids and for distant targets account for a longer march. Sync him with similarly slow units so your army doesn't arrive scattered to pieces.
What to combine it with
By himself he's full of holes against archers, so mix him with your own archers who cover enemy archers for you. The natural partner is the Veteran Crossbowman from the same Research Tower, attack 98, price 85 coins and speed 23, so he keeps pace with the Axeman. Axemen go to the front on melee defenders, Crossbowmen on archer defenders. When you attack a fortified target, bring siege equipment into your composition (ladders, battering rams, catapults), which deals with walls and defensive tools. The Axeman alone doesn't deal with walls, he's a striker on defenders. Because consumption is only 4 food per unit, you can afford more of them even in the early phase, so you can easily build an entire attack flank from them.
Weaknesses and what to avoid
Hard no goes to two things. First, don't put him in castle defense, defense 6 against archers means the first attacker with archers will take him down almost for free, it's wasted garrison capacity. Second, don't send him bare at targets defended by archers without your own cover, he'll fall before he can strike. Close combat suits him, defense 20 against melee is okay, the problem is exclusively archers.
Related units
Back to Units.