Mercenaries

[Al_Ghouti]

I'm currently playing as The Greeks in the early game and I'm looking for a little hired help to defend my walls. The Greeks are terrific at defending cities, bridges and the like but I'm hesitant to place my Hoplites on stone walls thinking that they wouldn't be able to use their talents properly (I think they're much better suited to lining up behind the gate and guard tower entrances.

Therefore it leaves me very light on the walls and I had a bit of a disaster last game where I routed the Romans back up onto the walls where they milled around and retook the towers which opened fire on my forces down on ground level.

I'm thinking that having a couple of units capable of chasing the Romans back up onto the walls and engaging in hand to hand combat will be very useful. Which units though is my question, as anything in Greek lands I can train myself like the hoplites which I don't think are suitable. Where are the closest, cheapest units that I can go and buy to help defend my walls which are well suited for the task?

[crazyroman]

They are not many things that you cant use unfortunately.The only thing that comes in my mind is archers or peltasts.And for mercenaries cretan archers mercenary peltasts or illyrian ones.All these units are mainly missile but the peltasts have the shield too so they might have an advantage from the other units.If i were you i will use mercenary peltasts.

[neep]

They are not many things that you cant use unfortunately.The only thing that comes in my mind is archers or peltasts.And for mercenaries cretan archers mercenary peltasts or illyrian ones.All these units are mainly missile but the peltasts have the shield too so they might have an advantage from the other units.If i were you i will use mercenary peltasts.

Agreed, having archers is a very useful component in any battle.
Once you have enemy units routing, the archers can easily follow up and decimate them all the way to the edge of the battlefield.
(I have no qualms about shooting the enemy in the back )

[Al_Ghouti]

The problem that was having though, was when say a unit of Hastati was routed by my hoplites at the foot of the gatehouse they ran back up and had nowhere to go, meaning that they fought to the death. This unit fighting to the death would destroy lightly armoured missile units, and taking the spears out of the equation would make them very dangerous to hoplites too, especially early ones.

Looking around for nearby suitable units, maybe Samnites could do a job but getting a family member on mainland Italy is too risky. Barbarian warbands I think would be ideal but where could I go for those? Gaul, Dacia? Scutarii from Spain would be great, anything closer?

About the archers/ peltasts suggestions, they are an integral part of my defence. I have them up on the walls softening the invaders and trying to destroy rams and towers, but once the siege towers and ladders engage then I have them retreat behind the hoplites down on ground level. Decimated units are then much easier for my hoplites to rout.

[crazyroman]

I dont think its a good idea to send family members to Iberia for scutarii.I will prefer some barbarian mercenaries from northern italy or some samnite mercenaries from sicily.But again you might run into risk if you send them just to hire mercenaries that you cant retrain.I will choose the solution with the peltasts.Use all of their ammo and then use them as melee infantry.

[HoNose]

Man, go compare your hoplites stats with those of hastati. I'll spoil it for you: hoplites, even standard ones, have obscenely good stats and can take on early legionaries in a sword fight. Go nuts.

[Theodosius I]

Mercenary Bastarnae aren't bad for defending walls; they have low defense so they don't stand up well to volleys of pila, but they have two hitpoints and the warcry ability. Plus they are usually recruitable in northern Greece.

[crazyroman]

Yea that is a good solution.Bastarnae and thracian mercenaries can do good damage to hastati .

[nhinhonhinho]

Playing as Greek I suggest these mercenaries

- Illyrian: Probably one of the best 'swordsman' you can get. They're javelineer but have shields and good melee strength (roundly Hastati). Also they can be recruit nearby

- Petals: You can get them easily in the Greek world (From Macedon or Greek to Seleucid territories), they're similar to the Illyrian but have weaker melee stat, yet more disciplined

- Thracian Mercenary: The lesser version of Bastanae

- Bastanae: One of the best melee mercenary around

- Samnite: They're ok light infantry yet won't be enough to fight Roman infantry on equal term, more suit as support troops

- Warband: big units so good at meat shield and support or swarm cavalry, otherwise weak

- Cilician pirate: If you expand to the west then give these a try, they're poor in prolong fight but good in the opening moment

Anyway I found the Armored Hoplite still very capable of fighting on the wall so if you don't mind just use them!

[Careless]

The Greek region is actually the only one that has a really good merc for doing walls, the basternae and Thracians.