Unit

A Unit is a formation of soldiers or creatures that the player can recruit to engage enemy armies and conquer settlements. Units are a primary aspect of the game, and are constructed at military buildings. Every unit is led by an Officer, whose death will cause the unit to take a drop to morale. Units are generally more effective when led by a General, and if one is not present, the most experienced unit's Officer will be promoted to a Captain for the battle.

Types
Units in Hyrule: Total War are divided into seven categories, which are further sub-divided into one of two roles and one of seven secondary roles depending on whether they are close-combat or ranged.


 * Infantry: Unit engages in melee combat. Their weapons can be varied, but most infantry use some form of sword, mace, or axe.
 * Spearmen: Unit engages in melee combat with a weapon that has very long reach. Their weapons can be varied, but most spearmen use some form of spear, halberd, or pike.
 * Archers: Unit engages enemy at a distance. Their weapons can be varied, but most archers use some form of bow and arrow or crossbow.
 * Mages: Unit engages enemy at a distance. Their weapons can be varied, but most mages use some form of powerful magical attack.
 * Cavalry: Can be combined with any of the previous unit types. Essentially this is a mounted version of Infantry, Spearmen, Archers, or Mages. Cavalry can ride all sorts of mounts.
 * Creature: Cavalry without riders. Creatures come in an extremely large variety of shapes and sizes.
 * Siege Engine: This unit excels at taking down walls, gates, buildings, or otherwise any durable and immobile target. Unless specified, they are usually terrible at attacking moving targets.

Roles

 * Light: Unit can perform its role for a time, but will not last long because of less armor and weaponry.
 * Heavy: Unit can sustain its role for a long period of time due to heavier armor or weaponry.

Melee

 * Assault: Unit is exceptional at charging headlong into enemy formations and dealing damage. These units are best used aggresively and offensively.
 * Frontline: A nicer way of saying meatshield. These units are decent at absorbing damage, but not at dealing it. They should be used on the frontline to hold enemies at bay while more powerful units move in for the kill.
 * Defense: These units excel at standing their ground and holding position, but often deal minor damage. They are often extremely resistant to ranged attacks or wear heavy armor. These units should be used to defend important areas rather than charge headlong into enemies.
 * Surprise Attack: These units are basically melee glass cannons, they can deal a ton of damage up front but cannot sustain themselves in a melee. Naturally they all have some sort of stealth attribute so they can sneak up on enemies.

Ranged

 * Strike: This ranged unit excels at dealing a lot of direct damage.
 * Suppressive Fire: This ranged unit doesn't necessarily deal a lot of damage or kill enemies quickly, but their method of attack slows enemies down or otherwise damages morale.
 * Harassment: This ranged unit doesn't necessarily deal much damage, but it's speed and resilience allow to to continue harassing enemies from afar. They are essentially good at kiting.

Experience
Units gain increased attributes and combat skills as they survive, and more importantly win, more battles. This is noted by bronze, silver, or gold chevrons, on their unit card.