Spear Infantry

The spear is mans first true weapon, beginning as little more than a sharpened stick before transforming into the sharp iron-headed spears of the Hellenistic age. Spears are a cheap weapon, requiring far less iron than a sword, while having much further reach. This combination makes them ideal for the majority of cheaper infantry as their length in conjuction with a shield gives them excellent defensive capabilites while their low cost allows them to be widely distributed. This is why spear infantry was one of the most common troop types in the ancient world, as the spear's advantages in either cost or defensive style was appreciated by different kinds of of soldiers, from poor quality levies able to be quickly and cheaply equipped, to well trained elite units making perfect use of long spears.

In Ancient Empires, Spearmen can be found in all factions and in almost all regions as recruitable auxiliary allies and while there are no factions without spearmen, some such as Parthia and Numidia require a reform to unlock them. Typically in Total War, spearmen are limp infantry unit, fodder to be cut down by swordsmen or soak up arrows, however this is not the case in Ancient Empires, though units of this nature do exist, it is not due to their spears. Spearmen in Ancient Empires vary considerably in their quality, however the most common form encountered is usually in the form of mass levies, with a larger unit size of 240 men on ultra settings, this allows them to form the backbone of an army, a line around which the rest of the army can form, either to push forward and sweep the enemy away or stand and hold the line. However it should be stressed in Ancient Empires that just because a unit is a spear unit, does not mean it has to stand back and hold the line, they are not defined by their spears but by the quality of their men and equipment.

 List of Spear Infantry Units