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This article is about the Age of Empires unit. For the Age of Empires II HD: The Forgotten unit, see Legionary. |
Template:AoEUnits The Legion is an infantry unit that is featured in Age of Empires. It is an upgrade of the Long Swordsman and is more than twice as powerful.
Gameplay
For the cheap cost and good hit point count, the Legion is an excellent choice to send into battle over the Long Swordsman. They can survive longer and give more damage although they still remain inferior to Academy units. These units are great for massed attacks due to their cheap cost and expendability. They are the weakest type of super unit and cannot be upgraded further. If played as the Choson, their hit points increases by 50% and if played as the Romans, their attack rate increases by 33%.
Civilizations
The Legion is an uncommon unit, and only these civilizations can train them:
Upgrades
Tool Age
- Toolworking: Increases attack by 2 points.
- Leather Armor: Increases armor by 2 points.
Bronze Age
- Metalworking: Increases attack by 2 points.
- Scale Armor: Increases armor by 2 points.
- Bronze Shield: Increases pierce armor by 1 point.
- Logistics: Decreases population usage by 1/2.
Iron Age
- Metallurgy: Increases attack by 3 points.
- Chain Mail: Increases armor by 2 points.
- Iron Shield: Increases pierce armor by 1 point.
- Tower Shield: Increases pierce armor by 1 point.
Civilization Bonuses
- Choson: Legions have +80 hitpoints.
- Roman: Legions attack +33% faster.
History
Legions in Age of Empires were primarily based on troops that once patrolled the frontiers of the Roman Empire. These troops were very well trained and were considered as one of the best soldiers in Europe during antiquity. For one thing, the Roman Empire had a centralized bureaucracy which improved the skill and tactics generals use during combat since only well trained soldiers are allowed to become the legions and praetorians of Rome. These soldiers are controlled by infantry divisions which made warfare easier by splitting infantry into different groups. Roman Centurions commanded a group of 100 legionaries, with other officers controlling smaller groups under the Centurion. Roman Legions were equipped with a pilum, or javelin, which was used for throwing, a gladius (short iron sword), their primary weapon, and a large shield. The use of iron in the legions' equipment gave them an advantage over many other civilizations, which used bronze in their tools and weapons, which was heavier and tended to shatter.
The Roman legion was the ultimate military formation of antiquity. The legion was a 4200-man unit at full strength, broken down into 120-man units called maniples. Most of the maniples went into battle as separate blocks of men in a square formation that looked something like a checkerboard from above. Ten maniples fought as skirmishers in loose order to the front of the first line of blocks. They attacked the enemy infantry line with sling stones, arrows, and javelins as the two armies closed and then fell back between gaps in the blocks. They may have moved to the edges of the battle to protect the Roman line and harass the enemy line. The heavy infantry blocks moved forward, throwing javelins just before the clash. Gaps in the blocks may have been filled in by a second row of blocks containing more experienced soldiers. The third and final row of blocks was the smallest but contained the most experienced veterans who served as the legion's reserve. The basic legion might have attached cavalry, archers, engineers, and artillery, depending on the task before it. At its peak, the Roman Empire had legions deployed all along its frontiers, defending against barbarians, putting down revolts, expanding the empire, and maintaining order.
— The Age of Empires manual
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Unit Evolution: Legion |
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| Short Swordsman --> Broad Swordsman --> Long Swordsman --> Legion |
Template:Units (AoE)