Stances

**Stances** provide a way to temporarily specialize your camps, forts or units in a given task. Stances differ from other ways of customizing your empire, such as upgrades and generals, in that they can be changed at any time and they always have a trade-off. For example, putting your unit in a battle line stance gives it added protection against charges, but they also move slower and have a shorter view range.

In addition to affecting your unit’s stats, stances also control a unit’s formation in the field and sometimes their behaviour in combat. For example, units in a skirmish stance will attempt to surround their target while those in a battle line will try to hold formation.

## Cavalry

The original horses brought to the Appennine peninsula by the Gauls and Greeks were quite short in stature and suitable only for light infantry in supporting roles. Later inter-breeding with larger Scythian and Persian stocks yielded horses capable of fielding heavy cavalry. A critical part of any army, cavalry are more expensive to maintain but can travel quickly and provide essential support to a slower moving battleline. Heavy cavalry move slower than light cavalry, but are much better armoured and put enough weight in their charges to break even some spearmen.

Resistant to missile fire while moving quickly across the battlefield, cavalry can inflict significant impact damage when charging light infantry. Weak against tight formations of spearmen or when locked into close-quarter combat.Effective at charging and breaking up light ranged troops or for flanking enemy units locked in combat.

Available Stances
 Skirmish
 Siege

This stance class is used by all melee cavalry brigades.

## Elephant

*This content requires activation of a DLC. See categories at the bottom of the page for more information.*

Available Stances

This stance class is introduced by the Eagle King DLC and used only by War Elephants. Its 'Battleline' stance behaves differently from that of most stance classes.

## General

Available Stances

This stance class is only used for Generals.

## Hoplite

Hoplites are well-armoured soldiers who fight with a spear and large round shield. Originating in the city-states of ancient Greece, their equipment and tactics were quickly adopted by the native tribes of the Apennine peninsula. Better equipped and trained than regular hoplites, Heavy hoplites wear formidable bronze armour and carry their namesake hoplon shield. While slow to move on the battlefield, once in position a heavy hoplite battleline can withstand all but the strongest enemy charge.

Large shields and heavy armour provide significant protection against charges and ranged attacks. Slow moving and susceptible to flanking. Hoplites lose much of their defensive advantages if their formation breaks. Most effective in wide battlelines where their flanks are protected by terrain or supporting units. Hoplites are can protect ranged troops from cavalry charges or hold an enemy in place while lighter troops move around to flank.

Available Stances
 Siege

This stance class is used by Hoplites and Phalangites.

## Javelineer

Flexible light infantry that can fight reasonably well in ranged or melee combat. Their light javelins allow them to move faster than spearmen, but without shields they are much less effective at blocking charges. With their ability to quickly move around the battlefield, mounted javelineers are ideal at tipping the balance in combat with their supportive ranged attack.

This stance class type is used by ranged brigades that are also capable of somewhat holding their own in melee, including Javelineers, Axemen, Leves, Peltasts and Velites.

## Legion

The core unit of the Roman army. The flexible, disciplined and highly trained legion excels as forward battleline unit but can also provide ranged support using their short-ranged pilums.

This stance class type is used by the late-game Latin and Sabellic melee brigades that are also capable of ranged attacks. It is the same as the Javelineer stance class in practice.

## Light Infantry

Available Stances
 Skirmish
 Siege

This stance class type is used by offensive melee brigades, such as skirmishers and swordsmen.

## Mixed Cavalry

Available Stances

This stance class type is used by Mounted Javelineers.

## Mutiple Transport Ships

Available Stances
 Board and Capture

This stance class is so far only used by the Small Transport Ships brigade, and is identical to the Multiple Warships stance class.

## Multiple Warships

Available Stances
 Board and Capture

This stance class is so far only used by the Raiding Ship brigade, and is identical to the Multiple Transport Ships stance class.

## Non-Combat

Available Stances

This stance is used by all non-combat units, such as slaves, workers, colonists, baggage train etc

## Raider Hoplite

Available Stances

This stance class type is only used by the Raider Hoplites brigade, which doesn't normally appear in the current version of the game. The "Battleline" stance in question more closely resembles the Phalanx stance of the Hoplite stance class than the Battleline stances of other stance classes.

## Ranged Infantry

Available Stances
 Ranged Support

This stance class type is used by ranged infantry brigades that are never meant to be used in melee situations, like Slingers, Archers and Psiloi.

## Scorpio

A small mobile arrow-firing artillery piece used against infantry rather than fortifications. Ideal for shooting into large crowds at a great distance. The unit will fire rapidly in a high parabolic arc achieving greater distance at the cost of accuracy.

Available Stances
 Precision

This stance class type is used only by the Catapult.

## Scout

Available Stances
 Scout Stealth
 Saboteur

This stance class is used by Scouts and Cavalry Scouts.

## Single Transport Ship

Available Stances
 Board and Capture

This stance class is so far only used by the Large Transport Ship brigade.

## Single Warship

Available Stances
 Board and Capture
 Ram and Sink

This stance class is used by most warships.

## Spearmen

Equipped with shields and spears, they are better armoured but less offensive and slower than skirmishers. Using a battleline stance, spearmen are well suited for blocking enemy charges, or to hold enemy units in place while lighter troops attempt to flank.

Available Stances
 Skirmish
 Siege

This stance class type is used by various Spearmen brigades and Triarii. It is the same as the Light Infantry stance class in practice.