| Orc Halberdiers | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Race | Orcs | |
| Req. Town Buildings | Armory | |
| Construction Cost |
 40 | |
| Upkeep Cost |
 1 1 | |
| ||
| # of figures |
 6 | |
| Moves |
 1 | |
| Melee Attack per figure |
 4 | |
| Defense per figure |
 3 | |
| Resistance |
 4 | |
| Hit Points per figure |
 1 | |
Orc Halberdiers are a type of Normal Unit that can be recruited in Orc Towns containing at least an Armory. While Halberdiers are the highest tier generic infantry, they are still weaker than most Race-specific units, although they can get somewhat better with 
Experience.
Orc Halberdiers have a Construction Cost of 40, and require an Upkeep Cost of 1 and 1 to maintain. Failure to pay these costs will result in the unit being disbanded automatically.
Unit Properties[]
Physical Description[]
Orc Halberdiers are a group of red-skinned humanoids dressed in simple loincloths. They carry halberds – long poles topped with large axe blades, used for either stabbing or hacking at enemies while fending them off. Orcs are considered rather ugly by most humans, but are otherwise quite mundane, possessing neither any fantastic qualities, nor any glaring disadvantages.
Orc Halberdiers are a Multi-Figure unit, containing up to 6 soldiers.
Attack Properties[]
Orc Halberdiers possess a Melee Attack Strength of 4, so each Halberdier has an average "raw" 
damage output of 1.2. While this may be decent against lighter armor, it's still not quite enough to consistently hurt well-protected opponents. Orc Halberdiers do get better with Experience though, both in strength and accuracy. At the 
Elite level, the maximum normally attainable, their attacks will do twice this much, 6 × 
40% = 2.4 points of "raw" damage, on average, per Halberdier.
Defensive Properties[]
Orc Halberdiers wear medium armor, and possess a Defense score of 3. They can deflect about 0.9 points from Conventional Damage attacks, on average. Unfortunately, this is barely enough to avoid even the weakest attacks. As with most common foot soldiers, each Orc Halberdier also only has 1 Hit Point. In other words, each point of Damage inflicted on this unit will kill off one of its 
figures. Their base Resistance score is quite terrible as well – with 4, they will easily fall prey to most Unit Curses and combat maledictions. Defense, Resistance, and even Hit Points improve with Experience however.
Other Properties[]
Orc Halberdiers move at a slow 1, and can only traverse land tiles. The unit has no special movement properties.
Basic Strategy[]
Orc Halberdiers are the strongest Orc close combat infantry. For twice the Construction Cost, they have +1 Attack Strength and +1 Defense over Orc Swordsmen, although the Swordsmen's Defense against Ranged Attacks and Conventional Damage spells is still one higher due to their 
Large Shield ability. So while the Orc Halberdiers are clearly better against Melee Attack enemies, overall they are typically not worth any extra recruitment time. However, once both units can be created in a single turn, the higher damage potential of the Orc Halberdiers will ultimately tip the scale in their favor, especially since the Upkeep Costs of the two units are the same.
Unlike the Cavalry of other Races, Orc Cavalry don't have 
First Strike, which removes a significant edge they would have over the Orc Halberdiers. Instead, they simply have more Hit Points and speed, but less figures and Defense. As a result, if Unit Enchantments are available, the Halberdiers can often perform better, particularly after gaining some Experience. Their low Movement Allowance can become a problem though, albeit it can be offset somewhat by building Roads. Fortunately, Orcs do have access to Engineers, and may start constructing their own Road network early on.
Although the Armory required to equip Halberdiers is not very expensive to raise and maintain, it has no economical benefit, which gives it a low building priority in Cities that are not intended to be recruitment centers. Stables, on the other hand, are necessary for building Animists' Guilds, and tend to eventually be constructed in every Orc Town because of this. While it does also take a Barracks to create Cavalry, that Town Building also enables Swordsmen, providing a cost-efficient way to increase the variety of unit types that may be created on demand to counter specific threats. On the other hand, Cities dedicated to training units will almost always find the Fighters' Guild and War College desirable, and get the Armory constructed sooner rather than later, thus enabling the recruitment of Orc Halberdiers.
Experience Table[]
The following table illustrates how Orc Halberdiers improve with Experience. Any properties that are not listed here are not affected by Experience in any way.
| Level Icon | Level Name | EP | Melee | To Hit | Defense | Resist | Hits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Recruit | 0 - 19
|
4
|
30%
|
3
|
4
|
1
|
|
Regular | 20 - 59
|
5
|
30%
|
3
|
5
|
1
|
|
Veteran | 60 - 119
|
5
|
30%
|
4
|
6
|
1
|
|
Elite | 120
|
6
|
40%
|
4
|
7
|
2
|
|
Ultra-Elite | 120 *
|
6
|
50%
|
5
|
8
|
2
|
|
Champion | 120 **
|
7
|
60%
|
5
|
9
|
3
|
* To achieve this level, either the Warlord Retort or the 
Crusade spell must be in play.
** To achieve this level, both Warlord and Crusade must be in play simultaneously.
Average Damage Output[]
The table below details the average amount of "raw" damage that each Figure in a Orc Halberdiers unit will deliver based on 
Experience Level. It can be used in comparison to the target's Defense rating to approximate the chance of hurting that target.
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">Acquisition[]
Orc Halberdiers may be recruited in any Orc Town that has an Armory already built. The Construction Cost of this unit is 40. Orc Halberdiers may also appear as Mercenaries, provided that the player has a presence on Arcanus. In this case, they cost between 80 to 120 to hire per unit, based on their Experience – or half that much for Charismatic Wizards.