Soldiers

Soldiers
General Information
Health	6
Damage	2
Weapon	Sword & Shield

Soldiers are AI controlled minions that appear in the campaign, dominion, and skirmish mode.

Appearance

There are soldiers for all three factions and are identifiable by the unified design of their helmets, body armor, and shield.

• Viking soldiers do not have visible armor, but may be wearing chainmail under their clothing. Wearing spangenhelm helmets, their beards cover their mouths. They wield round shields and Carolingian swords.
• Knight soldiers wear brigandine over chainmail, along with sallet helmets. their chainmill covers their mouths. They wield heater shields and arming swords.
• Samurai soldiers wear tosei-gusoku (armor made of horizontal plates), kabuto helmets and mempo. They wield te-date shields and katana.

Keep in mind that these changes are purely aesthetic. All soldiers behave the same way.

Soldiers are noticeably dwarfs in comparison to the Heroes of each faction, with even the smallest of Heroes (ie. Peacekeeper, Nobushi) standing a bit taller than the Soldiers. This may be justified by the fact that after The Cataclysm, there was a lack of access to resources, thus only the strongest or fortunate (Heroes and Captains) were properly nourished, while others such as Soldiers were left without the means necessary to hold a physique like the others.

Combat

As purely AI controlled units, Soldiers have a set function in each of the game modes. In non-Dominion games, they occupy a certain point of the map together with a Captain. Whereas in Dominion, they collective charge from either sides towards the center point objective, Point B (on The Shard, this is Point C), beginning an endless stalemate that only ends when one team wins and the other team's Soldiers retreat.

While it is not possible to lock onto them when in Guard mode, Heroes will automatically run up to nearby Soldiers when outside Guard mode, able to slay them in a single move. Light Attacks take out a Soldier at a time, whereas Heavy Attacks are more likely to take out multiple Soldiers with one swing; both do not cost much energy, although attacking while Exhausted will cause the Hero to attack slowly and only one unit at a time. Zone Attacks are typically the most effective in taking out a crowd of Soldiers, but consume a chunk of Stamina. The speed at which Heroes perform these attacks differ between Heroes.

The most efficient way to eliminate soldiers is with the basic attack combos, which will not only kill soldiers in rapid succession but each soldier killed will count toward the attack chain with heroes such as the Conqueror potentially having an unlimited chain. The only exception is the Aramusha, who has a two attack combo. These attack combos will also yield different animations depending on what combo is used and the direction of the Soldier in relation to the hero.

Even if they cannot be targeted in Guard mode, a Hero can still guard-break them or block their attacks. This allows Heroes to push them around or defend against them as they would when fighting other Heroes. Though, blocking their attacks does not engage a full guard mode like it would other heroes.

While soldiers are not dangerous in and of themselves, they can cause a multitude of problems for Heroes. While allied Soldiers will move out of your way, enemy soldiers will not. This can hinder a Hero when a player tries to cross the map, or trap them when trying to dodge an enemy's attack or escape from them. If you attempt to guardbreak a Hero and a soldier steps in the way, you will guardbreak the soldier instead and be open for attack from the opposing Hero. Their attacks also can prevent you from using feats.

These traits can also be used against your opponent. If you are running to escape an enemy, running through a line of your own soldiers is almost guaranteed to end the chase. You can even use your own soldiers to your advantage when battling an opponent as the soldiers will now hinder them instead of you.

Dominion

Soldiers are crucial in Dominion, as they are the moving force in one of the three point objectives, Point C for the Shard and Point B for every other map. While equal numbers of Soldiers will spawn at each side of the map and also in the middle at the start of a Match, when one team gains control of the center objective the opposing team will spawn a larger group of soldiers. This will eventually drive off the current holders of the point, eventually the stalemate if no Heroes intervene. If the battle for the central point favors the enemy too heavily, the soldiers may even begin retreating.

On certain maps, pairs of dueling Soldiers will appear at certain points of the map at the start of the match. While Heroes can choose to intervene on these duels, the Soldiers will eventually resolve with one side winning before returning to the skirmish happening at the center point.

Skirmish

In Skirmish, together with Captains, Soldiers from both sides litter the field, with more spawning whenever a group of soldiers have been killed. While they award points and can cause damage, unlike in Dominion, they are much less of a threat.

Trivia

• While there are female voices for soldiers, there are no female models for soldiers.
  • However, this may be because the Soldiers' armor hides any and all distinguishing features, although less believable for the Viking Soldiers who all have beards.
• There does not appear to be any animation for the mouths. Though this is less noticeable for the Knights or Samurai due to wearing something to cover the mouth, for the Vikings during cutscenes will yell, cheer, and give commands without ever moving their lips.
• If they are killed via being pushed off a cliff they will begin a dying animation and bleed slightly before falling defeated.
  • If you push around a Soldier for long enough, they will "die". This is because the game possibly thinks the soldier is stuck, deciding to despawn the Soldier to then respawn them at their original location.
• When using the Arrow Storm or Catapult feat against them, Soldiers will raise their shields in anticipation, though this does not protect them.
• While all Pikemen have varying designs on their shields, the designs on the shields of all the Soldiers are the same.

Gallery

• Knight
• Samurai
• Viking