Man-at-Arms

"Stronger than Militia; cheap and quick to create."

- Age of Empires II Description

The Man-at-Arms is the second Infantry unit available to players when they advance to the Feudal Age. Stronger than their Militia counterparts, the Man-at-Arms holds a strong advantage against most units in the Feudal Age, making it an effective unit at disrupting an opponent's economy.

History
''"Men who had received weapons training and wore armor of some sort in battle were referred to as men-at-arms. By definition, all knights were men-at-arms, but not all men-at-arms were knights. The class of men-at-arms also included professional fighting men of no nobility called sergeants and knights in training called squires. The armies of feudal lords were divided into two distinct groups, the men-at-arms of all classes and the peasant militia. The training fighting men provided the principal fighting power of the army.Men-at-arms on foot fought ]with swords. This was an effective weapon and helped distinguish the men-at-arms from soldiers of lower social standing like Spearmen, Skirmishers, and missile troops. Men-at-arms wore armor, usually from head to toe, and were highly trained. They were especially effective against Spearmen if they could close under the spear points. They fought beside dismounted knights under certain conditions, such as castle assaults. During the Hundred Years War, the English often fought dismounted because the French knights usually outnumbered them by a large margin. On the open battlefield, a man-at-arms was at a great disadvantage against a mounted knight. Knights kept a body of men-at-arms on retainer to help maintain local order within the local fief and to accompany the knight when called up for military service."''

Upgrades

 * Forging - increases attack
 * Iron Casting - increases attack
 * Blast Furnace - increases attack
 * Scale Mail Armor - increases defenceMen_at_arms.jpg
 * Chain Mail Armor - increases defence
 * Plate Mail Armor - increases defence
 * Tracking - increases line of sight
 * Squires - increases speed
 * Conscription - increases training speed
 * Faith - increases resistance to conversion
 * Man-at-Arms can be upgraded to Longswordsman

Strategy
The Man-at-Arms is best employed in groups of ten to twenty-five. When deployed with Skirmishers, these units generally helped impair the progress of a sprawling enemy colony. Archers can easily be settled with Skirmishers, allowing the Men-at-Arms to slay enemy villagers, Scout Cavalry, and opposing military. However, they are easily outclassed by Castle Age units, so advancing to the next age is vital.