Elmeti

The Elmeti is a heavy Cavalry unit that excels against enemy infantry. It is available as a mercenary unit from the Saloon in the Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs expansion.

Overview
It has lower base damage than other cavalry such as the Hackapell and the Stradiot, but it has a large bonus against infantry. It can kill most infantry in just one hit, and if there are many, the Elemeti can devastate an army of enemy infantry. Despite having a multiplier against heavy infantry, one must be careful to not march their armies of Elmeti into an army of heavy infantry, because the heavy infantry are much cheaper and more expendable so will likely outnumber the Elmeti. Heavy infantry are reasonably effective against Elmeti, especially by the Industrial Age when Elmeti are available. When using the Elmeti one should be careful to look out for other cavalry units, as they will have higher base damage, and are more than a match for the Elmeti.

Usage
With a 1000 Hit Points and a monstrous attack of 120 vs Infantry, players should use Elmeti as they would with (Jat) Lancers. Despite their slow speed, they massacre nearly everything that gets in their way, and players should produce them instead of Hussars if possible. Available by shipment in the Industrial Age, six of them can influence a battle in ways. Although they are tough, Agents/Assassins/Spies and any type of cavalry will kill them with relative ease.

In-game dialogue language
Elmeti speak Italian.

Sì (yes)

Pronto (Ready)

Lo farò (I'll do it)

Sto per farlo (I will do it)

Comando? (Order?)

Alla battaglia! (To the battle!)

Vado all'attacco! (I go to the attack!)

History
The Elmeti were non-noble knights of Italy. Their name is derived from the Italian term for helmet, referring to the headgear they wore along with the finely crafted plate armor. The Elmeti fought in a series of skirmishes between Italy and other European states during the latter half of the fifteenth century. One key battle occurred in 1487 at Ponte di Crevola, where the Milanese army, led by Trivulzio, defeated Swiss forces in a battle that foreshadowed nearly half a century of further European encroaches into Italy - a period now known as the Italian Wars.