Unlike most cavalry which are weak against melee infantry units, the Lancer has a large bonus against infantry (double the damage of a Hussar). It is somewhat at a disadvantage when fighting other cavalry or enemy villagers due to its reduced base attack and speed. In rare cases, it can pick off Settlers who stray too far off from the Town Center, as well as quickly kill most explorers due to their classification as infantry. The main advantage of the Lancer appears to be its higher durability and the possibility of getting a Royal Guard upgrade in the late game, unlike the Spanish Hussar.
The "Unction" card, ten Missionaries, the "Caballeros" Home City Card, Stable upgrades and all Spanish cavalry cards (+30% attack and hit points) stack to allow the Lancer to quickly kill infantry units. The numbers do not take into account minor civilization bonuses. Lancers are capable of using trample mode when all upgrades and shipments have been sent and when backed by Missionaries using Unction. It's better to only activate the mode on a handful of units rather than en masse. The Unction Lancer, however, can be beaten by ranged cavalry such as the Keshik or Dragoon. Though Lancers beat the Ashigaru Musketeer in combat, it is not cost effective to get into an extended confrontation with them due to the inability of the unit to ultimately come out ahead (due to cost and population effectiveness). Hit and run raids on masses of Ashigaru or other anti-cavalry infantry are best.
When fully upgraded, and accompanied by ten Missionaries with Unction, the Lancer will possess 71 attack and 4x multipliers against infantry. The Tokala Soldier, when fully upgraded, with an aura from the Lakota War Chief and full Community Plaza doing a War Ceremony, will possess 96 attack and 2.5x multiplier against infantry. This means the Lancer is stronger than the Tokala Soldier against infantry units, but the Tokala Soldier has 2x multipliers against artillery, which means the Tokala Soldier is more versatile than the Lancer. Also, Tokala Soldier gain a speed advantage from cards or the War Chief, so they can flee from battle effectively.
Upgrades[]
The Lancer starts at the Veteran level, but without the increased hit points and attack.
The Maltese can train Garrochistas named Order Lancers at the Commandery through the "Spanish Tongue" Home City Card, which ships 9 Order Lancers, and allows them to be trained at Commanderies and Forts. These Order Lancers have 22 XP train and kill bounty, 120 food, 100 coin cost and 44 seconds train time.
The Mexicans can get Garrochistas through the "Spanish Sympathizers" Home City Card, which ships 15 Garrochistas, and allows them to be trained at Forts.
Daimyo and Shogun Tokugawa get +5% speed, +10 Line of Sight and train units 15% faster; land military unit train time -20%, artillery and banner army train time -10% instead
Good Faith Agreements
Consulate units' train time -50%; Consulate technologies' cost -40% (-300 export for Brigades) and research time -50% (except Brigades)
Intervention
The Consulate ally sends a shipment of their units
"Intervention" ships 4 Garrochistas (if Spanish allies are picked).
With update 14.43676, the Lancer's portrait was updated to align with his in-game appearance.
Trivia[]
Due to a bug, upgrading the Lancer to Garrochista Lancers and Imperial Garrochistas did not change their model, while the Consulate Garrochistas change their model as they get auto-upgraded. This has been fixed in the Definitive Edition.
Royal Guard and Consulate Lancers are named after a type of lance used by Spanish knights in the 15th century, the garrocha, with the user being called a garrochista.
The most famous garrochistas in Spanish history were the Lancers of Jerez who fought at the Battle of Bailén (1808) and were made of volunteer bull herders. This is a possible reason for the name being used in the Imperial Age, which roughly corresponds with the 19th century. The unit's model resembles a cavalryman from the Italian Wars (1494-1559), however.
Previously, the unit's icon showed the Lancer armed with a cavalry sword like the Hussar, not a lance. This was corrected in update 14.43676.
History[]
“
Lancers were about the only cavalry that ranks of musketeers with bayonets couldn't drop. Their lances gave them better range than bayonets though they were already an archaic weapon. Though it never vanished entirely from battlefields, the Polish were responsible for the lance's rise to prominence in the nineteenth century.
Lances were wooden shafts that varied from nine feet to over 15 feet long. They carried swallow-tailed banners just under the metal tips. Some Cossacks carried lances, and many dragoon regiments were armed with both lances and carbines.
”
Gallery[]
An in-game Lancer
The Veteran Lancer model
The Garrochista Lancer model
Other side of the Lancer Garrochista model
An in-game Veteran Lancer in the Definitive Edition
An in-game Garrochista Lancer in the Definitive Edition
Garrochistas
Imperial Garrochistas
+30% hit points and attack, +0.25 speed
Cavalry Combat
Caballeros
Liberation March
7 Lancers
TEAM Hand Cavalry Attack
TEAM Cavalry Attack
Spanish Riding School
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics
Schiavoni Swords
TEAM Sengoku
Bakufu
Good Faith Agreements
Intervention
TEAM Mustangs
TEAM Knights of the Round Table
Auberges
Squires
Spanish Tongue
Plan of Casa Mata
TEAM Mariachi
Spanish Sympathizers
Colegio de San Nicolás
National Servant
TEAM Kamchatka Expeditions
Hand Cavalry Attack
Hand Cavalry Hitpoints
4 Lancers
5 Lancers
8 Lancers
TEAM Spanish Inquisition
Blandengues
Junín Hussars
