Like the European Pikeman and the Aztec Puma Spearman, the Qiang Pikeman is a cheap, Commerce Age heavy infantry unit. It is effective in combat against melee cavalry and, to an extent, light infantry, while also having a decent siege attack. However, it fares poorly against anything else, particularly artillery or light infantry at range. In later ages it mostly becomes obsolete as its role is taken by Changdao Swordsmen and Keshiks. One notable exception for this is the Old Han Reforms card, which doubles the Qiang Pikemen and Chu Ko Nu base hit points, allowing for an effective rush (especially if they were already made earlier, as it also increases their cost).
If the player sends the Old Han Reforms card (which requires a Level 40 Home City), the Qiang Pikeman not only becomes one of the strongest heavy infantry units in the game, but also one of the strongest "siege infantry" units, even though it is not considered as one.
"Qiang" (槍) means "spear" in Chinese, referring primarily to the flexible-pole variant. Later, it gradually came to refer to personnel-based light firearms, such as arquebuses, muskets, and handguns; i.e., the way the word "gun" is used in English (excluding the meaning of "light cannon").
The unit's small base melee attack and reduced bonus against light infantry make it actually weak and ineffective against units such as the Aztec Coyote Runner.
The qiang spear is often called the “King of Weapons” because of its ubiquitous role as one of the longest used and most reliable Chinese weapons. Its flexible wax wood shaft varied from 7 feet long (for infantry) to nearly 13 feet (for cavalry). The qiang spear was popularized during the Shang Dynasty (seventeenth century-eleventh century BCE) and was used up until the end of the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911 CE). In that time, it changed very little.
The qiang spear featured a leaf-shaped blade atop a horse-hair tassel. When a spearman made a slashing motion, the tassel created a blur effect that kept the enemy from being able to effectively target and seize the weapon from its wielder. The hair tassel is said to have also served a secondary purpose, to stop the blood on the blade from flowing down onto the wooden shaft, which would leave the wood slippery or sticky and thus make it more difficult to handle.
Disciplined Qiang Pikeman
Honored Qiang Pikeman
Exalted Qiang Pikeman
Cree Tanning (+5%)
Maya Cotton Armor (+20%)
Navajo Weaving (+5%)
Carib Kasiri Beer (+10%)
Mapuche Tactics (+50% siege attack)
Zapotec Cult of the Dead (+20%)
Yoga (+5%)
Master Lessons (+10%)
Incan Road-building (+20%)
Apache Endurance (+5%)
Cheyenne Horse Trading (-12%, Ming Army)
Meritocracy (-20% upgrade cost)
