Shogun Total War - Total Unit Guide.pdf - Shogun Total War - CichorAEC

Shogun: Total War Unit Guide

by frogbeastegg

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Shogun: Total War and the Mongol Invasion (also called Shogun: Warlords Edition).

1.1 The Japanese

1.2 Yari Ashigaru

1.3 Arquebusiers

1.4 Musketeers

1.5 Yari Samurai

1.6 Samurai Archers

1.7 No-Dachi

1.8 Warrior Monks

1.9 Naginata

1.10 Yari Cavalry

1.11 Cavalry Archers

1.12 Heavy Cavalry

1.13 Naginata Cavalry

1.14 Kensai

1.15 Battleield Ninja

1.16 Ashigaru Crossbowmen

1.17 The Mongols

1.18 Mongol Light Cavalry

1.19 Mongol Heavy Cavalry

1.20 Korean Skirmishers

1.21 Korean Spearmen

1.22 Korean Guardsmen

1.23 Thunder Bombers

Shogun: Total War and The Mongol Invasion (also called Shogun: Warlords Edition)

Shogun and its add-on are the irst in the Total War series. It has fewer units than Medieval but each unit serves a distinct

purpose and all of them have a use. For this guide all stats come from my UK English copy, which has been patched to

1.02. If you are using a different version these stats will not apply. All unit sizes are from the troop stats ile and are based

on the default size. Speed is shown as marching, running, charging e.g. Yari Ashigaru = Speed 5 (marching), 10 (running),

12 (charging). All units are assumed to be at honour 0. All unit costs are taken from the custom battle section, the actual

campaign costs are different depending on your selected unit size.

1.1 The Japanese

The Japanese are the main culture in Shogun, they have more units

and those units are more varied. Once you learn to use each unit in

the best way you will be able to do or counter anything.

1.2 Yari Ashigaru

Charge 0 Attack -1 Defence -1 Armour 0 Speed 5, 10, 12 Morale -4 Cost 100

Yari ashigaru are the cheapest and simplest troops in your army. They are slightly more than conscripted

peasants; they have been given equipment and a little training but nothing else. Because they wear light

armour they are reasonably speedy for foot soldiers. This makes them good for lanking manoeuvres and

chasing routers before you can build cavalry. Their speed also makes them reasonable reserves as they can

quickly move to plug the gaps in your line, but don’t count on them to ight for long if the situation is really bad. Ashigaru

are not samurai so they are upset by any routing troops, samurai scare the ashigaru even more than other peasants running

because the Samurai are the professionals. This makes using them as reserves risky because when your army breaks your

reserves will often lee with everyone else, sometimes before they even get near the enemy. Because the ashigaru are armed

with spears they are effective against the weaker cavalry, namely yari cavalry and cavalry archers (if they can catch them).

Sending ashigaru against warrior monks or heavy cavalry is asking them to die. To use ashigaru most effectively you should

place them in hold formation, this will force them to keep their spear wall and increase their defence substantially.

Best deployed: In three or more ranks in hold formation.

Ashigaru main uses are: Chasing routers before cavalry appears, bulking out an early army, providing reserves in the early

game, drawing enemy ire to waste their arrows and lanking in the early game before cavalry becomes available.

1.3 Arquebusiers

Charge 0 Attack -6 Defence -3 Armour 1 Speed 5, 7.5, 9 Morale -4 Cost 100

Arquebusiers are the irst gunpowder troops you get. They are peasants, just like the yari ashigaru, and suffer

the same morale problems. Arquebusiers melee stats suck; you should never use them in melee if you can

avoid it. The real appeal of this unit is the combination of gunpowder and cheapness. Cheapness speaks for

itself – you can afford to have lots of these units, and to be honest you should never use guns in anything less

than pairs to cover for each others reload times. The gunpowder requires more explanation. In Shogun guns have a very

short range, they require a long time to reload, won’t ire in heavy rain or blizzards, ire at a reduced rate in light rain or

light snow, have poor accuracy and ire on a lat trajectory – you can’t arc your shots over obstacles like you can with a bow.

With all these drawbacks why should you bother? Guns do much more damage than arrows when they hit armour; Samurai

armour is not made to be bullet proof during this period. This means that gunners are more deadly than archers. The short

range required by the weapon often allows the gunner to take good aim compensating slightly for the accuracy. When

deployed three or more ranks deep the gunners use a revolving ire system where the front rank shoots before retiring to

the rear to reload. This increases the rate of ire three fold. The inal advantage is that gunpowder causes fear, any unit

under ire from guns is much more likely to break and run. Guns are also highly effective against cavalry; the horse is a

nice big target! When defending deploy several units of guns in the front line of your army, set them to hold their position

and allow them to shoot freely at anything that comes into range. When the enemy is almost at your line of guns, charge

with your other units to prevent the enemy engaging your guns. The main problem with arquebusiers is that musketeers are

much, much better and they are only a short hop (and a few koku) away once you can build arquebusiers. When musketeers

are available you should use them instead, they are better in every respect and only a tiny bit more expensive.

Best deployed: In three ranks on hold position and hold formation.

Arquebusiers main uses are: Forming the front defensive line, scaring units, shooting down cavalry, providing cheap bangs

in your army, killing heavily armoured troops.

1.4 Musketeers

Charge 0 Attack -6 Defence -3 Armour 1 Speed 5, 8.4, 10 Morale -4 Cost 250

Musketeers are basically improved arquebusiers, they can do everything better. They have a longer range,

higher accuracy and slightly faster rate of ire. Everything I said about the uses of Arquebusiers applies to

musketeers – use them in ranks of three, use several units at once, keep them out of the wet, make sure they

have a clear line of sight and order them to hold their position. Guns are especially good when defending

a bridge, just set two units up within range of the bridge and let them ire away. Gunners have more ammo than archers

and ire at a slower rate; this means that they will rarely use up all their ammo making them invaluable in long, defensive

battles. Guns are less use when attacking because they cannot ire without a clear line of sight (the AI loves to park

behind obstacles preventing a clear line of sight for your guns) and they have a short range, which leaves them incredibly

vulnerable to dug in troops and defensive archers. With practise however you can get some use out of guns on the attack,

use careful positioning and try to get them on good ground to the enemies lanks. With practise you can use musketeers

to kill archers, just put them on loose formation, three ranks deep and make them run up close to the archers. Then stick

them on close and order them to ire. Running up to another unit before iring can work very well on the attack as long as

the unit doesn’t charge and kill your guns.

Best deployed: In ranks of three, on hold position and hold formation.

Musketeer’s main uses are: Everything the arquebusiers do, but better!

1.5 Yari Samurai

Charge 0 Attack 0 Defence 2 Armour 2 Speed 5, 8, 9.5 Morale 2 Cost 200

Yari samurai are the backbone of your army. They are the irst decent melee troops you get, the best cavalry

killers and good all-round troops who can both attack and defend. Yari samurai have good armour that will

protect them well against missiles and melee attacks. However yari Samurai are vulnerable to ranged units

because they are so slow, it takes them too long to close with the ranged units and they take casualties along

the way. Cavalry archers in particular will cause yari Samurai trouble as they can skirmish quickly away from the spears.

As their name suggests yari Samurai use long yari spears. This makes them effective against cavalry, especially when they

are in hold formation. As long as the cavalry is caught on the front of the formation (rather than the lanks or rear) yari

Samurai should win without problems, if the yari are lanked then they will have a more dificult time winning. Because of

their armour and the bonus provided when they are on hold formation yari Samurai are the second best defensive troops.

Use them to hold a front line protecting your archers or to hold a vital point on the battleield like a bridgehead. When

using the yari Samurai for defensive purposes it is sometimes better to put them on hold formation and hold position and

let the enemy charge into them – don’t charge them yourself. This will cause the enemy to become entangled in a long

ight allowing you to lank easily with other units. The yari Samurai’s combination of good armour and good attack makes

them a candidate for leading bridge assaults and castle attacks until the naginata appear later in the game. Yari Samurai are

Samurai (wow! ), this means that they aren’t bothered by routing peasants and they generally have good morale.

Best deployed: In hold formation with ranks three or more deep.

Yari samurai’s main uses are: Holding your line, sheltering archers and other important troops, pinning the enemy in place

to allow for easy lanking, killing cavalry, bulking up the army with useful troops, guarding an important spot and leading

assaults early in the game.

1.6 Samurai Archers

Charge 2 Attack 0 Defence 0 Armour 1 Speed 5, 9.2, 11 Morale 0 Cost 300

Samurai archers are one of the most versatile troops in Shogun. You will be using them throughout the game;

the gunpowder units cannot replace them. Every army should have some samurai archers, especially early in

the game. Samurai archers are mostly used for the ranged attack they provide. They can shoot with reasonable

accuracy, have a long range and are quite deadly. Because they ire in an arc the archers can shoot over the

heads of men in front (with reduced accuracy if you are iring over three or more ranks, the archers can’t see their targets

with a lot of men blocking the view) and over hills, which would obstruct guns. This means that you can deploy your

archers behind a protective screen of infantry or behind a unit of guns to add to the missile barrage. Archers can shoot up

or down slopes with reasonable success so they are useful when attacking, especially if you can ind a hill to place them on

thereby reducing the defenders height advantage. Archers should always be placed on high ground regardless of whether

you are attacking or not, the height gives them a longer range and increases their damage. As their honour increases

Samurai archers get more accurate, high honour archers are something to fear. The attack upgrades you can purchase don’t

affect the archer’s arrows; instead they affect the archers’ melee ability. Archers are not outstanding ighters but they are

capable of beating same honour ashigaru without dificulty and they can beat Yari samurai if they have a slight advantage

(numbers, position, fatigue etc.). Archers should only be sent into the melee when things are desperate, where possible

you should lank with them to improve their damage and impact. Because they are Samurai the archers have good morale

and will not be bothered by routing peasants. Archers are very useful against most units but they really shine when you

meet warrior monks and no-dachi. These two units are very powerful in melee combat; they will tear your army apart if

you cannot counter them with monks, no-dachi or heavy cavalry of your own. The best way to kill these units is to take

advantage of their weakness to missiles and shoot them with archers or guns. Samurai archers loose accuracy and range

when it is raining or snowing. Windy weather also lowers their accuracy. Shooting into or out of a forest is unwise because

many of the arrows will hit the trees and be wasted.

Best deployed: In ranks two deep (three deep on loose formation) on either skirmish or hold formation and hold position.

Samurai archer’s main uses are: Providing ranged support, acting as a reserve, killing warrior monks and no-dachi with their

arrows.

1.7 No-dachi

Charge 8 Attack 5 Defence –2 Armour 1 Speed 5, 10, 12 Morale 8 Cost 300

No-dachi are specialist troops, they have one use and one use only – charging the enemy and hacking their

way through. No-dachi have a high attack and charge value that allows them to carve their way through most

troops with ease. Their Achilles Heel is their poor defence; it doesn’t take much to kill these swordsmen. So

basically the no-dachi will do but they will die in the process. To maximise their effectiveness and aid their

survival you need to use them carefully. No-dachi have sky-high morale, this enables them to ight a long way from the

general without problems. Add this to their deadly charge and you have the makings of the perfect lanker and ambusher.

Instead of sending your no-dachi in a brave but costly charge straight at the enemy you should instead try to hide them at

the edges of your lines and send them around the enemy to hit from the rear. If you can hide them in forests so much the

better, this will give them an ambush bonus and enable them to hit the rear more effectively. As mentioned in the archer

section no-dachi are vulnerable to missiles, so always endeavour to keep them sheltered either behind other units or in tree

cover.

Best deployed: Always use engage at will to maximise killing power. The wedge formation is very good for the initial

seconds of the charge before ordering the no-dachi into a close line to bring the unit together for support. no-dachi can

also be used in the close line formation from the get go, place them in ranks two to three deep.

No-dachi’s main uses are: Flanking, ambushing, leading death or victory charges against powerful enemies

1.8 Warrior Monks

Charge 4 Attack 5 Defence 2 Armour 1 Speed 5, 10, 12 Morale 8 Cost 550

To many players this unit is the cream of the crop; it is certainly the best infantry in Shogun. Warrior monks

are deadly, in hand to hand combat they can beat any other unit; although naginata cavalry and heavy cavalry

can pose a slight problem the monks should win as long as you use them intelligently. Because the monks

carry a portable shrine into battle (you can’t see it but the morale effects are there) other Buddhist units are

afraid of them, Christian and Pagan units don’t have this fear. No unit is perfect however and the monks are no exception.

They are highly vulnerable to missiles, the cheap peasant gunners are the most effective monk killers but Samurai archers

and cavalry archers acquit themselves well. The basic rule is when all things are equal the monks win if they get close to

the unit, if they don’t reach it they loose, if you signiicantly reduce their number before they reach you things are more

even and you should be able to win with good tactics. Therefore try to do plenty of damage before the monks reach you

or keep them well protected as they advance. Monks have the same high morale as no-dachi so it takes a lot to make them

lee, in normal combat they generally need to be down to 10% of the original unit and surrounded before they will break.

Remember that these monks think dying in battle takes them to nirvana; don’t underestimate their staying power! So how

should you use you monks? It’s quite simple; keep them screened to protect them from missile ire and then when you are

close to the enemy charge! Monks can attack the front of a line with admirable success and fervour while other units (no-

dachi, cavalry, and more monks) lank the enemy to hit them where it hurts. To kill monks you should shoot them as much

as possible, if it comes down to melee combat send your own monks to meet them. If you have no monks you should

hold the enemy monks in place with some yari samurai, naginata or ashigaru and lank with no-dachi or cavalry.

Best deployed: Always use engage at will, it sets your monks free to hack through the enemy individually. The wedge isn’t

bad for when your monks are charging but they work very well in the close line, two or three ranks are especially effective.

Warrior monks main uses are: Doing most of the killing, supplying reliable power, killing other powerful units, hitting the

enemy with a psychological blow (remember the enemy Buddhists hate ighting monks! ).

1.9 Naginata

Charge 2 Attack –1 Defence 8 Armour 6 Speed 5, 8, 8 Morale 4 Cost 425

Naginata are the polar opposite of no-dachi, they are slow, heavily armoured and none to good at melee

ighting. Just like no-dachi they are a specialist unit made for certain situations and less useful when away from

those specialties. As the stats suggest naginata are not made for killing, they are made for surviving. The heavy

armour and high defence allows naginata to walk into a hail of arrows (bullets are still somewhat effective

against them) with only one or two casualties. This makes them ideal for leading assault parties on bridges and in sieges,

as they will reach the target in good shape and will be able to hang on long enough for other units to join them and take

over the ight. Naginata are also perfect for holding an enemy unit in position for a long time while you lank with other

units or destroy another part of the enemy army. If you are about to be charged by heavy or naginata cavalry then naginata

can receive that charge with fewer casualties than yari Samurai, but the ensuing melee will not go as well. They can also

take a monk or no-dachi charge quite well. Some people like to use naginata when defending a bridge, when the enemy

makes it to their end of the bridge they send in the naginata to hold them in place while they continue shooting. Naginata

are expensive and their lack of effective melee power means that they cannot replace yari samurai as the main backbone

of your army; instead you should have a unit or two for use in assaults. Naginata need a special note on weather – cold

weather and rain tire them out very quickly because of all their armour.

Best deployed: Hold formation increases the already high defensive values of the naginata and keeps them grouped

together. Naginata should try to keep in ranks of three to four as this enables them to absorb charges without being

scattered.

Naginatas main uses are: Leading assault parties, holding a certain position for a long time, receiving cavalry, no-dachi and

monk charges.

1.10 Yari Cavalry

Charge 15 Attack 1 Defence 2 Armour 3 Speed 8, 24, 28 Morale 4 Cost 475

Yari cavalry are the fastest unit the Japanese get. They are armed with spears which gives them an advantage

(+4 attack versus any cavalry) over other cavalry types, but generally not enough of one to beat heavy cavalry,

naginata cavalry can be beaten on most occasions. They also have a reasonable attack against archers. Yari

cavalry are not made to go toe to toe with most infantry, you should use them to charge from the rear, kill

archers or chase routers only, unless you want them to die en-mass. The speed is the main advantage and weapon these

troops have, use it to chase cavalry archers, threaten the enemy from the rear and to get your yari cavalry away from

trouble. Never use yari cavalry to charge missile units from the front, always move to the side or rear before charging,

otherwise your cavalry will be killed before they reach the enemy. Because they are so fast and reasonably expendable

(read cheap) yari cavalry are excellent scouts. If you can’t ind the enemy because they are hiding in trees use yari to scout

OUTSIDE the woods, never send them into forested areas because all cavalry gets massive penalties for ighting in forests.

A tip that works for all types of cavalry: When your cavalry are engaged in a melee and you want them to stop ighting

and move somewhere else try putting them on hold position and then immediately double clicking where you want them

to go. Because hold position applies to the destination rather than where they are now they will disengage and move

quickly to your chosen spot. When they arrive take them off hold position and continue your battle plan. This is much

more reliable than double clicking a destination and hoping they will follow your order and it is safer than ordering them

to withdraw (crlt+w) before ordering a halt when they are safe. Be aware that you will take casualties as the unit pulls back,

but not as many as the other two methods.

Best deployed: Use engage at will. A long line of cavalry in close formation makes for a devastating charge; try to use them

in two ranks.

Yari cavalry’s main uses are: Chasing routers, running down cavalry archers, killing infantry missile units, scouting.

1.11 Cavalry Archers

Charge 10 Attack 0 Defence 1 Armour 3 Speed 8, 23, 27 Morale 2 Cost 450

Cavalry archers are something of an acquired taste. On paper they seem fantastic, in reality they require hours

of practise to use effectively. Firstly the good news, cavalry archers are the second fastest Japanese unit, they

can melee with some effectiveness, they have the same number of arrows as their infantry counterparts and

they are versatile. The bad news is that they have a shorter range and lower accuracy than infantry archers,

they are very vulnerable to infantry missile units (the horse is a nice, big target), they are the least effective cavalry in a

melee, they aren’t all that effective when left on the default AI controlled skirmish so you have to control them yourself,

and they are expensive – at 500 koku they cost the same as a unit of warrior monks! So what can you do? Firstly keep them

away from any infantry based missiles; even guns outrange them when they are at the same height. Secondly you need to

keep them away from trees, cavalry die fast in trees and any arrows the archers ire are likely to hit the trees and be wasted.

Thirdly you need to manage them yourself, don’t let the AI decide when they should pull back, give the order yourself.

Don’t let them skirmish themselves into a corner or the waiting arms of an enemy unit. Fourthly you need to practise

targeting unprotected enemy units and drawing them away from the main army by irritating them with your arrows. When

you can do all that then cavalry archers will be quite useful, to get maximum eficiency out of them you need to learn how

to use them in melee without losing large numbers of men. Basically you must always lank, preferably attack from the

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