Train soldiers for a thousand days to use them for a day.
— Chinese saying
| Divine Ordnance Division: Vital statistics | |
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Unit type |
Gunpowder infantry |
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Built/trained at |
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Damage and weapon type |
High; explosive shell |
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Armour |
Light |
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Production cost |
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Range |
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Unit move and creation speed |
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Unit HP |
Low |
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Technological requirements |
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Factions available |
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The Divine Ordnance Division was the section of Ming China's armies which was specialised in the use of gunpowder-based weapons. These units don't really fire as frequently as the more modern arquebusiers, but they are created cheaper and more speedily than other gunpowder infantry around. As such, it is possible for the Chinese player to create these units rather quickly, making them able to amass an archetypical pike-and-shot army in no time.
Like all gunpowder infantry, these matchlock-armed units have a better attack, but a slightly lower range than arbalest-equipped units. Yet, however, there are some things that shouldn't be done with the Divine Ordnance Division. While they do have a stronger attack than arbalest infantry, the Division can't always hold their own against cavalry, due to their poorer rates of reload. Equally, archer-heavy civilisations are to be avoided at all costs, given that gunpowder units are at a slight disadvantage against archers.
Unit summary[]
- Cheap, fast-producing gun infantry with a lower fire rate, but easily amassed in numbers.
- The Divine Ordnance Division are meant to be used in huge numbers, given your ability to produce them almost instantaneously.
- As gunpowder infantry, the Divine Ordnance Division are capable of causing serious damage to enemies caught within the range of their weapons.
- Because of their lower rate of fire, the Divine Ordnance Division however are even more vulnerable to archers than normal gunpowder infantry, as well as siege weapons and cavalry able to get close enough to cause damage.