For the Empire: Total War unit, see Cazadores (Empire: Total War).
Cazadores are a type of light infantry in Napoleon: Total War and The Peninsular Campaign.
Description[]
These light infantry are an extremely versatile force, able to skirmish and fight in line.
Literally translated, cazadores means “hunters” and huntsmen make up a large proportion of the rank and file, along with mountain men of various kinds. Their independent spirits naturally lend themselves to skirmishing. All of these men make their living in the wilds, and are excellent marksmen. However, in close combat or when facing cavalry, the cazadores are disadvantaged.
Historically, the cazadores were created to replace the light infantry units that had been sent to fight in the French army’s Portuguese Legion. Because the cazadores were a new unit, the Portuguese took the opportunity to give them elite status. Fearing French attacks along the mountainous Spanish border, men familiar with the terrain were the first choice of recruits. Despite problems in finding enough weapons for them, the cazadores went on to garner an impressive reputation, becoming the elite force the Portuguese government so needed.
General Information[]
Cazadores fielded by Portugal are the best light infantry in Napoleon: Total War, boasting superior stats in nearly every category, with excellent reloading and accuracy. Even their melee stats are better than average, rivaling most line infantry (though their inferior numbers and their inability to form squares still makes them an ill fit for melee combat). They are, however, significantly more expensive to train.
In The Peninsular Campaign, Great Britain has access to these units, and start with one regiment. They are titled "Portuguese Cazadores" instead of "Cazadores", but function identically and are the same in appearance as their Portuguese counterparts. They are the best light infantry available to Great Britain out of an already excellent lineup of light infantry options. In addition, they benefit from several technologies: Local Recruitment Initiatives improves replenishment rate, Call to Arms reduces recruitment costs, and British Training Methods increase their experience. Portuguese Cazadores are already excellent troops, but the technologies serve to make them even more superior. While Light Foot can only have one chevron at most when they are recruited, Portuguese Cazadores can be recruited with four chevrons.
Spain has access to Cazadores, but only in the Europe Campaign. In The Peninsular Campaign and in custom battles, Spain instead uses a variety of guerrilla light infantry as well as their version of generic Light Infantry. Spanish Cazadores are considerably worse than their Portuguese counterparts; differences are listed below (traits that to not differ are not listed).
| Faction | Accuracy | Reloading | Melee | Charge | Cost | Upkeep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal/Great Britain | 55 | 65 | 6 | 10 | 620 SP/800 MP | 150 |
| Spain | 40 | 35 | 5 | 9 | 520 | 130 |
Gallery[]
