Dahomey Amazons are a type of militia in Empire: Total War. They are available with the Special Forces & Bonus Content DLC.
Description[]
These merciless female warriors, armed with rifles, are rightly feared by men for their aggression in battle.
Originally formed as a band of elephant hunters, they were developed into a royal bodyguard recruited from among the King’s wives, a group of women that sometimes numbered in the hundreds. Willing volunteers expand this force, while other recruits are put forward by disgruntled husbands and fathers who visit the King with tales of spousal misbehaviour! The Amazons are denied the right to marriage once in the regiment, and religion is used to give them a sense of being sacred.
They are extremely well trained, and inculcated with a very aggressive attitude. They are ferocious fighters with a reputation for decapitating those who are unfortunate to become their captives. Woe betide the foe that underestimates them!
General Information[]
Dahomey Amazons have generally poor statistics, with unusually low ammo and poor melee characteristics. However, they make up for this with their 90 range, allowing them to act as substitute light infantry. Their role as light infantry are further enhanced by the fact that they can remain hidden while walking, making them some of the most powerful stealth units in the game if used correctly. Dahomey Amazons are the only units in the game that have 90 range and also have such large regiment sizes, making them far more durable than most light infantry, even if they aren't as deadly due to their poor accuracy. This makes them formidable despite their technical classification as militia, particularly against large, easy to hit targets.
Dahomey Amazons are relatively weak at close range: their poor reload skill and accuracy means that within 70 range, line infantry can beat them in a gun fight. In a melee, they are even worse, although their large numbers make up for this somewhat.
Trivia[]
- Despite the description saying they are armed with rifles, they can be recruited anytime before rifling is researched, and do not have the 125 range of most rifle-armed troops. This means it's much more likely they are armed with muskets.
- They are the only female unit in Empire: Total War.
- They have a male officer in their unit, which is likely so the developers could reuse the male order received sounds.
- Despite being females they can be heard screaming with male voices. This is due to developers reusing the male sounds for them.