Desert Warriors are a type of militia in Empire: Total War.
Description[]
Harsh and unforgiving warriors are born in harsh and unforgiving lands. These men are as deadly as their deserts.
Living in a desert makes a man tough and ruthless, or dead. The weak do not survive, and this fierce cull produces proud and dangerous warriors. Their battle skills have been honed by years of raiding and goat thievery, or against the more settled people of oasis villages. Defeat is unthinkable, because defeat is death.
Traditionally, the Bedouin were among the most dangerous of desert tribes, fighting among themselves when outsiders weren’t available. Constantly on the move to find new pastures for their livestock, they learned to live with the minimum of possessions and little external support in the harshest of lands. Loyalty to tribe and family was all that helped a man survive.
General Information[]
Desert Warriors are militia that can be trained in North Africa and the Middle-East by the Middle-Eastern factions. Unlike Western Militia, they cannot utilize bayonets. Cheap but weak, Desert Warriors do not pose much of a threat on the battlefield unless present in overwhelming numbers.
One advantage of Desert Warriors is their resistance to heat fatigue, allowing them to sometimes fight on even terms with exhausted European infantry in close quarters. However, their shooting skills leave much to be desired, and they are no match for conventional line infantry in a direct fight. They operate best when cutting off escape routes for already weakened foes.