For the Total War: Rome II unit, see Velites.
Velite Grenadiers are a type of elite infantry in Napoleon: Total War.
Description[]
Powerfully built men, these elite soldiers are recruited from upper class families.
With a recruitment policy that demands the tallest and strongest men possible, this unit makes an impressive sight on the battlefield. Their presence and reputation has a positive effect on friendly troops, encouraging them on in any dark hours! Unfailing discipline means these men have excellent accuracy and their reload times are almost unrivalled; however, these skills make them an expensive unit; they are also vulnerable, just like lesser men, to artillery and skirmishers.
In 1809 Napoleon raised two units of Velites from Turin and Florence in Italy. They were raised from well-to-do families; any man with an income of less than 300 francs was overlooked. This recruitment process was a masterstroke from Napoleon: by recruiting units from the middle and upper classes, and by giving their sons positions of power, he ensured the continued support of the influential classes. He continued to buy support from these people by posting their children to the guard and other units where they would see minimal action but still get to wear a lovely uniform.
General Information[]
While Velite Guards are available exclusively to the Kingdom of Italy and have a unique appearance, they are statistically identical to generic elite infantry such as Grenadier Guards and Republican Guards. Like other guards, they have superb capabilities across the board, and have the innate ability to inspire nearby friendly units.
The Kingdom of Italy's access to these units theoretically gives it a local advantage, as most of its neighboring factions lack elite infantry. However, with rare exceptions, the Kingdom of Italy rarely gains access to these units before it is eliminated from the game.