Battanian Fians are the fifth-tier noble troops of Battania.
While the Fian is still trumped by the Fian Champion, he will still happily terrorize any foe with near pinpoint accuracy.
The Fian has received a few improvements since his time as a Hero. Better armor, stronger sword, and a stronger bow. This is the point where a time or money-sensitive player can unleash their archers with full confidence that they will excel. The Fian is more accurate, has greater range, and in many cases has stronger armor than competing foot archers. In sufficient numbers, they can single-handedly win battles. A group of 20-30 Fian can easily slaughter twice their number or more before a battle has ended. Get used to the enemy breaking and running with half their number already on the ground before they reach your lines.
As with all rare and powerful units, the player would be wise to bring sufficient infantry and cavalry to protect these deadly assets. Fian may feather enemy archers, infantry or even lighter cavalry easily, but in sufficient numbers, any of the three can overwhelm them, albeit at massive cost. Fian are very capable melee combatants despite their prioritization of ranged combat. But if anything does manage to reach the archer line, chances are they are either too formidable for the Fian to have a good chance of bringing down alone, or in too great of numbers for the Fian to overcome. In either case, you are generally better off retreating with your archers and sending whatever you have to assist them in melee, than having them fight it out themselves.
If the player is patient and willing to spend a few more denars, there's an even more terrifying iteration of these troops waiting in the wings.
Sidenote: Fian can also be trained from Forest Bandits, and can be supplemented by Arboreals. Most other archers lack the range or proficiency to do much more than get in the Fian's way. Both of these units are somewhat niche, but if you can get your hands on them, they'll help fill out your numbers a bit.
Troop Skills[]
(as of 1.5.3 beta)
| Skills | Stats |
|---|---|
| One Handed | 80 |
| Two Handed | 130 |
| Polearm | 60 |
| Bow | 160 |
| Crossbow | 20 |
| Throwing | 50 |
| Riding | 80 |
| Athletics | 130 |
 Forest Bandit Troops
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 Bushwacker
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Freebooter
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 Battanian Raider
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Forest Bandit
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Battanian Falxman
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Battanian Fian
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Battanian Veteran Falxman
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Fian Champion
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