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Sartosa Militia are a 
Vampire Coast missile infantry unit introduced in Total War: Warhammer II with Curse of the Vampire Coast, exclusive to the 
Pirates of Sartosa.
Recruitment[ | ]
Unlocked with: Smugglers' Landing
Description[ | ]
The Decadent Pirate Principality of Sartosa, known more politely by its swashbuckling inhabitants as the Free City of Sartosa or simply the City of Pirates, is an anarchic pirate island-stronghold located on the southern reaches of war-torn Tilea, off the coast of the Tilean city-state of Luccini. A notorious haven for criminals, it harbours all manner of pirates, brigands, lawless mercenaries - anyone wanting to avoid the various legitimate powers of the Old World. It is a tremendously dangerous place, where drunken pirates press-gang unsuspecting individuals, brawls and duels are an hourly occurrence, and thieves ply the dirty, crowded docks looking for easy marks. Despite the risks, however, it is a place where someone with the toughness and willpower to survive can not only live but thrive, far from the yoke of unfair taxes, overbearing noblemen, and stringent laws. From Sartosa to Araby in the south, the Border Princes to the east, and the mainland past the Great Ocean, exotic lands await. In short, Sartosa is a perfect place for finding fame, plunder and endless adventure!
Attributes[ | ]
- Close-Quarters Infantry
- ▲ Hybrid: This unit can perform well in both ranged combat and melee.
- ▲ Decent Melee Combatant: Despite being primarily a missile unit or spellcaster, this unit can also hold its own ground when fighting in melee.
- ▲ Vanguard Deployment: This unit can deploy in an expanded deployment area, allowing it to start the battle within striking distance of the enemy - or somewhere unexpected.
- ▲ Aquatic: Where other units of small stature struggle to fight and move in shallow water, Aquatic units excel.
- ▼ Weak Against Armour: This unit's attack can hardly punch through armour and is thus wasted on heavily armoured enemies.
Unit Abilities[ | ]
Passive Abilities[ | ]
Strategy[ | ]
Unique to Aranessa Saltspite's Pirates of Sartosa, the Sartosa Militia is a one-for-one reskin of the Empire's Free Company Militia. All its statistics and attributes, save for the Rowdy trait, are completely identical. However, belonging to a different faction changes the Militia's overall role fairly significantly.
Firstly, when specifically buffed by Aranessa due to being in her stack, the Sartosa Militia becomes much more effective in melee, with dramatic buffs to Melee Attack and Weapon Strength. This makes them significant combat threats against soft targets, though by no means frontline infantry due to their ability to Rout and their overall low defense. Even outside of Aranessa's own stack, however, the Sartosan Militia add a significant flexible option to the Pirates of Sartosa's lineup.
While their attacks are Weak Against Armor, a job that should be left to the proper Handgunners, the Militia compare favorably to Zombie Pirate Gunnery Mobs -- their closest counterpart -- on nearly every level. They have better Missile Strength, faster reload, and particularly MUCH higher speed. With a foot speed of 36, the Militia can outpace every undead infantry unit in the Pirates' lineup, even keeping up with the vaunted Depth Guard, and they also feature Fire While Moving.
As such, as in their original Empire incarnation, the Sartosa Militia are born flankers, designed to cut around the sides of a front line and unleash volleys of pistol fire into the sides and back of engaged enemy troops -- a role that is much more scarce in the Vampire Coast's early lineup with its slow-as-dirt zombie troops. The Militia can also shield their undead gunline counterparts from light harassers such as dog or bird-type units much more effectively due to their respectable melee capability, and are fantastic at running down fleeing or routing enemies thanks to Fire While Moving, which the much slower zombies will struggle with. As such, Aranessa can find a role for them long into a campaign if in dwindling numbers, as their old-school swashbuckling never truly goes out of style.
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