| “ | Funded by the church, Ulric's "Sons" are schooled against Beastmen, ensuring they always fight with zeal and vigour - for the alternative is to be torn apart whilst still living! | „ |
Swords of Ulric (Swordsmen) are an 
Empire Elector Count State Troop melee infantry unit introduced in Total War: Warhammer II with The Empire Undivided Update.
Recruitment[ | ]
Reikland and The Golden Order
- Recruited with: Elector Count State Troops recruitment panel after unlocking them in the Elector Counts mechanic by occupying Middenheim, Middenland
- The Huntsmarshal's Expedition
- gained from the Imperial Supplies mechanic and recruiting them in the Imperial Supplies tab
- Cult of Sigmar
- Recruited with: Elector Count State Troops recruitment panel after unlocking them in the Books of Nagash mechanic by collecing one book
Description[ | ]
The formidable training of the Swords of Ulric consists not of marches or military drills, but instead on patrols and war parties led out of the city itself and into the hazardous regions of the Drakwald Forest, where they hunt out the tribes of beastmen that have taken residence in the land. Initiates hoping to join this famed regiment must accompany such excursions into the forest; only those that fight with honour (and survive) in the gruesome endeavour shall be admitted into the regiment.
It is left to each soldier to equip himself in the blue and white colours of Middenland, but once he becomes a full member, most of the funding for equipment and supplies are administered by the Temple of Ulric. Since the regiment's founding, in the days when Count Mandred Skavenslayer rallied the Empire behind him and became Emperor, the Sons of Ulric have borne yellow shields into battle, a tradition that still hold true today. Also by tradition, each shield must bear a variation of the same device; a red wolf, signifying Ulric embattled. The grim northerners have little room for formal ceremony, but what they lack in parade-ground discipline, they make up for with uncommon savagery and dedication on the battlefield.
Attributes[ | ]
- Sword Infantry
- ▲ Shielded: Shields have a chance of blocking arrows, bolts, rifle shots and similar small arms fire - but only in a forward facing arc.
- ▲ Frenzy: Units with frenzy cause more damage while their leadership is high.
Unit Abilities[ | ]
Passive Abilities[ | ]
Strategy[ | ]
The Swords of Ulric are, sadly, probably the least useful of the Elector Count State Troops, though no fault of their own. Due to being the unit of Middenland, which is one of the less cooperative Electors, unless Karl Franz or Gelt crush Todbringer then the Swords will likely not see the field until much later in a campaign, well after Greatswords have become available.
Having said as much, the Swords have by no means nothing to recommend them. Their upkeep is quite reasonable, with only Eldred's Guard being cheaper to maintain, and the Elector Count assignment discounts for State Troops can drive that even lower, to the point of being within ten gold a turn of a regular unit. In addition, they get Frenzy as a skill, which gives them several things so long as their Leadership is over half. These include Immune to Psychology, preventing them from the effects of Fear and Terror (the former of which lowers Leadership, so, natch), a small amount of Armor Piercing damage, and small increases to their other melee damage stats.
These are small bonuses, but what they effectively combine to make is a unit of Flagellants that is considerably cheaper while having three times the armor and a shield, if without Unbreakable (which they can gain by any number of ways, of course). The Swords of Ulric can put in very competent work as an early and mid-game Damage Dealer unit, and having multiples won't break your bank -- so long as you have access to them while your bank can still be broken.