Houndsmen

Acquisition

• Season: X: Highlanders (introduced January 16, 2022)
• Unlock Method: Complete the Season X Golden Era Seasonal Unit Challenges (requires finishing the Claymores challenge first)
• Muster Requirement: Automatically available once challenges are completed; no Honour Tree purchase option.

Key Traits / Elements

• Era & Role: Tier 5 Golden Era Ranged Infantry (Archers)
• Formations:
  • Dispersed: Wide spread reduces incoming ranged damage.
  • Stand Ground: Tighter formation with hounds forward for balanced offense and defense.
• Orders & Skills:
  • Hunting Stance: Rapid triple-shot that applies bleed (“Open Wound”).
  • Hobbling Shots: Area volley that slows targets, priming them for follow‑up.
  • Get ’em!: Commands hounds to charge slowed or bleeding enemies, inflicting additional bleed and stun.
• Traits:
  • Trained Hunters: Arrows cause enemies to bleed over time.
  • Loyal Hounds: Canines retaliate against foes that attack the unit, applying slow and reducing target damage.
  • Man’s Best Friend: Hounds possess their own HP, speed, and damage stats to harass enemies.
• Terrain Preferences:
  • Good: Urban maps
  • Fair: Plains, Hills, Steppe
  • Poor: Desert

Short Summary

Houndsmen are a versatile Tier 5 archer squad that excels at ranged harassment and objective defense. By layering bleeding and slowing effects with coordinated hound assaults, they control enemy movement and whittle down opponents. Their Dispersed formation enhances ranged survivability, while Stand Ground balances offense and defense. Best deployed in urban environments, they can be countered by heavy blunt infantry or units that close the gap quickly.

Notes:

• Can use the double shot doctrine | Does not stack dogs passive but bleeding
• Bleeding can not be removed once applied till it runs out

Replace the „Houndsmen dog“ doctrine with double shoot + replace ammo with more DMG if you play in team