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Unit Name

Prefecture Guards (Elite Prefecture Guards at Tier 3)

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Unit Acquire Method

Unlockable via the Ranged infantry unit tree for 2,000 Honour, or instantly obtained with 20× Prefecture Guards Signaculum.

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Traits

• Prefecture Drill – Special trained frontline melee infantry capable of executing their combat orders.
• Assault Troops – Gain increased damage when charging.
• Shieldbearers – Reduced ranged damage while shields are raised.

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Skills / Formations

• Dispersed – Spread formation that mitigates ranged damage.
• Guard – Formation centered on hero proximity.
• Shield Rush – Charges forward, dealing damage with reduced incoming damage; Cooldown: 40 s.
• Prefecture Drill – Enhances combat effectiveness for 10 s; Cooldown: 60 s.
• Cover Commander – Rush back to the hero instantly.

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Tips / Tricks

• Use Shield Rush to initiate or flank, then activate Prefecture Drill to maximize sustained DPS.
• Keep the unit within Cover Commander range to maintain formation and avoid overextension.
• Dispersed formation works well under ranged fire; Guard allows better hero synergy.

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Pros / Cons

Pros:
• Strong charge and melee durability
• High burst and sustained damage via Shield Rush + Drill combo
• Hero support through Cover Commander

Cons:
• Formation coherence can suffer due to spread
• Drill ability has a long cooldown
• Leadership cost (155) is relatively high for their class

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Mastery ✅ Yes

Unlocks an 8-tier mastery tree; here’s the scroll and level breakdown:

Tier	Name	Effect	Req. Lvl	Scrolls Required
I	Finely Forged	+180 Slashing Armour Penetration	10	5× Uncommon Scroll
II	Dauntless	–4 s Prefecture Drill cooldown	11	10× Uncommon Scroll
III	Finely Forged II	+180 Slashing Armour Penetration	11	15× Uncommon Scroll
IV	Dauntless II	–4 s Prefecture Drill cooldown	12	25× Uncommon Scroll
V	— Next Tier	Uses rare scroll — e.g., increased Drill effect	14	4× Rare Scroll

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