Monastic Knights

Unit Overview

  • Era/Tier: Golden Era. Heavy cavalry lancer.
  • Unit Size & Leadership: 16 soldiers, leadership cost ~295​
  • Unlock: Unlocked via Unit Tree
  • Role: Shock lance cavalry – specializes in charging and breaking infantry lines

Core Traits and Characteristics

  • Chargers: “Monastic Knights” gain bonus damage while charging – each 1.5s of continuous charge adds +20% damage and speed (stacking up to 3×)​. Use long charges whenever possible.
  • Very Heavy Armour: Extremely high defence – immune to Dazed and suffers 48% reduced damage (decaying with hits)​. Tough against all attacks but especially durable versus gunpowder and melee.
  • Fire-Resistant: Natural resistance to incendiary and thermal attacks​. Scorpions, firebombers, etc. do less damage.
  • Charge Penalty vs Heroes: Charging damage against heroic heroes is 15% lower, so avoid head-on charging enemy heroes.
  • Formations:
    • Dispersed: Loose formation to reduce ranged damage​. Use this when under missile fire.
    • Wedge: A pointed formation for powerful breakthroughs​. Deploy before charging into infantry.
    • Line (Frontal Staggered): Two ranks for steady frontal pushes. Use after a charge to hold position.

Skills / Unit Orders

  • Charge (60s cooldown): Monastic Knights launch a lance charge forward. Struck enemies are stunned, and after impact all hit targets take +30% damage​. Notably, for every knight interrupted by an enemy hero during the charge, the cooldown is reduced by 6s (up to 18s). Use Charge as a one-time impact burst – follow it up quickly.
  • Other Orders: (As a heavy lancer cavalry, they have no additional special orders beyond Charge.)

Veterancy Paths (With Tips)

Doctrines (Recommended)

Field Micro & Combat Tactics

  • Charge as Spearhead: Use Monastic Knights to lead cavalry assaults. “They should form the spearhead of any cavalry charge” – aim to smash into enemy infantry​. Hold the charge to stack their “Chargers” bonus.
  • Avoid Long Chases: Do not pursue light cavalry or archers deep. Monastic lack speed and excel only in straightforward charges. “Be wary of chasing after mounted archers”​. Instead, charge in, inflict damage, and then redeploy.
  • Use Formations Smartly: Wedge formation right before a charge to concentrate impact, then switch to Line or Dispersed after breaking through.
  • Leverage Resistance: Their Fire-Resistant trait means they take much less damage from hellfire, scorpion rounds, or incendiary barrages. Exploit this by advancing under cover of allied fire or into enemy siege (e.g. scorpions).
  • Combined Arms: Support them with allied ranged or infantry units. For example, use crossbowmen or archers to soften targets first, or have heavy infantry pin enemy lines while Monastics flank.

Synergies

  • Cavalry Allies: Other cavalry (e.g. Chevaliers, Winged Hussars) synchronize well – alternate charges so enemy can never rest. Leadership buffs (e.g. Christine’s Charge) are very effective.
  • Infantry Allies: Heavy infantry (Halberdiers, HMB, Pavise Spearmen) can hold enemy frontlines, allowing Monastics to charge in the flank.
  • Hero/Command Buffs: Units that boost damage or charge amplify Monastics’ impact.

Counters

  • Spearmen/Pikemen: Polearm units (e.g. Demesne Pikes, Pavise Spearmen) excel at stopping cavalry. Their long reach keeps lancers from closing effectively.
  • Massed Ranged Units: Volleying crossbowmen (especially those with anti-cav abilities, like Pavise Crossbowmen) pin them down and whittle them during approach.
  • Mobile Cavalry: Fast cavalry (e.g. Hussars, Imperial Arquebusiers on horseback) can kite Monastics. Heavy cavalry with longer charge (like Cataphracts) can win straight duels.
  • Control Abilities: Heroes or units that stun/knock back (e.g. Tiger Fists’ crowd control) can neutralize Monastic charges.

Mastery Upgrades

Monastic Knights have no Mastery tree upgrades (mastery not implemented)​

Key Takeaway

Monastic Knights are a heavy shock cavalry unit. They shine when used as the tip of the spear against infantry – a full-speed charge can break enemy lines. However, they are slow-turning and lack ranged attacks, so avoid spreading them out or chasing. Always support them (or cover their weaknesses) with allies or positioning. In essence: charge hard, break the line, then withdraw or reform.