Illyric Heavy Swordsmen

Summary
Heavy Swordsmen are powerful and late-game swordsmen available to the Illyric faction group, being faster than heavy hoplites but unable to enter phalanx formation to further boost their defenses.

"Better armed and equipped than light swordsmen, these elite warriors can still easily out manoeuvre hoplites on the battlefield."

- In-game Description

History
Though at least some of the Illyrians are known to have adopted the more defensive hoplite tactics from the Greeks, the Illyrians were also greatly renowned for their skill at piracy and guerilla warfare, and were further influenced in their military by the Gallic invasions of the 4th and 3rd Centuries BC, likely prompting the inclusion of late game swordsmen brigades in their roster.

Tactics
Heavy Swordsmen have better defenses than Light Swordsmen, but do not actually deal greater damage aside from having a more powerful charge strength and are significantly costlier. Illyric Heavy Hoplites are more expensive and have a slightly lower base defense, but will still outperform Heavy Swordsmen in a protracted melee if their phalanx formation and the corresponding +50% defensive buff holds. As such, Heavy Swordsmen do not necessarily make Heavy Hoplites completely obsolete in the Illyric army composition, and the two can be used in combination with one another with the swordsmen supporting the hoplite formations.

Against weaker Heavy Hoplite types, such as those of the Latins or Sabellians, Heavy Swordsmen can be evenly matched even if the hoplite phalanx holds, and are superior to regular non-heavy hoplites in any scenario.

Compared to other late-game heavy swordsmen, Illyric Heavy Swordsmen are cheaper and than Principes and Sabellic Heavy Pilum Swordsmen, but lack a ranged attack. They are not as strong as Etruscan Heavy Swordsmen individually, but do have a larger brigade size than them. Gallic Noble Swordsmen are also more cost-effective overall, with greater damage and a lower gold cost.

Illyric Heavy Swordsmen are notable for having the highest charge strength of any infantry, even having a better charge than most early game cavalry.