Illyric Skirmishers

Summary
Skirmishers are one of two basic melee infantry brigades available to the Illyric faction group from the start of the game, alongside Illyric Spearmen. They are cheap, with offensively-oriented stats.

"Fast moving light infantry. Skirmishers are fierce melee fighters and their large numbers are ideal for swarming and surrounding enemies. However, their light armour means they cannot last long in combat and are very vulnerable to charges, particularly from cavalry."

- In-game Description

History
Skirmishers represent lightly armoured warriors that used aggressive tactics to engage the enemy in melee at short range. Their in-game model is notably equipped with the sica, a curved short sword which was regarded as a distinctively Illyrian weapon, though the Dacians and Thracians made use of it as well.

Tactics
Skirmishers and Spearmen are the first melee brigades available to Illyric factions. Skirmishers are the more offensive of the two brigades, with lower defenses and charge blocking but higher melee damage and charge strength. The two brigades are otherwise similar in cost and effectiveness and the player may choose whichever best fits their playstyle, or use a combination of the two.

Players will likely want to replace their skirmishers with hoplites as the game progresses, though skirmishers can still be situationally useful alongside hoplites in a flanking role. Their low cost also makes them very viable as city garrisons to defend the walls and maintain public order.

Illyric Skirmishers have the most offensive stats of any early-game infantry, with even higher melee damage and lower defenses than Gallic Skirmishers. Gallic Skirmishers, besides having more balanced stats, also have a larger brigade size and require much less recruits per unit, making them more cost-effective than their Illyric counterparts. Illyric Skirmishers are nonetheless one of the better early-game units, with overall slightly higher (but more offensive) stats than Latin, Sabellic, Sicilian and Greek Spearmen and a lower cost than Etruscan Spearmen.