Game Info[]
Unique melee unit of the Spanish civilization. Replaces the Musketman.
- Special abilities:
- Bonus vs Mounted (50)
- Special traits:
- Extra Combat Strength (26 vs. 24)
- Greater Production cost (160 vs. 150)
Strategy[]
The Tercio is the dominant military unit of the Renaissance Era, having larger combat strength and an additional bonus vs. mounted compared to the unit it replaces. This essentially makes it into a combination of a Musketman and a Pikeman, effective against almost everything on the field. Its only drawback is that it is more expensive to build than the Musketman, though you can circumvent this limitation by spending Gold to upgrade your Longswordsmen.
Unfortunately, the Tercio's bonus against mounted units does not carry over when upgraded. This is for game balance, as a player could produce hordes of Tercios and then never have to worry about enemy cavalry later in the game.
Tercios count as melee units (rather than gunpowder units like the Musketman) and thus benefit from the Production bonuses for building melee units given by the Warrior Code policy.
Civilopedia entry[]
The Tercio is a brilliant military innovation consisting of a mixed formation of pikemen and arquebusiers (soldiers armed with extremely primitive firearms), created in the early 16th century by the Spanish general Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba. The tercio (also known as the “Spanish square”) was deployed in a checkerboard formation, with pikemen and arquebusiers set in alternating supporting blocks. The advantages of this arrangement are obvious: the arquebusiers can attack the enemy at distance, and the pikemen can take over in close combat. This formation would come to dominate Renaissance warfare for more than a century.