

Ranged unit types are defined as units which are capable of engaging the enemy at a distance by using weapons such as artillery, hand mortars, muskets, rifles, carbines, throwable hatchets, or bows. This card can be viewed while on the campaign map or on the battle map. The unit card for any army unit can be viewed by right-clicking on the units’ portrait at the bottom of the screen. Army Unit Cards & Stats ExplainedĪn army unit card lists the type, name, number of men, level of combat experience, combat statistics, special abilities, recruitment and upkeep costs, and generic description of a unit. In all cases I have thoroughly tested and verified my findings to ensure accuracy. In any case, below are my findings in regard to the correlation between land unit (hereafter defined as army unit) experience levels and stat increases. Perhaps this is a bug, or perhaps this is one of the many slight details in Empire which seem to have been overlooked by the creators of the game.

Logically, one would expect such upgrades to be visible on the unit card when viewed on the campaign map as well, since this is where all plans which will later result in enemy engagements are set in motion. This went undiscovered by me for so long because I do not typically pull up unit cards and view them while on the battle map. This correlation was extremely hard to identify because the Creative Assembly, for whatever reason, made the upgrades visible only when the unit card is viewed on the battle map. It was only upon beginning an analysis of the effects of the various bayonet technologies on unit statistics that I discovered that there indeed was a correlation between land unit experience levels and unit stats. Such passed my first several years of playing Empire: Total War. However, after comparing unit stats between these units on the campaign map and finding them to be the same, I quickly dismissed such thoughts as products of my imagination. In some cases, I thought I may have observed what appeared to be improved combat effectiveness by army units with one or two chevrons of experience over those with none. Units composed of veterans which had seen years of service and had obtained various levels of experience did not appear to possess superior statistics to units which had been freshly trained. In Empire, this aspect of the game appeared to be missing.

This correlation resulted in veteran troops which would possess increased battle effectiveness when compared to freshly trained troops of the same unit type. In past Total War titles, there was always some correlation between unit experience and increased unit stats, typically reflected in increased attack, defense, and morale values.

I have long wondered why various levels of land unit experience in Empire: Total War did not appear to increase unit statistics as listed on the unit card. Effects of Experience on Army Unit Statistics
