Persians

Nation Overview

Strategic Overview

CtW Information

History

Persians
The Royal Standard of Cyrus the Great, or "Achaemenid Falcon", symbol of the first Persian Empire.
Nation
Nation power	Power of Ceremony
Building style	East Indian
Unit style	East Indian
Capital	Persepolis
Strategy	Defensive Economic

The Persians are one of the six nations introduced in the Thrones and Patriots expansion. They have the Power of Ceremony, with bonuses based on the Achaemenid empire's competence in administration, seen through its taxation system, postal system, relative stability, and other fields; as well as the use of simultaneous capital cities for its vast empire.

Power of Ceremony

• Start with 50% bonus Food.
  • This works with all resource settings (e.g. Variable ... or Random).
• Second City built acts as a Capital as well. Both receive Capital border bonus, and both must be captured to eliminate you.
  • An opponent will only receive a Capital plunder bonus if they capture both Capitals (regardless of which Capital was the original). The first Capital to be captured will give ordinary City capture plunder only.
  • The game checks if the attacker has World Government before checking if the defending player is Persians, causing World Government to ignore this nation power and potentially result in an instant elimination if either Persian capital is captured. However, an explicit check shielding from this effect is done if the elimination setting is Sudden Death Capital (and no other setting).
• Receive a 30% discount on Civic research.
• Receive Taxation upgrades for free (still requires a Temple).
  • Note: in later versions of the game (including the Extended Edition), this nation power works even if no Temple is built.
• You always have the maximum number of Caravans allowed, thus don't need to build them.
  • These free Caravans are automatically created at a Market as long as you are below your population limit.

Unique units

The Persian unique Heavy Infantry are ranged, rather than the standard melee Heavy Infantry of the earlier Ages. They have -5 hit points (-10 for Arquebus Immortal), -1 attack strength, attack range of 6, +1 movement speed, 10 line of sight, and increased cost compared to the standard units they replace. Because they are ranged units, they do not receive the 80% damage bonus against Supply Wagons that melee units receive. Ancient Age Hoplites have a 12% damage penalty against buildings, but the Immortals do not, making them better for Ancient Age rushes.

Additionally, the Gunpowder Age Arquebus Immortal is considered a gun Heavy Infantry (like the Enlightenment Age Fusiliers and later age units), meaning it gets the bonuses of the later gun Heavy Infantry units: they have an additional 55% damage bonus against mounted units and an additional 14% damage bonus against Light Cavalry. Also, they don't have the 14% damage penalty against Foot Archers and the 25% damage penalty against Gunpowder Infantry that earlier Heavy Infantry have; the damage penalty against Modern Infantry is 20% instead of 25%. However, they don't receive the 30% damage bonus against buildings that earlier Heavy Infantry have, and they have a 34% damage penalty against Ranged Cavalry (including Armored Cars and beyond, and Mahouts).

For a more detailed explanation about the Persians' unique Elephants, see Elephants.

Unit	Description
Immortals	Persian Unique Heavy Infantry, Ancient Age - powerful, slow, units. Slightly weaker than normal Hoplites, but can fire at range.
Anusiya	Persian Unique Heavy Infantry, Classical Age - powerful, slow, units. Slightly weaker than normal Phalanx, but can fire at range.
War Elephant	Persian and Indian unique Elephant, Classical Age - powerful slow melee units. Good against close-order foot; vulnerable to light, scattered troops.
Athanatoi	Persian Unique Heavy Infantry, Medieval Age - powerful, slow, units. Slightly weaker than normal Pikemen, but can fire at range.
Mahout	Persian and Indian unique Elephant, Medieval Age - powerful slow melee units. Good against close-order foot; vulnerable to light, scattered troops. Fires at range as well in melee.
Arquebus Immortal	Persian Unique Heavy Infantry, Gunpowder Age - powerful, slow, units. Slightly weaker than normal Elite Pikemen, but can fire at range.
Gun Mahout	Persian and Indian unique Elephant, Gunpowder Age - powerful slow melee units. Good against close-order foot; vulnerable to light, scattered troops. Fires at range as well in melee.
Culverin Mahout	Persian and Indian unique Elephant, Enlightenment Age - powerful slow melee units. Good against close-order foot; vulnerable to light, scattered troops. Fires at range as well in melee.

Leaders

• Darius
• Cyrus the Great
• Xerxes
• Zarathustra

Cities

Persepolis ★ Shiraz Persepolis Pasargadae Isfahan Khomein Qon Tehran Susa Bushahr Tabriz Baku Damascus

Tyre Gaugemela Babylon Hamedan Kerman Mashhad Yazd Arak Sanandaj Bam Ecbatana Meymand Neyshabur

Turkoman Rasht Estahbanat Yasuj Rigan Khur Turud Samnan Meshed Quimisha Abadan Marvas Arg-E-Bam

Trivia

• The names for the Persian Unique units are all synonymous of the same historical warriors: Immortals is the English translation of the Greek term for the Persian elite force, Anušiya means 'Followers' in Old Persian, and has been suggested as the possible name the Persians themselves gave to the corps, under the notion of a Greek mistranslation. Completing the cycle, Athánatoi is the original Greek term.