Swooper

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"Let the hull be of medium thinness, that the ship be capable of agility in movement and at the same time be solid and robust to repulse the foe."

—Leo VI the Wise, Tactica Ch XIX.4

In game[edit | edit source]

Mengchong.png
Swooper — Vital statistics
Swooper

Fast raiding vessel, best used for taking out unarmed targets and patrol duty. Cheaper than War Galley.

Prereq: Build time HP LOS Attack Attack speed Movement
speed
Upgrade of Upgrades to
  • Late Mediaeval Era [3];
  • Level 1: Caravan Train Commerce
10s
(150t)
175 13 14 x 3 1.6s
(25t)
56

Galley rkc icon.png

Warjunk Rkc.png

Cost Created from Armour Weapon range Specialty
Base Ramp Pop
Food.jpg: 30;
Timber: 30
Food.jpg: 1
1 Estaleiro.png 1 0–8
China Japan Mongol.jpg

Overall strategy[edit | edit source]

The Swooper is a low-ranged, fast-attack warship, meant to perform hit and run attacks, being in essence a War Galley that comes into player one age earlier. Swooper-class ships are meant for amassing naval superiority, as well as defending your heavier ships such as Junks or Cogs from fire vessel attack. Against heavier warships like Cogs or even Roundships, however, the Swooper will suffer, so you should always treat it like a War Galley - use it for intercept duty, but avoid enemy heavy shipping at all costs — use your own heavy warships or fire vessels to fend off enemy heavy ship attacks, leaving your Swoopers to attack enemy light shipping and defend against enemy fire vessel attack. Nevertheless, these warships are fairly cheap and easy to build, so they will always have a place in your fleet, especially on maps with vast tracts of ocean.

Unit summary[edit | edit source]

  • Taking Enemy Fire — The increased accuracy of a Swooper's missiles and speed make them good for raiding and defending against fireships. On the other hand, their low cost makes them ideal as decoys.
  • A Warm Welcome — As Swooper are weak against heavy ships, complement your fleet with fireships to keep enemy heavy shipping at bay.

Notes[edit | edit source]

The Swooper of Chronicles is not related to the ship with the same name in Bronze Dawn.

History[edit | edit source]

The term "dromond" was an Anglo-French derivation of the word "dromon", coming from the Greek word "drom-" (lit: run), meaning a "runner" or, in later Italian parlance, a "corsair", capable of good speeds at sea, while being sturdy enough to run down smaller prey. Contrary to more ancient models, dromonds did not ram enemies, but instead used a wooden beak or spar to break enemy oars, thus disabling the ship and making it easier to board. Dromon-type craft were popular to the communities that maintained contact with Byzantium (and were based off the more advanced Byzantine dromonas), although longships, based off a design used by Nordic tribes, were more popular throughout the North Sea and Baltic regions.

Chronicles

Bronze Dawn