Units of Myth

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Units
What follows is a listing of unit types, divided into Light or Dark based on their nature. Light units get shields next to their name to denote kills, while Dark units get skulls. Light and Dark does not necessarily denote their alignment; sometimes in the campaign the player will control Dark units or face off against Light units. In multiplayer, this distinction is irrelevant, and a player almost always controls mixed armies of both types of units. "Light" and "Dark" have another meaning in multiplayer: most maps have "Light" and "Dark" variants, where the Dark variant allows control of very powerful units. It's important to note the only difference between a "light" and "dark" map is the unit selection; the actual terrain of the maps are identical. For example: the map "I'll Dance on your Grave" and "I'll Dance on your Spiderweb" are completely identical in terrain, but the latter allows access to much stronger, more potent, more damage-inflicting units. As a result, very different strategies exist for each "light" and "dark" maps. The difference in gameplay between the two maps is so great that many players were often termed "dark mappers" or "light mappers" regarding with which unit types they worked best. Furthermore, a player could have an excellent "map strategy" for a dark map, but perform poorly on the same light version map.

The number in parenthesis below is the multiplayer point cost, which gives an idea of the relative value of the unit. For the sake of brevity, some uncommon units are not listed.

Avatara
The only Avatara used in either Myth or Myth II is Alric, and he is not available in standard multiplayer because he is too powerful for game balance. An Avatara named Sardonac is available in Myth III but can only be used in one level. Sorcerer-warriors, Avataras are very good melee fighters and have high resistance to elemental attacks. Alric's special attack is the Dispersal Dream, which he can use three times and which causes a chain of explosions to ripple through enemy troops. The Dispersal Dream is limited to the proximity of enemy troops to each other. If the enemy troops are close enough to each previous explosion, the subsequent units will continue to explode, usually killing all of them. The Dispersal Dream does not differentiate between friend and foe. At one point in Myth II, Alric wields the lightning sword Balmung, which imbues his normal attack with spectacular power and enables him to single-handedly take on immense numbers of enemy forces.

Berserks
Kilt-wearing, Scottish-themed barbarians who raid enemies with their huge claymores. Berserks, unlike Warriors, wear no armor or any other protective clothing and thus they suffer some more with damage taken from enemies. However, they are faster in both movement and attack than Warriors – in other words, given a Berserk (deemed "Zerk" by the online community for short) versus Warrior encounter, the Warrior will be able to block some of Berserk's attacks, but the frequency of those attacks will cause a high number of movement-interruption flinches in the Warrior, almost certainly resulting in a Berserk victory. When experienced, a group of them are amongst the most effective melee Light units in both Myth and Myth II.

Bowmen / fir'Bolg
Bowmen are basic ranged units, slower and weaker than Warriors, but may attack from afar. In Myth II, Bowmen were given the ability to fire one flaming arrow each. This addition created new tactical opportunities because flaming arrows can ignite explosive satchel charges and trap opponent units in flames (dealing quite a bit of damage), among other uses. Bowmen (Myth II version only) also have a weak melee attack in the form of small retractable knives, though they will flee a melee attacker or reposition for another shot if the attacker comes too near if not ordered to use the knife. Although weak, many Bowmen can be used together to kill a unit that has come too close to be shot or to kill a Stygian Knight. On average six inexperienced Bowmen can melee a Stygian Knight with high casualties. Note: the bowmen from the original game are of fir'Bolg lineage which is different from the human bowmen in Myth II.

Dwarven Demolitionists
Diminutive explosive-lobbers, Dwarves are favored units for their ability to single-handedly demolish whole armies with molotov cocktails in spectacular explosions – if they aren't extinguished by rain, standing water, or bad luck. Their special ability is to lay explosive satchel charges. Dwarves are slow, weak, and helpless in melee combat (even if the Myth II version has an unimplemented animation of a melee attack with a small sword), with a minimum range for throwing cocktails. When killed, a dwarf will drop his remaining satchel charges where he falls, which can be potentially disastrous to any nearby units. With the exception of Bowmen, who have a special "sword attack", which is practically a useless defense in 1-on-1 battles (considering its paltry amount of damage), if a melee unit enters into the "minimum range" of a ranged unit's attack, the ranged unit has no defense unless the player control-clicks to attack the ground behind the attacker past the minimum range of the missile attack. Special type of dwarf, the Dwarven Hero and Dwarven Pathfinder, are available in specific single player missions. The latter has the unique ability to remain invisible until attacking for the first time or coming too close to an enemy.

Dwarven Axe-Warrior
Clad in heavy armor and wielding impressive battle axes, the Dwarven Axe-Warriors are among the few dwarves actually suitable for melee combat. Given their stature, Axe-Warriors are not as mobile as many other melee units, however they make up for this deficiency with surprising durability. Axe-Warriors are also, to an extent, resistant to explosive damage, allowing them to be used in conjunction with Dwarves more comfortably than most melee units.

Dwarven Morters
Dwarven explosive technology advances in the form of the Dwarven Mortar, a unit that lobs ballistic rounds over a much longer range, but with a correspondingly greater minimum range and significant reload time. Mortar rounds explode even underwater, and the units do not carry satchel charges. "Minimum range" is a major factor for ranged units.

Dwarven Smith
Though they are builders by trade, the Dwarven Smiths are nonetheless fairly potent in combat situations. Their main tools in this regard are their smelting torches, which can be used as improvised flamethrowers; this is a particularly effective weapon against large groups of incoming melee units. Use of this ability is controlled via a mana bar, and thus cannot be used too liberally, however Dwarven Smiths can also use their smithing hammers when need be.

Forest Giants
12-foot behemoths capable of taking extreme damage and killing most units in one deadly swat. They can only be healed to half health. The "dark version" of Forest Giants is the Trow. In one-on-one combat between an equally experienced Trow and Forest Giant, the Trow will always lose, despite causing heavy damage to the Forest Giant.

Hearth Guard
The Hearth Guard is something of a hybrid unit, with both melee and ranged combat capability. In close, Hearth Guardsmen attack enemies with their spears, while at a distance they throw them at their foes. The Hearth Guard are perhaps most comparable to the bre'Unor of Myth II, and like that unit their split focus on both melee and ranged attack means that they are not particularly strong in either category, though they can transition between the two roles quite naturally.

Heron Guard
The Heron Guards are the Journeymen reborn, each wearing heavy, thick samurai-like armor and wielding twin small daos, one for each hand. Swift movement, rapid attacks, effective armor and superior endurance make them powerful assets of the Light. Each one carries a single mandrake root for healing (though they can carry up to six). Just like Journeymen, they are immune to Wight paralysis while still vulnerable to the explosion itself. These units are essentially a hybrid of Warriors, Berserks and Journeymen, as they are not nearly as fragile as a Berserk but attack with the effectiveness of one, while can also deflect close attacks like Warriors (by, though very rare, crossing their swords in a fashion of Warriors's shields, thus adding to their defensive potential) and heal other units like Journeymen. Notably, the Heron Guards also do not flinch as much as other units would flinch when attacked, which allows them to take on and stand multiple units at one time.

Journeymen
Tough and resilient healer units. Often considered to be "too expensive" given their capabilities, Journeymen can be quite effective units if used correctly. Each Journeyman carries only a shovel, and wears a thick fur coat and heavy gold plates which provide great protection. They carry six mandrake roots, each of which may be used to heal a living unit almost to full health, or to "unheal" an undead unit (by dissipating the dark magic that animates corpses). While the Journeymen can only hold nine roots at any given time, they can pick up extra mandrake roots (see subsequent Note), found in "weed clumps" around the maps, making the amount of units a Journeyman can heal limited only to the accessibility to mandrake roots (and of course the presence of damaged units). Journeymen are immune to the paralyzing effects of wights, though they are still damaged by the explosion, making them the preferred melee defense unit for Wights by far. 'Note: the previously mentioned feature of replaceability of mandrake roots is similar to Dwarven satchel charges, who have, depending on the Dwarven unit type, a limit of 4 or 8 or 12 satchels, which can be replaced if the Dwarf finds undetonated satchels around the map. Heron Guards' roots can also be replaced. Unused Bowman flame arrows can only be found near the corpses of Bowmen who did not use them in combat. This is the only way to replenish a Bowman's supply of flame arrows.'

Warlocks
Black-robed sorcerers, Warlocks open their robes to project a guided fireball, or to summon a ring of fire from the ground for protection. Warlocks may damage underwater units with their fireballs. Warlock attacks are all powered by mana bars, and when out of mana, a Warlock can not attack until the mana recharges. Warlocks also have an unimplemented melee attack (in a similar fashion of the melee swords for Bowmen and Dwarves) which causes the unit to swing his specter and cast a powerful lightning spell that instantly disintegrates a nearby targeted enemy into smoking pieces of scorched flesh. A weakness to the Warlock is that their projectile is the easiest to intercept in the game of Myth II of any ranged unit. Unlike Dwarven "lobbed" explosives, the Warlock explosive fireball travels along the ground, "seeking" the target. This means that low-level obstructions between the target will block the Warlock attack. The lobbing versus ground-seeking movement differentiation between the Dwarven and Warlock explosives, consequently, respectively results in different strategies for each unit. For example, if there is a Warrior between a Warlock and the Warlock's target, the Warlock won't be able to hit the target without hitting the friendly unit, but a Dwarf in the same situation could potentially lob his explosive over the friendly Warrior to hit the enemy unit. Note: throughout the course of Myth II, Warlocks fight on the side of the Light, but they are erratically (including the official Myth II Strategy Guide published by Bungie) considered Dark units.

Warriors
Warriors are basic ground units, moderately fast and tough, and fight with sword and shield. They have a chance to block melee attacks with their shields. The shield, when utilized with experience, is highly under-rated because in possessing a shield the chances of a Warrior's attack being interrupted is decreased.

Brigands
Like Warriors and Bowmen, but evil, slower and less powerful.

Fetch
Priestesses from another dimension, inhabiting the skins of their victims, the dangerous Fetch fire bolts of lightning that do area damage. Their range is greater than that of a Dwarf, but less than that of a Bowman. Their attack helps defend them, as it deflects any incoming projectiles. These beings have low health, move and attack slowly, and cannot strike at close range. Fetch are highly resistant to lightning.

The Forgotten
Resembling in many ways the Myrmidons of Myth: TFL, the Forgotten are fast-moving undead that carry iron blades in each hand. Rumored to be all that remains of a tribe of cannibals that once occupied Forest Heart, the Forgotten can be found in significant numbers there and in the ranks of Moagim's army. Though they are much more mobile than the Thrall, they are not exceedingly durable, so a large group of melee units can usually deal with them quite well.

Ghôls
The ape-like Ghôls are weak, cleaver-wielding fast melee units that are excellent at raiding lines of Bowmen or running down Dwarves. Ghôls may pick up, carry, and throw most items on the battlefield – including Dwarven satchel charges, unexploded cocktails and mortar shells, and the explosive body parts of Wights. Unlike other units and their respective items, they can only handle one object at a time though.

Ghôl Brutes
Unlike garden-variety Ghôls, the Ghôl Brutes are suitable units for use in open melee combat thanks to their better-than-average size and musculature. They are still not the best melee units in the game, but their improved stats make them more directly comparable to other melee-focused units. As a bonus, Ghôl Brutes inherit their race's propensity toward picking up objects from the battlefield for use later on, which can be an ace in the hole for more crafty players.

Ghôl Priests
Deriving power from the Dark Gods worshiped by the Ghôls, the Ghôl Priests, while somewhat underdeveloped physically, possess arcane knowledge that others of their kind lack. In combat, they can form a magical projectile that is hurled into the midst of their enemies, creating a magical vortex that stuns and damages enemies for the duration of its effect. This vortex can also pull in debris from the battlefield, detonating satchel charges and creating additional chaos.

Ghasts
Wights which have not yet fully "ripened" are called Ghasts. They move relatively quickly and do not explode, but have a paralyzing attack. Ghasts appear only in the first two levels of the game and rarely in multiplayer. Both Ghasts are undead units, therefore can be defeated instantly by "unhealing".

Lyche
Lyches are the vengeful spirits of long-dead sorceresses that have been brought back to life through the necromancy of Bahl'al. Having been put to death centuries ago by those mistrustful of magic, in their current state they have nothing but contempt for the living. Lyches attack with a slow-moving projectile that causes damage over time to those within its area of effect. The best defense against this attack is to simply keep moving in order to avoid it entirely.

Mahir
When not engaged in combat, these ghostly undead souls float across the landscape as mere black pools that blend in with the surrounding landscape. Mahir cannot be targeted by a melee attack when not themselves engaged in a fight. They can, however, be damaged by radius attacks such as those of Dwarvan cocktails or Fetch lightning strikes. Mahir are also invisible on the overhead map. Despite their many unique attributes they are extremely weak units whose health is most comparable to that of a Cave Spider. Mahir appear only in two levels of the game and rarely in multiplayer. Being undead, a well-cast "unhealing" spell will terminate them.

Mauls
Large anthropomorphic pig/boar-like beasts who carry a large spiked club. Mauls have an average speed, and can both dish out and receive high amounts of damage. Mauls do not easily flinch. Because of their high amount of health they can take much abuse of all kinds before dying from their wounds.

Myrkridia / Myrkridian Warriors
Vicious, werewolf-like creatures that tear enemies to pieces. They are stronger than, but similar to, the Light unit Berserk in their speed of attack and lack of any armor whatsoever. Like the Berserk who were also given a nickname, the online community has dubbed Myrkridia "myrks" for short. Myrkridia run fast and attack very quickly. Like any unit, if their strengths are utilized, they can be a very powerful melee unit in Myth II. A major weakness is that they go berserk when nearly dead (extremely low health bar), attacking the unit closest to them, friend or foe. In multiplayer, the player actually loses control of them when their health gets too low.

Myrkridian Hunters
The Hunters are considered lesser Myrkridia, having become less lethal and aggressive than their kin due to years of sating themselves on helpless humans. Unfortunately, even a lesser Myrkridia is extremely deadly by any other standard, and Hunters tend to travel in packs led by a strong, dominant male. Hunters are reasonably quick and reasonably strong, especially considering their slothful nature, but not quite as intimidating as more virile members of their race.

Myrkridian Giants
Are enormous, very strong variants with the special ability to lob handfuls of explosive heads. This special ability can be used when enough mana is available for the unit. Myrkridian Giants do not go berserk, attack quickly, move quickly, and do considerable damage per strike. Myrkridian Giants, Trow and Forest Giants are in the same category of giant units.

Myrkridian Pack-Mage
By far the most elusive members of the Myrkridan hordes, the Myrkridian Pack-Mages are rarely seen by humans, perhaps due to their relative frailty when compared to other Myrkridia. What they lack in physical conditioning they make up for with their intellectual capacity, as Pack-Mages are known to wield powerful magics. This most commonly takes the form of bolts of lightning fired from their hands, though some Pack-Mages wield even greater powers.

Myrmidons
Warriors granted "immortality" in exchange for their service in the armies of Balor. They very closely resemble mummies. Because they carry two curved Gridaksma-styled metal blades, their attacks have a higher likelihood of causing movement-intervention flinches. Myrmidons can also block melee attacks like the shield-using Warriors of the Light. Their dual-weapon attack and the high speed of attacking makes them stronger attackers than Warriors. The closest thing to a Myrmidon in the Light army would be a Berserk. However, Myrmidons are not as strong as Berserks, making them somewhat in between Warriors and Berserks in their melee ability. Technically, they are not undead despite their decayed appearance (therefore they cannot be killed via "unhealing"), only tricked by Balor into a hellish eternal life, which delivers a subtle homage to the Greek mythological origin of Myrmidons, which means "ant".

Shades
Shades are undead Avataras, and only appear in the single-player game and some custom maps because of their immense power. They cannot cross water. Shades are also armed with 3 Dispersal Dreams, which they drop when slain. Though undead, they are not slain by "unhealing".

Soulless
Basic ranged unit of the undead, the Soulless is a ghostly floating torso that throws poisonous javelins. In Myth II they were also granted a secondary melee stabbing attack with their javelins, similarly to the new Bowmen's knife attack. Soulless can traverse any terrain, even steep cliffs and deep water. Instead of traversing a lake's floor however, they glide over the surface and are still visible and vulnerable to missile attacks. Being undead, Soulless will be destroyed by "unhealing". Flanking a Soulless line can be very effective, as missiles will go right through them, each dealing full damage to multiple Soulless; the only unit whereby a single arrow (or spear) can do multiple-unit damage is the Soulless. Effective ranged unit strategy against soulless involves targeting the farthest unit away in a pack of soulless, so your ranged projectile hits the anterior en route to the targeted enemy unit. Soulless are slow; coupled with their medium range they are easy prey to Bowmen.

Spider Cultist
Though they are not undead, the Spider Cultists of Myth III bear more than a passing similarity to the Ghasts of Myth II. There are two reasons for this, the first being their extreme frailty for a melee unit, which makes them one of the least threatening units in the game. The second reason is the properties of their attack, which gives them a chance to paralyze their enemy on hit. Unlike the Ghast, however, this effect is unfortunately not guaranteed.

Spider Priestess
Devotees of the Spider God Syrkrosh, the Spider Priestesses are ranged units that hurl small glass vials that burst on impact, spreading a poisonous concoction around a small area. The main effect of this substance is paralysis, which leaves affected units helpless against subsequent attacks. The Spider Priestess' attack is somewhat less advantageous on its own, however, and like dwarven molotovs, her vials have a slight chance to hit the ground harmlessly.

Stygian Knights
Magically animated suits of armour that are tough melee fighters. They are completely immune to shrapnel, fire and non-explosive missile attacks, but take double damage from explosives (i.e. Dwarves and Wights have a big advantage on them). Though undead, they cannot go underwater. Stygian Knights offer some of the most interesting strategies of the game because of their uniquely susceptible vulnerability to explosives but hardened defense against other ranged attacks. They can be easily destroyed with an explosive attack, comparable to units having much lower health such as the Ghols, Bowman or Wights, but put up quite a defense against melee and/or ranged (arrow) attacks. Along with Ghols, Stygian Knights are one of the most common units for attacking Bowmen as their speed and invulnerability to arrows makes them extremely effective. It should be noted that though they do not take damage from an enemy's arrow, they will still flinch.

Thrall
Mindless animated corpses equipped with battle axes. Thrall are cannon fodder, too slow to really do much good on the battlefield, but reasonably effective in a melee if they manage to avoid getting blown up before they reach the line. If Myth did not have the realistic combat engine that it does, Thrall would be nearly identical to the Warrior light melee unit. However, the lack of a shield makes the Thrall more susceptible to movement-intervention flinching and, therefore, far inferior to the Warrior in one-on-one all-else-being-equal attack scenarios. Thrall, being undead, can be "unhealed" and thus taken down, but also can hide underwater indefinitely - which allows them to lie in wait and ambush opponents. In multiplayer games however, many players use Thrall as a guard for their flag in the 'capture the flag' gametype. The high health and low cost of the Thrall buys time for a player to react and reinforce the flag before the enemy can completely capture it.

Wights
Wights are bloated, infested, gas-filled corpses that explode with an erupting roar upon death or after detonating themselves, dealing heavy damage and stunning friend and foe alike in the surrounding area. They are the kamikaze units; their only attack is to stab themselves with a dagger and blow up. Wights are the only unit in the game that can attack only once. Wights die very easily, and are very slow, but they can hide underwater. An ideal strategy is to hide Wights in the deep water next to a shallow water crossing, and wait for unsuspecting enemies to attempt to ford the stream. Wights are undead units, therefore can be defeated instantly by "unhealing".

bre'Unor
Fast, weak, bone-wielding primitives. Their higher multiplayer cost is because they have both an effective ranged attack and an effective melee attack, making them unique in that aspect. Bre' Unor are rarely used in multiplayer, and appear only once in the single-player game. Wolves are commonly seen in conjunction with them.

Cave Spiders
Possessing the smallest health bars and no defensive armor of any kind, they are among the easiest of units to kill in the game. However, they are amongst the easiest units to be "killed by" given a flanking scenario and their extremely fast speed; they are among the fastest units in the game, capable of traversing any terrain except deep water. Extremely effective against ranged and artillery units in numbers because of their ability to close the distance between the ranged units with their speed.

Oghres
Enslaved by the Trow to build their colossal temple complexes, the Oghres of Myth III are large melee units that essentially act as stand-ins for the Mauls of Myth II. Like the Mauls, Oghres are extremely durable, attack with slow, powerful strikes, and have respectable movement speed. Due to their resilience, it is typically wise to first soften Oghres with ranged attacks before engaging them with melee units, as even a single attack from one is nothing to scoff at.

Trow
Hulking, loincloth-clad giants, Trow wade into the melee, kicking to pieces smaller units that get in their way, and punching other large units. Similar to Forest Giants and Myrkridian Giants in potential damage, size, and attack style, they are faster, making them the fastest usable unit in the game. They are resistant to elemental damage. Significantly, they are the only melee unit (very nearly) invulnerable to Wights. Trow turn to stone at low health and can only be healed to about 60% health. Their weakness is their height, which can be exploited by having Bowmen units target them amongst a melee fray. Typically, once a melee skirmish commences your Bowmen have to cease firing or risk damaging your own units as much as the enemy's units (friendly fire). However, because the Trow is so abnormally tall, it can be easily targeted by Bowmen while amongst other units. One of the best ways to kill an enemy Trow if no Bowmen or Soulless are around, is to heal it with a Journeyman or Heron Guard making the Trow freeze for about 2 seconds while being healed, giving the player a chance to surround or trap the unlucky giant and hit him with many melee attacks in fast succession.

Trow Iron Warriors
Some Trow are equipped with clad in iron armor and large war hammers. Easily the most powerful melee unit in all of Myth III, Iron Warriors attack by swinging their hammers in a wide arc in front of them, which can level multiple units in a single blow. Fortunately, this attack, as lethal as it is, can be avoided once initiated, as there is a brief wind-up period before the strike is actually unleashed.

Trow Priests
Trow Priests are just as formidable in physical combat as one would expect from a member of their species, however this proficiency is augmented further by considerable magical talents. Priests have the ability to use the Dream of Subjugation, which they use specifically to dominate the minds of their slave caste, the Oghres. In addition, they have been known to stomp their feet on the ground with such force that nearby creatures are temporarily stunned. Trow Priests are never used in multiplayer.

Whisps
Whisps only appear in one level of Myth III, and are never used in multiplayer.

Wolves
Wolves are reasonably fast with a decent attack, but very low health. They exist only once in the single-player game and sporadically in multiplayer. Wolves are normally coupled with the bre' Unor.