Milicia

The Militia's main and basically only use is in a Dark Age rush (Drush), which involves quickly training and sending a small band of Militia into the enemy base to harass, disrupt their economic activities, and often prevent early walling. Killing Villagers is not a priority. The player's scout is used to block fleeing low HP Villagers for the Militia to try to kill them. Given the extremely poor town defensive capabilities of the Dark Age, this tactic is very viable if the player can get the drop on their opponents. Enemy Villagers may still attack, though without Loom they will still be felled very quickly by the player's Militia. However, caution is still advisable, as enemy Villagers with Loom may be able to defeat their aggressors if they manage to land the first strike or by garrisoning in the Town Center. Usually, the aim of a drush is to disrupt enemy walling and/or add extra time for the player to wall. In the first case, players follow their drush up with fast Feudal Age and grab the Man-at-Arms upgrade, which helps kill Villagers, scouts, and walls faster. For infantry-focused civilizations like the Celts, Dravidians, Japanese, or Malians, a Man-at-Arms rush is a potent strategy, since their infantry bonuses kick in. Bulgarians also perform a Man-at-Arms rush, but unintentionally, since their Militia are upgraded for free. Usually, a Man-at-Arms rush is followed up by Archers, since Men-at-Arms counter a scout rush and also prevent walling. The second case is a bit of a passive approach where the drush is followed up by walling and fast Castle Age for power or unique units. This strategy is common with Aztecs, Bulgarians, Goths, or Portuguese. With that said, Militia, despite being infantry, are extremely ineffective against buildings and upgraded units. Massing Militia without proper planning is generally a waste of valuable resources that are better spent focusing on building up the economy and advancing to the Feudal Age. All in all, Militia are weak and die very easily, but do provide early offense.