Scouts of the tree

The House of the Tree was one of the Houses of the Elves of Gondolin, under the leadership of Galdor. They were distinguished by a green livery, and bore clubs and slings.

In the Fall of Gondolin in FA 510, they were one of the two main kindreds that first hurled themselves upon the Balrogs and Orcs upon the destruction of the Gate of Gondolin. They guarded the western entrance to the Arch of Inwë. Many escaped the slaughter with Tuor, and were scouts ahead of the women and children, for they had "eyes like cats in the dark", later dwelling at the Mouths of Sirion. They were often referred to as the People or Folk of Galdor.

Scouts of the Tree are one part of Gondolin's mid-tier trinity. They are quick, versatile light infantry armed with slings for skirmishing, and maces for close quarters combat. Scouts are an excellent supporting unit who are also capable of holding their own in melee better than many other skirmishers of their tier. They are best used to thin out the numbers of lighter or unshielded foes, but can be deadly against heavily armored targets if they can maneuver themselves behind engaged heavy troops and fire freely into their backs.

 Strengths: 

-Cheap (by Gondolin Standards), numerous, and deadly en masse.

-Armor piercing missiles and in melee.

-Solid range of 130 meters. The best range of any handthrown unit.

-High ammunition pool of 10 bullets per model.

-Fast firing speed.

-Uses Infantry Template over Skirmisher Template. (Higher combat stats; Improved Morale and Morale Shock Reponse.)

-Increased fighting prowess when fighting in the woods.

 Weaknesses: 

-Lowest missile damage of all skirmishers.

-Require direct line of sight, identical to crossbows + cannot arc shots.

-Lowest shield value of all light infantry.

-Low armor/resistance to missiles.

-Lower melee defense from Maces makes them vulnerable to charges. Takes fairly high attrition in melee.

 Classifcation:  Light Infantry

In Silmarillion: Total War, Light Infantry enjoyed increased movement speed, Melee Defense, and the ability to hide in Forest Tile at the expense of survivability in the form of lower Armor and Shield values.

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