Camel Nomads are a type of melee cavalry in Empire: Total War.
Description[]
Camel nomads are lord of the merciless desert and few who face them there in battle live to tell the tale.
There is no environment harsher than the desert, and the nomadic tribesmen who inhabit it are as pitiless as the shifting sands. The trackless sandy wastes are littered with the bones of those foolish enough to have ventured there in defiance of those who call this place home. Nomads are experts in using the desert to defeat an enemy before risking an attack, although they tend to fare less well in cooler climes. The nomads’ camels can withstand searing temperatures which would quickly exhaust a horse – and no horse is happy with the sound and smell of camels either!
A common nomad tactic is to allow the intense heat of the desert to weaken their foe, then to thin their numbers with fire from their archaic-looking matchlocks. Despite their ancient appearance, these muskets are always well-maintained and used to deadly effect. Once the enemy has begun to falter, nomads risk a more direct attack, closing for the kill with their scimitars. The weird ululating battle cries favoured by the nomadic tribesmen are often amongst the last sounds heard by their exhausted and dispirited victims!
General Information[]
Despite their glowing description, Camel Nomads are a poor choice for cavalry. Camels are not as fast as horses, and possess very poor defensive skill, with under average melee capabilities. Their very low morale mean that they tend to break and flee after only suffering minor casualties. They do give enemy cavalry a slight morale penalty as camels frighten horses, but the benefit is only marginal considering the otherwise very poor quality of the unit.