Elite Units

[GrudgeBringer]

I just went thru the manual agian and I just can't seem to find what an Elite unit is (I know what irregulars are and what they do, Milita, Line Infantry ect) and what are thier insignia's (like Milita a square with an X ect).

I keep seeing where you need to put one elite unit in every Division but.....(I don't know what they are and I wanna give my boys the best chance agianst the Yankee Horde that I can).

[Aurelin]

They have the strong morale attribute (two rows of dots and a plus sign.)

[GrudgeBringer]

So you can't Buy them or build them. So how do they become Elite? Is it battle Exp?

Also. since I know it won't mention that a unit is now an elite unit in the box at the bottom that says what happened last turn, how do I know when and where i have them?

[Jabberwock]

So you can't Buy them or build them. So how do they become Elite? Is it battle Exp?

Also. since I know it won't mention that a unit is now an elite unit in the box at the bottom that says what happened last turn, how do I know when and where i have them?

They have the High Morale attribute (a gold circle with a black plus sign). The same symbol that is used for leaders to denote Charismatic or Good Army Administrator. They are created by event as elite units.

[Coffee Sergeant]

The elite units are formed by scripted event and there is no way to obtain them otherwise.

Elite units raise the morale of the entire division there are in, so it is smart to put one in each division, but you will quickly have more divisions than elite units available so you have to make some choices. I'd also put them on the front lines in the Virginia or Tenessee - don't waste them on the Transmissippi or garrisons. Also don't put more than one in a division as it is a waste.

[Offworlder]

And there are very few elite units for the South. The only ones I remember are Orphan Brigade in Kentucky and the Tiger Brigade in Louisiana and initially, Stonewall's Brigade in Virginia. On the other hand such brigades are plentiful in the North and I use a lot of them as the kernel of divisions sent south to occupy New Orleans.

I only keep back the Irish Brigades to form an Irish division up north and send them against the English under Corcoran. Call it poetic justice...

Btw the English army has a lot of such brigades. All their divisions should include one such brigade, making the BEF really formidable.

[Doomwalker]

Ah ok, so is everyone in aggreement that putting one of these in a division is a good thing? I tend to leave them as "clean-up" around my armies. For instance: Main army goes for strategic city and the Elite units occuppy the cities 2-3 regions around that. Once my holding force arrives, the Elite's move on with the army.

[Rafiki]

"Elite" is a unit ability; if you add an "Elite" element to a division (often meaning that you add a brigade with "elite" elements to a division), the whole division becomes "elite"; keeping them in independent, "roaming" brigades wastes this opportunity

[Doomwalker]

As long as I have been playing this game, and I have not thought about this before. I learn something new about this game all the time. OK, guess it is time to develop new division building strategies.

[soloswolf]

The Tramp Brigade for the South as well.

[Coregonas]

In my current OCT 62 (really losing against USA, althoug VPs are not telling so) game I got around... 6 Elite brigades dont remember if more received

Stonewall; Orphan; Texas; Gamecock; Tigers; Tramp

dont know why these appear... seem a event fires them.. but

Are some prerequisites requested?
Are some bonus to the random brigades appearing?

[Jabberwock]

It is indeed by event. See: Various Events.sct - in the Events folder for details.

CSA

Gamecock Bde
Louisiana Tigers Bde
Maryland Line Bde
Orphan Bde
Stonewall Bde
Texas Bde
Tramp Bde

USA

Blanket Bde
Bull Run Bde
California Bde
Eagle Bde
Empire Bde
Excelsior Bde
First Iron Bde
Gibraltar Bde
Hooker's Old Guard Bde
Horn Bde
Irish Bde
Irish Legion Bde
Iron Bde
Keystone Bde
Merchant's Bde
Old Bde
Paper Collar Bde
Philadelphia Bde
Railway Bde
Regular Bde
Union Bde
Washington Bde
Western Bde

The conditions for them to appear tend to be fairly open:

Early Feb '62
1. If CSA owns Nashville, Orphans will appear there.
otherwise
2. If CSA has a force in KY, Orphans will appear with that force.
otherwise
3. If CSA owns a city in TN, Orphans will appear in TN.
otherwise
4. If CSA owns a city in MS, Orphans will appear in MS.
otherwise
5. Continue to check all these conditions through early March. Orphans will appear where the condition is met.

So you can pretty much count on them appearing.

[Doomwalker]

I have seen all the CSA Brigades, except for the Maryland one. I wonder what I am missing there. Looks like I will have to take a gander at the events and see where and when they are supposed to show up.

[Coregonas]

Ok Jabber checked file

So USA has a lot of those pretty elites brigades

Maryland bde appears for CSA starting Feb 63

[Jabberwock]

I believe the California and the Philadelphia bde may actually be two different names for the same unit. So they shouldn't ever show up in the same scenario if that is true. Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong.

I type that last so often ...

[Doomwalker]

Actually those two are seperate BDE's. The California BDE is composed of 1st,2nd,4th California infantry and the 5th California SS, the Philadelphia BDE is composed of 69th, 71st,72nd Pennsylvania infantry and the 106th Penn SS. They will show together in a scenario, I have both of them in the April 61' game I am in right now.

[Le Ricain]

I believe the California and the Philadelphia bde may actually be two different names for the same unit. So they shouldn't ever show up in the same scenario if that is true. Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong.

I type that last so often ...

After the battle of Balls Bluff, the state of Pennsylvania reclaimed the California Bde. The 1st CA became the 71st PA and the 2nd CA became the 69th PA. The new Bde was named the Philadelphia Bde. The Philadelphia Bde was unique in ACW as the only Bde raised entirely from a single city.

[Gray_Lensman]

deleted

[Jabberwock]

They are definitely both in the 1861 July Scenario.

[Heeward]

Has this been fixed at patch 1.11d?