Today we reveal the second part of the Tigran Race! In Part 1 we discussed the background and shared characteristics of Tigrans, as well as the Prowler, Cheetah and Chariot units. Today we take a look at the Shredder, Sun Guard, Mystic, Dire Panther and Sphinx. You might notice that’s 1 unit extra compered to other races; you’ll see why below!

Sun Guard

This armored Pikeman is the only unit that resembles something of a organized military unit. These pikemen carry Sun Shields, giving them +2 defense and resistance from non flanking attacks and +60% fire protection. Sun Guards also have the Guardbreaker abilty, meaning that melee strikes from the unit will stop their targets from guarding. Sun Guards are flexible units, but have slightly weaker stats than other pikemen to reflect their lack of specialization in any one role.

“The Tigran Sun Guards encircled the shrine of the Scarlet Destroyer. I tried to convince the feline spearmen that in the Commonwealth, all share the Shrine, but they believe those shrines hold pieces of their god, Yaka. Though they had little armor, their catlike agility rendered our archers ineffective. We had to clear them out, but they fought with the ferocious zeal of jungle cats. I fear the cost to the Empire if all our shrines are so abused.” – “Report on Religious Tranquility” by Enforcer Tendoniskadin

Mystic

The Mystic is an offensive support unit, who hurls magic bolts at ranged targets and can use the Break Control ability to remove mind controlling effects from her allies. Where other support units have abilities that buff allies or debuff enemies, the mystic can transform into a Panther, sacrificing ranged power for melee strength and speed.

“The Tigran religion has changed since I last encountered them. They once envied men, doing all they could to prove they weren’t animals. Now there is a powerful faction of Mystics that teach them to embrace their inner beast for their sun god. Some Mystics literally do. One morphed into a ravenous hellcat. Despite my most desperate attempts to reason with it, the creature tried to eat me. So while pretending to fight, I deliberately tripped and tumbled down a gorge.” — “Where’s Symba?” by Ham the Wanderer

Dire Panther

Mystics can transform into Dire Panthers, powerful and agile melee units which can pounce on enemies to rapidly cross great distances in combat. Its bloodthirsty abilty ensures that it does extra damage vs bleeding units, while its Coup de Grace abilty deals extra damage vs immobilized units.

People ask me how one negotiates with an oversized feral black tiger. It’s a stupid question, because when you see one it’s probably too late. Still, I seem to recall I said something like, ‘Whoah! Nice Kitty. That’s one seriously big cat. No, no! Bad Kitty. I’m not food. Stop! Don’t eat me!’” — “Where’s Symba?” by Ham the Wanderer

Shredder

The Archer-soldier of the Tigran. Unlike the average archer, Shredders are quite strong in melee as well. They throw boomerang like knives, which a skilled shredder can curve around corners, allowing them to ignore line of sight penalties. Their knives also cause bleeding wounds, creating a synergy with the Prowler who does extra damage vs bleeding units.

“The double-bladed skalj buzzed over our heads like a swarm of angry hornets. A group of Tigran shredders flanked our diplomatic envoy. Our maddened horses charged furiously forward. The cabin of our carriage filled with a spray of splinters. Hundreds of Skalj blades embedded themselves into the side of our vehicle. Hostile Tigrans scrambled up the carriage walls. They cut the throats of our drivers and let our horses run. The diplomatic message was quite obvious.” – “Commonwealth Peace Offerings” by Vagon the Peacemaker

Sphinx

In rare occurrences, Tigrans are born with wings and a more feline body. These creatures are called Sphixes and are revered as holy emissaries from Yaka. They have the Sun Disc Ability, allowing them shoot a ray as hot as the sun, damaging all units in its path. This flying tier III irregular can cause fear, has mind control immunity and True Sight.

“We all knew what dwelt in Hillside Tomb. The clever thing offered fortunes to anyone able to outwit it. Caleb Withers went in a beggar and left royalty, but thousands of others never returned. The Commonwealth judged this bargain illegal. They brought their war machines against the creature. It called down the sun to incinerate the advance. It retreated into its lair. Foolishly, they followed, but it was ready. Traps slowed warriors; the creature finished them off. Even disciplined troops trembled with fear. Eventually, the Commonwealth drove it away using overwhelming numbers. That’s the price of bargaining with a sphinx.” – “Monsters of Hillside” by Olden Withers

PS: The official announce is getting very close now! We didn’t announce this week because we had some more work to do on marketing assets, as well as didn’t want to announce during the hectic times of GDC/PAX.