For the same money, the only other melee unit you can get is Vanara Infantry.
The only difference is the Buckler. It's just as if they had two more defense... BUT! It's still just def 11. It's not good. And this isn't normal defense, but a shield, and enemies can just punch through the shield! Effectively, they can overcome the shield with either good attack roll or stat, or high-damage weapon or good strength or lucky roll. Then I tested them. Vanara Infantry survive much, much better than I thought! The buckler,
even the buckler, makes a huge difference! I was surprised. It'll take some time to become accustomed to this new shield system. Especially with the new four-handed national summons...
