Hello fellow players of [Age of Mythology]!
I managed to come up with some new unit ideas that could be given to each of the original 3 civilisations in the game (Greeks, Egyptians and the Norse) if the Definitive Edition for [Age of Mythology] ever becomes a reality and here they are:
Greeks
(1) Psiloi Skirmisher: The Psiloi Skirmisher will serve as fast moving slingers for the Greeks that can be used for hit-and-run tactics and will be good against melee infantry.
According to a website known as βMilitary History Fandomβ (Psiloi | Military Wiki | Fandom) the Psiloi were light infantry who acted as skirmishers and missile troops in Ancient Greek warfare. βPsiloiβ was apparently often used as a broad term to describe types of unarmored or lightly armoured infantry. They were often referred to by other names such as βGymnitaiβ (Naked), βEuzonoiβ (Light armoured), βGrosfomachoiβ (Swordsmen), βAkontistaiβ (Javelineers), βSfendontaiβ (Slingers), βToxotaiβ (Bowmen) or βLithovoloiβ (Stone Thrower) depending on which weapon they were using.
The Psiloi were the least prestigious military class deployed by the ancient world, lower than the [Peltast] who were often categorised as an intermediate infantry type while the [Hoplite] was the most prestigious. They were armed with various ranged weapons and wore no armour, but did sometimes have a shield even though it was unusual for them. However, the Psiloi were always armed with either a dagger or shortsword for close quarters combat.
I want to give a shout out to @ArkadasLlisa for telling me about the Psiloi.
Alternatively, the [Peltast] for the Greeks could be improved where they will be useful for hit-and-run tactics instead of adding the Psiloi Skirmisher. The [Peltast] who were light infantry recruited by the Greeks were sometimes used for hit-and-run attacks and a good example of this was the βBattle of Lechaeumβ where an Athenian general by the name of βIphicratesβ managed to wear down a Spartan hoplite regiment through repeated hit-and-run attacks by his peltasts. By giving the [Peltast] this role they can have another use instead of just being a counter-archer unit.
(2) Amazon Warrior: If you donβt happen to pick Zeus as your major god, then the Amazon Warriors will serve a similar purpose to the [Myrmidon] as a versatile infantry unit, but they will not be as powerful as them.
The Amazons were female warriors that were mentioned in the Greek mythology and had their importance in the mythology, so I am kinda surprised that the developers did not give the Greeks the Amazon as a trainable unit. I have included a link which is shown below if you want to know more about the Amazons.
(https://world4.eu/the-amazons/)
(3) Harpy: The Harpy will be a flying mythic unit that can attack from the air and can be trained from the [Temple] by choosing Apollo as your minor god. They could attack other units from the air by flinging sharp feathers at them just like with the [Stymphalian Bird].
If you didnβt know, the [Harpy] mythic unit is actually available to the Greeks as a trainable unit in the Nintendo DS game βAge of Empires: Mythologiesβ (2008). In that game the Harpy has more human features than bird-like features, where they look a lot like a human female but with wings, oversized hands with sharp claws and bird-like legs. When they attack an enemy they will use their claw-feet to rip them to shreds.
Egyptians
(1) Give them an actual βKhopesh Swordsmanβ that uses the correct weapon: Except for giving the [Khopesh Swordsman] the real weapon that is referred by this name, the role of these warriors could also be switched out to something else, while their original role can be given to the new [Mace-Axe Warrior] unit that is described below.
The [Khopesh Swordsman] could serve the new role of being a versatile infantry unit with bonus damage against buildings. In addition they could also deal extra damage with their weapon by causing a bleeding effect.
(2) Mace-Axe Warrior: The Mace-Axe Warrior will take on the previous role of the [Khopesh Swordsman] instead, where they will serve as raiders and deal bonus damage to villagers. They could also be able to deal bonus damage to cavalry units in order to give them another use than just using them for raiding.
According to a website known as the βMuseum Factsβ (9 Highly Effective Ancient Egyptian Weapons - Museum Facts) who mentions about a historian by the name of βPaul Elliotβ, and he claims that the Mace-Axe was purely an Egyptian weapon, unlike with the Khopesh which was a weapon that the Egyptians adopted from enemy kingdoms.
(3) Griffon: The Griffon was a mythic unit that unfortunately did not make it into the original game, which was released 2002, the reason for this was due to the complexity of creating a flying/land hybrid unit. This unit was later added to the game with the βTale of the Dragonβ expansion (2015), however, they are only accessible if using the Scenario Editor.
Because the Griffon was a part of the Egyptian mythology and other mythologies as well, the Griffon could therefore be given to the Egyptians as a flying unit that can attack enemy units from the air.
Norse
(1) Hewing Spearman or Atgeir Slasher: The Hewing Spearman (Alt. Atgeir Slasher) will assume the role of being a more versatile infantry unit that can counter many units, but they will move slower than a [Huskarl] and will be vulnerable to attacks from ranged units.
The weapon that the [Hewing Spearman] unit will use is based on the βAtgeirβ also known as the βMail-Piercerβ or βHewing Spearβ which was a type of polearm used during the Viking Age Scandinavia and Norse colonies in the British Isles and Iceland.
The Atgeir is essentially a polearm with a long blade. By possessing a longer blade these weapons could also be used for slashing and not just for thrusting or stabbing. There seems to be two types of variants of this weapon, so I am not entirely sure which one is historically accurate if not actually both of them were used by the Vikings. One of the variants of the βAtgeirβ looks just like a spear but with a longer blade while the other variant looks similar to a βBardicheβ, which is a battle-axe-like polearm with Slavic origin.
(2) Javelineer or Javelineer Horseman: These fast moving warriors will fulfill the role of an hit-and-run military unit for the Norse.
(3) Shield Maiden: Robust Norse female warriors that can take a lot of punishment before they go down. They will mainly serve a supporting role as tanks where they will soak up the damage from enemy units while your other military units that are at disposal can eliminate them.
If you are curious about the Shield Maidens historically speaking, then I happened to find a post on the internet that has some information of these supposed female warriors. (https://www.asgard.scot/blog/2019/02/did-shieldmaidens-like-vikings-lagertha-and-norsemens-frΓΈya-really-exist)
(4) Lindwurm: A popular motif on runestones especially on the runestones of 11th century Sweden. In Norse mythology Lindwurms or βLinnormrβ as they were apparently called in Old Norse are serpent-like dragons with two arms and no legs.
They were usually depicted as wingless dragons as well but their appearance could vary across countries and the stories in which they appear, so in some stories they had wings.
The [Lindwurm] could serve as a new mythic unit that can be trained from the [Temple] after choosing Hel as your minor god. They could start as ground units but later be upgraded to [Winged Lindwurm] that can attack other units from the air, just like with the Chinese [Vermillion Bird] and the Atlantean [Stymphalian Bird].