| Ring Bayonet | |
|---|---|
| |
| Requires | Plug Bayonet |
| Building Needed | Barracks |
| Leads To | Military Syllabus |
| Stream | Military, Military |
| Effects | |
| |
Ring Bayonet is a Technology and type of bayonet in Empire: Total War.
Description[]
This long blade has a ring which fits around the outside of a musket barrel, allowing the weapon to be fired while it is attached.
The ring bayonet serves to turn a musket into a short, and rather heavy, pike. This is considerably more threatening to enemies than using the weapon as a clumsy club in a hand-to-hand fight. The bayonet is a push fit, and it is the tightness on the ring around the bayonet that keeps it in place, most of the time. Ring bayonets can be pulled off in the heat of combat by becoming wedged in enemy flesh, and they can be pushed back along the barrel. They are, however, a considerable advance over the plug bayonet.
There is some dispute over the origin of the ring bayonet, and it may be the case that several military men in different countries developed it at almost the same time. Its advantage over the plug bayonet - the user could still give fire - made sure that it was popular. A ring bayonet would not offset from the barrel, making it awkward to reload a musket with one fitted.
General Information[]
The Ring Bayonet is an upgrade over the Plug Bayonet. Instead of requiring manual attachment, Ring Bayonets always come attached, permanently granting a +3 melee bonus. On the downside, they reduce reloading skill of all bayonet-equipped troops by 5. Once Socket Bayonets are researched, they replace Ring Bayonets.