Soulless

Overview

Along with Thrall, Soulless are the backbone of the armies of the Dark. They are raised from the dead through a somewhat more sophisticated process than their shambling brethren, however, and therefor retain a basic level of intellect that the Thrall lack. This resurrection supposedly involves manipulating the thoughts of the deceased in order to destroy any memories of what they once cherished in life, at which point they willingly accept the direction of their summoner. With intellect but no desires of their own, it is not surprising that they are oft referred to as Hollow Men. Their forms are ethereal, taking the shape of a skeletal human torso suspended at a fixed height a few feet above the ground, and without need for physical locomotion, Soulless are able to climb steep slopes that other troops cannot or even hover over the surface of a body of water. The vapors that Soulless are composed of leave lasting corruption in their wake, and their javelins are coated with a toxin that causes excruciating pain. Wounds infected with this poison are difficult to fully heal.

Role in the Series

The defining characteristic of the Soulless is its ability to levitate, as this grants it access to almost any part of the map, including positions which are unassailable by many other unit types, such as deep water and steep inclines. They are injured normally by physical attacks, though being incorporeal, when a Soulless is hit by an arrow or javelin, the projectile will continue on its path. This makes proper formations crucial when facing other ranged units with Soulless, as multiple units can potentially take damage from a single attack if they are too close to each other. While their unique mobility gives them a slight advantage over fir'Bolg in Myth: The Fallen Lords, due to the inclusion of fire arrows in Myth II they are actually at a slight disadvantage when facing Bowmen on even ground, making exploitation of height advantage an even more important factor in successful use. As specters, Soulless are immune to most status effects in all Myth games.