Fire Galley

Among all the weapons the Byzantine Empire deployed to defend Constantinople, none was more feared than Greek fire. The exact composition of this incendiary compound — almost certainly including naphtha, quicklime, and other additives — remains uncertain to this day, but its effects were documented by every enemy who survived contact with it: a liquid flame that clung to wood, hull, and flesh, burned on water, and could not be extinguished by conventional means. Byzantine fire galleys mounted bronze siphons in the bow that projected this compound in a continuous stream, setting enemy ships ablaze at close range. At the Battle of the Masts in 655 AD and the sieges of 674 and 718, Greek fire turned back Arab fleets that might otherwise have taken the city. In the game the fire galley is a specialized close-range naval weapon that devastates wooden ships with fire damage, but its short range demands aggressive positioning and makes it vulnerable to ranged vessels.