Sorry for offtopic Cuorion, but do you know that sets with shields are implemented in IH. Do you think it's time to give phalanx /hoplite's/ set an hoplon already
First of all, lets make clear the difference between the Hoplite and the Phalanx.
The Hoplite was a soldier of the ancient greek times. The early version used medium armor and held a spear and a shield. It is already noted that they were given that name after their shield, the "Hoplon". They were not professional warriors. They were given a basic training and were left to continue living their social life. In case of war, all hoplites younger that 60 years old would take their equipment and join the army. It was a custom that the hoplite was responsible for his own equipment, to buy it, to keep it in good contition and to train for it, a fact that made them evolve in time to a more free role, when every hoplite would use the equipment they liked and could handle best. Thus, a couple of centuries after their first appearence, there were hoplites with heavy armor, with light armor, without shields, with swords, etc. Soon, another word was used for their equipment, "Hoplismos", which meant "everything they use to fight".
Phalanx was a tactical formation used by some ancient greek armies. It was a triangular formation with the one point targeting the enemy lines. It was
irrelevant to the type of the army using it. Some armies (like the Athenean) used a Hoplite Phalanx, there were however other types as well, such as the Macedonean Sarissaphoros Phalanx.
To answer your question now, if we want to be realistic, a "Phalanx" set should not exist ingame, because there was no standard equipment used by the soldiers that fought in a Phalanx formation. A "Hoplite" set could only exist as used by the early Hoplites - medium armor, spear and shield. It should be a Ghost Stalker set.
What I mean is, it's just a name in a game, it doesn't need to be historically accurate. The Phalanx set is a Heavy armor set. Armor sets don't include weapons (shields are considered weapons even ingame, since weaponsmiths craft them).