Horse Raider

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Raidercav 666.png
Horse Raider — Vital statistics

Basic-level ranged cavalry unit, armed with a slow javelin-based attack. Very useful against slow-moving targets, but must be protected from cavalry and archers.

Prereq: Build time HP LOS Attack Attack speed Movement
speed
Upgrades to
Military Level 2: Rank and File Military
15s
(225t)
45 5 11 2.5s
(38t)
29 Lightcav TAP.png l Baragatai.png
Cost Created from Armour Weapon range Specialty
Base Ramp Pop
Timber: 80
Wealth.jpg: 3
1 Stable.png None 1–5

Strong versus heavy infantry and Heavy Chariots.

Lauburu.png Roundel othala.png Roundel celtic.png Roundel vietnam.png Roundel korea.png Roundel melayu.png Roundel media.png Roundel gaul.png Roundle belgae.png Roundle nub.png Choson.png Nan yue.png Roundel .khmer.png

Overall strategy[edit | edit source]

Horse Raiders are the missile equivalent of Horsemen, except for several differences - they can attack at range, but have no armour. Horse raiders are a substitute for chariotry, for most non-chariot users, such as the Celts, Euskaldunak, Choson and Germans, until better units such as the Celtic Karbantos or mainstream Javelin Cavalry become available. Horse Raiders, while seemingly cheaper, suffer two distinctive differences compared to Light Chariots and Horsemen - they don't have the armour available to a Light Chariot, nor do they have the same rate of attack as one. Low speed and lack of armour, as well as a slow rate of fire thus doom these units to being primarily support units, until they can be upgraded to the more powerful Light Horse.

To make matters worse for the Choson and Euskaldunak, Horse Raiders are the only missile cavalry units available for most of the game, making their cavalry armies the weakest, for they have neither the punching power of chariotry nor the movement speed of units such as Light Cavalry. As a result, these two civilisations will have little choice but to fall back upon their other units, particularly infantry, to seize the day, although it can be argued that the cheaper cost of Horse Raiders will always ensure that they can create swarms of these units — but with regards to their abilities, they are still no match ... chariots will forever be more versatile, other melee cavalry units more harder hitting. In the end, the most probable use for Horse Raiders will most likely be as their name suggests — for fast raiding and harassment, not defence against enemy units.

See also[edit | edit source]

Notes[edit | edit source]

Ostensibly, these units are the default cavalry unit trainable by Native American and some African civs if they gain control of a Corral. How many European units can we digest into Warbirth from K&C? Horse Raiders may need to be crafted from the models used on British cavalry.