“ | Russian hand cavalry. | ” |
—In-game description |
The Cossack is a melee heavy cavalry in Age of Empires III that is unique to the Russians, which replaces the Hussar, and can be trained at Stable, Fort, and Galleon.
Overview[]
The Cossack functions as the Russian version of the Hussar. Although they are somewhat weaker than Hussars, they are cheaper, train faster and only occupy one slot of population. This means that they can be produced in large numbers compared to most other cavalry, which take up two slots of population, and are good as raiding cavalry. With the proper cards and upgrades, an almost colossal army of Cossacks can be used to overwhelm opponents. An effective method of using them is to raid enemy Settlers and as a counter to enemy hand cavalry, as they can defeat even some of the best heavy cavalry when fully upgraded, due to their massive numbers. Only a mass of heavy infantry or ranged cavalry such as bow riders or cavalry archers can stand up to them. They are also very efficient if used against Shock Infantry and artillery.
When training Cossacks, it is a good idea to train a complementary unit, preferably one with range, that can soften up enemy units before the Cossacks get close. Streltsy and/or Cavalry Archers can be used with Cossacks to counter heavy infantry and other cavalry, and to assist in the destruction of buildings, a Russian player can mix in some Oprichniks.
Upgrades[]
Age | Upgrade | Cost | Effect |
---|---|---|---|
Veteran Cossacks | 200 wood 200 coin |
Upgrades Cossacks to Veteran (+20% hit points and attack) | |
Guard Cossacks | 600 wood 600 coin |
Upgrades Cossacks to Guard (+30% hit points and attack); requires Veteran Cossacks | |
Imperial Cossacks | 1,500 wood 1,500 coin |
Upgrades Cossacks to Imperial (+50% hit points and attack); requires Guard Cossacks |
Siberian Cossack[]
“ | Russian hand cavalry. | ” |
—In-game description |
The Siberian Cossack is a counterpart of the Cossack, which starts with +10% hit points and attack.
Upgrades[]
The Siberian Cossack is automatically upgraded in the Fortress Age, Industrial Age, and Imperial Age:
- +20% hit points and attack
- +30% hit points and attack
- +50% hit points and attack
Civilization differences[]
- The Chinese can get Siberian Cossacks by allying with the Russians at the Consulate, which provides Russian Expeditionary Company which includes 4 Siberian Cossacks, and through the "Intervention" Home City Card, which ships 6 Siberian Cossacks if Russian allies are picked.
Further statistics[]
Unit strengths and weaknesses | |
---|---|
Strong vs. | Ranged infantry, shock infantry, artillery |
Weak vs. | Heavy infantry, light cavalry |
Improvements | |
Hit points | Cavalry Cuirass (+10%) Comanche Horse Breeding (+10%) Cree Tanning (+5%) Navajo Weaving (+5%) Tar Kilns (+5%) |
Attack | Yoga (+5%) Pillage (+25% siege attack multiplier vs. buildings) Wind Horses (-10% Rate of Fire) |
Resistance | Sudanese Quilted Armor (+10% hand resistance) Pancerni (+10% ranged resistance) |
Line of Sight | Town Watch (+3) |
Speed | Apache Endurance (+5%) Comanche Mustangs (+5%) Wind Horses (+0.5) |
Train time | Cheyenne Horse Trading (-40%) Mass Cavalry (-35%) Quechuan Diet (-15%) Immigrants (-10%) Shaman Drums (-10%) |
Cost | Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10% coin cost) Golden Liberty (-5% coin cost) |
Other | Westernization (grants Veteran upgrade) Petrine Reforms (grants Guard upgrade) Meritocracy (-20% upgrade cost) |
Home City Cards[]
- Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Cossack
Some cards are highlighted with: | |
Green | TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team |
Blue | Shipment that arrives fast (5 seconds) |
Chinese[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
Western Reforms | All units get +8% hit points and attack | |
Acupuncture | All units' (except Shaolin Masters) train time -20%; Summer Palace banner army, Heavy Cannon, and Flying Crow spawn time -5% | |
Banner School | Banner army train time -30%; Summer Palace banner army spawn time -7% | |
Good Faith Agreements | Consulate units' train time -50%; Consulate technologies' cost -40% (-300 export for Brigades) and research time -50% (except Brigades) | |
Intervention | The Consulate ally sends a shipment of their units |
- "Intervention" ships 6 Siberian Cossacks (if Russian allies are picked).
French[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Hand Cavalry Attack | Hand cavalry and hand shock infantry get +15% attack |
Germans[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Cavalry Attack | Heavy cavalry, light cavalry, and shock infantry get +10% attack; Germans-only heavy cavalry, light cavalry, and shock infantry get +15% attack instead |
- "TEAM Cavalry Attack" does not stack with the Italian "TEAM Cavalry Attack" card.
Indians[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics | All units get +5% hit points and attack |
Italians[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Cavalry Attack | Heavy cavalry, light cavalry, and shock infantry get +10% attack; Italians-only heavy cavalry, light cavalry, and shock infantry get +15% attack instead |
- "TEAM Cavalry Attack" does not stack with the German "TEAM Cavalry Attack" card.
Japanese[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Sengoku | Unit upgrades cost -20% |
Lakota[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Mustangs | Cavalry and shock infantry cost -10% |
Maltese[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Knights of the Round Table | Ships 1 Hospitaller for each Town Center owned by the player; all units get +2% hit points |
Mexicans[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Mariachi | For the next 30 seconds, military buildings work 400% faster and units get +10% speed |
Russians[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
4 Cossacks | Ships 4 Cossacks | |
6 Cossacks | Ships 6 Cossacks | |
9 Cossacks | Ships 9 Cossacks | |
5 Cossacks | Ships 5 Cossacks | |
Boyars | Cavalry Archers, Cossacks, and Oprichniks get +10% hit points and attack | |
Cavalry Combat | Cavalry get +15% hit points and attack | |
TEAM Kamchatka Expeditions | Cavalry and shock infantry get +10% hit points and +4 Line of Sight | |
Riding School | Cavalry train time -40% | |
Bashkir Rebellion | Turns all Cossacks into Bashkir Archers; upgrades Bashkir Archers to Disciplined (if not already); Bashkir Archers can be trained and upgraded to Honored at Trading Posts on Tengri Shrines and Native Embassies; removes Bashkir Archers' training limit, but now they take 1 population | |
Finnhorses | Hussars, Hakkapelits, Cossacks, Dragoons, Oprichniks, and Cavalry Archers get +15% hit points |
- "Finnhorses" is available upon revolting to Finland.
Spanish[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Spanish Inquisition | Ships 1 Inquisitor; all units get +10 Line of Sight |
Chinese[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
Western Reforms | All units get +8% hit points and attack | 40 | |
Acupuncture | All units' (except Shaolin Masters, Heavy Cannons, Flying Crows, and Summer Palace banner armies) train time -20% | 40 | |
Banner School | Banner army train time -30%; Summer Palace banner army spawn time -7% | 10 | |
Good Faith Agreements | Consulate units' train time -50%; Consulate technologies' cost -40% (-400 export for Brigades) and research time -50% (except Brigades) | 1 | |
Intervention | The Consulate ally sends a shipment of their units | 10 |
- "Intervention" ships 6 Siberian Cossacks (if Russian allies are picked).
French[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
TEAM Hand Cavalry Attack | Heavy cavalry and Coyote Runners get +15% attack | 10 |
Germans[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
TEAM Cavalry Attack | Heavy cavalry, light cavalry, and shock infantry get +15% attack | 10 |
Indians[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics | All units get +5% hit points and attack | 25 |
Japanese[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
TEAM Cheaper Unit Upgrades | Unit upgrades cost -20% | 1 |
Russians[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
4 Cossacks | Ships 4 Cossacks | 1 | |
6 Cossacks | Ships 6 Cossacks | 1 | |
9 Cossacks | Ships 9 Cossacks | 10 | |
5 Cossacks | Ships 5 Cossacks | 10 | |
Boyars | Streltsy, Cossacks, and Oprichniks get +15% hit points and attack | 25 | |
Cavalry Combat | Cavalry get +15% hit points and attack | 10 | |
TEAM Cavalry Scouts | Cavalry and shock infantry get +10% hit points and +4 Line of Sight | 1 | |
Riding School | Cavalry train time -40% | 10 |
Spanish[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
TEAM Inquisition | All units get +10 Line of Sight | 10 |
Changelog[]
Age of Empires III[]
- The Cossack's in-game description is "Russian light cavalry."
Definitive Edition[]
- The Cossack's in-game description is "Russian hand cavalry."
History[]
“ | The Cossacks fled a life of poverty and serfdom in Moscow to settle as a free people on the frontiers of Imperial Russia, where they became legendary and feared horsemen. Every man rode and fought; the Cossacks did not have an army, they were an army. The Russian government understood the value of having these very territorial, independent warriors as a buffer to invasion and established an alliance with them, giving the Cossacks land and property. The Cossacks wore furred caps, long overcoats, loose trousers, and tall boots. They carried lances, sabers, short pikes, and muskets. | ” |