Mapuche Bolas Riders are light cavalry that perform the role of Dragoons. They are available starting in the Commerce Age and are effective against heavy cavalry and hand shock infantry, but vulnerable against light infantry (like foot archers and Skirmishers).
Compared to Dragoons, Mapuche Bolas Riders have less speed, ranged attack, and lack hand attack multipliers, but have a wood cost instead of coin and their ranged attack deals splash damage (similar to Hakkapelits) in an area of 2, which makes them especially effective against groups of cavalry. Additionally, their ranged attack snares the enemy target, making it move slower for a short amount of time, which allows them to reach and take down cavalry more easily due to their high speed.
Unlike other light cavalry, Mapuche Bolas Riders cannot be massed, due to their build limit of 8 per Mapuche settlement, and they can be countered by enemy units that outnumber them, specially light infantry that have multipliers against light cavalry. However, Mapuche Bolas Riders prove to be very effective support units if they are combined with heavy infantry, which allows the player to handle large groups of cavalry if the enemy makes a constant use of them.
Chile has the "7 Mapuche Bolas Riders" Home City Card, which ships 7 Mapuche Bolas Riders, grants Mapuche Warrior Societies (if not already), and allows them to be trained at Stables, Forts, and Galleons.
Peru has the "American Allies" Home City Card, which also enables choosing the Mapuche as ally, allowing creation Mapuche Bolas Riders at Native Embassies.
Each different allied native tribe sends a shipment of their respective native warriors (also +2 Uhlans for the Germans)
Native Alliance
Native warrior train limit +20% and cost -10% (also +1 Hindu Villager for the Indians)
Native Warriors
Native warriors cost -25% (also +3 Uhlans for the Germans)
Native Warrior Combat
Native warriors get +15% hit points and damage
TEAM Native Weapon Trade
Native warrior train limit +20%
Blood Brothers
Upgrades native warriors to Elite/Disciplined/Veteran and Champion/Honored/Royal Guard; Native Embassies get +40% hit points and +5 build limit (also +4 Uhlans for the Germans)
Cavalry train time -40%; Cuirassier and Oprichnik train time -35% instead; Gatling Camel train time -20% instead (also +2 Uhlans for the Germans; +1 Hindu Villager for the Indians)
"Cavalry Damage" is available to the British and Lakota.
"Cavalry Hitpoints" is available to the British and Haudenosaunee.
"Cavalry Combat" is available to the British, Dutch, French, Italians, Lakota, Mexicans, Ottomans, Russians, and Spanish.
"Native Treaties" is available to Africans, Europeans (except the Maltese), Federal Americans, and Native Americans, and ships 1 Mapuche Bolas Rider if the player had built a Trading Post on a Mapuche settlement.
"Native Alliance" is available to the Aztecs, Inca, Indians, and Japanese.
"Native Warriors" is available to Europeans, the Lakota and Mexicans.
"Native Warrior Combat" is available to the French, Haudenosaunee, and Inca, and also Mexicans upon revolting to the Maya, and British upon revolting to Haiti.
"TEAM Native Weapon Trade" is available to the Dutch and Lakota, and also British and French upon revolting to Canada.
"Blood Brothers" is available to the Aztecs, French, Germans, Haudenosaunee, Lakota, Portuguese, Russians, and Spanish, and also British upon revolting to Canada or Haiti.
"Liberation March" is available to the Mexicans and Spanish.
"Riding School" is available to Europeans (except the Maltese and Spanish) and the Indians.
"Loyal Warriors" is available to the Italians, Maltese, Ottomans, and Portuguese upon revolting to the Barbary States.
"Sevites" and "Louverture Liberation" are available to the British and French upon revolting to Haiti.
"American Allies" is available to the Portuguese and Spanish upon revolting to Peru, and enables Mapuche Bolas Riders, Mapuche Warrior Societies, Champion Mapuche, Mapuche Ad-mapu, Mapuche Tactics, and Mapuche Treaty of Quillin at Native Embassies, if the player chooses to ally with the Mapuche.
"Wanderlust" is available to the British and Dutch upon revolting to South Africa, and can be sent 3 times.
Each different allied native tribe sends a large shipment of their respective native warriors and upgrades them to Elite and Champion; native warriors train time -10%; native warrior shipments and "Native Treaties" arrive time -50%; costs 500 food, 500 wood
"Indian Friendship" is available to the United States and "Chimayo Genizarios" to the Mexicans.
"Indian Friendship"/"Chimayo Genizarios" ships 4 Mapuche Bolas Riders if the player had built a Trading Post on a Mapuche settlement.
The player gains +10% XP from training units and other players receive -10% XP from defeating them; Sansculottes gather resources from Crates 50% faster; food from Berry Bushes and Cherry Orchards 25% faster; wood from trees and Mango Groves and coin from mines 20% faster; food from huntable and Herded animals, Mills, Farms and coin from Estates 15% faster
"Cult of the Supreme Being" is available upon revolting to Revolutionary France.
"American Allies" enables Mapuche Bolas Riders, Mapuche Warrior Societies, Champion Mapuche, Mapuche Ad-mapu, Mapuche Tactics, and Mapuche Treaty of Quillin at Native Embassies, if the player chooses to ally with the Mapuche.
Delivers 1 Carbine Cavalry for each shipment sent so far this game including this one; unit train time (except Heavy Cannons), technology research time, and age-up time -10%; costs 250 food, 250 wood
Seminole Ponies
Delivers 9 Hussars; hand cavalry get +15% hit points and damage, and +5% speed; cavalry train time -10%
"Indiana Mobilization" is available upon selecting the Indiana Federal State.
"Seminole Ponies" is available upon selecting the Florida Federal State.
Similar to the Inca, the Mapuche made use of bolas in battle (despite being famously used by Gauchos). Eventually, they started capturing artillery and firearms.
Historically, the Mapuche began to have cavalry in the 16th century, due to the introduction of horses by Lautaro, a Mapuche toqui (a title conferred to the ones chosen to be leaders during times of war) known for leading the indigenous resistance against the Spanish during the Arauco War. Due to this, the Mapuche were capable of defeating the Spanish cavalry, and eventually learned the use of infantry formations, mounted their infantry on horses for mobility and developed cavalry tactics, i.e. fighting in the battlefield as mounted lancers on the wings with foot in the center.
History[]
“
The relative stability the Mapuche lived in for centuries was shattered by the encroach of the Spanish during the sixteenth century. The Spanish thought they could easily conquer the Mapuche and their lands. They were mistaken.
The Mapuche were fierce warriors, and consistently battled back the Spanish. After more than a century of warfare, the Spanish admitted defeat and signed a treaty grating the Mapuche rights to their own lands.
The Mapuche lived in wooden huts with thatched roofs called rukas. Hunting, gathering, and small farm plots where they cultivated crops such as potatoes provided most of their food. They typically lived in small, widespread communities oriented around family units. After the Spanish invasion, however, the Mapuche began to band together for protection in larger groups.
”
—In-game history section
Gallery[]
Mapuche Bolas Rider image from the Compendium section
Mapuche Warrior Societies
Champion Mapuche
Legendary Native Warriors
Exalted natives
Cavalry Damage
Cavalry Hitpoints
Cavalry Combat
Native Treaties
Native Alliance
Native Warriors
Native Warrior Combat
TEAM Native Weapon Trade
Blood Brothers
Liberation March
Riding School
Feudal Armies
Loyal Warriors
Native Warrior Hitpoints
Native Warrior Attack
Western Reforms
Acupuncture
Ignatian Spirituality
Sevites
Louverture Liberation
American Allies
Wanderlust
Indian Friendship/Chimayo Genizarios
Wilderness Warfare
TEAM French Auxiliaries Combat
Cult of the Supreme Being
TEAM Cavalry Attack
Spanish Riding School
Native Warrior Conscription
Wampum
Sahelian Kingdoms
Road Building
Couriers
10 Mapuche Allies
Dravidian Martial Arts
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics
Schiavoni Swords
TEAM Sengoku
Bakufu
TEAM Mustangs
Black Arrow
Winter Counts
TEAM Knights of the Round Table
Squires
TEAM Mariachi
Colegio de San Nicolás
National Servant
Akincis
TEAM Kamchatka Expeditions
TEAM Spanish Inquisition
7 Mapuche Bolas Riders
Indiana Mobilization
Seminole Ponies
