The Rifle Rider is one of the most significant units available to the Lakota. These units are the Lakota version of a Dragoon, but unlike Dragoons, they are good against heavy infantry. They are more expensive, move slower and deal less damage than a dragoon, but their 1.5 ROF means they shoot 50% faster. This means they can easily kill large numbers of heavy infantry units in a short period of time.
Though they are very well rounded, they fare poorly against light cavalry. This is because unlike most cavalry, they are classified as both light and heavy, against whom light cavalry has a multiplier.
It is a good idea to combine a group of Rifle Riders with several Axe Riders; Rifle Riders are one of the most powerful units in the game. However, Dragoon-like units will make short work of them due to multipliers.
The Rifle Rider starts at the Elite level, giving them +25% hit points and attack.
If made available at the Commerce Age with the "TEAM Early Dragoons" Home City Card, Rifle Riders will be automatically upgraded to Elite when the player reaches the Fortress Age.
The ultimate development of the famous Sioux art of war were their amazingly skilled horsemen armed with repeating rifles. There is an old stereotype that the American Indians were reactionary culturally, unable to adapt to modern ways. The Sioux rifle riders demonstrate the falseness of this idea – during their heyday, they were the most advanced warriors on Earth. In Europe at this time, cavalry were still fighting with sabers and lances. Even in America, the U.S. cavalry used single-shot rifles, significantly inferior to the Sioux carbines.