The Ruyter wields pistols in combat and works best in groups to eliminate groups of melee cavalry. Compared to the Dragoon they operate almost identically similarly in combat, albeit with lower individual stats. They are capable at dealing with artillery at range, though several set to melee fair even better at taking them out.
However, Ruyters take only 1 population slot, making them very population effective. It is also one of the Dutch Royal Guard units, meaning each unit can be upgraded higher than other Dutch units. They are also significantly cheaper, as coin is barely an issue for Dutch players due to the presence of Banks. The Ruyter costs mainly coin, and thanks to the Dutch Settler sharing the coin resource cost, the Ruyter fulfills a similar economic niche to Musketeers within standard civilizations, which use Food for both of those units of theirs. Finally, Ruyters work well with the Dutch infantry units because they all benefit from Arsenal upgrades. Be sure to research Ranged Cavalry Caracole to help improve their offensive capabilities.
The Japanese can get Ruyters by allying with the Dutch at the Consulate (requires a level 25 Home City) which provides Dutch Expeditionary Force and Dutch Expeditionary Army that includes 7 and 9 Ruyters (named Carabineer) respectively. These Ruyters start with +10% hit points and attack than their regular counterpart, and are automatically upgraded in every Age starting in the Fortress Age (see here for the exact values).
Possibly due to a bug, upgrading the Ruyter to Carabineers and Imperial Carabineers does not change their model, while the Consulate Carabineer Ruyters change their model as they get auto-upgraded.
Royal Guard and Consulate Ruyters are named after the carabiniers (although the Dutch word karabinier would be more appropriate).
As stated in the in-game history, Ruyter is cognate with the German Schwarze Reiter, or Black Rider, which is also in the game as a Mercenary unit.
"Ruyters were a light cavalry who used pistols as their primary weapon. These soldiers were known as "Riders," and often carried several pistols with them - even having aids or servants whose job it was to carry extra pistols - because they wouldn't have time to reload the weapons when in range. Short-range fire with pistols was often deadly, but even shots that were not immediately lethal usually killed due to infection or disease because of the state of medicine at the time. Ruyters were able to fire their relatively small arms while on the move and this mobility made them fierce combatants.
Ruyters wore light armor and carried several sets of pistols. They were known to carry sabers and axes as sidearms for use when their complement of loaded pistols had been spent."
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Carabineers
Imperial Carabineers
Comanche Horse Breeding (+10%)
Cree Tanning (+5%)
Navajo Weaving (+5%)
Ranged Cavalry Caracole (+10%)
Yoga (+5%)
Smokeless Powder (+30% siege attack)
Town Watch (+2)
Comanche Mustangs (+10%)
Apache Endurance (+5%)
Mass Cavalry (-50%)
Cheyenne Horse Trading (-25%)
Incan Chasquis Messengers (-25%)
Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10% coin cost)
Meritocracy (-20% upgrade cost)
Coffee Trade (-10% speed)
7 Ruyters
11 Ruyters
9 Ruyters
13 Ruyters
17 Ruyters
Dutch Counter Cavalry Force
Cavalry Combat
Riding School
TEAM Cavalry Attack
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics
TEAM Cheaper Unit Upgrades
TEAM Early Dragoons
TEAM Cavalry Scouts
TEAM Inquisition
