Skirmishers have a long-ranged attack that is suited to kiting the enemy from afar. They are strong at countering and defeating heavy infantry and ranged cavalry, but highly vulnerable to melee cavalry and artillery due to their relatively low hit points and a weak hand attack. They cost a relatively high amount of coin and it is not cost effective to use them against melee cavalry.
Typically they are used to create a strong mass ranged platform to support the rest of the army. Their long range ensures they can put all their damage to use as early as possible and makes them easy to control while kiting. They are effective against enemy Skirmishers and other ranged infantry, but their counter damage wards off cheaper heavy infantry attacks in melee, as well as harassment from fast ranged cavalry. When in position near enemy Settlers their range also makes them effective at harassing them while not committing too much to a bad position should a fight occur. When fighting heavy infantry it is advisable to take an Arsenal towards the time of the Industrial Age, in order to unlock Counter Infantry Rifling for an effective extra 50% damage against those units. Skirmishers are capable of sieging buildings, but this is a risky strategy due to the poor positioning required to do so, along with slow speed and low siege damage. It may be better to use them defensively in support of Falconets or Halberdiers instead.
SpanishUnction-boosted Skirmishers will inflict 45.12 damage before multipliers with all attack upgrades that do not require an ally or minor native upgrade. French Skirmishers have the highest stand-alone HP in the endgame (as Imperial Voltigeurs), as they have a Royal Guard Upgrade (10%) and 15% and 20% hit point Home City Cards available to them.
The Cherokee Rifleman and Klamath Rifleman are comparable to Fortress Age Skirmishers but with much higher hit points and may be useful for civilizations that lack access to regular Skirmishers. They are available on maps featuring the Cherokee or Klamath, and available earlier in the Commerce Age. Note that these units cost wood instead of coin.
Can gather resources from crates and wood from trees.
With the "Northern Wilderness" Home City Card, Karelian Jaegers can gather all resources as a Settler does at equal rate (except from Mills and Haciendas).
Skirmisher with low hitpoints, but a long-ranged attack. Good against infantry.
”
—In-game description
The Prussian Needle Gunner (Prussian Needle Gun before the Definitive Edition) is a counterpart of the Skirmisher, which starts with +10% hit points and damage.
Pikeman, Halberdier, Skirmisher, Revolutionary Sharpshooter, and Musketeer hit points and damage +15%
Dutch States Army
Mercenary train time -15%, speed (except Napoleon Gun and Li'l Bombard) +7%; mercenary shipment arrive time -20%; enables Highlander to be trained at Barracks and Taverns, Royal Horseman at Stables and Taverns; Pikeman, Halberdier, Skirmisher, Hussar, and Ruyter cost +10%
Enables Imperial upgrades for Independence Guards, Cassadores, Skirmishers, Landwehrs, and Ordinance Riflemen; Imperial upgrades for Independence Guards, Cassadores, Skirmishers, and Landwehrs cost -60%
Northern Wilderness
Enables Karelian Jaegers to gather all natural resources and build Livestock Pens
Jaeger Combat
Jaeger hit points and damage +15%; Karelian Jaeger and Counter Jaeger hit points and damage +20%
Morgan's Continental Sharpshooters
Delivers 12 Revolutionary Sharpshooters; transforms all Skirmishers/Bersaglieri/Rangers into Revolutionary Sharpshooters; enables Revolutionary Sharpshooters to be trained at Forts
Pennsylvania Long Rifles
Skirmisher, Ranger, Bersagliere, and Papal Zouave Line of Sight +3, ranged attack range +2; State Militia, Militiaman, and Spy Line of Sight and ranged attack range +4
"7 Skirmishers", "9 Skirmishers", and "8 Skirmishers" are available to the Dutch, French, and Germans.
"12 Skirmishers" is available to the French and Germans.
"14 Skirmishers" is available to the Dutch and French.
"Fencing School" is not available to the French and Spanish.
"Colombian Army" is available to the Germans, Portuguese, and Spanish upon revolting to Gran Colombia.
"Northern Wilderness" and "Jaeger Combat" are available to the Russians and Swedes upon revolting to Finland.
"Morgan's Continental Sharpshooters" and "Pennsylvania Long Rifles" are available to the British, Dutch, French, Italians, and Swedes upon revolting to the United States.
Transforms all villagers into Revolutionaries, Plumed Spearmen into Guard Musketeer, Chimu Runners into Guard Hussars, Jungle Bowmen into Guard Skirmishers, Bolas Warriors into Veteran Dragoons, Huaracas into Guard Grenadiers, and Macemen into Guard Soldados; costs 1,500 food, 1,500 wood, 1,500 coin
"TEAM Inca Bridges" does not stack with the Chinese "TEAM Yongle Infrastructure" card.
Rifle infantry hit points and damage +15%; Salteadores get Big Ability Batton: if not in combat Salteadores will automatically be stealthy with no speed penalty - for a short duration
Plan of Miramare
Transforms all Salteadores into Voltigeurs; rifle infantry Line of Sight, charged and ranged attack range +2; costs 750 food, 750 wood
TEAM Mariachi
For the next 30 seconds, military building training and research work rate +400%, unit speed +10%
Colegio de San Nicolas
Delivers 1 Large Collection of Books (500 XP); unit Line of Sight +4; building (except Wall) Line of Sight +8; reveals enemy units' positions for 20 seconds
National Servant
Unit (except herded animals) hit points +10%; Padre heal work rate +200%
With update 13.58326, the Skirmisher has a ×2.5 ranged multiplier against light ranged cavalry and ranged shock infantry, ×0.6 vs. cavalry and ×0.5 vs. shock infantry.
With update 14.43676, Skirmishers have a ×0.6 ranged multiplier against shock infantry. The Dutch Skirmisher in the Commerce Age, the Karelian Jaeger, and Voltigeur and Prussian Needle Gun upgrades received new models.
French Royal Guard Skirmishers are named after the Voltigeurs.
German Royal Guard/Consulate Skirmishers are named after the Dreyse needle gun they use.
History[]
“
Skirmishers were lightly armed and armored riflemen who used their speed to move quickly about the battlefield and perform a number of military roles. They defended flanks, helped artillerymen with cannon, dragged wounded soldiers off of the battlefield, and performed hit-and-run attacks on advancing enemy armies. Napoleonic-era skirmishers were effective against rigid ranks of musketeers because the fire of musketeers was less effective on the loose, informal skirmisher lines.
Many skirmishers in the nineteenth century were armed with rifles; the range and accuracy of these weapons made skirmishers dangerous enemies. Early rifles could only be fired once every minute or two, though later breechloading and repeating models could fire much more rapidly. One model fired so fast, a commander ordered his men to focus their fire on a single enemy skirmisher so that they could recover his rifle to examine it.
”
Gallery[]
An in-game (Veteran) Skirmisher
A Guard/Imperial Skirmisher
Skirmisher concept art
(Veteran) Skirmisher model
Guard/Imperial Skirmisher model
Skirmisher image from the Compendium section
An in-game (Veteran) Skirmisher in the Definitive Edition
An in-game Guard Skirmisher in the Definitive Edition
An in-game Imperial Skirmisher in the Definitive Edition
In-game Karelian Jaeger
In-game Dutch Skirmisher in the Commerce Age since update 14.43676
In-game (Imperial) Voltigeur Skirmisher since update 14.43676
In-game (Imperial) Prussian Needle Gunner Skirmisher since update 14.43676