Blockhouse
The Blockhouse combines a small fortification with infantry production. It is the Russian early military hub and appears in several later civilization and revolution rosters, with availability and upgrades varying by faction.
Recorded values
- Cost
- 250 Wood
- Available
- Exploration Age
- Builder
- Settler and its counterparts, Blockhouse Wagon, Military Wagon, Camp Builder
- Population support
- 5
- Ranged attack
- 30 ranged damage · range 24 · interval 3.0 · 1.5x vs. Cavalry; 1.3x vs. Shock troops; 0.5x vs. Siege unit; 0.25x vs. Villager
- Function
- Attacks nearby enemies; Trains and upgrades infantry; Receives Home City shipments
- Construction
- 50 sec · up to 4 builders · limit 7
- Structure
- 2,000 hit points · 34 line of sight · 4x4 footprint
- Garrison
- 20 villagers, Homestead Wagons, healing units, Regent
- Building attack
- range 24 · interval 3.0 · Same as ranged attack
- Anti-siege attack
- 100 anti-siege damage · range 40 · interval 3.0 · 0.5x vs. Siege unit
Function
The standard Russian Blockhouse is available in the Exploration Age, costs 250 Wood and takes 50 seconds to build. It trains and upgrades infantry, receives Home City shipments and fires at nearby enemies. The Fortified Blockhouse upgrade adds a close-range area attack; it can also garrison Villagers for protection.
Placement & timing
Place it to cover a valuable work area or forward production lane, not so far ahead that it becomes an isolated siege target. Russian players can combine its defense and infantry queue; other factions should check their own roster rules.
Russian combined Barracks and defensive structure
The Blockhouse is a Russian military building available from the Exploration Age. It costs 250 Wood, takes 50 seconds to construct, has 2,000 hit points and line of sight 34, and supports seven population under current rules. It can train Russian infantry, fire at nearby enemies, receive Home City shipments and garrison up to twenty Villagers, Homestead Wagons, healing units or a Regent. The building costs only Wood, which makes it a resource-efficient combination of Barracks and Outpost, but losing it damages both production and defense at once. Blockhouses train infantry in batches. Russian Streltsy arrive ten at a time for 375 Food and 100 Wood; five Rekruts cost 280 Food and 95 Coin; four Poruchiks cost 210 Food and 150 Coin. The batch system makes Russian armies arrive quickly and can reduce total cost, but the player must pay for the group together and have population space. The Blockhouse also supports Chinese armies on some maps and units; check the civilization-specific roster before relying on a unit appearing there. Its ranged attack deals 30 damage at range 24 every three seconds, with a 1.5 multiplier against Cavalry, 1.3 against Shock Troops, half damage against Siege units and quarter damage against Villagers. Fortified Blockhouse unlocks a 60-damage area attack at range 24. An additional anti-siege attack reaches range 40 for 100 damage but deals half damage to Siege units. The structure sees Stealth since update 47581. These weapons make it useful for protecting villagers and a military queue, but artillery and dedicated siege units can destroy it if left undefended. The seven-building limit and population support influence placement. Use early Blockhouses to protect resource lines and create a forward reinforcement point; shipments can arrive at the building, allowing a defensive position to become a rally point. Do not place the entire Russian production network in one exposed area, because a successful siege can remove both the barracks and defensive fire. Keep mobile troops nearby to counter enemy Artillery and protect the structure while it trains batches. The supported population value has changed across updates: it is currently seven, while earlier versions listed other values. Cost reduction cards such as TEAM Spanish Road and TEAM Art of War can lower the Wood price, but if both are used, ordinary Barracks and War Academies may become cheaper. The Blockhouse’s efficiency therefore depends on valuing its attack, population and shipment functions, not only its construction cost. It remains a central Russian building because its military and defensive roles are combined.
Place the building to cover an economy route
A Blockhouse is strongest when its 34 line of sight and range 24 cover both a resource line and a route the opponent may use. Place it where villagers can retreat into the garrison while infantry reinforces from the same point. Since it can receive shipments, a forward Blockhouse can also shorten the distance between reinforcements and an active fight. Avoid placing it so close to enemy artillery that the opponent can siege it before Russian troops arrive. The building limit is seven, so choose positions that add overlapping defense rather than clustering every structure in the starting base.
Protect the infantry queue and shipment point
Use the Blockhouse as a rally point as well as a defensive turret. Batch production is strongest when the building can safely finish its queue and nearby troops can respond to a raid. If enemy siege begins, garrison Villagers and bring the Russian army to defend it; losing the Blockhouse removes infantry access from that location and can expose the resource line it was built to protect.
Upgrade the defense when the frontier is contested
The Fortified Blockhouse upgrade adds the area attack and improves the building’s ability to hold a crowded approach. Research it when the Blockhouse is expected to face groups of attackers; a quiet rear building may benefit more from additional production or unit upgrades.
Watch for siege before committing more upgrades
The building’s 2,000 hit points and defensive attack can deter small raids, but concentrated artillery can remove it quickly. Scout for Mortars or other siege units and move Russian troops to intercept before they reach the structure. Researching a defense upgrade is most useful when the Blockhouse can be kept alive long enough to repay the cost.
Train in batches near the fight
Queue the unit group that answers the current threat, then keep the next batch ready at a protected Blockhouse. This combines its production and defensive roles efficiently.
Russian production building and forward defense
The Blockhouse serves as both a military production site and a defensive structure, especially for the Russian civilization. This combined role allows the player to place a reinforcement queue near a resource line or contested area while providing a strongpoint for the army. It is useful only if the position can be held: an isolated forward Blockhouse may be destroyed before its units arrive. Build it near a protected route and keep units close enough to respond to a siege attack.
Balance the building with housing and unit batches
Wood spent on a Blockhouse competes with Houses, Markets and other production, while Russian batch training requires a larger resource payment up front. Plan the building location and the first unit group together so the structure does not finish without enough resources to use it. A Blockhouse can support several unit roles, but its queue does not remove the need for a balanced army. Keep a separate plan for artillery or siege when the opponent retreats behind buildings.