Cossack Daredevil (Rider)
Cossack Daredevil (Rider) is a mercenary heavy cavalry unit that can dismount and become an infantry unit. Its transformation takes four seconds, giving it a flexible but unusual role.
Recorded values
- Cost
- 115 Coin
- Available
- Commerce Age · Tavern (Europeans) ; Monastery (Asians) ; Lombard (Italians)
- Training
- 35 sec · 3 population · 23 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 165 hit points · 20% ranged resistance · 7.0 speed · 16 line of sight
- Siege attack
- 15 base damage · range 6 · attack interval 3.0
- Hand attack
- 17 base damage · attack interval 1.0 · bonus damage: 1.25x vs. Heavy cavalry; 1.15x vs. Shock troops
- Trample attack
- 17 base damage · attack interval 2.0 · area of effect 3 · bonus damage: Same as hand attack
- Lance Charge (charged)
- 34 base damage · range 2 · attack interval 1.0 · area of effect 2 · bonus damage: Same as hand attack · requires 15 hits to charge up
- Ability
- Can dismount its horse to become an infantry unit in 4 seconds
Role, availability & values
The Rider is available through a Tavern, Monastery or Lombard, depending on civilization. Its listed ability changes its unit form rather than simply adding a second attack; it costs Coin and occupies three population, so both the purchase and the timing of its transformation matter.
Matchup & timing
Keep it mounted while speed is useful for reaching a flank, then dismount when the infantry form better serves the planned fight. Allow the four-second transformation before exposing it to heavy fire, and check the army’s need before spending the population and Coin.
Mounted unit profile and charge
The mounted Cossack Daredevil is a Commerce Age Outlaw introduced in Knights of the Mediterranean. It costs 115 Coin, trains in 35 seconds, uses three population and has 165 hit points, 20 percent ranged resistance, speed 7 and sight 16. Its hand attack deals 17 damage every second, with 1.25 times damage against Heavy Cavalry and 1.15 times against Shock troops. This is a lighter bonus than a dedicated anti-cavalry unit, but the fast attack cadence and ranged resistance make the Cossack useful in several early skirmishes. Its ordinary siege attack deals 15 damage at range six every three seconds. The mounted form builds a Lance Charge by landing 15 hits; the charged attack deals 34 damage with a radius-two area and range two. It shares the normal attack multipliers and can hit more than one nearby unit. Because the charge is earned through combat, the unit needs time in the fight to prepare it. Preserve a group long enough to use the attack on a clustered line or valuable target.
Dismounting into a ranged infantry unit
The Cossack Daredevil can dismount in four seconds, changing from fast hand Cavalry into a Heavy Infantry Outlaw. The foot form has 165 hit points, 20 percent hand resistance, speed 4.5 and sight 12. Its 22-damage ranged attack reaches 12 and fires every two seconds. It also has a 14-damage melee attack every second with two times damage against Cavalry and 1.6 times against Shock troops, a six-range siege attack for 15 damage and a charged Knife Attack. The knife requires 15 hits to charge, then throws for 22 ranged damage at up to 16 range with a 0.5-second firing interval. The charge is an occasional burst, not a permanent ranged attack at that distance. In foot form, the unit gains a way to fight from behind a line and threaten cavalry approaching the Infantry, but loses its mounted speed and ranged resistance. It must be manually dismounted after being trained as Cavalry, and the four-second change can expose it if timed during combat.
How to use the two forms together
The choice between rider and foot form depends on the threat and terrain. Keep the Cossack mounted when moving between fights, pursuing a retreat or benefiting from its 20 percent ranged resistance. Dismount when a defended firing line or enemy Cavalry makes the 22-damage ranged attack and Cavalry multiplier more valuable than speed. Since both forms share health and population cost, switching changes their battlefield role without replacing the unit, but the change takes four seconds and the stats are not interchangeable. The Lance Charge belongs to the mounted form and the Knife Attack to the infantry form. Track which special is ready before committing to a burst. A mounted group can accumulate the Lance Charge while attacking; a dismounted group can build toward the knife while fighting. Both require 15 hits, so focus-fire and uptime affect how quickly they become available. Avoid shifting forms merely to chase small damage improvements if the opponent can attack during the transition.
Map distribution, shipments and upgrades
Cossack Daredevils are available on Carpathians, Courland, Dnieper Basin, Eurasian Steppe, Finland, France, Lithuania, Pripet Marshes and Vistula Basin. Eligible European civilizations use a Tavern, Asian civilizations a Monastery, and Italians a Lombard. Lakota Outlaw Band and Bandit Gang cards can include them in a random pool; Argentina and Maya can receive them through their respective outlaw shipments, while Haiti’s Brethren of the Coast can train them from an eligible Tavern. Their outlaw cost was 100 Coin before update 13.18214, and experience awarded for training and kills rose from 20 to 23 in update 13.58326. Like other Outlaws, they are strongest in the Commerce Age and can fall behind standard Cavalry or Mercenary upgrades later. Compunction, Folk Heroes or Wild West supports Industrial and Imperial Age improvements, while civilization and technology bonuses may further modify hit points, attack or speed. Check which form each bonus affects before building around it.
Strengths, counters and army support
Mounted Cossack Daredevils are valued for speed, ranged resistance and a fast hand attack that can contribute against Heavy Cavalry and Shock troops. Their foot form adds a ranged option and stronger melee bonuses against Cavalry, but remains vulnerable to dedicated ranged counters. Heavy Infantry is a listed weakness for the rider, while Light Ranged Cavalry and Ranged Shock troops threaten the foot form. Artillery can punish either form if it is allowed to fire freely. Use a screening force to protect the unit during its approach, and exploit its area charge only when enemy units are grouped closely enough for the radius to matter. The three-population cost is lower than many comparable Outlaws, but it is still a meaningful army investment. A small group supports a mixed force; a large group should have a clear target and a path to retreat.
Charge mechanics and sustained combat
The Lance Charge and Knife Attack are earned by landing 15 hits, so the unit’s attack frequency and survival determine how often it can use its burst. The rider attacks every second and has a two-second trample cadence, while the foot form fires every two seconds at range and attacks in melee every second. A Cossack that changes form in the middle of a fight gives up four seconds of activity, delaying its next charge and opening a vulnerability. Choose the form before the engagement when possible. The mounted charged lance has radius two and deals the same 34 damage as its normal charged profile, which helps when opponents cluster around a narrow path. The foot knife can reach 16, longer than the ordinary 12-range shot, so it can punish an approaching or retreating target when charged. Neither ability is a replacement for correct target selection: the rider’s bonus against Heavy Cavalry is only 1.25, and the foot form still needs protection from ranged counters.
Upgrade paths and avoiding population waste
Cossack Daredevils share outlaw and cavalry improvements, including civilization-specific Compunction, Folk Heroes or Wild West, as well as broadly available cavalry health and attack bonuses where applicable. Their Industrial and Imperial rank improvements raise hit points and damage by 30 and 50 percent. Because each unit costs three population, a group remains more population-efficient than many Outlaws, but massing them still reduces the room for artillery, heavy Cavalry or ranged support. Consider whether the army needs the mounted unit’s mobility or the foot unit’s ranged attack before adding more. The foot form can cover a line against Cavalry, but Light Ranged Cavalry and Ranged Shock troops counter it; the mounted form can move around those threats, but Heavy Infantry is dangerous. Support the Cossacks with units that cover the form’s weakness and preserve the charge for a fight that can change the engagement.
Earlier balance values and comparison
Update 13.18214 raised the mounted unit’s Coin cost from 100 to 115 and changed the dismounted hand attack from 17 to 14. The later profile should therefore be used for current damage expectations, even though the unit’s mounted attack still deals 17. Update 13.58326 increased its experience value from 20 to 23 for both training and kills. These changes affect the economy and shipment timing of a map-dependent Outlaw. Relative to the Highwayman, the Cossack has lower Coin-era entry flexibility but a cheaper population footprint, faster hand attack and a charge mechanic; it lacks the Highwayman’s rifle special and wide sight. Its foot form has a stronger ranged attack and the Knife Attack, but less sight than the Highwayman. Choose the Cossack when mobility, repeated melee hits and its two charge abilities match the plan, rather than treating the two switchable Outlaws as identical.
Use the charge to create an opening
Because the Lance Charge only becomes available after 15 hits, the Cossack needs a safe way to stay in combat. Let it attack a target it can survive against, then use the charged radius-two strike when several enemies cluster or when a priority unit is exposed. Do not leave the unit stationary in front of anti-cavalry Infantry while waiting for the charge. If the fight turns unfavorable, retreat and preserve the Cossack; the progress toward its special attack is not worth losing a three-population Outlaw. In the infantry form, the Knife Attack reaches 16, but the normal ranged shot only reaches 12. A charged knife can therefore start an exchange against a unit just outside ordinary musket range. Use this burst to force movement or finish a damaged target, then continue the fight at normal range. Switching form resets the tactical opportunity because the other ability and attack profile take over.
A note on attack cadence
The mounted hand attack’s one-second interval is faster than many heavy Cavalry attacks, but the Cossack’s base damage remains 17. The bonus against Heavy Cavalry is only 1.25, so repeated hits rather than a single large strike create its value. The charged Lance adds area pressure after enough hits, while the unit’s 20 percent ranged resistance helps it stay in contact against ranged fire. It still needs a clear approach and should not be sent unsupported into anti-cavalry Infantry.
Fast outlaw cavalry with unusual counters
The Cossack Daredevil is a fast outlaw cavalry unit with lower population cost than similar outlaws. Its attack is low but it fires more quickly, and its multipliers against Heavy Cavalry and Shock troops make it better against those targets than its base damage suggests. Ranged resistance also helps it survive while approaching ranged attackers. Use it to pressure mounted units, intercept shock troops or harass the flank rather than trading into a general infantry mass.
Outlaw timing and limited replacement
Like other outlaws, Cossack Daredevils are most useful earlier, before upgraded standard cavalry and dedicated counters dominate the field. They cost Coin and depend on the available Saloon or card option, so check limits before committing. Keep them moving, avoid artillery and heavy infantry that can stop the charge, and retain ordinary production for replacements. Their lower population cost helps fit them into an army, but does not make a poor engagement inexpensive.