Units

Spy

The Spy is a specialized anti-hero and anti-mercenary unit introduced with The WarChiefs. It can inflict strong damage on high-value hero targets and exposes a matchup tool that ordinary line infantry may not provide.

APPLIES TO The WarChiefs (2006); also in Definitive Edition

IN-GAME VALUES

Recorded values

Cost: 110 Coin
Available: Commerce Age · Church (Europeans, Japanese, and Ethiopians) ; Meeting House (United States) ; Cathedral (Mexicans) ; Basilica (Italians)
Training: 20 sec · 1 population · 11 XP per train
Durability & mobility: 150 hit points · 20% ranged resistance · 6.25 speed · 28 line of sight
Siege attack: 10 base damage · range 6 · attack interval 3.0
Hand attack: 5 base damage · attack interval 1.5 · bonus damage: 40.0x vs. Hero; 20.0x vs. Mercenary; 1.0x vs. Native warrior
Carbine attack (charged): 5 base damage · range 20 · attack interval 3.0 · bonus damage: 35.0x vs. Hero; 15.0x vs. Mercenary · recharge 75 · requires Assassins card
Pistol attack (charged): 20 base damage · range 12 · attack interval 3.0 · bonus damage: 5.0x vs. Hero; 3.5x vs. Mercenary · recharge 45 · requires Agents card
Ranged attack: 15 base damage · range 2-12 · attack interval 3.0 · bonus damage: 5.0x vs. Hero; 3.5x vs. Mercenary; 0.5x vs. Cavalry; 0.5x vs. Shock troops; 0.5x vs. Villager · requires Knowlton's Continental Rangers card
Ability: Stealth mode

Role & counters

Spies are specialized rather than general-purpose troops; their usefulness depends on the opposing army containing heroes or mercenaries. They still need support against ordinary military units and should not be judged as a standard infantry replacement.

When to field it

Train or ship Spies after scouting a valuable enemy hero or mercenary force. Keep them protected on the approach and avoid spending resources on them when the opponent’s roster offers no suitable targets.

Stealth, detection and scouting

The Spy is a fast Commerce Age mercenary-counter unit introduced in The WarChiefs. It costs 110 Coin in current Definitive Edition data, takes 20 seconds to train, uses one population and has 150 hit points, 20 percent ranged resistance, speed 6.25 and sight 28. Stealth lets it approach unseen, but Explorer units, Town Centers, Forts and other listed detection sources can reveal it. While stealthed, the Spy moves 25 percent slower, so the concealment trades away mobility. Use it to scout production buildings, army movement or an exposed route, then withdraw before detection closes the distance. The unit can also see other stealth units, giving it a specialist scouting role. Its ordinary hand attack deals five damage and is poor against common units, but has a 40 times multiplier against Heroes and 20 times against Mercenaries. The Spy is therefore not meant to lead a general assault: position it to reach the specific Hero or high-value Mercenary after the main army draws attention. Against Native warriors the standard multiplier is 1.0 in current data, compared with 4.0 before Definitive Edition.

Special attacks from Home City cards

Two Home City cards add different automatic attacks. Assassins grants a charged Carbine Attack with 10 ranged damage at range 20, a 40 times multiplier against Heroes, 20 times against Mercenaries and 6 times against MercType1, with a 75-second cooldown. Agents grants a 20-damage Pistol Attack at range 12 with 5 times damage against Heroes and 3.5 times against Mercenaries, recharging every 45 seconds. The attack triggers automatically when the Spy attacks a matching target, so the player should identify the target class and time the engagement around the cooldown. The cards improve a narrow specialist role; they do not make the Spy a ranged generalist. The United States Knowlton's Continental Rangers card instead ships 12 Spies and upgrades them to Knowlton Rangers, adding 60 percent hit points and a ranged attack while changing their unit type. Other Spy cards and Military Drummers have modified effects on that variant. The special cards therefore interact with one another and should not be assumed to stack at their normal values on Knowlton Rangers.

Production routes and version differences

European civilizations other than the Ottomans normally train Spies at a Church; the Ottoman Muhbir is a different unit. The United States uses its Meeting House, Mexico its Cathedral, and Italians ship batches of three through the Basilica for Food, Wood and Coin rather than spending a normal training shipment. Ethiopians gain Church access through the Jesuit alliance and pay Influence. Japanese can gain access through the Dutch Consulate and Church Wagon route in Definitive Edition. Chinese and Indians can obtain four Spies through the British Consulate technology, while any civilization may receive them from a Russian TEAM Time of Troubles card when an ally sends it. Spy cost, population and bounty values changed by release: the current Coin cost is 110 instead of 125 before update 14.43676; population was two before Definitive Edition; and current train and kill experience is 11, compared with 20 in the original release and 13 before update 14.43676. Older pages may also show range 16 for the ranged card attack rather than the current 12. Keep the The WarChiefs introduction separate from Definitive Edition additions and card balance changes.

Stealth is a scouting mode, not invisibility

Stealth mode slows a Spy by 25 percent and can be broken by attacks or by detection sources. Enemy Explorers, Town Centers and Forts are reliable threats to concealment, and certain units or structures also reveal stealth. Route around those areas, pause to observe production and retreat before the enemy can surround the Spy. Its sight 28 is valuable for watching an approach or counting reinforcements, while the ability to see enemy stealth units can reveal an ambush before the main force walks into it. A Spy is still detected in some circumstances even when it is not actively attacking; do not assume that a stealth order creates permanent safety. Use the unit as a forward observer, then return it to friendly territory when the army is ready to engage. If the opponent has many detection sources, a conventional scout or a protected route may give better information at lower risk.

Automatic counter attacks and target choice

The Spy ordinary five-damage hand attack looks weak until class multipliers are considered. A Hero takes forty times damage and a Mercenary twenty times; this makes the unit a focused answer to expensive specialists, not to regular Infantry. The Assassins and Agents cards add separate charged shots whose cooldowns and ranges favor different engagements. Carbine reaches 20 and recharges after 75 seconds, while Pistol reaches 12 and recharges after 45 seconds. Allow the relevant shot to trigger on a high-value target and avoid wasting the cooldown on a unit with no class bonus. The Spy can lose a duel if it reaches the target after taking damage or is revealed in front of the army. Combine concealment with a distraction, or wait until a Hero or Mercenary has committed to combat. A group of Spies can remove a threat rapidly but costs Coin and gives up ordinary army population; confirm the target composition before training many.

Automatic age improvements and mobility upgrades

The Spy receives automatic hit point upgrades beginning in the Fortress Age: 25 percent at that age, another 25 percent in the Industrial Age and 50 percent in the Imperial Age as listed by the source. Speed improvements can make the unit significantly faster; the source notes a German Spy can reach speed 8.75 with all applicable bonuses, including Quechuan Mountaineering. While stealthed, however, the 25 percent movement penalty still applies. Military Drummers and civilization or allied technologies can modify speed, while card effects may be altered by the Knowlton Ranger transformation. Consider the age upgrade before sending a Spy into a late-game battle, but do not assume its base 150 hit points are the final value at higher ages. Concealment and speed support scouting; neither makes the unit durable enough to stand under concentrated fire.

Recognize detection before entering the base

Spies can scout safely only when the route avoids detection. Enemy Explorers and major defensive buildings such as Town Centers and Forts can reveal the unit, and several specialized units can detect stealth as well. Stealth movement is slower, so a Spy crossing the map may arrive later than a visible cavalry scout. Use terrain and side paths to observe production without entering the Town Center detection area. If a Spy becomes revealed, retreat immediately; its 150 base hit points and low ordinary attack are poor protection. The ability to see stealth is valuable around contested maps and ambush routes, but it does not automatically reveal every unit across the map. Keep sight range and detection radius distinct: the Spy can see far, yet a stealth target may remain hidden unless it comes into a detection area.

Mercenary and Hero hunting in a combined army

The Spy belongs beside the main army rather than in front of it. Let Heavy Infantry or Cavalry engage first, then send the concealed unit toward an enemy Hero, Explorer or Mercenary after the target is occupied. This limits the time the Spy spends under ordinary attacks and lets its large class multiplier decide the exchange. Against a Hero, the normal 40 times attack can be decisive; against Mercenaries the 20 times multiplier makes it a cost-efficient specialist. Avoid chasing ordinary Villagers, since the Spy has no economic raid bonus and its attack is too low to justify exposure. When the enemy has no Heroes or Mercenaries, use the Spy for reconnaissance or save the Coin for another unit. The specialized card attacks have cooldowns, so a Spy force should focus a small number of valuable targets instead of scattering attacks across the battlefield.

A safe approach preserves the attack bonus

Do not reveal the Spy early by attacking a low-value unit. Keep it stealthed until the intended Hero or Mercenary is exposed, then let the main force prevent an easy escape. If detection coverage makes the approach unsafe, preserve the unit for later scouting instead of sacrificing its Coin cost.

Use the correct edition for card statistics

The WarChiefs introduced the Spy, while Definitive Edition changes population, training bounty, attack range and cost. The current entry lists one population and 110 Coin; older versions used two population and 125 Coin. Check the selected patch before converting these values into a build order.

Keep the specialist in reserve

A Spy that survives can scout repeatedly and remain available for a later Mercenary shipment or Hero push. Avoid spending it on ordinary Infantry, where its small base attack and Coin cost offer little return.

Scout, then disengage

Use the Spy to learn the enemy plan and return before detection turns the reconnaissance into a costly fight.

Wait for a valuable target

Save the attack for a Hero or Mercenary.

Stealth and card attacks create a specialist role

The Spy costs 110 Coin, uses one population, trains in 20 seconds and has speed 6.25 with line of sight 28. Its basic hand attack deals only five damage, but it has a 40× multiplier against Heroes, 20× against Mercenaries and 1× against Native Warriors. This makes the Spy a specialist for hunting those classes rather than an ordinary damage unit. Stealth helps it approach, but enemy units and buildings that detect stealth can expose it; scout the detection zone before committing. Home City cards add distinct attacks: Assassins provides a charged carbine attack with a 35× Hero and 15× Mercenary multiplier, while Agents provides a charged pistol attack with lower multipliers and a 45-second recharge. Knowlton’s Continental Rangers instead unlocks a ranged attack with reduced damage against Cavalry, Shock troops and Villagers. These are separate card paths, so verify which one is active. Preserve the Spy until a high-value target is available and withdraw after the attack rather than leaving it visible among the enemy army.

Anti-hero and anti-mercenary specialist

The Spy is a specialized unit introduced with The WarChiefs, designed to threaten Heroes and Mercenaries rather than replace ordinary infantry. Stealth mode supports an approach, while high target-specific damage can punish an exposed hero or expensive mercenary. Its Commerce Age access varies by civilization: Churches for many Europeans, Japanese and Ethiopians, Meeting Houses for the United States, Cathedrals for Mexicans and Basilicas for Italians in the recorded profile. Check the available building and current roster before planning production.

Use stealth with a clear target

A Spy costs 110 Coin, uses one population and takes 20 seconds to train. Scout the enemy force first; spending Coin on Spies has little value if there are no suitable targets. Keep them out of detection zones and support their approach with the main army. Once revealed, they can be attacked like other units and should retreat after their high-value target is removed. Use them to pressure a hero or mercenary group, not as a frontline screen against ordinary troops.

Spy