Strelet
The Strelet is inexpensive Russian ranged infantry trained in batches. It provides numbers and early fire, but each unit is less durable than many other infantry choices.
Recorded values
- Available
- Commerce Age · Blockhouse (in groups of 10) ; Fort; Galleon; American Citadel
- Training
- 30 sec · 1 population · 6 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 72 (90 base) hit points · 30% ranged resistance · 4.5 speed · 18 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 6 (7.5 base) damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 2.0x vs. Light ranged cavalry; 2.0x vs. Ranged shock trooper; 2x vs. Heavy infantry; 0.75x vs. Cavalry; 0.75x vs. Shock troops
- Ranged attack
- 8 (10 base) damage · 2-14 range · 3.0 attack interval · bonuses: 2.5x vs. Light ranged cavalry; 2.5x vs. Ranged shock trooper; 2x vs. Heavy infantry; 0.6x vs. Cavalry; 0.6x vs. Shock troops
- Siege attack
- 7.2 (9 base) damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
Role & counters
Russian batch training turns a queue into several Strelets at once, creating quick reinforcements while consuming resources and population for the group. Cavalry and stronger ranged units can punish Strelets if they are isolated or caught away from support.
When to field it
Use Strelets to add numbers to a Russian army and protect artillery or other ranged units. Mix in troops that can stop Cavalry, and avoid letting the group take a close fight. Their low individual cost is strongest when production remains active and the formation stays together.
Russian production and exact baseline
The Strelet is Russian light infantry available in the Commerce Age. It is trained in groups of ten at the Blockhouse, with Forts and some ship-based sources providing other access. The current base profile lists 50 Food and 10 Wood, reduced by the Russian discount to an effective 37.5 Food and 10 Wood; it takes 30 seconds and uses one population per unit. Each Strelet has 90 base hit points, 10 base ranged damage at range 2–14, 30% ranged resistance and speed 4.5. The discounted profile shown in current data is 72 hit points and 8 ranged damage. Batch production creates a quick mass, but the player must have the entire group’s resources before the queue starts. This makes the Strelet cheap per unit but still a meaningful up-front commitment.
Anti-infantry role and counters
Strelets are light ranged infantry aimed at Heavy infantry and other infantry. Their attack multipliers include 2 times damage against Heavy infantry and 2.5 times against Light ranged cavalry and Ranged shock troops; damage is reduced against Cavalry and Shock troops. They can fire from range 14 and their speed is better than many foot units, but low hit points make them vulnerable when cavalry closes. Keep Rekruts or Cossacks in front and let the Strelets concentrate fire on the appropriate target. Artillery can punish a dense formation, so spread the group and use mobility to approach from more than one angle. The Strelet’s low cost cannot compensate for repeated losses to a counter that it was never designed to fight.
Batch sizes, economy and Fort access
A Blockhouse queue trains Strelets as a group of ten, making Russian production unusually abrupt. Reserve enough Food and Wood to start a full batch, and allow population room before the group completes. Forts and Galleons can train individual Strelets at the ordinary listed cost in source profiles, offering a different route when a full batch is not needed. This distinction matters in a late defense or when the army only needs a few replacements. The Russian economy trains Settlers in groups as well, so the same Food reserve may be needed for both workers and infantry. Avoid spending the whole reserve on Strelets if the next Settler batch or Age-up is required to keep production going.
Cards and age upgrades
Home City cards such as New Order Regiments and Strelet Combat can improve the unit and help it remain relevant as opponents add stronger troops. Arsenal research, including Counter Infantry Rifling where available, can add further ranged strength. Upgrade the Strelet line when it continues to make up a large part of the army; a smaller group may be better supported by spending on Rekruts, artillery or cavalry. The Adventurer can provide a group of 17 Strelets as a Fortress Age reward in the described Russian setup. Shipment quantities and available cards are version-specific, so confirm the active deck and rules before using a dated strategy.
Use numbers without losing formation
Strelets are most effective when their low individual durability is covered by numbers and a front line. Focus several units on one Heavy infantry target, then move the group together as the enemy retreats. Avoid splitting the mass into small detachments that can be caught by cavalry. Cavalry Archers complement Strelets by providing a response to cavalry and artillery, covering two of the ranged infantry’s weaknesses. In team play, allied cards that strengthen the Strelet can improve the value of a mass, but the unit still needs protection from its counters. Their role is to create economical ranged pressure, not to stand alone in a melee.
Support options against cavalry
Strelets can kite lightly, but their attack is reduced against Cavalry and Shock troops. Use Rekruts as a durable screen and Cossacks or Cavalry Archers to threaten the units trying to reach the ranged line. The Cavalry Archer is especially useful beside a Strelet mass because it can address cavalry and artillery threats, while the Strelets focus Heavy infantry. Keep the two groups within support distance and avoid ordering the Strelets to chase beyond the cavalry screen. If the opponent switches to artillery, spread the formation and use mounted units to pressure the guns before the next batch advances.
Upgrade priorities
The Strelet can benefit from Russian Home City cards, age upgrades and Arsenal technologies. Cards such as New Order Regiments and Strelet Combat can improve the unit, while Counter Infantry Rifling adds another ranged upgrade route. The value rises with a large surviving mass; if the army is still small, investment in a second unit type or a stronger front line can be more urgent. Compare the total upgrade cost with the opponent’s counter plan before committing.
When to choose another Russian unit
A Strelet mass is attractive when the opponent fields infantry that can be answered by ranged fire, but the Russian roster has alternatives for other problems. Rekruts offer a more durable hand and ranged screen against cavalry, while Poruchiks provide heavier hand infantry. Cossacks add mobile pressure, and Oprichniks threaten exposed Villagers and buildings. A Strelet queue is the wrong investment if the enemy has already committed to heavy cavalry or artillery. Use the Blockhouse to switch among group types as scouting reveals the match, and keep enough resources for the whole group you intend to train. The Russian discount rewards scale, but the army still needs the unit that answers the current counter.
Coordinate the Russian batch arrival
Queue Strelets before the front line is ready to advance, then rally the full group behind the Rekruts. A batch that arrives in pieces is vulnerable to cavalry and artillery, while a coordinated mass can focus fire and force the opponent to respond. Use a safe Blockhouse rally point and move the group after the screen is in place.
Choose firing lanes with care
Use range 14 to start firing before short-ranged units can respond. Avoid narrow paths where artillery can hit the entire batch at once.
Reassess after each enemy upgrade
If enemy cavalry or artillery upgrades arrive, stop expanding the Strelet mass and add a direct counter.
Protect the line at the end of a rush
When the opponent stabilizes, regroup the Strelets behind a Blockhouse instead of continuing to trade them into stronger units.
Keep the next batch protected
Set the rally point behind the screen and advance only when the full group has arrived.
Russian batch-trained ranged Infantry
The Strelet is a Commerce Age Russian light ranged Infantry unit trained at the Blockhouse in groups of ten, with Forts and eligible ships providing other access. The current adjusted profile costs 37.5 Food and 10 Wood per unit, uses one population and has 72 hit points; its base values before the Russian adjustment are higher. A Strelet moves at speed 4.5, has 30% ranged resistance and sight 18. Its ranged attack deals eight damage at range 2–14 every three seconds, with strong modifiers against Light ranged Cavalry, Ranged Shock troops and Heavy Infantry, and reduced damage against Cavalry and Shock troops. The batch system makes its cost and timing a group commitment rather than a one-unit queue.
Use numbers without exposing the group
Strelets provide a broad, inexpensive firing line and can pressure their preferred Infantry targets with massed volleys. Their low individual hit points make them vulnerable to area damage and Cavalry that reaches the formation, so keep anti-Cavalry support nearby. A Blockhouse can combine production and defense; place it where the next group can protect gathering or reinforce the army without being trapped under enemy Siege. Because the Blockhouse queues ten at once, reserve enough resources and population before starting the batch. If the opponent changes to a cavalry-heavy or artillery-heavy force, add the Russian units that answer those threats rather than continuing to fill the field with Strelets alone.
Classification and balance changes
The current Strelet is classified as Light Infantry from update 13.9057 and Rifle Infantry from update 23511. Its line of sight is now 18, up from 16 before update 14.43676. Current hand damage is 6 (7.5 base), while the corresponding old values were 4 (5 base) before update 13.58326. Its ranged bonus against Light Ranged Cavalry and Ranged Shock Troopers increased from 2.0× to 2.5× in update 13.58326. The Cavalry modifier is now 0.6× rather than 0.75×; against Shock Troops it is 0.6× currently, 0.5× before update 14.43676, and 0.75× before update 13.58326. Earlier references also use the Hand Shock Trooper target class.