Uhlan
The Uhlan is German Heavy Cavalry that often accompanies German Home City shipments. It gives Germany mobile pressure without requiring every unit to arrive through a Stable queue.
Recorded values
- Available
- Commerce Age · Stable; Fort; Galleon
- Training
- 35 sec · 2 population · 15 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 190 hit points · 30% ranged resistance · 6.75 speed · 15 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 35 damage · 1.5 attack interval
- Siege attack
- 19 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
- Trample attack
- 24 damage · 2.0 attack interval
Role & counters
Uhlans deal bonus damage to Villagers and Light Infantry, but are less durable than some other Heavy Cavalry. German shipments can create sudden groups, allowing them to pressure an opponent before a conventional cavalry response is ready.
When to field it
Scout for workers, exposed artillery or retreating units, and use shipment timing to create a flank. Pull back from anti-cavalry troops instead of spending Uhlans in a bad frontal fight. Protect the group’s retreat route while it raids.
Current unit profile
The Uhlan is the German Commerce Age Heavy Cavalry unit, available to John Black's Mercenaries in the Act II: Ice campaign as well. It costs 50 Food and 100 Coin, takes 35 seconds to train, and occupies two population. Its current profile is 190 hit points, 30% ranged resistance, movement speed 6.75, and line of sight 15. The hand attack deals 35 damage every 1.5 seconds. It also has a 24-damage trample attack with area radius three and a two-second rate of fire, plus a 19-damage siege attack at range six every three seconds. The Uhlan is faster and hits harder than a conventional Hussar in melee, but has fewer hit points. This tradeoff defines its use: reach the target quickly, deal concentrated damage, then withdraw before the enemy's stronger anti-Cavalry force can surround it.
German shipment bonus and timing
The German civilization bonus supplies Uhlans with most Home City shipments from the Commerce Age onward. The number generally rises with the age: two with Commerce Age shipments, three with Fortress Age shipments, and four with Industrial Age shipments. Exceptions include Exploration Age, Team, Infinite, Uhlan, and mercenary shipments; several named Uhlan or mercenary shipments follow their own unit counts. This makes even an economic or technology shipment arrive with a small Cavalry force, giving Germany an early defensive option or a way to pressure an exposed opponent. Germans need 10% more experience to reach the next shipment, which balances the free military reinforcement. The Logistician age-up politician adds one Uhlan to Commerce Age and Exploration Age shipments, while The Cavalry Marshal supplies seven when chosen for Industrial Age. These rewards can support a Cavalry plan, but should not be mistaken for a replacement for training units at a Stable.
Raiding and artillery flanks
The Uhlan's speed and high hand damage make it effective at reaching exposed Artillery or Villagers. Artillery has reduced damage against Cavalry, but the Uhlan's lower health means it cannot sit under concentrated fire: even a few Imperial Field Gun shots can remove it. Use the edge of the fight to enter the backline, strike a vulnerable target, and leave before defensive units close around it. A fully upgraded Imperial Prussian Uhlan can defeat an unupgraded Settler in two or three hits, according to the unit guide; that assumes no defensive upgrades, nearby army, or Town Center fire. If the opponent has prepared a screen, avoid turning a raid into a direct Cavalry-versus-Infantry fight. A fast retreat preserves a two-population unit that is expensive in Coin to replace.
Targets to avoid and army support
Heavy Infantry, Light Ranged Cavalry, and Ranged Shock Infantry are dangerous targets because they receive bonus damage against the Uhlan. Musketeers also deal bonus damage to it in melee. Its strong attack does not compensate for fighting these counters without support, especially when several enemy units can focus the same low-hit-point Cavalry. Pair Uhlans with ranged Infantry or Artillery that can soften the opposing line, and use the Uhlans to attack enemy guns or exposed units after the opponent is occupied. Against a counter-heavy army, keep the Uhlans behind the main force until the opponent reveals its formation. They remain useful as mobile pressure and pursuit, but they should not be used as a stationary frontline just because they are classified as Heavy Cavalry.
Veteran, Prussian, and Imperial upgrades
The Uhlan upgrade path adds substantial durability and attack. Veteran Uhlans cost 200 Wood and 200 Coin and grant 20% more hit points and damage. Prussian Uhlans cost 850 Wood and 850 Coin, require Veteran Uhlans, and add the Guard-level 10% hit points and damage plus five percentage points of ranged resistance. The Imperial Prussian Uhlan upgrade costs 1,500 Wood and 1,500 Coin and adds 50% hit points and damage, requiring the Prussian upgrade. Standard Guard Uhlans receive a 30% increase to hit points and damage like other Guard units. These bonuses compound with the unit's existing strengths, but the high Coin and population costs mean upgrades are most efficient when a group is already present and expected to keep fighting. The Imperial improvement is not available to a player who has revolted away from Germany's ordinary age-up route.
Shipment cards and civilization variants
Uhlans can be reinforced or improved through a number of Home City choices. Lipizzaner Cavalry raises their hit points and damage by 20% and adds four Uhlans. Cavalry Hitpoints adds 15% hit points and two Uhlans, while Cavalry Combat adds 15% hit points and damage and three Uhlans. Death Ride transforms Uhlans into Guard Totenkopf Hussars, which have 60% more hit points and damage and cost one population, and also supplies four; the card costs 800 Food. The Chinese can receive 15 Prussian Uhlans through German Brigade. After revolting to the United States, eligible European civilizations can use Pulaski's Continental Cavalry to ship 12 Prussian Uhlans and enable their training at Forts. These are distinct card effects and civilization routes. Check the actual deck and post-revolution roster before basing a long-term plan on ordinary German Uhlan shipments.
Using Uhlans across game stages
In Commerce Age, the shipment bonus lets Germany defend against early raids or send a small group around the enemy's exposed economy. In Fortress Age, the larger shipment count and upgraded army can support a stronger Cavalry attack, but opponents also gain access to heavier counters and artillery. Industrial and Imperial upgrades increase the Uhlan's ability to trade, yet they do not erase its vulnerability to Heavy Infantry and ranged counters. Continue producing units that cover its weaknesses and use the Uhlans to select engagements: attack a flank, pursue retreating troops, or threaten a base when the enemy army is elsewhere. In Act II: Ice, the campaign faction can use Uhlans as part of its German-style force, but mission starting conditions and shipments control the actual timing. Skirmish strategies should not assume that campaign access changes the standard civilization roster.
Unit history and version naming
The Uhlan's name refers to light cavalry associated with Prussian and Polish military traditions. The game presents the unit as hand Cavalry that sacrifices hit points for attack. In earlier versions, its Guard upgrade was called Czapka Uhlans; Knights of the Mediterranean update 14.43676 renamed it Prussian Uhlans and adjusted the upgrade cost to 850 Wood and 850 Coin while adding ranged resistance. Update 15.59076 set the current hand, trample, and siege values reflected in this entry. These version details matter when comparing an older guide or match recording with Definitive Edition: do not combine pre-update names or damage values with the current profile.
How to preserve a Cavalry investment
Uhlans are vulnerable to focused damage because their strength is attack and speed rather than a large health pool. Avoid charging into a prepared Musketeer or Heavy Infantry line; those units can deal bonus damage and punish the Uhlan before its attack value is fully used. Instead, threaten several approaches, draw the opponent's formation out of position, and commit only when a target is isolated. After a successful raid, return to a safe area so the unit can take part in another fight. Two population and a 100 Coin training cost make careless losses expensive. Shipment-delivered Uhlans should be treated as a useful bonus force and preserved when possible, while trained groups can be sent to pressure artillery or a weak flank.
Upgrade timing and revolt decisions
The Veteran and Prussian upgrades are most valuable when a meaningful group has already arrived through shipments or Stable production. Veteran improves both hit points and damage for a moderate Wood and Coin investment; Prussian adds the Guard improvement and ranged resistance at a substantially higher cost. Reaching Imperial Age adds another major improvement if the German army is still built around Uhlans. Revolting removes the normal German Home City shipment bonus, so compare the revolution's immediate troops and economy with the stream of Uhlans and upgrades that would be lost. A post-revolution card can provide Prussian Uhlans in some civilizations, but it follows its own availability rules and does not recreate the ordinary German shipment bonus.
Using the trample attack
The Uhlan's trample attack deals 24 damage in a radius of three every two seconds, giving it an area option when several enemies are packed together. Trample complements its 35-damage hand attack, but the Cavalry must still reach the formation and may take heavy losses on the way in. It is most useful against units that are already engaged or weakened, rather than as a reason to charge into an intact Heavy Infantry screen. Enter from a flank, use the trample area while the opponent is occupied, and pull back before ranged counters can focus the group. Siege damage remains a separate 19-point attack and is useful when the Uhlans can safely strike buildings; their main value is still mobile combat pressure.
Quick reference for current play
For current matches, remember the Uhlan's defining profile: 190 hit points, 35 hand damage, 6.75 speed, 30% ranged resistance, and a two-population cost. It is a German unit whose shipment bonus can provide pressure even when the card was sent for another purpose. Its weakness is the same tradeoff that gives it damage: limited health against units with anti-Cavalry bonuses. Select an exposed target, use the Cavalry's speed, and avoid a prolonged front-line exchange.
German cavalry delivered through shipments
Uhlans are German melee Cavalry closely associated with the civilization’s Home City shipments. Several German shipments include Uhlans alongside another reward, letting the player reinforce the army without diverting the same resources into a Stable queue. This makes shipment timing central to their use: rally them with the main force or send them to threaten an exposed flank, and account for their population when a shipment is due. Do not treat a shipment Uhlan as a free repeatable production source; maintain a cavalry building or another plan for replacements.
Raid, screen and withdraw
Uhlans can exploit their speed to pressure Villagers, chase vulnerable ranged units and protect German artillery from enemy Cavalry. Their melee role means concentrated anti-Cavalry fire and defensive buildings are dangerous. Avoid charging them into Pikemen or a prepared Musketeer line; approach from the side, choose isolated targets and disengage when the opponent turns its army. A German composition benefits when Uhlans force the enemy to guard its economy while ranged infantry or artillery contests the main fight.
German shipment reinforcement
Germany’s Uhlan shipment bonus is one reason its army composition changes even when a player selects an economic Home City card. From the Commerce Age onward, most shipments add Uhlans: the listed counts rise from two with Commerce Age shipments to three in the Fortress Age and four in the Industrial Age. Some shipment types have their own rules, so check the card rather than assuming it always adds cavalry. Germany also needs more Experience to unlock shipments, making the free unit a steady reinforcement rather than an unlimited bonus. The Logistician and Cavalry Marshal age-up choices can further alter Uhlan shipment counts.
Use mobility without overcommitting
At 6.75 speed, the Uhlan can threaten exposed Villagers and artillery, but its 190 hit points are low for heavy cavalry. Its 35-damage hand attack rewards a brief, focused engagement; the two-population cost makes losing a large shipment group expensive. Keep the Uhlans moving, identify anti-Cavalry units before charging, and retreat along a route that avoids enemy buildings and ranged fire. They complement German infantry and artillery by adding mobility, but the free shipments do not replace Stable production when a sustained cavalry force is required.