Template:Infobox UnitThe Strelet (plural Streltsy) are Russian light infantry units featured in Age of Empires III.
Overview
Streltsy are the Russian meat-shield and anti-infantry unit. They are weak, but cheap, making them useful for rushing in the Colonial Age, however, the Streltsy are weaker than other infantry units (they were the weakest and cheapest infantry), but if they are massed they can easily hit 200 population. The costs in brackets refer to the blockhouse's ability to train Streltsy in groups of 10. You can get the original cost if you train them from another Streltsy-producing building such as the Fort or the Galleon. Streltsy are cost-effective, and even more after using cards that upgrade them. By the time you reach the Fortress or the Industrial Age the core of your army should be made up of Musketeers and Cossacks since Streltsy are just too weak to be used beyond the Colonial Age but still can be used as a counter to Heavy Infantry and as a cannon fodder.
Upgrades
Streltsy can be upgraded to Veteran, Guard, and Imperial streltsy, and further upgrades using home city shipments, and arsenal upgrades.
Veteran Streltsy
- Hit Points: 90
- Ranged Attack: 10 (20 vs Infantry)
- Siege Attack: 9
- Hand Attack: 5 (10 vs Infantry)
- Cost: 200 wood
and 200 coin
Guard Streltsy
- Hit Points: 117
- Ranged Attack: 13 (26 vs Infantry)
- Siege Attack: 11
- Hand Attack: 6 (12 vs Infantry)
- Cost: 600 wood and 600 coin
Imperial Streltsy
- Hit Points: 162
- Ranged Attack: 18 (36 vs Infantry)
- Siege Attack: 16
- Hand Attack: 9 (18 vs Infantry)
- Cost: 1500 wood and 1500 coin
Strategy
Streltsy are useful to outnumber your enemy and taking down heavy infantry. Streltsy are also easy to mass since each queue will train a group of 10 strelets. It is advised to add the cards that upgrade the Strelets in your deck, though, they still remain weak when compared to other Light Infantry. But once they are properly upgraded with all the cards, arsenal upgrades and barracks upgrades, you will end up with a very cost-effective Anti-infantry unit (Skirmisher). Streltsy are very good at team games as nations that can boost strelets (Team cards) will make them even more powerful. Strelets costs 53% less resources than Musketeers, which means a Musketeer essentially equals to two Streltsy. Streltsy, when buffed, deal 23 damage and have 3x multipliers to heavy infantry. Streltsy are a good choice against nations that rely on Gunpowder Heavy Infantry,but they are extremely susceptible to cavalry- or artillery-based strategies/civilizations.
Shipments
This is a list of shipments that benefit Strelets in any way.
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Russians
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History
| “ | Strelets (technically "streltsy" in Russian, because "strelets" is singular) were a Russian light infantry formed in the mid-sixteenth century by Tsar Ivan IV, and were Russia's first permanent standing infantry. They received a salary, a plot of land, and allotments of food and drink. This pay was rather meager, and strelets often found it necessary to supplement their income. An elite group of mounted strelets were the tsar's bodyguard and passed service to the tsar to their sons. The only way a man could become a member of this elite body was by birth. The word strelet is derived from the Russian word for arrow, strela, and while it once referred to archers, over time it came to refer to the Russian ranged infantry in general. Strelets carried heavy, unwieldy firearms, sabers, and two-handed axes. These axes had a sharp point that could be shoved into the ground to provide a rest for cumbersome strelet muskets. | ” |
Template:Units AoE3