Poles
CavalryTeam Bonus
Scout Cavalry-line +1 attack vs. Ranged Soldiers
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"The Poles are a cavalry civilization with Folwarks replacing Mills, regenerating villagers, and stone miners that also generate gold."
Civilization Bonuses
- 1
Folwark replaces Mill
- 2
Villagers regenerate 10/15/20 HP in Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age
- 3
Stone Miners generate gold in addition to stone
- 4
Bloodlines and Scout Cavalry-line upgrades cost -50% food
Unique Units
Unique Technologies
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Context & meta
The Poles are a cavalry civilization with a distinctive economy. The Folwark replaces the Mill, returning food when farms are built around it, which reshapes their food economy. Villagers regenerate 10/15/20 HP in Feudal, Castle and Imperial Age, Stone Miners generate gold in addition to stone, and Bloodlines plus Scout Cavalry-line upgrades cost -50% food. Their unique units are the Obuch, an infantry unit that strips enemy armor with each hit, and the Winged Hussar, an upgraded Hussar. Unique techs Szlachta Privileges and Lechitic Legacy boost their cavalry. The team bonus gives the Scout Cavalry-line +1 attack versus Ranged Soldiers. Poles excel at cavalry aggression, flexible economy management and strong, well-supported Knight play.
History & balance
The Poles evoke the medieval Kingdom of Poland and its renowned heavy cavalry tradition, later immortalized by the famous winged hussars who thundered across Eastern European battlefields. The game expresses this through a cavalry-centric tech tree crowned by the Winged Hussar and supported by economy-altering bonuses like the Folwark, which reflects the manorial farming estates of the Polish countryside. Stone mining that yields gold nods to a resource-rich realm, while villager regeneration suggests a resilient population. Across balance history the Poles have been defined by flexible, aggressive cavalry play backed by an unusually adaptable economy, rewarding players who can juggle Folwark-driven food, stone-to-gold conversion and relentless Knight pressure into a powerful, sustained mid-game.
In pro play
Pros prize Poles for early and sustained cavalry aggression. The -50% food on Scout-line upgrades and Bloodlines enables a fast, cheap Scout rush that snowballs into Knights, while the Folwark and stone-to-gold economy keep resources flowing for continuous production. A staple plan is a Feudal Scout opening transitioning into Castle Age Knights, supported by the team bonus that makes Scouts hit harder into archers. The Obuch is deployed in infantry fights to permanently shred enemy armor, softening targets for follow-up units. On open maps Poles thrive with mobile Knight and Winged Hussar raids that punish loose economies. Players who enjoy cavalry-driven tempo, economic flexibility and aggressive raiding gravitate to Poles, who remain dangerous from Feudal all the way into a Winged Hussar late game.
How to counter it
Poles rely heavily on cavalry, so the classic anti-cavalry toolkit punishes them: mass Halberdiers, Camels and Monks to trade efficiently against their Knights and Winged Hussars. Their Knight play is gold-dependent, so raiding their economy and contesting gold and stone, which they convert into gold, undercuts their production. Archer civilizations can kite their cavalry, though beware the team bonus and Winged Hussar resilience; pair Pikemen with ranged units for a stable counter. The Obuch is dangerous in prolonged infantry fights because it permanently reduces armor, so avoid drawn-out melee brawls against it and instead pick it off with ranged units or cavalry charges. Deny their Folwark-boosted food and stone economy with early pressure, since their power curve depends on sustaining costly cavalry production across the mid-game.