Mapuche Civilization Guide

The Mapuche are a cavalry and counter-unit civilization that excels at adapting to the opponent's army composition. Their unique combination of bonuses rewards aggressive, reactive play: stronger trash units, gold income from military kills by mounted units, and automatic enemy Castle scouting give Mapuche players an information and economy edge in the mid-to-late game.

Their strengths lie in powerful Spearmen and Skirmishers boosted by age-scaled HP bonuses, the ability to train these units from Settlements for early defensive flexibility, and two unique mounted units. The Kona excels at finishing off wounded targets while the Bolas Rider can make disengagement harder.

On the flip side, the Mapuche lack strong siege options and their economy has no direct gathering bonuses beyond the forager boost. They depend on engaging in combat frequently to fuel their gold-hungry compositions. If locked behind walls and denied fights, the Mapuche economy can fall behind civilizations with stronger booming potential.

Overall, the Mapuche reward players who maintain map control, scout aggressively, and continuously pressure the opponent. They are an excellent choice for players who enjoy mobile, cavalry-heavy armies supported by cost-effective counter-units.

Foragers drop off 25% more food. This increases the food returned by each foraging trip and can support a smoother Dark Age and early Feudal transition. Prioritize reliable food sources and position your initial Settlement near resources you want to gather efficiently.

Settlements can train Spearmen and Skirmishers. Instead of needing a Barracks and an Archery Range to produce your core counter-units, a single Settlement covers both production roles. This avoids the 350-wood cost of those two buildings before the Settlement's own cost, and lets you react quickly to rushes near a Settlement.

Infantry, Slingers, and Skirmishers gain +5 HP in Feudal, +10 in Castle, and +15 in Imperial Age. This age-scaled HP bonus makes your trash units more durable than their generic counterparts. A fully upgraded Imperial Skirmisher with +15 HP can trade more efficiently in prolonged engagements.

Mounted units generate +3 gold when defeating military units. This is the economic engine of the Mapuche mid-game: a Kona, Bolas Rider, Scout, or Knight earns the bonus when it defeats an enemy military unit. In prolonged military fights, these bonuses can help subsidize cavalry production.

Enemy Castles are revealed on the minimap once built. This intelligence bonus is subtle but powerful. You always know where the opponent's Castles are, meaning you can avoid them, plan raids around them, or target them with siege. It removes the element of surprise from forward Castle drops.

Team Bonus: Spearmen and Skirmishers gain +2 Line of Sight. This scouting bonus helps your cheap units spot incoming threats earlier, giving you more reaction time. In team games, this benefits all allies producing trash units.

The Kona is a unique cavalry unit trained at the Castle that deals increasing damage to injured units. This makes the Kona a useful finisher: pair it with ranged units or Bolas Riders that soften up enemy formations, then send in the Kona to clean up. A group of 8-12 Kona can finish off an army that has already taken chip damage.

In terms of production, aim for 2-3 Castles producing Kona continuously once you hit Castle Age. They work best in groups of 10-15 alongside a ranged support line. Do not send Kona into fresh, full-HP heavy cavalry head-on; instead, let your Skirmishers or Bolas Riders weaken the enemy first.

The Bolas Rider is a unique Mounted Archer with a charged attack that slows down enemy units. It is strongest against mounted units and is vulnerable to Foot Archers, Skirmishers, and units that reach close range. Bolas Riders are produced at the Castle and serve as the Mapuche's mounted ranged option in Imperial Age.

The useful Bolas Rider count depends on the matchup: against infantry-heavy compositions, 15-20 Bolas Riders can kite effectively while space remains available. Against cavalry, mix them with Spearmen to create a trap where slowed enemy Knights can be caught by your pikes. A late-game composition of Bolas Riders, Kona, and Halberdiers covers complementary roles.

Malon is the Castle Age unique technology that gives Bolas Riders, Slingers, and Skirmishers pass-through damage. The Kona is not affected by Malon. The effect is useful against tightly packed formations such as infantry blobs or grouped archers, especially when several affected units attack the same area.

Research Malon once you have a stable economy and plan to use Bolas Riders, Slingers, or Skirmishers in grouped fights. It costs food and gold, so plan for it alongside your Castle Age economy upgrades. The affected units can soften multiple targets, after which the Kona can capitalize on its increasing damage against injured units.

Butalmapu is the Imperial Age unique technology that reduces the cost of the team's Castle Unique Units and Bolas Riders by 15%. In solo play, the Bolas Rider discount can make large ranged-mounted compositions more efficient. In team games, the discount applies to Castle Unique Units and Bolas Riders; it does not grant shared unique-unit production.

Research Butalmapu as soon as you enter Imperial Age if you plan to mass Bolas Riders or benefit from the team discount. The 15% cost reduction compounds over large armies: producing 30 Bolas Riders saves resources equivalent to roughly 4-5 additional Bolas Riders. In team games, coordinate with allies around the discounted Castle Unique Units and Bolas Riders.

Fast Castle into Kona Rush: Start with 6 on sheep, 4 on berries (using the 25% extra food dropped off by foragers), 3 on wood, then lure boars with 4 villagers. Build a Settlement near berries for the food boost. Reach Feudal around 9:30 with 22 pop, immediately add farms and a second wood line. Click Castle Age at 12:30-13:00 and drop a Castle as soon as you arrive. Produce Kona continuously from one Castle while adding a second Castle. Aim for 10 Kona by minute 17 and push the opponent's base.

Feudal Spearman/Skirmisher Pressure: This build exploits the Settlement training bonus. Open with a standard 21-pop Feudal build, but instead of building a Barracks and Archery Range, use your forward Settlement to produce Spearmen and Skirmishers directly. Send 4-6 Spearmen and 4-6 Skirmishers to pressure the opponent's woodlines and gold. The HP bonus makes your units trade favorably against generic Feudal units.

Imperial Bolas Rider Mass: Boom behind walls through Castle Age, researching Malon and key economic upgrades. Upon reaching Imperial, research Butalmapu, then produce Bolas Riders from 3-4 Castles. Support with Halberdiers from Settlements and a few Siege Rams. Use mounted units to secure military kills when possible so the Mapuche gold bonus can support the production cycle.

Favorable matchups include infantry-heavy civilizations like Aztecs (non-monk builds), Japanese, and Celts. Your HP-boosted Skirmishers can help against infantry, while Bolas Riders are strongest against mounted units and the Kona finishes injured targets. The Bolas slow can make it harder for units to disengage or close the gap, but it is not a guarantee.

Civilizations with slow, predictable army compositions also struggle against the Mapuche. Teutonic Knights, Boyars, and War Elephants can be pressured by Bolas Riders while your Kona benefits as targets become injured. The Castle reveal bonus also helps you respond to forward Castle strategies.

Unfavorable matchups include heavy cavalry civilizations like Franks, Lithuanians, and Huns. Their Paladins or equivalents can overpower your Kona in direct engagements before they become sufficiently injured for its bonus to matter. You must rely heavily on Halberdiers and careful positioning.

Monk civilizations like Aztecs (monk build) and Burmese pose a threat because conversions neutralize your expensive cavalry. Against monks, you need to add Light Cavalry as a screen or avoid committing your Kona until monks are dealt with. Siege-heavy civilizations like Ethiopians and Celts can also be problematic, as mangonels shred your grouped Skirmishers.

Exploit the Castle reveal bonus from the start of Castle Age. As soon as the opponent builds a Castle, you see it on the minimap. Use this to plan raids around it, or if you spot a forward Castle, prepare defenses before the push arrives. This information helps you respond to forward Castle drops.

The gold generation requires mounted units to defeat enemy military units. Do not sit passively behind walls; instead, take favorable engagements frequently and use cavalry to secure qualifying kills. Spearmen losses do not generate this gold bonus.

Use Settlements as mini-barracks across the map. Place one near your woodline, one near gold, and one forward. Each can produce Spearmen and Skirmishers for local defense without needing to walk units across the map. This distributed production is extremely efficient against raids.

In late-game trash wars, the Mapuche can be resilient. Your Halberdiers and Skirmishers have +15 HP each, making them harder to kill. Combined with the gold from mounted units defeating military units, this can help sustain gold-unit production. Play for the long game when you are ahead.

Micro your Bolas Riders carefully: their slow effect stacks in terms of tactical impact. Focus-fire key units like siege or monks, then let the slow prevent them from retreating. A slowed Mangonel is easier to finish.