Grenadier
ArcherBase values, before Blacksmith upgrades. The Blacksmith raises attack and armour for infantry, cavalry and archers — Blast Furnace, for instance, gives "+2 Attack for infantry & cavalry". Late in a game, the real numbers are higher.
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Grenadier
CastleThe coach's briefing
Commander, the Grenadier is the Jurchen unique gunpowder unit: it throws a blast that hits a small group, and it cannot fire at all inside one tile. With 40 HP, 12 attack and 1/1 armor for 35 food and 65 gold, it is a support piece, not a line. The official help names infantry and tight groups as its targets, and ranged soldiers and anything at close range as its undoing. Keep it behind the fight, keep the enemy bunched, and never let a raid reach it.
STRONG AGAINST
You win these trades cost-effectively.
WEAK AGAINST
Avoid these fights or bring support.
Just lost against this unit?
Your coach names the counters during the match — not once the game is over.
Strategic Analysis
Tactical Identity
Jurchen unique blast gunpowder unit
Tactical Playbook
It punishes density
Its blast is worth its price only against a group. Against spread units it is an expensive, fragile body.
Mind the minimum range
It cannot fire at close range at all. A single raider inside its minimum distance turns it off completely.
Research at the University
The official upgrade path adds accuracy and range there, plus armor at the Blacksmith — both matter more than numbers.
Critical Point
Weak to ranged soldiers and to anything that reaches it. Forty HP does not survive a mistake.
Understanding The Stats
40 HP, 12 attack and 1/1 armor, range 6 with a minimum of 1, for 35 food and 65 gold in 21 seconds.
Attack
Blast damage, plus a bonus against infantry
Range
But nothing at all inside 1 tile
HP
Fragile — it must never be reached
Speed
Walks; it cannot outrun a raid
Coach's Tip
40 HP with a minimum range: it is turned off by one unit standing next to it. Escort is not optional.
Mechanics & Bonuses
Attack Bonuses
| Target | Bonus Dmg |
|---|---|
| Infantry | +9 |
| Ram | +3 |
| Spearman | +1 |
Armor Classes
Archer
Vulnerable to Skirmishers and Huskarls.
Gunpowder
Vulnerable to units with bonus damage vs this class.
Unique Unit
Vulnerable to units with bonus damage vs this class.
Key Upgrades
Castle Age
Civilizations
* 1 civilizations have access to this unit.
Other Units
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
The Grenadier is the Jurchen unique gunpowder unit, a ranged blast specialist that turns a tight formation into a liability. It costs 35 food and 65 gold, 21 seconds to train, 40 HP, 12 attack, 1/1 armor, 6 range, 0.96 speed and 7 line of sight. The official help gives the categories exactly: strong versus Infantry and tight groups of units; weak versus Ranged Soldiers and units at close range. Its high attack is not permission to fight everywhere. Low durability, slow movement and the inability to attack at close range make positioning more important than the headline damage.
History & balance
The Grenadier gives the Jurchen roster a distinct answer to massed armies: not a conventional Hand Cannoneer, but an area weapon whose value rises with every extra unit standing inside the blast. The official help places it in the Jurchen identity, while The game confirms the beta civilization as its home. Jurchen bonuses to mounted units and Fire Lancers do not turn the Grenadier into cavalry; they create the wider mobile shell that can protect a slow gunpowder core. Its design trade-off is clean: explosive pressure against dense armies, extreme punishment when the enemy spreads or reaches the throwers.
In pro play
Build Grenadiers behind a screen that controls access, then force the opponent to choose between clumping and losing units to splash or spreading and losing map control. Six range and 0.96 speed demand a front line, vision and a retreat path; do not send them to scout or raid alone. Their 21-second train time rewards several production points once the composition is justified, but the 65 gold price means the economy must support the plan. Use the blast on Infantry, siege lines and groups caught near a choke, and change the angle of attack rather than walking through an open field. The best Grenadier fight is prepared before the first grenade lands.
How to counter it
Feeding a compact army into the Grenadier blast is the classic mistake. The official help gives the categories: Grenadiers are strong versus Infantry and tight groups, and weak versus Ranged Soldiers and close-range units. Elite Skirmishers have +4 versus its Archer class, while Condottieri have +10 versus Gunpowder; both attack the correct vulnerability instead of trading Infantry into splash. Spread first, focus fire second, and use several angles if melee must close the slow 0.96-speed unit. If you keep losing to Grenadiers without knowing what to produce or when, AoE Coach reads your match-up and gives you the counter composition and timing.