Hussar
CavalryBase 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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The coach's briefing
The Hussar is the king of trash units. With 75 HP, 1.5 speed, and +12 bonus vs Monks, Hussars dominate late-game trash wars and raiding. They cost no gold, making them sustainable even when mines run dry. Use them to raid constantly, protect your siege, and overwhelm enemies with sheer numbers.
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
The Hussar is your **late-game raiding machine**. When gold runs low, Hussars become your primary offensive unit. Their combination of speed, HP, and zero gold cost makes them the backbone of Trash Wars.
Tactical Playbook
Infinite Raids
With no gold cost, you can produce Hussars forever. Send wave after wave to raid enemy resources. Even if you lose them, you're trading food for their attention and Villager time.
Siege Bodyguard
Hussars excel at protecting your Trebuchets and Bombard Cannons. Their speed lets them intercept enemy cavalry trying to snipe your siege.
Trash War Dominance
Hussars beat Skirmishers in combat and force Halberdier production. Control the Trash War by keeping Hussar pressure constant.
Critical Point
**Halberdiers** will destroy you. With +32 bonus damage, Halbs kill Hussars in 2-3 hits. You need to either avoid them or have your own Halbs in front.
Understanding The Stats
The Hussar is the pinnacle of the Scout line. Excellent stats for a trash unit make them viable even against some gold units in the right circumstances.
Tanky Trash
More HP than many Castle Age gold units. With Bloodlines, you reach 95 HP - enough to survive multiple hits from most units.
Elite Speed
Same speed as Light Cavalry, but with better stats. You can raid constantly and escape any slow unit.
Monk Annihilator
You deal 19 damage per hit to Monks. With 30 HP, Monks die in 2 hits. They can't convert you fast enough.
Gold-Free
80 Food only. When gold runs out, Hussars keep coming. This sustainability wins games.
Coach's Tip
Your 75 HP makes you a real threat now. You can tank a few archer shots, survive a Halberdier hit, and keep fighting. But your strength is NUMBERS. Spam Hussars from multiple Stables.
Mechanics & Bonuses
Attack Bonuses
| Target | Bonus Dmg |
|---|---|
| Monk | +12 |
Armor Classes
Cavalry
Takes heavy bonus damage from Pikemen/Halberdiers and Camels.
Key Upgrades
Feudal Age
Castle Age
Civilizations
* 28 civilizations have access to this unit.
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
The Hussar is the final Scout-line upgrade and the king of "trash unit" warfare. Costing only 80 food and no gold, it is fast, cheap and spammable — the perfect raiding, Monk-sniping and gold-free Imperial Age unit. Hussars are not meant to win head-on fights against gold units; their job is to raid undefended villagers, kill enemy Monks before conversions land, soak damage in front of your archers, and dominate the late-game Trash Wars where both players have mined out their gold. With Husbandry they are among the fastest units in the game, and most civilizations have access to the full upgrade.
History & balance
The Hussar upgrade was introduced in The Conquerors as the Imperial-tier cap of the Scout line, and its identity as the premier trash unit has never changed. Definitive Edition balance has mostly tuned which civilizations get the upgrade and bonuses like the Magyar attack bonus or Tatar/Cuman discounts. The Hussar's anti-Monk role — fast enough to reach Monks before they convert — is a permanent fixture of the meta. Light Cavalry and Hussar speed makes them the universal answer to siege dives and raids, a role unchanged since the unit's introduction.
In pro play
Every pro-level Imperial Age game features Hussars. The most important use is raiding: a pack of Hussars sent around the map forces the opponent to garrison villagers and lose economy, even if the Hussars die. They are the standard anti-Monk escort for Paladin and Knight armies, and they form the cavalry component of the universal Halberdier + Skirmisher + Hussar trash composition that decides nearly every late closed-map game. Pros also use a few Light Cavalry in Castle Age purely for vision and to hunt enemy Monks and Mangonels.
How to counter it
Because Hussars are pure trash (no gold), you cannot "out-economy" them — counter them with your own anti-cavalry trash. Halberdiers shred Hussars cost-effectively in a Trash War. Spearman-line plus Skirmishers is the classic gold-free defensive package. Against Hussar raids, the answer is good villager management — garrison in Town Centers and walls, and keep a defensive unit at each resource line. Do not waste expensive gold units chasing Hussars; they are faster than almost everything and will simply run. In Trash Wars, the player with better Halberdier/Skirmisher upgrades and positioning wins, not the one with more Hussars.