Russians

Known for its military accomplishments and rapid expansions, was a strong military oriented nation. Russia expanded from what is now Alaska down to northern California, but Spanish settlement in those locations forced the ill-supplied settlers back to Alaska.

In Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition, Ivan the Terrible is in his later years. You can expect him to be sinister, taunting and threatening. Ivan loves large armies even at the expense of technological advancement. He is especially fond of infantry units.

Civilization Bonuses

• Settlers and Infantry are trained in groups.
• Blockhouses are a combination of Barracks and Outposts.

Royal guard units:

• Cavalry Archer (Tatar Loyalists)
• Grenadier (Pavlov Grenadiers)

Unique Units

Strelet The Strelet is a unique Russian infantry unit with decent range, damage, and hitpoints. Strelets are trained in groups of no less than five, and are cheaper and less powerful than any other infantry unit in the game. They are similar to Skirmishers in that their good range makes them effective against hand infantry or ranged infantry who cannot shoot as far. Cavalry are doom to Strelets. Available from the Blockhouse in the Commerce Age, Strelets are a good option if you are strapped for resources or are fighting a lot of infantry.

Cossack Cossacks are a unique Russian cavalry unit with good speed and decent hitpoints, but no range. A Cossack does all of his damage in melee combat. They are similar to but weaker than the Hussars of other nations, and a solid cavalry unit that is good at raiding, assaulting artillery, and fleeing a losing battle. When training Cossacks, it is a good idea to train a complementary unit, preferably one with range, that can soften up the enemy units before the Cossacks get close.

Oprichnik Oprichniks are a unique Russian melee cavalry unit with decent speed, good hitpoints and attack, especially against Settlers and buildings. The Oprichniks really shine when half a dozen or so are sent on raiding attacks to harass enemy Settlers or destroy early Houses and resource buildings. Because of their mobility, Oprichniks can also be a good alternative, or supplement to artillery.

Unique Buildings

Blockhouse The Blockhouse is where all Russian infantry are trained. Russian infantry units (and only infantry units) are trained in blocks of no less than four, but up to ten or more. That means you have to pay for them all at once – but at a savings in overall cost. Though Russian infantry units aren’t as strong as other infantry, what they lack in strength they make up for in quantity. The Blockhouse is also a defensive building that fires at nearby enemies and can be upgraded in later Ages to the tougher and stronger Frontier Blockhouse.

Saint Petersburg, the Russian Home City in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition