Rank Cossacks are regional mercenary horse archers of the Cossack Hetmanate and the Polish Commonwealth. They can be hired in Lviv, Krakov, Minsk, and Slutsk.
Tactics[]
Essentially mounted Town Cossacks, they mostly use two sets of arms - either lance and pistol or carbine and saber - and ride weak-but-very-fast Bahmat horses. The fast-horse-with-lance combination makes Rank Cossacks great shock troops that, thanks to their firearms, can also fight at range.
One tactic able to ensure victory over enemy forces - even those stronger than the player's army - consists of having Rank Cossacks repeatedly charge enemy lines followed by instant withdrawal, discharging their firearms while pursued by enemy troops, turning back when far from the bulk of the enemy army, then charge again.
Stats and Equipment[]
| Rank Cossack - Default Stats and Equipment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Troops of the Cossacks | ||
|---|---|---|
| Village Recruits |  Countryman
| |
| Garrison Militia | Poor Cossack (veteran)
|
 Poor Cossack Pikeman (veteran)
|
| Regular Infantry | Countryman Netyag (veteran) Zaporozhian Infantryman (veteran)
| |
| Guard Infantry | Serduk (veteran)
| |
| Regular Cavalry |  Djura (veteran)
| |
| Heavy Cavalry |  Watchman (veteran) Pike Watchman (veteran)
| |
| Personal Guard Cavalry | Zaporozhian Cavalryman (veteran)
| |
| Camp Mercenaries (between Cherkassy and Sich) |
Cossack Mercenary Infantryman (recruit) • (experienced) • (veteran) • (elite) Cossack Mercenary Rifleman (recruit) • (experienced) • (veteran) • (elite) Cossack Mercenary Cavalryman (recruit) • (experienced) • (veteran) • (elite)
| |
| Regional Mercenaries (Lviv • Krakov • Minsk • Slutsk) |
Town Cossack (veteran) Rank Cossack (veteran)
| |
| National Mercenaries (only if at peace with Crimean Khanate) |
Tatar Infantryman (veteran) Tatar Cavalryman (veteran)
| |