Civilization Deep Dive: Poles

The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was one of the greatest territorial states in 17th century Europe stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. It was an ethnically diverse multinational state known for its unique political system, agricultural production, and terrifying cavalry, most prominently the Winged Hussars. Through its ties with the Duchy of Courland, the Commonwealth even participated in minor colonial endeavors in the Caribbean.

In Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition – The Baltic Powers you can build a massive agricultural empire with the Poles and feed their hungry horses of war! Utilize lower building costs to specialize your Folwark economy and enrich the Sejm parliament as your population booms. Choose your path through history by leading early Cossack uprisings or the resurrection of the Teutonic Knights. Command your mounted Hetman to lead a thunderous charge of fearsome Winged Hussars and assert your dominance across the vast frontiers of the Old and New World alike!

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Polish Bonuses

Start with a Hetman, a powerful melee cavalry hero.
Buildings cost less and build faster, but are weaker.
Construct agricultural Folwarks and specialize them individually.
Build the Sejm and generate resources based on Settler population.
Unlock and scale Unit Shipments based on building counts.
Access to 2 new Fortress Age Revolutions.

Buildings

The Poles not only have a unique building roster, but also benefit from cheaper costs for all buildings (except walls!). This enables Poles to rapidly expand their realm. The Polish unique buildings combine and replace standard buildings such as the Mill, Livestock Pen, Capitol, and even the Factory.

Folwark

The Folwark is a unique Polish farming building available from the start. It replaces the Mill and supports 5 gatherers as well as 10 population slots. In the second age, each Folwark can be individually upgraded for a wood cost to a specialization of your choice. These specializations variably allow you to unlock Livestock herding, extended military training or more farming slots. It is possible to downgrade and re-upgrade every Folwark. The standard Folwark is also able to train the Retainer for defense or early surprise attacks. Finally, some reinforcements from the Polish Home City become stronger based on your total number of Folwarks.

Specializations

Farming Folwark (I)

Specialize this Folwark to support additional farmers and improve gather rate.

Livestock Folwark (I)

Specialize this Folwark to train Pigs and fatten Livestock.

Military Folwark (II)

Specialize this Folwark to train additional military units.

Sich (Cossack Revolution)

Specialize this Folwark for defence with artillery access and increased line-of-sight. Enables garrison space and healing.

Sejm

The Sejm is a unique Polish building that can be built by Settlers and the Hetman in the Commerce Age. Uniquely, it combines the Capitol and the Factory, granting Poles earlier access to powerful economic upgrades. The Sejm generates resources based on your current Settler count, rewarding a booming economy. In the Industrial Age, the ‘Democracy of Nobles’ card can halve this reliance on Settlers, while the Cossacks Revolution has the option to include the Military count, too.

Sejm Policies

The Sejm generates more resources the more Settlers you have. Like in a Trading Post or Factory you can choose a resource via click. These ‘democratic’ toggles are called Policies. Policies can not only be improved through the amount of Settlers, but also through the Sejm’s gather upgrades. Named after powerful Magnates, these technologies always increase the gather rates of Settlers as well as the respective Policy.

Units

The Polish unit roster centers on its world-class cavalry and trades standard infantry like Musketeers and Skirmishers for versatile unique units. While the cavalry forms the backbone of the army, the infantry plays a vital supporting role — ensuring that the Polish charge remains unstoppable.

Hetman

The Hetman is a cavalry hero replacing the Explorer for the Poles. He can collect Treasures, construct Trading Posts, Town Centers, and the Sejm. While he lacks a ranged attack, the Hetman is faster and more durable than an Explorer; his mace inflicts area damage in melee combat.

Winged Hussar

The Winged Hussar is an elite heavy cavalryman unique to the Poles. Starting in the Commerce Age, he is available at the Stable for a high resource and population cost. Winged Hussars are swift lancers who counter infantry. Their deadly lance charge attack inflicts siege damage, bypassing traditional unit armors against ranged and hand damage. This attack also damages units directly behind the main target, making Winged Hussars particularly effective against tight formations.

Retainer

The Retainer is a Polish heavy hand cavalry unit available at the Stable and Folwark starting in the Commerce Age. Though technically heavy cavalry, their anti-cavalry bonus and vulnerability to massed fire give them a light cavalry feel. Their low resource and population cost make them ideal for massing to raid or to distract from high-value units like Winged Hussars.

Piechur

The Piechur is a unique Polish ranged infantry unit that replaces the Skirmisher and is available at the Barracks starting in the Commerce Age. Unlike other skirmishers the Piechur counters all Infantry units at the expense of shorter range. The unit gains extra range through upgrades, but its low hitpoints require careful protection from enemy melee cavalry.

Unique Cards

The Polish home city mirrors the unique nature of its military and economy through an assortment of equally unique cards. Let’s look at 4 distinctive types of cards that play to the Poles’ strength:

Banner Cards

Raise the banners! The coin-costing cards send more native auxiliaries for every Folwark you own and add them to your unit roster. Here are three examples:

Saxon Banner (II)

Ships Trabants from the House of Wettin to support Polish infantry.

Royal Banner (II)

Ships Lipka Tatars and Companions from the Houses of Jagiellon and Vasa for early cavalry aggression.

Scottish Banner (III)

Ships Lowlanders from the House of Stuart to act as substitute Musketeers or Dragoons.

Assembly Cards

Knock on wood! Assembly cards cost wood and can send more units the more buildings you have. They are great tongue twisters, too:

Rzeczpospolita (I)
Ships a scaling number of Settlers to jumpstart your early-game economy.

Robocizna (IV)
Floods your Folwarks with a wave of laborers for a low wood cost.

Pospolite Ruszenie (III)
Triggers a massive levy of Retainers to defend the Commonwealth!

Towarzysze Pancerni (III)
Deploys Cavalry Archers that arrive in greater numbers as your town grows.

Winged Hussar Cards

Where my Winged Hussars at?! We are going to show you how to build an epic death ball of Winged Hussars with these 5 essential cards for your deck:

Koncerz (II)
Sends 2 Winged Hussars, who inflict more damage and can charge more often and from a greater distance. Good for early aggression or to kickstart your Hussar army.

Polish Cavalry Combat (II)
Improves the hitpoints and damage of Winged Hussars and Retainers. A crucial card to tip the balance in your favor at any point in the game.

Kircholm Veterans (III)
Sends 3 Winged Hussars for a small food cost and researches Veteran status. Must-have card for a smooth transition from Retainers to Winged Hussars.

Szlachta (III)
Winged Hussars and Cavalry Archers are cheaper. Retainers now cost coin instead of wood. Vital prerequirement to mass Winged Hussars efficiently.

Polish Horsemanship (II)
All cavalry train faster. Cavalry Archers learn trample tactics and Winged Hussars can use Stampede mode. Important ‘death ball’ ingredient.

Polish Economy Cards

A flourishing Polish economy is key to afford hordes of cavalry and expand your realm. Maximize Folwark production and keep growing your population to generate income in the Sejm, your “other” Factory.

Agrarian Reforms (I)
Sends 1 Homestead Wagon. Villagers gather food from Folwarks significantly faster, but a lot slower from hunting. For all the farming lovers out there!

Grain Export (I)
When this Shipment arrives, all of your Food is exchanged for 80% of Coin. Farming Folwarks can provide Food crates. Great way to “farm” coin.

Advanced Folwarks (I)
Folwarks are stronger, cheaper and provide more population space, +1 Homestead Wagon. Boom, boom, boom! (Eco goes vroom, vroom!)

Krakow Salt Mines (IV)
Villagers now also gather a bit of extra food when mining and mining rate is improved near Economic buildings, +2 Salt Prospector Wagons. Yum! Who doesn’t like salt?

Democracy of Nobles (IV)
Upgrades the Sejm into a Senate that can spawn Cannons and only requires 50% of your Settler population for resource generation. Basically a Factory.

Revolutions

Cossack Hetmanate (III)

Unique Revolution

Side with the frontier rebels to unlock aggressive raiding bonuses and massive swarms of Cossack cavalry.

Irreversible revolution focused on Outlaws & Folwark spawns
Maintain a defensive farming economy

Livonia (III)

New Revolution

Rebuild the Order’s glory by siding with the Hanseatic League and upgrading your military with heavy Teutonic Knights or Mercenaries.

Irreversible revolution focused on Knights, Forts & Heroes
Keep your Settlers, let Priests farm or gather berries

Duchy of Warsaw (IV)