In the grand tapestry of Civilization 6, some leaders and units are celebrated for their straightforward power, while others, like Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders, reward a more nuanced and strategic approach. Many players, accustomed to the raw power of other unique units, often underestimate the potential of the Rough Rider. However, according to the player community, when used effectively, Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders can be a formidable force, capable of securing continental domination and paving the way for a variety of victories. This guide will provide a comprehensive analysis of how to master the Rough Rider, transforming this often-overlooked unit into the cornerstone of your mid-game strategy.
The Roosevelt Corollary: A Foundation for Dominance
Before we delve into the specifics of the Rough Rider, it’s crucial to understand the unique abilities of Teddy Roosevelt, as they form the bedrock of our strategy. The Roosevelt Corollary provides a +5 Combat Strength bonus to all American units on their home continent. This is a significant advantage that should be leveraged from the very beginning of the game. Analysis on forums shows that this ability allows for a more aggressive early game, enabling you to clear barbarian camps with ease and deter early rushes from aggressive neighbors.
Furthermore, the Roosevelt Corollary grants an additional +5 Combat Strength against major civilizations and City-States that have a city on your capital’s continent. This “Big Stick” ideology is a clear signal that Teddy Roosevelt is designed for continental dominance. A popular strategy is to use this ability to establish early military superiority on your home continent, creating a secure and prosperous empire from which to launch your mid-game campaign.
Gearing Up for the Rough Rider Rush: The Early Game Plan
The effectiveness of your Rough Rider push hinges on a well-executed early game. Your primary goal is to establish a strong economy, a solid production base, and the necessary scientific and cultural advancements to unlock the Rough Rider in a timely manner.
Initial Build Order and Priorities
According to the player community, a flexible build order is key to adapting to your specific starting position. However, a generally effective approach is to prioritize the following:
- Scout, Slinger, Slinger: Early exploration is crucial for identifying key terrain features, locating city-states, and meeting other civilizations. The two slingers provide a solid defensive foundation and can be upgraded to archers for a potent early-game military force.
- Settler: Expanding your empire early is essential for securing valuable resources and establishing a strong economic base. Aim to have at least three to four cities before the end of the Classical Era.
- Commercial Hubs and Campuses: A strong economy and a steady stream of science are vital for reaching your Rough Rider timing push. Commercial Hubs will provide the trade routes necessary to boost your gold income and establish valuable alliances with city-states. Campuses will accelerate your scientific progress, allowing you to reach the Rifling technology more quickly.
Key Technologies and Civics
Your research path should be laser-focused on unlocking the Rough Rider and its supporting technologies. Many professional gamers suggest the following priorities:
- Archery: Upgrading your slingers to archers is a critical early step in securing your borders and projecting power.
- Bronze Working: Revealing iron resources is important for training swordsmen, which can supplement your archer army in the early game.
- Horseback Riding: This technology is a prerequisite for the Rifling technology and will allow you to build horsemen, which can be a useful precursor to your Rough Rider army.
- Rifling: This is the key technology that unlocks the Rough Rider. You should aim to reach this technology as quickly as possible, ideally around the turn 100-120 mark on standard speed.
In terms of civics, your goal is to unlock policies that will boost your production and military strength. A popular strategy is to rush the Oligarchy government, which provides a +4 combat strength bonus for all melee units, further enhancing the power of your early-game army.
The Rough Rider Power Spike: Unleashing the Charge
The moment you unlock the Rifling technology is the moment your window of opportunity opens. The Rough Rider is a unique Industrial Era cavalry unit that replaces the Cuirassier. It has several key advantages that make it a formidable force on the battlefield.
Understanding the Rough Rider’s Strengths
- No Strategic Resource Requirement: Unlike the Cuirassier, the Rough Rider does not require any strategic resources to build. This is a massive advantage, as it allows you to mass-produce Rough Riders without being constrained by the availability of iron or niter.
- +10 Combat Strength on Hills: This is arguably the most important ability of the Rough Rider. When combined with the Roosevelt Corollary, a Rough Rider fighting on a hill on its home continent will have a staggering +15 combat strength bonus. This makes them incredibly effective at both attacking and defending in hilly terrain.
- Culture from Kills: Rough Riders generate culture from kills when fighting on their capital’s continent. This is a unique and powerful ability that allows you to continue advancing your civics tree even while you are at war.
- Lower Maintenance Cost: Rough Riders have a lower maintenance cost than Cuirassiers, making it more economically feasible to field a large army of them.
The Rough Rider Timing Push: A Step-by-Step Guide
The Rough Rider timing push is a strategy that aims to leverage the unit’s unique strengths to overwhelm your opponents in the mid-game. Analysis on forums shows that a well-executed timing push can be incredibly effective, often leading to the capture of multiple cities and the crippling of an enemy’s empire.
- Pre-Build and Upgrade: In the turns leading up to the completion of the Rifling technology, you should start pre-building cavalry units like Horsemen and Knights. Once Rifling is complete, you can upgrade these units to Rough Riders for a significant discount.
- Assemble Your Army: A typical Rough Rider army should consist of at least 6-8 Rough Riders, supported by a mix of other units. A popular strategy is to include a few siege units, such as bombards, to help break down city walls. You should also bring along a few melee units, such as Musketmen, to protect your siege units and provide additional support.
- Identify Your Target: Your primary target should be a neighboring civilization on your home continent. Look for a civilization that is either scientifically or militarily behind, or one that has a large number of cities in hilly terrain.
- Declare a Surprise War: In many cases, a surprise war is the most effective way to initiate your attack. This will allow you to catch your opponent off guard and maximize the initial impact of your Rough Rider army.
- Focus on Hilly Terrain: When you launch your attack, make a conscious effort to engage the enemy in hilly terrain. This will give your Rough Riders a significant combat advantage and allow them to trade favorably with even the most advanced enemy units.
- Pillage and Pillage Some More: Rough Riders are excellent at pillaging enemy improvements. Use their high mobility to raid your opponent’s countryside, crippling their economy and generating valuable resources for your own empire.
- Capture Cities and Snowball Your Advantage: Once you have weakened your opponent’s army, you can start to capture their cities. The culture you gain from killing enemy units will help you unlock powerful new policies and governments, further snowballing your advantage.
Promotion Path for Rough Riders
To maximize the effectiveness of your Rough Riders, it’s important to choose the right promotions. Many professional gamers suggest the following promotion path:
- Level 1: Charge: +10 Combat Strength vs. fortified units. This is an essential promotion for breaking through enemy defenses and taking down entrenched units.
- Level 2: Barding: +7 defense strength against ranged attacks. This will help to protect your Rough Riders from enemy archers and crossbowmen.
- Level 3: Marauding: Pillaging costs only 1 movement point. This is an incredibly powerful promotion that will allow you to pillage multiple improvements in a single turn, crippling your opponent’s economy and generating a massive amount of resources for your own empire.
- Level 4: Spiking the Guns: +7 Combat Strength when attacking district defenses. This promotion will make your Rough Riders even more effective at taking down city defenses and capturing enemy cities.
Beyond the Rough Rider: Transitioning to Victory
The Rough Rider timing push is a powerful mid-game strategy, but it’s not a guaranteed path to victory. You need to be able to transition your mid-game advantage into a decisive win.
Domination Victory
The most natural victory path to pursue after a successful Rough Rider push is a Domination Victory. By crippling one or more of your opponents in the mid-game, you will be in a prime position to continue your military campaign and conquer the world. A popular strategy is to use the momentum from your Rough Rider push to build a large and technologically advanced army, and then use that army to systematically eliminate the remaining civilizations.
Diplomatic Victory
Interestingly, a Rough Rider-focused strategy can also be a viable path to a Diplomatic Victory. Teddy Roosevelt’s ability to generate extra envoys with city-states, combined with the culture you gain from killing enemy units, can help you to become the suzerain of a large number of city-states. This will give you a significant advantage in the World Congress and make it much easier to win a Diplomatic Victory.
Other Victory Paths
While Domination and Diplomacy are the most natural victory paths to pursue, it’s also possible to win a Science or Culture Victory after a successful Rough Rider push. The key is to use your mid-game advantage to build a strong and prosperous empire, and then use that empire to pursue your chosen victory condition.
Conclusion
The Rough Rider is a unique and powerful unit that is often underestimated by the Civilization 6 community. However, as this guide has shown, when used effectively, the Rough Rider can be a game-changing unit that can pave the way for a variety of victories. By understanding the strengths of Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Rider, and by executing a well-timed and well-planned timing push, you can transform this often-overlooked unit into the cornerstone of your mid-game strategy and ride your way to a glorious victory.