Veteran marauder

Offensive Melee Veteran

An offensive specialist that combines 165 attack with massive loot carrying capacity for just 5 food. It's useless in defense, but nobody expects that from a striking unit. If you get it from special offers or events, it belongs in every serious offensive wave against a target with melee defense—just save it for attacks where its power and carrying capacity really pay off.

165Attack

18Melee defense

4Ranged defense

32Speed

5Food upkeep

Quick overview

Type	Offensive, Melee
Source	Special
Game stage	Special
Cost	—
Recommendation	Rather yes

rating

Attack

Defensive

Cost

Speed

Raider Veteran is a close combat offensive infantry unit with 165 attack power, making it one of the hardest hitting units you can bring to an offensive wave. The game describes it as a unit that can carry a very large amount of loot from enemy camps, and the 105 loot per soldier confirms this. Its defense is practically nonexistent (18 against close combat, 4 against ranged), so it's purely an offensive tool. You won't recruit it from the barracks or unlock it through research—you only get it from special offers and events.

How to use it

Deploy it where the target relies mainly on close combat defense and you need to break through with raw force. With a speed of 32, it behaves like regular infantry, so don't count on quick raids across half the map, but on planned attacks where you've scouted the defense composition beforehand. Put units that can take the first hit in the front line, and place Raiders where your wave needs to strike hardest, typically on flanks and in the second wave. The 5 food consumption per unit lets you keep a reasonable number in your camp without destroying your economy.

What to combine it with

Adjust your ratio of melee to ranged units based on the target's defense, not some fixed formula. If the target emphasizes ranged defense, add more ranged units and use Raiders as the striking spearhead against the melee part of the defense. Pair them with a commander that has a close combat attack bonus, which will get the most out of the base 165 attack, and siege tools based on the target type—battering rams for gates and ladders for walls. The 105 loot per unit shows its value most when you send it against camps and castles of plundering barons, where there's plenty to take and it's worth filling your wave with Raiders.

Weaknesses and what to avoid

Never put it in a castle garrison—with 18 and 4 defense it just eats food and dies on the first attack. Don't rely on it as a solo wave against a target defended mainly by ranged units; archers on the walls will shoot it down before it reaches combat, and without ranged support from your attack it won't accomplish anything. And don't send it against targets where you need neither its attack nor its carrying capacity; weak villages are fine with regular infantry.

Pro player tipSince the number of these Veterans is limited by what you get from offers and events, it's worth sending a scout before each attack and deciding based on the report whether to deploy them at all. If the defense is mostly ranged, leave them home and send them only to targets with melee defense, where 165 attack will decide the battle. Experienced players keep them for event bosses and tough neighbors, where one well-composed attack saves several costly ones.

Common mistakeThe most common mistake is treating it like a regular barracks unit—throwing it into every attack and expecting to replace losses. You won't, not until the offer or event comes back. The second mistake is sending it to a target where you only care about glory and not loot; its 105 carrying capacity goes to waste there and cheaper infantry does the same job.

Related units

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