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Basic overview

The Cheyenne produce hand cavalry units, and their technologies are mostly used to boost cavalry; more notably their own units. However the Cheyenne do have access to a particularly distinctive technology - which enables them to get an attack bonus against other types of cavalry, including ranged cavalry. You are allowed to build 10 Cheyenne for every Cheyenne trading post that you control, and they appear on three standard maps; Great Plains, Great Lakes (only on the summer version, and not that often) and Ozarks.

The unit – Cheyenne Rider

The Cheyenne rider is a hand cavalry unit, but these particular natives are renowned for their heavy wood cost. However, let us see how severe that is compared to the Hussar.

Analysis

The Cheyenne unit is fractionally cheaper in villager seconds despite its heavy wood cost, but has 9 less attack than the Hussar. However, if you have a few wood crate cards or wood age ups available to you, the cost of the Cheyenne Rider becomes much more affordable in the early game. It is rather difficult to compare which unit is better, but in the short term the Cheyenne can definitely hold its own against the European Hussar. However, you don’t want to be using this unit for too long after your wood crates run out without another sort of advantage.

Technology

Cheyenne Fury

Cost: 350 wood, 350 coin

Effect: Cheyenne riders gain x2 multiplier against cavalry

Comments: The main reason these guys are useful. Once this technology becomes affordable, the Cheyenne really begin to dominate the battlefield. They already beat ranged infantry and artillery, but now they defeat other types of cavalry. Provided they can get close enough, they will easily beat ranged cavalry - which really should usually counter them instead. That said, be careful that those ranged cavalry units don’t have melee resistance, or your job will be slightly harder. There are three very good things about this.

1. With just one unit you can easily beat the ranged infantry/hand cavalry combination.

2. Your opponent doesn’t know when you have researched the technology, aside from looking at your units (and under the current patch this is rather difficult to do, because the opponents' minor native stats don’t show unless you hold alt). It can come as a major surprise when suddenly you have units capable of defeating so many other unit types, and a lot of players are even unaware of what this technology can do.

3. Your opponent must build heavy infantry in order to beat Cheyenne, which makes your job of building an army very easy if you only have one unit type to worry about. Even if they have access to melee- resistant ranged cavalry, Cheyenne don’t do too badly against them regardless - and on top of that both heavy infantry and ranged cavalry are countered by ranged infantry units.

There is however one downside. For whatever reason, this technology does not give a bonus against light infantry or coyoteman classes. This means that against the Aztecs, this technology is effectively useless, unless they too use Cheyenne or Comanche if they are available.

Cheyenne Horse Trading

Cost: 250 wood, 250 coin

Effect: Cavalry units train 40% faster

Comments: Very useful, particularly after you have invested a few cards (notably cheaper natives) into the Cheyenne and have a strong wood- based economy. In the late game, in combination with certain cavalry train time technologies, it allows cavalry to train very fast indeed. It however doesn’t make Dog soldiers train any faster.

Cheyenne Hunting Grounds

Cost: 150 wood, 150 coin

Effect: 12 Bison appear at your drop off point

Comments: In certain situations this technology can be very useful, particularly if you have a few upgrades invested into hunting. Just be sure you don’t somehow deliver this to a forward outpost/war hut/town center by mistake. I can speak from experience when I tell you how annoying that can be. Just remember though that, unlike in the original Age of Empires III game with the Lakota, the bison like to wander around a bit - so be sure to shoot them back towards your town center every now and then like any other hunt.

Summary

The Cheyenne are one of the main reasons I like focusing on minor natives. Full of surprises and traps for the unaware opponent, but you still need to be careful not to overuse them (until you get Cheyenne fury) because of the high wood cost. The Hunting Grounds technology comes in handy at times, but it is mainly for the surprise of Cheyenne fury (aside from maybe some very early cavalry raiding) that you would want to use these guys. On Great Plains they also are paired with the Comanche. While the Comanche are rather poor units the technology they have to offer is excellent, so be sure to take advantage of that as well.

Deadly in the right situation, but be sure to time the usage of both the technology and the Cheyenne themselves well - because making an error can cost you a lot of resources and time.