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Basic overview

The Huron produce Huron Mantlet units, and you are usually allowed to build 10 of these per each Huron trading post the you hold. The technology available to the Huron is mostly of a military nature to aid their mantlet units, but they also provide a technology that improves your ability to fish. They appear on three standard maps, New England, Saguenay and Great Lakes (summer).

The unit – Huron Mantlet

The Huron Mantlet is a rather unique unit, as only the Iroquois are capable of producing anything like it. It is mostly used as a siege unit and for absorbing ranged damage. They don’t really counter anything in battle other than buildings and perhaps ranged infantry, but they do a rather slow job of it. Because the Iroquois Mantlet only comes at the Elite level I upped the Huron stats to more accurately match the Iroquois unit, but have also given its colonial stats and the amount improved in the brackets. 

Analysis

While it is true the Huron is cheaper, and does more damage in both siege and range, it should be considered that the two primary stats of HP and range resistance are lower than that of the Iroquois Elite Mantlet. These stats are more important because the Mantlet is supposed to be absorbing damage - not dealing it - and there are better units to be using for dealing damage. However, the fact that it is a good deal cheaper and faster to train is good enough to put the Huron ahead of its Iroquois counterpart, but just be sure you know what the purpose of these units are before using them.

There are two things to note with Mantlet- type units. They are only good at absorbing ranged damage, so try to keep melee units such as hand cavalry away from them. Also remember that they are classed as infantry units, so cannon- like units such as Falconets will still blow Mantlets apart; just not as badly as other infantry types, due to their higher HPs.

Technology

Huron Sun Ceremony

Cost: 225 Wood, 225 coin

Effect: Huron build limit increased by 200%

Comments: Unlike the Cree technology, this one is worth it much more easily - even with one Huron Trade post you can build 30 Huron Mantlets, and with two you can build 60. That amounts to 60 units that do not require any population slots at all, but of course they are still rather expensive to build, so be careful. 

Huron Trade Dominance

Cost: 400 wood, 400 coin

Effect: Provides 1 Huron Mantlet for every two minutes of the game up to 30 minutes

Comments: This technology is very underrated I believe. It can be simply worth getting a Huron trade post in the middle to late game if only for this technology. After 12 minutes you get 6 Mantlets, which easily covers the technology cost and the trade post cost - and after that it just gets better. Even though it does max out at 30 minutes, it could be wise to use it before then, such as when you are deciding to make a push towards your opponent.

It can be quite a surprise to an opponent when you get such a large army so suddenly, but the technology time is rather long - so only use it in a pinch if you believe you can hold on long enough. With good timing this technology can easily turn the tables.

Huron Fish Wedding

Cost: 75 wood, 75 coin

Effect: Fishing boats gather rates improve by 20%

Comments: Huron normally appear only on maps that have water, so this technology is never useless in standard play. Obviously if you are fishing and have a Huron settlement this technology is a must. However, it is unlikely this technology alone will be enough for you to spend the resources on the trade post, unless you have a big sea boom going.

Summary

Huron Mantlets are rather tricky units to utilize and care must be taken. Like the Trade Dominance technology, they get better as the game goes on because they become more difficult to micro around. Early in the game your opponent will simply pick off whatever few units you have in support of the Huron, and then nab off your weaker Huron; which means the Huron purpose of absorbing damage just doesn’t get to be useful. However, later in the game where there are more units it is not so easy to micro around the Huron, and they become progressively stronger. In addition, they are rather good at siege and can take a lot of shots from a tower, fort or town center.

In general avoid using the Huron early, but the later the game goes the more useful the Huron can be.