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Basic overview

Navajo Rifleman are what these natives can train, and in the technology department they have an odd variety of technologies. They can improve the HPs of most units, improve the ability for herded animals like sheep or cows to fatten, and they can also improve all coin gather rates. You can train 15 of these for every Navajo Settlement in your possession, and they appear on two standard maps; Sonora and Painted Desert.

The unit – Navajo Rifleman

The Navajo Rifleman is a ranged infantry unit, and it is probably one of the strangest units in the game with all of the unique qualities it has. Some of these are good, but a few of these can be detrimental.

Analysis

There are numerous differences between a Navajo Rifleman and a standard Skirmisher, and they do have a reputation of being very poor. Let’s sum up the good and the bad. The good aspects of the unit is that it is notably faster than the standard ranged infantry unit, it has the ability to use stealth, and it has a lot more HPs then the standard ranged infantry unit. On the other hand, its range is a lot less and it doesn’t deal anywhere near as much damage for its cost. The unit is very different to a standard ranged infantry unit, and requires different tactics to use.

A good way to use these units is in raiding. Because they can use stealth and have a fairly long line of sight, you can see things without your opponent knowing that you can see them; this includes vulnerable villagers. It takes 14 Navajo to single shot kill a standard villager, so keep that in mind should you decide to attempt to harass your opponent in this way. Just don’t get too close to the enemy town center or any of their hero units, otherwise your stealth units will reveal themselves. In standard battle the lack of range may hurt them, but you can use their extra speed to attempt to compensate for this. Overall they are a very tricky unit to use, and it might be better avoiding them because of this - but in the right situation they can do a decent job.

Technology

Navajo Weaving

Cost: 100 wood, 250 coin

Effect: All units +5% HP

Comments: This technology isn’t bad, but what I find odd that it is 150 resources more expensive than the Cree technology; yet the only extra effect you get is extra artillery HPs. It’s still a worthwhile investment, even if it is a slight rip-off compared to the Cree technology.

Navajo Shepherds

Cost: 200 wood

Effect: Herd animals gather at buildings 30% faster

Comments: Farm animals are always tricky to micro manage - and therefore Mills are generally considered a better food source. If you pursue a farm animal- style of economy, in some form this technology might make it easier to maintain. Keep in mind that for the Japanese this technology will only gather experience 30% faster, not any other resources.

Navajo Craftsmanship

Cost: 150 food, 100 wood

Effect: Coin gather rates improve by 20%

Comments: Like I mentioned with the Incan technology, this one is cheaper compared to the European counterpart. Even better with this technology is that it improves all coin gather rates, including plantations. It is probably not worth building the settlement just for this technology until late in the game, but otherwise you may want to claim this technology because it should pay for itself rather quickly.

Summary

The Navajo are very distinctive. Tricky to use in a military form, but if you learn to deal with their drawbacks they can do a satisfactory job. Other types of ranged infantry might be more reliable in combat, but the Navajo do have more speed - enabling them to get away from a cavalry charge more easily. That, and stealth can of course be highly advantageous.

It might take practice to get used to the quirkiness of the Navajo - as they may appear weak at first - and while they aren’t fantastically strong, they aren’t terrible either. It may be better to use standard ranged infantry in combat, as the Navajo’s damage and range is just a little too low. On the upside, they can appear with the very capable Apache. If there are cards already invested into the Apache, it is certainly worth the trouble to extend those effects onto the Navajo. They do have the ability to use stealth, which can allow you to keep an eye on resources such as mines without your opponent knowing it - and with that knowledge you can send your age 3 Apache cavalry directly to where your opponent is gathering resources.