Privateer

Privateer
	25
	5
	150
Unlocked at	Navigation
Upgrades To	Destroyer
Abilities	Starts with the Prize Ships and Coastal Raider I promotions

The Privateer is a Naval melee unit available in the Renaissance Era.

Overview

With letters of marque in hand, privateer captains were given free reign over the seas during times of war, attacking foreign trade vessels at will. Predominantly sailing from the 16th to 19th centuries, privateers were utilized by all of the major colonial powers, particularly Britain and Spain. As the privateer captains and crew were not typically paid by the government who authorized their mission, they were given a share of the spoils captured from the opposing fleets, sometimes creating a murky distinction between privateers and their unauthorized pirate counterparts.

Strategy

The Privateer is a next-generation sail-based vessel, and arguably one of the best units added in the Gods & Kings expansion. It represents perfectly the corsairs that plagued the Atlantic Ocean in the Renaissance, with its two special abilities:

• The Coastal Raider promotion allows it to plunder Gold each time it attacks cities.
• The Prize Ships ability allows it to convert defeated vessels to your side (you can see the chance of this happening in the battle screen). The converted ships appear in the same tile where they were, and have half their hit points. Promotions, unfortunately, do not transfer over when you capture the ship.

The Privateer's combat strength is significant: although lower than that of a Frigate, it is perfectly suited for assaulting coastal cities and taking other vessels through boarding maneuvers. Roam the seas with it, looking for a chance to score against lone enemy ships, or when in a fleet, use it to deliver the coup-de-grace in naval battles, so that you have a chance to capture the enemy ships. You can also use it to get some Gold when besieging enemy coastal cities.

And even better: all these abilities transfer when the unit is upgraded. Note that a Privateer upgrades straight to a Destroyer, without ever becoming an Ironclad.

Unique Unit Replacements

Icon	Unit	Civilization	Abilities
	Bahanbune	So (So Yoshitoshi)	Gains Gold from kills May enter rival territory May heal outside friendly territory at double rate if within 5 tiles of a Wakan
	Buccaneer	Caribbean (Henry Morgan) (LastSword)	May disembark to become a Musketman variant Doubled City Plunder
	Corsair	The Buccaneers (Henry Morgan)	Bonus vs naval units Temporary combat boost upon raiding a Trade Route
	'eiā	Bora-Bora (Puni)	After starting its turn on an Atoll, gains +100% combat strength for the next 2 turns Provides bonus points towards a Great Admiral on kill.
	Escuadra Nacional	Chile (Bernardo O'Higgins)	Earns 75% more Experience in battle -50% Upgrade cost
	Lanong	Sulu (Azim ud-Din I)	Performs a weak Ranged Attack before engaging in combat +1 Movement after entering combat for the first time Starts with Boarding Party I
	Likedeeler	Pomerania (Bogislaw X)	Unlocked at Compass. -13% Production Cost (130 vs 150). -20% Combat Strength and may not enter Deep Ocean until the discovery of Astronomy. +50% Experience Gain when beginning in enemy territory.
	Man-of-war	Libertatia (James Misson)	+30% Combat Strength in unowned Ocean tiles Grants double Movement to stacked civilian units
	Qasimi Raider	The UAE (Sheikh Zayed)	Receives a refund of its Movement points upon capturing enemy ships or pillaging Trade Routes. Receives additional  Gold when pillaging Trade Routes.
	Qursan	Tétouan (Sayyida al-Hurra)	Heals in enemy territory if moves are left at the end of the turn. Nearby enemy units become weaker, and give you small amounts of gold per turn.
	Revenue-Marine Cutter	America (James Madison)	+2 Movement and +2 Sight when within 4 tiles of an enemy ship that is low on health. Upon plundering or winning in battle, generate Golden Age points.
	Sabbak	Tunis (Abu Zakariya)	-12% Combat Strength (22 vs 25) Gains Combat Strength based on distance from the Capital (max +15) Gains 20% of the Experience of defeated units
	Schooner	America (Washington) (with Franklin Roosevelt's America installed)	+33% Combat Strength when attacking other Privateers +25% Combat Strength in friendly territory
	Sea Beggar	The Netherlands (William)	Starts with Coastal Raider II Can heal outside friendly territory
	Sea Dog	England (Elizabeth) (with Henry V's England installed)	Spawned everytime a Great Admiral is, provided they have been unlocked and have not become obsolete. Can move through foreign territory without Open Borders.
	Uksok	Croatia (Tomislav I) (DJSHenninger)	Land Unit which acts as a Privateer when Embarked. Disembarking removes free Naval Promotions, but retains earned ones. +3 City Strength and +1 Gold when garrisoned in a coastal City.
	War Junk	Taiwan (Koxinga)	More expensive to produce +1 Movement May move after attacking Stronger when attacking, but weaker on defense