Portugal Faction Guide

A guide to the nation of Portugal covering their bonuses, unique units, and overall playstyle with a bit of history on the side!

Introduction

Flag of King John IV, first flown in 1640 when Portugal revolted against Spanish rule. Its basic design went back more than a century and would continue to be used with minor modifications throughout the 17th and 18th centuries.

Availability: Path to Grandeur DLC
Focus: Early/Balanced, Rush, Naval
Playstyle: European

Portugal is one of the few nations in Cossacks with major bonuses on water maps. Their Shipyards come equipped with cannons at no extra cost, allowing a Portuguese player to easily defend their home island and freeing up their navy to go on the offensive.

On land maps, Portugal is a more balanced European nation that particularly excels in the early and mid game. Their unique Pikeman is one of the better melee units of the 17th century while their cheap, spammable Volunteers allow Portuguese players to quickly raise large gunpowder armies with which overwhelm their foes in the early 18th century.

If you like early and mid-game battles, think naval combat doesn't get enough love, or just enjoy smashing your enemies with hordes of spammable infantry, Portugal is a great nation for you.

EDIT 1/4/24: Added a couple upgrade and building bonuses that I missed before.

EDIT 1/13/24: Added more info on Portuguese Shipyards.

Features

+ Shipyards fire cannonballs if they aren't building anything
+ Cheap Storehouses
+ Markets build faster
+ Portuguese Pikeman–has less armor but better melee stats and trains faster
+ 18c. Musketeer
+ Volunteer–very cheap and spammable musketeer
+ Balloon to reveal map
+ Tech cost discounts:

• + 17c. Musketeer attack upgrades (17c. Barracks)

On land maps, Portugal plays mostly like a typical European nation, with the normal units, buildings, and tech tree that come with that. That's not to say they're completely generic, though: They save a bit of wood on their Storehouses and their Markets build even more quickly, plus they get a cool 550-gold discount on their 17c. Musketeer attack upgrades (the same as Sweden and Bavaria), but that's really it. They're different, but not radically so.

On the flip side, Portugal is one of the top nations on water maps alongside England and the Islamic factions. This is because, as previously mentioned, their Shipyards come equipped with cannons like a level I Tower at no extra cost (though unlike a Tower, their guns can't be upgraded). These guns are lethal to enemy ships, especially the weaker Yachts and Galleys seen in the early game, forcing opponents to give Portuguese Shipyards a wide berth lest they lose their fleet. This allows Portugal to exert a zone of control over any body of water close to a Shipyard and can give their ships a safe haven to build up or retreat to in the face of a superior foe.


Warding off corsairs: A Portuguese Shipyard fires on an Algerian Ferry.

Naturally, this bonus isn't foolproof. Portuguese Shipyards can't shoot if they're constructing anything and they can still be destroyed from afar by a large force of Galleys firing their mortars, though that shouldn't be a problem until later on. More importantly, this feature is entirely defensive in nature; it doesn't exert any pressure on the enemy so long as they keep their distance. At some point the Portuguese navy will have to come out and fight, at which point the discounts and unique ships of the game's other naval powers will give them an edge.

Still, this is an awesome bonus that opens up some interesting options for Portuguese players. Naval combat isn't really a focus in Cossacks, but it's always cool to see factions that bring new features to the table.

(Also shout out to Havsvarg and his awesome Ultimate Building Guide for pointing out this sweet feature I originally missed.)

A Very Brief History of Portugal, 1600–1789

Portugal emerged from the sixteenth century in an awkward position. The death of their king while campaigning in Morocco in 1580 led to a succession crisis that resulted in the powerful Philip II of Spain claiming the Portuguese throne, meaning the kingdom was effectively under Spanish control.


The Portuguese overseas empire at its height, showing both actual colonies (those with clearly defined borders) and areas where it had significant influence (those with faded borders). This empire would shrink from 1600 onward as other European nations like the English and Dutch rose to challenge Portuguese dominance in Africa, India, and East Asia.

While Philip II kept the two kingdoms separate, working with existing Portuguese institutions and allowing the country to maintain its own laws and customs, his successors were less accommodating and began gradually incorporating Portugal into Spain. To make matters worse, Portugal found itself dragged into Spain’s many wars, which led to numerous setbacks for the empire: Their former English allies raided Portuguese shipping and seized foreign outposts, but the most damage came from the Dutch who occupied several Portuguese colonies (including Brazil temporarily) and broke the longstanding Portuguese monopoly on the East Asian spice trade.

Things came to a head on December 1, 1640, when a group of Portuguese nobles instigated a major revolt. They killed the local Spanish governor, proclaimed Portuguese independence, and installed a new king, João (John) IV. The war that followed consisted mostly of cross-border raids punctuated by the occasional field battle until the Portuguese smashed a large Spanish army at the climactic Battle of Montes Claros in 1665. Three years later, the war ended with Spain renouncing all claims to the Portuguese throne.


Contemporary depiction of the army deployments for the Battle of Montes Claros which secured Portugal’s independence from Spain. The tercios used by both sides are clearly discernible, their long pikes raised high above the masses of men.

With independence secured and its glory days behind it, Portugal settled into a mostly peaceful existence on the periphery of Europe for the next century and a half. It occasionally joined various wars at the behest of Britain, including the War of the Spanish Succession and the Seven Years War, but aside from some naval battles and cross-border tussles with Spain things were fairly placid.

That’s not to say that nothing happened in Portugal during this time. In 1706, John V the Magnanimous (AKA “the Portuguese Sun King”) came to power and led his country into a period of absolutist monarchy and lavish public construction. A number of his new buildings were damaged or destroyed in 1755 when the city of Lisbon was devastated by one of the worst earthquakes in human history. Roughly 12,000 people perished and the Portuguese economy suffered a severe blow, yet the event also produced some long-term good by becoming the first earthquake in history to be scientifically studied, leading to major advances in modern seismology.

Then in 1756 Portugal experienced a new form of autocratic rule that originated from its powerful secretary of state, the Marquis of Pombal. (The then-king, José/Joseph I, permitted this arrangement as he had little interest in the affairs of state.) Pombal’s repressive yet progressive reign saw the country secularized and great strides made in public education, commercial development, and even the extension of civil rights to New Christians–the descendents of Iberian Jews and Moors forced to convert to Catholicism centuries ago. He also abolished slavery in Portugal proper, although it continued on a lavish scale in the colonies.

Pombal was booted out of office in 1777 with the ascension of Maria I, known today as Maria the Pious in Portugal and Maria the Mad in Brazil. (Civilization V players will know her as Portugal’s in-game leader.) Under her devout yet troubled rule, the government’s finances were mismanaged and unemployment soared while the queen’s mental health deteriorated.

This wouldn’t be the end of Portugal’s troubles, however, for the French Revolution was on the horizon and in the next century the small Iberian country would find itself on the front lines again in one of the most vicious and brutal conflicts of the entire Napoleonic Era…

Sources:
Robertson, Ian C.: “A Traveller’s History of Portugal” (2002, Interlink Books), p. 80-107

Portuguese Pikeman (17th century)

Base stats:

Full upgrades:

Cost: 40 food, 4 gold, 5 iron
Training time: 4 seconds

+ Fast training time
+ Low cost
+ Good in early melee fights
- Less bullet armor than normal 17c. Pikemen

The Portuguese Pikeman is arguably one of the best melee units of the 17th century. His combination of low cost, fast training time, and solid stats make him a strong melee fighter and gives Portugal one of the better early-game rushes among European nations.

Stat-wise, Portuguese Pikemen have +10 HP and +1 attack compared to generic 17c. Pikemen, though they pay for this with -3 bullet armor (giving them a max bullet armor of 5). They also trade a point of pike armor for a point of sword armor, which is why they perform even better against sword-armed units like Hussars and Light Infantry. Their cost is weighted toward food instead of iron, which is also good. Best of all, however, is that they only train in 4 seconds instead of the usual 4.5 seconds.

This last factor is what makes Portuguese Pikemen so good in the early game. Other nations might boast individually stronger pikemen, but they usually lose when training time is taken into account.


Quantity beating quality: 120 Portuguese Pikemen vs. 87 Spanish Coseletes with equal (in this case full) upgrades. Using fewer upgrades on both sides produces the same results.

For example, Spain’s elite Coseletes will stomp Portuguese Pikemen with equal numbers and upgrades. But if we let both sides produce units from 2 Barracks for 4 minutes, giving us 87 Spaniards and 120 Portuguese, the resulting battle goes firmly in Portugal’s favor. This also applies to Swiss Pikemen, though both Polish Pikemen and Russian Spearmen can outspam you if you're not careful. Same with Islamic Light Infantry, though that should go without saying.

The drawback of Portuguese Pikemen comes in the later stages of the game when strong ranged units become prevalent. A fully-upgraded Musketeer will kill a Portuguese Pikeman in only 5 shots whereas a standard 17c. Pikeman takes 6 shots. That’s not outright horrible–Polish and Scottish Pikemen have it even worse, to say nothing of Light Infantry–but it’s still an issue, and you’ll definitely want some Mercenary Roundshiers to act as bullet sponges for your Musketeers. (This is when you’ll wish you had those Coseletes you were laughing at earlier.)

IMPORTANT NOTE: Despite not having a breastplate, Portuguese Pikemen still benefit from the armor upgrades at the Blacksmith and Academy. (I guess it improves their helmets or something.) Don’t be a fool like me and make assumptions based on their looks.

History–Portuguese armies in the 17th century were largely organized on Spanish lines, meaning they also used the tercio system and its dense pike blocks. During the early parts of the century, the pikemen were regarded as the most important part of the tercio with the musketeers playing a supporting role. This would change over time as tactical refinements pushed the importance of firepower to the forefront and both the Portuguese and their Spanish foes gradually shifted to a more linear, musket-centric approach to infantry combat.


Pictured: Iberian soldiers of the mid-17th century during the War of Independence.

Volunteer (18th century)

Base stats:

Full upgrades:

Cost: 30 food, 2 gold, 5 iron max: 30 food, 1 gold, 2.5 iron min.
Training time: 2.25 seconds
Range: 15
Rate of fire: 5.94 seconds max: 2.91 seconds min.

+ Very fast training time
+ Very low cost
+ Good damage for the price
+ Can overwhelm stronger enemies in large numbers
- Very low HP and weak protection
- Slow rate of fire
- Short range
- No melee attack
- Inefficient population-wise

The Volunteer is essentially the Light Infantryman of Musketeers; a dirt cheap, highly spammable, individually craptacular unit that, once an 18c. Barracks is built, gives Portugal a huge power spike, making them one of the strongest nations in the mid-game.

Stat-wise, Volunteers are far weaker than the typical 18c. Musketeer: They have the same 25 attack but their range is shorter (15 vs 16.88) and their rate of fire is lower (2.91 seconds between shots vs 2.3). But the worst thing about them are their defenses: They’re helpless in melee, their protection is pathetically weak, and their HP is a miserable 50, only half of an 18c. Musketeer’s. French Chasseurs and Swiss Jaegers will literally one-shot these guys.

So what makes Volunteers so good? Three things: First, as previously mentioned, their attack of 25 means they hit just as hard as a standard Musketeer. Second, they cost almost nothing, especially in gold and iron. Third and most of all, they train twice as fast as an 18c. Musketeer, making them by far the most spammable musketeer in the game.

Volunteers allow Portugal to raise a formidable musket army very quickly upon reaching the 18th century. Just plop down a couple of 18c. Barracks, set the queue to infinite, and let the flood begin. In just four minutes, a measly two Barracks can produce 213 Volunteers–twice what you would get if you were making 18c. Musketeers! With that many muskets firing for 25 damage a pop, their slow reload speed matters a lot less.

There’s still the issue of their 50 HP and short range which, in addition to making them extremely vulnerable to melee units who get close, will allow other ranged units to simply mow them down if you just march them at the enemy heedlessly. Fortunately, there’s a simple and easy solution to this problem: Blocking troops!


Volunteers firing from behind a protective wall of Pikemen and Mercenary Roundshiers during a final mopping-up. Without the barrier troops in front, those Mounted Jaegers could seriously threaten the Volunteers. With the barrier troops, they’re easy pickings.

Put Pikemen, Mercenary Roundshiers, and melee cavalry out in front to soak up that incoming fire and allow your Volunteers to blaze away unhindered. This is basic Cossack tactics 101 and it’s something you should be doing with your Musketeers regardless of what nation you play, but with Volunteers it’s especially crucial. With a wall of pikes and swords in front absorbing enemy bullets, that 50 HP becomes much less of an issue.

(As pointed out by Reddit user Sweet_Lane, it's often a good idea to spam some 18c. Pikemen first to build up a large blocking force before you switch over to Volunteers. He recommends making pikes until you hit around the 1,500 population mark, then going over to Volunteers or Musketeers. Not doing this can leave your shooters with inadequate protection, as the first example game below demonstrates.)

Volunteers still have one major weakness, however, and that’s fast cavalry (usually Hussars, but any swift melee cavalry beyond Mercenary Cossacks qualifies). These deadly riders can swoop in out of seemingly nowhere and mop up a force of Volunteers with terrifying swiftness. Blocking troops can help here, especially some Hussars of your own, but it can be hard to micro them where they need to be in time. If your enemy has or is making a lot of fast cavalry, you should probably forgo the Volunteers and just stick to 18c. Musketeers, who can defend themselves with their bayonets.

In terms of upgrades, improving their rate of fire is a must: 5.9 seconds between shots is unacceptable on a mainline ranged unit. After that, boost their attack at both the Barracks and Academy to reach that sweet 25 damage. You should have a lot of extra cash thanks to the Volunteers’ low cost, so affording these upgrades shouldn’t be a problem.

The one tech I’d avoid getting for Volunteers is the musket cost-reducing one that halves their price. Volunteers are already so cheap that you’d have to train many thousands of them to make up the tech’s high gold cost. Only get this tech if you decide to switch over to 18c. Musketeers at some point.

History–In times of desperate need, the nations of 17th and 18th century Europe would frequently deploy hastily-raised units to defend their lands. In some countries such as Savoy and Hessen-Kassel, they would be drawn from existing institutions that provided for militias and garrison troops in peacetime. In other nations the process was less formalized, and both fresh conscripts and patriotic volunteers were simply rushed through basic training and thrown into battle as fast as possible. This kind of unprofessional fighter was especially common in frontier regions like the American colonies where the sparse and spread-out local population combined with weak civic structures made supporting large standing armies difficult.

While some of these barely-trained troops gave good accounts of themselves–the various Viennese militias formed in 1683 fought heroically in their city’s defense, to name one example–most of the time they performed poorly when subjected to the intense pressures of battle, and they were often seen as a liability by professional soldiers and officers alike.


Pictured: Canadian militiamen from the 18th or 19th century. (I couldn’t find a picture of Portuguese militiamen from the period so I went with the best militia image that didn’t scream “American Revolution” at the top of its lungs.)

Gameplay

NOTE: This section assumes you’re only playing with Portuguese units and buildings. That means it largely ignores capturing, although the advice given can easily be applied to games that allow it.

Early game (early 17th century)

Portugal is one of the stronger European nations in the early game thanks to its unique Pikeman. They’re not a top-three rushing nation – I’d say they’re about on par with Scotland, putting them slightly behind Poland, Russia, and the Islamic nations – but they’re still very good at it and can seriously threaten most other nations in the game.

The Portuguese use the standard European opening (2 Town Centers > Mill > Storehouse > 2 Barracks > Market > Academy > Diplomatic Center, or something thereabouts). You’ll need to make a few extra Houses at some point to accommodate your fast-training troops, but that’s the only alteration.

Portugal isn't nearly as strong in matches with 15 or more minutes of peacetime, being stuck with generic 17c. Musketeers, but they're still slightly above average thanks to saving a bit of gold on their attack upgrades.

Mid game (late 17th/early 18th century)

Portugal grows even stronger in the early 18th century once they build their first 18c. Barracks and start spamming Volunteers. Few nations can create an 18th century gunpowder army as fast as Portugal. Add in some artillery and cavalry and you’re ready to start smashing enemy armies and besieging their towns. You should be very aggressive at this point in the game, especially against strong late-game nations that will give you trouble later on–France, Prussia, Denmark, Saxony, and Bavaria are all great targets for your massive army.

Portugal plays similarly to other European nations here except getting an 18c. Barracks up ASAP is even more crucial.

Late game (late 18th century)

This is where Portugal starts to lag a bit behind. By now other European nations have their own large gunpowder armies and housing is becoming prohibitively expensive, meaning everyone is starting to hit the population cap. Here the Volunteer’s weaknesses become more pronounced since you can’t easily outnumber the enemy with them due to the aforementioned pop cap. Fortunately, switching over to 18c. Musketeers is as simple as a few clicks of the mouse. (Be sure to snag that musket cost-reducing tech when you do!)

The bigger issue is the Portuguese Pikeman’s low bullet armor, which makes Portuguese armies slightly weaker to the massed gunfire that dominates this stage of the game. It’s a small downside, though, and Portuguese armies can lay down the same withering fire as other late-game Europeans. Besides, it could be worse–at least your native melee infantry have some bullet armor, unlike Poland and the Muslim nations.

Tutorials & Example Games

A collection of great Portugal games and tutorials showing how to skillfully play the nation. If you have any video recommendations, send me a link through Steam or YouTube (username 1Korlash) or Reddit (Effective_Can72)!

1. The first of two classic guides from top player colorfit. A must-watch for people looking to dive into multiplayer or just get better at the game.

https://youtu.be/XP19ocvOIg0

2. The second colorfit guide, this time covering how to micro your armies in battle. Again, a must-watch.

https://youtu.be/t6JE59Gnesk


3. A recent series of games between [CD]SwanUAV and [CD]Nevestocher, with the first being a Portugal mirror match pitting Volunteers against 18c. Pikemen. It shows the risks of using Volunteers without sufficient blocking troops as well as the importance of managing your coal and iron to keep your shooters firing.

https://youtu.be/h1IYXaIZYfU


4. A great (albeit old) high-level Portugal game from top Cossacks player colorfit that features early aggression and loads of Volunteers. Definitely a must-watch!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNUa4AQOtMM

Closing Remarks

Modern flag of Portugal, first adopted in 1911. While the field has changed to a tasteful green and red bicolor and the crown has been replaced with an armillary sphere, the classic shield of Portugal has survived the centuries unchanged.

That’s everything about Portugal! I find it a bit odd that a historically small nation has such a spam-centric playstyle, but it certainly makes them unique and fun. They’ve become a favorite of mine while preparing this guide and I’m always happy to roll Portugal when I pick random civ.

To everyone who’s read this far, I want to say thank you! This took a lot of time to put together and your feedback is appreciated, whether it's pointing out errors or offering encouragement. Whether you’re a new recruit or a seasoned veteran, I hope you took something valuable or at least interesting away from my guide. I’m working on more of these right now, so let me know which nation you’d like to see me cover next. (Right now I’m leaning toward Prussia or Spain.)

Other nation guides:

Algeria
Austria
Bavaria
Denmark
England
France
Netherlands
Piedmont
Poland
Prussia
Russia
Saxony
Scotland
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Venice