Algeria Faction Guide

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

Introduction

Flag of the Regency of Algiers, 1516-1830. First flown by the legendary corsairs Oruç and Heyreddin Reis (also known as the Barbarossa Brothers) after they liberated the city from Spanish rule, it would continue to be used by Algerian rulers as their domain became the mightiest of the Barbary States.

Availability: Base game
Focus: Early, Rush, Spammer, Naval
Playstyle: Islamic

If you’re playing as Algeria, you’re rushing: It’s as simple as that. The nation has no long-term viability whatsoever outside of water maps but makes up for it with unmatched unit spam and some of the greatest rushing potential in all of Cossacks. When you enter a game as Algeria, you’re on a timer to do as much damage as possible in the first 20-40 minutes before your vast hordes of archaic troops become utterly obsolete once 18th century armies begin emerging.

This binary all-or-nothing playstyle has made Algeria one of the most polarizing nations among the playerbase. Some people despise them for their small roster and predictable playstyle that’s entirely focused on early aggression. For these folks, getting rushed down so quickly is infuriating and Algeria can feel blatantly overpowered to newer or more laid back players who prefer games with a slower pace. Other players don’t mind Algeria’s quirks and value them for the intense, exciting experience they offer. They love getting stuck into the action as fast as possible and enjoy the thrill of working against the clock. Algeria is also a great nation for learning how to rush since there’s literally no other way to play them.

If you like early aggression, throwing thousands of expendable troops at your enemies, or the rush of racing against time to kick as much infidel butt as possible, Algeria is a great nation for you.


A common variant of the Regency’s flag. While most sources name the tricolor as the official Algerian flag during the game’s timeframe, many other designs and even color schemes were also used, often simultaneously.

Features

Being an Islamic nation, Algeria shares a lot of its bonuses with Turkey. To make reading this list easier, all features unique to Algeria will be bolded.

+ Shipyards and Storehouses cost less
+ Cheap 17c. Barracks that don’t cost gold but only support 50 pop.
+ Fast-building Minarets replace Academies
+ Towers are cheaper and build faster
+ Ottoman Pikeman–good for early rushing but very poor later on
+ Algerian Light Infantryman–spammable swordsman with higher attack
+ Mameluke–lightly armored, fast-training heavy cavalry
+ Mullah–weaker, fast-training healer
+ Xebec–tougher, more expensive Frigate that’s cheaper to unlock
+ Tech cost discounts:

• 1st harvesting upgrade (Mill)
  
• 2nd & 3rd harvesting upgrades* (Academy)
  
• Field capacity (Academy)
  
• Cannon & Howitzer production speed (Artillery Depot)
  
• Artillery range upgrades (Academy)
  
• Building durability (Academy)
  
• Ship construction & movement speed (Academy)

~ Town Halls cost less wood but only support 50 pop.
~ Early Stables are cheap and build faster but later ones are more expensive
~ Diplomatic Center costs less wood but more stone
~ Archer–weak, spammable bowman
~ No armor or musketeer techs (since they aren’t needed)
- Can’t advance to the 18th century
- Markets/Bazaars cost more
- Walls cost more and build slowly
- No 2nd harvesting upgrade (Mill)
- No balloon to reveal the map
- No native fast cavalry, musketeers, or dragoons
- No Multi-barrelled Cannon
- No Yacht
- No native armored infantry for tanking bullets
- Rising building costs & no 18c. Barracks leads to lower late-game population cap
- Can’t upgrade Ferries’ transport capacity
- Only nation without a unique architecture style (save for their Town Halls)

*Bigger discount than Turkey

Being an Islamic nation, Algeria’s bonuses are centered almost entirely on the early game, with the same cheap production buildings, discounted farming and artillery techs, and fast-training melee infantry as Turkey. The key difference is that while Turkey boasts many more unit options and stronger cavalry, Algeria doubles down on the rushing and infantry spam aspects with even better farming discounts and harder-hitting Light Infantry. There’s also Algeria’s Town Halls, which cost a third less wood but only support half the population. This frees up a lot of wood at game start but forces Algeria to begin building houses earlier than other factions, especially when taking into account their infantry spam.


Spam unrivaled: From only two Barracks come endless streams of Light Infantry–the bedrock of Algerian might. Mercenary Dragoons and Grenadiers march alongside them—their added firepower is crucial to maximizing an Algerian army’s strength.

The tradeoff for all this early awesomeness is that Algeria offers almost nothing in the late game. With no 18th century or final farming upgrade, a lower max population cap thanks to rising building costs, and no native armored or even musket-armed troops—the only nation in the game to suffer such an indignity—Algeria has virtually no hope of overcoming a competently-handled late-game European nation on its own. Unless you have strong allies to fall back on, you’re pretty much screwed, which is why attacking early and often is absolutely mandatory when playing as Algeria.

That’s all just on land maps, however. On water maps, Algeria is actually better in the late game than they are early on. While they boast the same awesome naval discounts and powerful Xebecs as Turkey, they’re also the only nation that doesn’t get Yachts, forcing them to go right into more-expensive Galleys. This can be an issue early on, especially against Turkey and Ukraine who have very strong Yachts, but once they get over that hurdle Algeria can field similarly powerful fleets to Turkey. At that point their only issues are lacking the balloon tech (something their allies can help with*) and conducting naval landings due to their low-capacity Ferries.

*NOTE: The AI never researches the balloon tech. Ever.

Ottoman Pikeman (17th century)

Base stats:

Full upgrades:

Cost: 55 food, 5 gold
Training time: 5.5 seconds

+ Great for rushing in the first 15 minutes
+ Low cost
+ Cheap upgrades
+ Gets bigger buffs from their Barracks upgrades than most other units
+ Doesn’t tax your early economy as much as Light Infantry and Archers do
~ Slow training time to balance out cheap Islamic Barracks
- No bullet armor
- Relative effectiveness declines sharply after the first 15-20 minutes

The Algerian Ottoman Pikeman (boy, that’s a mouthful) is exactly the same as his Turkish counterpart; same costs, same stats, same role as a good starting unit in low-peacetime games that performs well in the first 15-20 minutes. I already went fully in depth on these guys in the Turkey guide, so I’ll keep this entry shorter.

The reason why Ottoman Pikemen are so good early on is that they gain stats from their Barracks upgrades more quickly than other melee units:

Upgrades comparison: Ottoman Pike vs. 17c. Pike
Total Attack Change:

Level:	2	3	4	5	6	7
Otto.	+2	+4	+6	+8	+10	+12
17c.	+1	+3	+5	+6	+8	+11

Total Defense Change:

Level:	2	3	4	5	6	7
Otto.	+1	+3	+6	+7	+9	+12
17c.	+1	+2	+4	+5	+6	+8

Combine this with the fact that the Ottoman Pikeman’s upgrades are cheaper than 17c. Pikemen’s and this gives them a major advantage in early pike fights. They’re also very cheap to produce and upgrade, and their slower training time ensures that they won’t strain your population cap like Archers or Light Infantry do. That said, they only really hit their stride once you have three Barracks up due to their slow training time—try to get that third Barracks up fairly quickly, ideally well before the 10-minute mark and after your Diplomatic Center. (Don’t be afraid to buy wood and stone at the Market.)


A healthy early economy, all thanks to Ottoman Pikemen and their slower training time.

Once you have three Barracks, you’ll have a comfortable qualitative and quantitative advantage over most other countries’ early melee troops and are ready to start attacking. Only Poland, Russia, Scotland, a Hetman-rushing Ukraine, and fellow Islamic nation Turkey can seriously challenge Ottoman Pikemen in an early battle; other nations will struggle to stop you from overrunning their base. (Don’t forget to bring some Mercenary Archers and/or Grenadiers along to torch buildings!)


How to deal with late-game nations, Algerian-style: An Ottoman Pike rush swarms over a Bavarian base before the 10-minute mark.

Once the initial 15-20 minutes are past, however, Ottoman Pikemen become much worse. This is partly because they lose their edge in melee as other units catch up to them in upgrades, but it’s mostly because their lack of bullet armor and slower training time make them terrible against even a moderate force of musketeers:

Shots to kill (full upgrades)

Damage:	16	20	22	25	30	35	40	46	51	56
Light Infantry	4	3	3	3	2	2	2	2	2	1
Ottoman Pikeman	6	5	5	4	4	3	3	2	2	2
Merc. Roundshier	10	7	6	5	4	3	3	2	2	2
17c. Pikeman	12	8	7	6	5	4	3	3	3	2
Reiter	50	30	25	20	15	12	10	9	8	7
Cuirassier	150	50	38	28	19	15	12	10	9	8

This is why you’ll need to swap over to Light Infantry or Archers before the mid game rolls around. Sure, they’re individually weaker, but they train a lot faster and can thus keep up with the increasing losses in battles whereas Ottoman Pikemen can’t. It helps that your Light Infantry is stronger than most, but more on that in a minute.

That’s Ottoman Pikemen for you; strong early on, falls off hard later. They’re also Algeria’s strongest infantry on a one-for-one basis, which really says a lot about the faction. Don’t rely on them outside their period of strength and they’ll serve you well.


Crushing Calvinists: Ottoman Pikemen and mercs crash into an early Swiss force. While Switzerland can menace most other countries close to game start, to the Algerians, they’re just another victim to ravage.

Algerian Light Infantryman (17th century)

Base stats:

Full upgrades:

Cost: 25 food, 1 iron
Training time: 1 second

+ The most spammable unit in the game
+ Gains 3 more total attack from their later Barracks upgrades (tiers V-VII)
+ Nonexistent cost
+ Cheap upgrades
+ Great at overwhelming enemies in the early-to-mid game
+ Can be decent blocking troops through sheer numbers
~ Deals sword damage
- Pathetic stats
- Near-useless on their own in the late game
- Extremely inefficient population-wise
- Requires lots of extra housing which slows down your early economy

This is the true source of Algeria’s strength. The Algerian Light Infantryman functions exactly the same as his Turkish equivalent save for one small detail: He maxes out at 15 attack instead of 12. This is because he gains an extra attack point on each of his final three offense upgrades (tiers V-VII) at no extra cost:

Light Infantry attack comparison:

Tech Tier:	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Turkey	5	6	7	8	9	10	12
Algeria	5	6	7	8	10	12	15

This might not sound like much–after all, 15 attack is still below average–but it often means that Algieran Light Infantry are dealing an extra 1-3 damage per attack, meaning they frequently double or even triple the damage output of their Turkish cousins. Combine with their ludicrous numbers and they become a much deadlier force in early- and mid-game melee fights.




+3 attack matters: 720 fully-upgraded Algerian Light Infantry vs 720 Turkish Light Infantry.

In tests with equal upgrades and unlimited population space, Algerian Light Infantry were one of the very few early melee units able to potentially (though infrequently) beat an equivalent force of Polish Pikemen. They also thoroughly trounced Scottish Covenanter Pikemen–something Turkish Light Infantry couldn’t do–and although they still lost to fully-upgraded Portuguese Pikemen and Russian Spearmen, they inflicted far higher losses on their foes. They still do poorly against heavy cavalry and other units with high sword armor (hence why you use mercenaries and Mamelukes).

In-game, Algerian Light Infantry are functionally identical to Turkish ones: They just do the job even better. Dirt cheap to train and upgrade plus trivially easy to mass produce, they excel at overwhelming enemy forces in the early-to-mid game with their vastly superior numbers. Their ability to regenerate losses is unmatched and allows players to be rather more reckless with their army, grinding the enemy’s stronger troops to dust under thousands of slashing scimitars.


Swarm the Muscovites! Algerian Light Infantry and Mamelukes (plus some Scottish allies) surge through the streets of a Russian town, with musket-armed mercenaries providing fire support.

The only hard thing about using Light Infantry is trying to start out with them. Since they train so fast, they tend to strain your low early population cap, which is annoying and can block you from making enough Peasants to grow your economy (hence why slower-training Ottoman Pikemen are more commonly chosen in low-peacetime games that you expect to end quickly). That said, it is possible to make Light Infantry work if you attack very quickly. By taking constant losses in battles, you can keep your population space open for more Peasants and mercenaries, allowing your economy to grow while you spam to your heart’s content.

Things get a bit tougher in the mid game as enemy sword armor starts becoming a problem. You can counter this by putting your Light Infantry into formations for that sweet +2 or +3 attack and by adding Mercenary Dragoons (or Grenadiers if you’re strapped for cash) and Mamelukes to your force. Use these units to deal with those heavily armored foes while your Light Infantry pin and grind down the rest of the enemy army. Losses will be even higher in this era but you can still rebuild your force very quickly and easily.


Pirate blades and hired guns: A mid-game force of Light Infantry and Mercenary Grenadiers crash into a Portuguese base. Look closely and you’ll see the Officers and Drummers buffing their men.

The late game is where the pain really begins. Like their Turkish counterparts, Algerian Light Infantry will likely get mowed down by any competently-handled 18th century army before they can get into close combat. This makes their higher attack largely irrelevant and they essentially become weaker 18c. Pikemen that you only use because they can be quickly replaced. Put them out in front and use them as a throwaway bullet sponge to protect your cavalry, mercs, and allies from incoming fire.

Even with all those downsides, Light Infantry are a great unit, easily the best Algeria has to offer. Use them, love them, and drown your enemies in them.


Cannon fodder: Light Infantry and Mercenary Roundshiers charge headlong at the Ukrainian lines, soaking up gunfire to shield their European allies from damage. I only recommend using Roundshiers as Algeria if you’re going full bullet sponge (or if you’re trying to use Archers like I was).

Archer (17th century)

Base stats:

Full upgrades:

Cost: 20 food, 2 wood, 1 gold
Training time: 1.5 seconds
Range: 15
Reload speed: 2.34 seconds

+ Most spammable ranged unit in the game
+ Low production and upgrade costs
+ Very fast training time
+ Can torch buildings
+ Good at mowing down stationary or closely-packed enemies
- Near-useless against fast, spread out, or heavily armored melee troops
- Pathetic stats
- Deals arrow damage
- Inaccurate
- Can inflict friendly fire
- No melee attack
- Population-inefficient

Algeria’s only native ranged unit is sadly not a very great one. The simply-named, peppermint-hatted Archer is like the Light Infantryman of ranged units, making up for his pathetic stats with his unmatched spam potential. He’d be a powerful unit if he wasn’t using a bow but as is, his inherent archer inaccuracy combined with friendly fire and the need to be protected from any and all melee threats renders him a very situational unit, only useful against other ranged troops, closely-packed enemies, and not much else.


Darken the sky! Hundreds of Archers unload into a rival Algerine force from behind a barrier of blocking troops (including some European allies). Look closely and you’ll see the arrows flying.

Stat-wise, the most notable thing about Archers is that they stink on ice: With only 40 HP and 8 max melee/arrow armor, they’ll die to a gust of wind. Their 30 damage looks pretty good compared to the average musketeer’s 25 damage until you remember that nearly every unit has protection against arrows (though it does let them destroy buildings). On the plus side, their 15 range is normal for a 17th century unit and their rate of fire is very fast for the early game–almost as good as a fully-upgraded musketeer.

Of course, the real benefit of Archers is their 1.5-second training time and their dirt cheap costs to produce and upgrade. This allows you to field huge swarms of them and reach their full potential long before opposing musketeers, giving you a big advantage in early shootouts so long as you keep enemy melee troops away from them. (More on that in a moment.)

The ideal use for Archers is to stand behind a sturdy force of blocking troops and mow down stationary targets through sheer quantity of arrows. They did extremely well during tests, slaughtering just about every other ranged unit in a straight shootout with equal upgrades and training time. Naturally, it only works when you have a numbers advantage but that goes without saying and in the right situation Archers can perform admirably.


Reclaiming the Peñón: With both sides’ melee troops dead, the Archers are left to pit their numbers against Spanish training and discipline. Even just a few Coseletes or Hussars would be very hard for this Algerian force to deal with.

Unfortunately, as with all bow-wielding units, Archers have a lot of problems. Their inherent inaccuracy and ability to inflict friendly fire makes it very hard to kill approaching melee troops and keep your own blocking troops alive (especially given the lack of arrow armor on all your troops). Once a group of pikemen or cavalry reach your Archers, it’s usually game over for them and your whole army. Reiters and fast cavalry are especially dangerous, the former because they can slaughter your blocking troops while laughing off your arrows with their thick armor and the latter because they can close quickly and are too fast for Archers to hit without a lot of luck.

This poses a problem for army composition: You’ll need lots of melee troops to make up for all the friendly fire your Archers will inflict, but the only way to get them is to make Light Infantry from your Barracks alongside said Archers. This forces you to invest in two upgrade lines and while it’s a lot cheaper for Algeria to do thanks to their cheap Barracks techs, it’s still annoying and a drain on your economy. I’d say you should never have more Archers than melee troops in your army; otherwise you won’t have a chance to deal with the Archer’s many counters.

Bottom line: Archers are a niche unit that requires super specific conditions–lots of opposing ranged units and few melee troops–to do well. It’s very hard to recommend them over their far more reliable Light Infantry cousins (to say nothing of Mercenary Dragoons and Grenadiers) and I wouldn’t use them in a game I was serious about. Still, if you like the idea of overwhelming modern musketeers with hordes of archaic bowmen and don’t mind your armies performing wildly inconsistently against different builds (remember; melee cavalry = RIP), give them a try and see if they work for you.


Punishing Portugal: Archers engage enemy dragoons and musketeers while Light Infantry act as a blocking force. (Also, I forgot to send my Roundshiers forward because I was too busy microing my Archers to minimize friendly fire, hence why they’re just standing around watching the battle. I don’t have anything clever to say about it; I just think it’s funny.)

Mameluke (17th century)

Base stats:

Full upgrades:

Cost: 100 food, 5 wood, 8 gold
Training time: 12 seconds max: 8 seconds min.

+ Decent melee cavalry
+ Low cost
+ Fast training time for cavalry
+ Can form a good shock force alongside Mercenary Dragoons
~ Fast training time to balance out fewer Islamic Stables
- Poor bullet armor
- Expensive upgrades
- Late-game production is limited by more expensive Islamic Stables

Despite hailing from Egypt rather than the Barbary States, the Mameluke is Algeria’s sole non-mercenary cavalry unit. Their costly upgrades make them less useful in the early game, especially compared to your infantry and mercenaries, but once you can spare the cash and get 2-3 Stables up they make for decent shock troops to deal with foes that your Light Infantry can’t handle.

Stat-wise, Mamelukes are basically weaker, faster-training Reiters. In exchange for 20 less HP and a major drop in protection–especially against bullets–they gain +1 attack, cost barely anything and are produced in only 8 seconds instead of 16. This allows them to be trained much more quickly in the early game, although this advantage will fade with time due to the far higher cost of Islamic Stables.

The weakness against gunfire is noteworthy as, unlike many other heavy cavalry, Mamelukes don’t make good bullet sponges, both individually…

Shots to kill (full upgrades)

Damage:	16	20	22	25	30	35	40	46	51	56
Merc. Roundshier	10	7	6	5	4	3	3	2	2	2
17c. Pikeman	12	8	7	6	5	4	3	3	3	2
Mameluke	32	15	14	12	10	9	8	7	6	6
Reiter	50	30	25	20	15	12	10	9	8	7
Cuirassier	150	50	38	28	19	15	12	10	9	8

…and as a whole.

60 Mamelukes * 12 25-damage shots per unit = 700 shots to kill
45 Reiters * 20 25-damage shots per unit = 900 shots to kill

(Note: This math assumes 2 Algerian Stables vs 3 cheaper European ones. As the Europeans’ production advantage grows, so will their advantage.)

So using your Mamelukes as a bullet sponge is a waste. (Let your Light Infantry handle that.) How do they do in melee?


An early-modern Hattin: 60 fully-upgraded Mamelukes vs 45 Reiters, reflecting the difference in training time.

The answer is better, though not amazingly. During testing, Mamelukes consistently trounced standard and Swedish Reiters and generally performed well at lower upgrade tiers, but they lost against most other types of melee cavalry like Cuirassiers, Russian Vityaz and Don Cossacks, Ukrainian Register Cossacks, both types of Turkish Sipahis, and even Polish Light Reiters. Even fully-upgraded Hussars can deal with them once the Europeans gain a big production advantage in the late game. Combine that with their pathetic bullet armor and you can see how Mamelukes struggle in the late game (just like every other Algerian land unit).

Still, Mamelukes are decent enough in the early and mid game to be useful, and they do provide Algeria with a strong melee force that can deal with things that your Light Infantry can’t (AKA enemies with high sword armor). That’s the best use I’ve found for them and it’s where they shine the most.


Mounted assault: Mamelukes and Mercenary Dragoons advance into battle.

In the early game, Mamelukes aren’t very useful save for adding some extra HP to your armies; your resources are better spent on your infantry and mercenaries, whose guns are generally more useful than your Mamelukes’ lances. Once that’s settled and you can spare cash on their pricey upgrades and more Stables (aim for 2 or 3), Mamelukes become a lot better. Paired with Mercenary Dragoons, they can form a powerful, mobile mid-game shock force to direct against the strongest points of enemy resistance. Just try not to let them take too much musket or Cannon fire. (Leave that to your Light Infantry.)

In conclusion, Mamelukes are a good early melee cavalry unit but no more than that. They won’t replace the infantry and mercenaries as the core of your army, but once upgraded they can provide the extra punch needed to break through stronger mid-game armies that would otherwise trouble your sword-wielding hordes. And hey, it’s not like you can make anything else at your Stables, so get used to them being your army’s melee elite.


Burn, Britannia! Mamelukes, Mercenary Dragoons, and Light Infantry sweep into an English base in search of plunder and slaves. While the Merc Dragoon-melee cavalry pairing works well for any nation, it’s a lot more mandatory for Algeria.

Mullah (17th century)

Stats:

Cost: 30 food, 10 gold
Training time: 15 seconds

+ Cheapest and fastest-training healer in the game
+ Outperforms other healers when in large numbers
+ Trained at the Mosque–doesn’t interfere with Peasant or military production
- Slow training time
- Requires gold upkeep
- Individually worse than other healers
- Need to go out of your way to build a Mosque

The Mullah is the game’s Islamic healer and, like many other Islamic units, emphasizes quantity over quality. This works out well for them as despite being the worst healer in the game stat-wise, healing the least health per second (hps), Mullahs can potentially outperform all other healers thanks to their greater numbers.

Compared to the typical European Priest, Mullahs cost significantly less (most notably -10 gold) and train 5 seconds faster (15 seconds vs 20). They also have the lowest gold upkeep and hps of any healer:

Mullah: 15 hps, 53 units/1 gold per second
Priest: 20 hps, 40 units/1 gold per second
Pope: 25 hps, 40 units/1 gold per second
Padre: 30 hps, 19 units/1 gold per second

So the obvious question is: Is a larger number of worse healers better than a few good ones?


All praise be to God! 16 Mullahs versus 10 Padres, reflecting the difference in training time. In each test, both sides were tasked with supporting 160 Mercenary Roundshiers to create an equal (if unrealistic) force for the healers to support.

The answer is yes. In repeated testing, the Mullahs performed the best of the game’s four healers. They went undefeated against Priests and Piedmontese Padres and eked out a close victory over Popes (6 wins to 4). Considering that Mullahs also have a much lower gold upkeep, there's a strong argument to be made that they’re the best healers in the game, and their presence can make Islamic armies even more deadly in the early-to-mid game.

There are a few caveats, of course. First, like all healers, they tend to walk forward blindly and get cut down if you don’t micro them separately from your other troops. Secondly, unlike other factions, Islamic countries don’t require a Mosque for aging up, meaning you have to go out of your way to build one. You probably still should, but only once you can’t easily afford other production buildings like Barracks and Stables.

Still, Mullahs are a great healer, cheap and efficient, and they can help keep your armies alive if you can spare the resources to start producing them. They may not be a mandatory unit that you see in every game, but when you do have them working for you you’ll probably be glad for it.


Spiritual succor: As the Algerines advance into battle, their Mullahs offer up prayers to encourage the troops.

Xebec (17th century)

Stats:

Cost: 7,000 wood, 1,600 gold, 320 iron, 960 coal
Training time: 230 seconds max: 115 seconds min.
Range: about equal to a Howitzer
Reload speed: roughly 2 seconds

NOTE: Stats for unique ships are hard to find, so this entry is based on tests and comparisons to other units.

+ Strong medium warship
+ No gold upkeep
+ Faster rate of fire than Frigate
+ Tech to unlock costs -2,900 wood
+ 15,000 more HP than Frigate
+ Benefits from artillery range and accuracy techs at Minaret
- Requires tech and Artillery Depot to unlock
- Slightly shorter range than Frigate
- Costs more wood, gold, and coal but less iron than Frigate

As if the Islamic nations didn’t dominate the water hard enough, they get the Xebec–a powerful Frigate substitute with more guns and the ability to be spammed harder than any other naval vessel if you can afford it.

Stat-wise, Xebecs are more expensive to purchase than Frigates, but the tech to unlock them is cheaper, allowing Islamic countries to access them earlier. They also have a lower gold upkeep. Here’s another comparison:

Gold Upkeep Comparison:
Frigate: 1 ship = roughly .17 gold per second
Xebec: 1 ship = no gold per second

That’s right–Xebecs have no upkeep. Granted, Frigates are quite cheap upkeep-wise, but it still pretty cool and it means there’s no effective limit on the number of Xebecs an Islamic country can produce.


Whereas 6 Frigates cost 1 gold per second in upkeep, 150 Xebecs cost the same as 1 of them would; nothing.

In terms of combat power, Xebecs have a shorter range than Frigates but they make up for it with +15,000 HP and a much faster rate of fire due to their larger number of cannons. This makes them arguably worse for shore bombardment since they can reach out as far (though you really should be using Galleys and their mortars for bombing buildings inland) but they make up for it by dominating on the water.

I couldn’t find many hard details about the Xebec (or any other unique ships for that matter), so instead of spitting numbers, here’s some screenshots from the tests I ran to figure out how Xebecs perform:


Damage output test, Frigate vs Xebec. Look at how much lower the HP on the Xebec’s Barracks is.


Range test, showing how Xebecs, Frigates, and both types of Yachts compare with land artillery.


Mutual kill: A test duel between a Xebec and a Frigate. In 12 battles, this was the only one where the Frigate managed to kill the Xebec (and only because the Xebec missed most of its shots).

In another 12 duels I ran (which I lost the pictures of), the Xebecs beat the Frigates 11-0-1. The last was a draw where the Frigate killed the Xebec only to be sunk a second later by its opponent’s final shot. That’s a very impressive showing and it nicely demonstrates how powerful Xebecs can be.

All of this makes Xebecs a superior mid-tier warship in naval combat. They’re still not equal to a Ship-of-the-line, but they’re much cheaper and can be built en masse earlier and easier. In longer water games where you have lots of resources and fleets can grow to large sizes, they’ll be a vital part of your navy.


Terror of the seas: A squadron of Xebecs and Galleys passes through a narrow channel in search of prey.

Gameplay

NOTE: This section assumes you’re only playing with Algerian 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)

Den of slavers and haven for exiles: An early Algerian base.

Here it is: You wanted a rush faction and now you’ve got one.

Algeria is all about early-game aggression, and as such you should be attacking your foes ASAP. You’re helped in this by their myriad of cheap buildings and techs, allowing you to get your base and economy established and start making an army before European factions.

You have multiple options for infantry, but to summarize: Ottoman Pikemen are easier to make work early on so long as you get your third Barracks up quickly (ideally after your Diplomatic Center), Light Infantry scale into the mid game better but are trickier to use early on due to their fast production speed, and Archers are only good if the enemy has lots of musketeers and few melee units (which is very rare).


A humiliation worthy of Charles V: An Ottoman Pike rush carves a bloody path into an Austrian base.

Regardless of what you pick, all-out aggression is your only option. You have no late-game potential worth speaking of so always prioritize short-term gain over long-term optimization. Remember, every second you dally allows other factions to grow stronger so cut loose and go crazy.

Moving over to water maps, Algeria’s early game is more of a mixed bag. Their awesome Islamic discounts to Shipyards and key naval techs plus their wood savings from their Town Halls allow them to get naval production going sooner than other factions, but the lack of Yachts forces them to start making pricier Galleys right away, delaying their water presence. It’s not a horrible penalty–Galleys are stronger than Yachts–but it could cause trouble against another country going for early water aggression, especially Ukraine and fellow Islamic nation Turkey who get similar discounts and powerful Yachts.


Set sail for plunder: The first of many Algerian Galleys is launched.

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

Extracting tribute at the point of a sword: A mid-game Algerian base.

As the 18th century looms, Algeria’s relative strength is slowly declining as the rise of enemy musketeers and higher melee armor are gradually reducing their infantry’s effectiveness. You’re not out of steam yet, though, and with the addition of artillery, Mamelukes (who you’ll now have the cash to upgrade), and Mercenary Dragoons or Grenadiers you can still field formidable hordes.

Since you’re missing the last farming tech and its huge 180% efficiency boost, you should probably focus your harvesting on other resources to maximize your income. Try to mine stone and build Fishing Boats when you can. Also, upgrade your gold mines so you can afford the loads of mercenaries you’ll be fielding.

Things are even better on water maps. With the addition of tough, fast-firing Xebecs and mighty Battleships, Algeria can make their fleets even more deadly. They even get to do it sooner than their European opponents thanks to their massive discount on the ship construction speed tech, allowing them to build a powerful late-game fleet sooner than other factions save Turkey.


On to pillage! Algerian troops push into a Russian base. As usual, the expendable Light Infantry go in first to tank bullets followed by the Mamelukes and mercs.

Late game (late 18th century)

Legacy of the Barbarossas: A late-game Algerian base.

This is it; the bottom of the barrel, the corsair without limbs, the nation that brought a sword to a gunfight.

Algeria is easily the weakest nation in the late game bar none. With no native musketeers, a gimped food economy, and an army that gets obliterated by massed gunfire, Algeria just doesn’t have anything to compete with European or even other non-European countries.

How you should proceed in this era depends on the in-game situation. If you’re alone against a competent, non-crippled European player, your only realistic options are to surrender or die gloriously. If you have teammates, on the other hand, you can still contribute by maxing out on artillery–the only part of your army that’s as good as other nations’–and using the rest of your army as a giant, disposable bullet screen to shield your allies’ more valuable troops from damage.


Bodyblocking for Denmark: Algerian troops advance to place themselves between their Danish ally’s musketeers and the enemy.

Hurl your infantry out in front of your allies’ armies during battles to shield them from bullets and charging enemies while directing your Cannons and cavalry against the biggest threats. Spend lavishly on Mercenary Dragoons or even consider sending spare gold to your allies. (Make sure to ask them first.) Your men will get slaughtered every time, but you always have more and if it keeps your allies’ musketeers safe, so much the better.

That’s all just on land maps, though. On water maps, Algeria is far better off. With their mighty Xebecs combined with the standard Galleys and Battleships, Algeria boasts arguably the second strongest navy in the game after Turkey. Their only weaknesses are their continued lack of Yachts, missing the balloon tech, and naval landings, which Algeria is both the most vulnerable nation to and the worst at carrying out due to their weak land troops and poor Ferries. Fortunately, your allies can usually provide the balloon and landing troops so you can focus on controlling the seas and bombarding coastal towns.


The most feared harbor in the world: Algerian Shipyards churn out Xebecs for the bey’s fleets while Fishing Boats ply the pristine waters to keep the city fed.

Map Preferences

Flanking maneuver: After a swift and victorious campaign against the enemies further south, the Algerians march north to strike a Saxon base. The Merc Grenadiers provide both fire support and the ability to quickly level early buildings.

When it comes to map settings, Algeria is one of the most binary countries in the game. If it’s a water map or favors early aggression, they’re one of the best nations you can pick. If not, they’re one of the worst factions you could pick and should be avoided at all costs unless you’re intentionally handicapping yourself.

Naturally, the settings that favor Algeria include things like low peacetimes, small maps to minimize rush distances, few chokepoints to make defending harder, and so on. If the game is a free-for-all, then fewer opponents are better since that gives you a better chance of beating them all before the late game rolls around.


Raiding far in the north: Light Infantry and Mercenary Archers rush a Scottish base before the 10-minute mark and before they get too many Clan Swordsmen (which Algeria can really struggle to deal with).

One of the more interesting scenarios for Algeria is team games. Here, Algeria’s role is to be an early bruiser–blitz the nearest enemy and try to deal as much damage as possible before the late game rolls around. It’s not as easy to do since the opposing players will probably be working together; make sure to coordinate with your teammates so you aren’t attacking alone. If you pull it off, you can put your team ahead to make up for your late-game weakness (or better yet, win the match before it ever reaches that point). Screw it up, however, and you’ve basically crippled your team for the rest of the match. It’s a high-risk, high-reward playstyle that perfectly encapsulates Algeria as a faction.


Coin-bought valor: Unable to stand against the Algerians’ numbers, Bavarian mercenaries fix bayonets and charge straight at the onrushing horde.

Tutorials & Example Games

A collection of great Algeria 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?list=PL9MM6y8GRIFcfOaVMvUGSZ7s3HANGpEPd

3. Algeria mirror match between Baton and Rippi showing off the typical Light Infantry and mercenary spam.
https://youtu.be/yWEKMwZ6SYc?list=PL9MM6y8GRIFcfOaVMvUGSZ7s3HANGpEPd&t=2397

4. A 0-peacetime Light Infantry rush from colorfit. As mentioned, this strategy is more difficult to pull off than the Ottoman Pike rush but it can pay big dividends if you make it work.
https://youtu.be/wzYneyrZGAY?t=3034

5. A fast-paced naval war between two Algerian players. Features the full suite of warships including Galleys, Xebecs, and Battleships.
https://youtu.be/tRDH0ji9jvU?list=PL9MM6y8GRIFcfOaVMvUGSZ7s3HANGpEPd

6. A long 15-minute peacetime Algeria mirror match from Odin with yet more Light Infantry spam.
https://youtu.be/RyNF0UUUFsw?t=742

Closing Remarks

Modern flag of Algeria, first adopted in 1962. Representing the nation’s reemergence after more than a century of French colonial rule, the colors and symbols are supposed to highlight the nation’s rich cultural heritage (although the exact meaning of each component is still debated).

That’s Algeria–bane of the early game, laughingstock of the late game! One of the most predictable, same-y, and ridiculously fun nations in the game. (Spaaaaaaaam!!!!!)

Making this guide was a fun learning experience as I really had to buckle down and get good at using Mercenary Dragoons while growing my early economy, which is a staple of high-level play and mandatory for maxing out Algeria’s power. It takes practice for sure, but the payoff is well worth it. I’ve also come to appreciate Algeria as a unique faction. For the longest time I agreed with everyone who saw them as just a slightly reskinned Turkey, but now I enjoy their single-minded focus on drowning foes in large, cheap hordes. Then again I like spam-focused factions so that definitely affects my enjoyment. (Still wouldn’t mind seeing them get more units, though. Maybe the old camel gunners can make a comeback?)

But what do you think of Algeria? Do you like their quirkiness and focus on quantity, or do you get sick of their small roster and binary playstyle? Let me know!

Other nation guides:

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