The Pikeman is a Medieval Era anti-cavalry unit in Civilization VI. It upgrades from the Spearman (or its replacements).
In the Rise and Fall expansion, the Pikeman can upgrade to a Pike and Shot. In the Gathering Storm expansion, its 
Production cost is decreased from 200 to 180, its 
Gold purchasing cost is decreased from 800 to 720, and its Gold maintenance cost is decreased from 3 to 2.
- Attributes:
- +10
Combat Strength vs. light, heavy, and ranged cavalry units.
- +10
Strategy
Come the Medieval Era, civilizations with access to 
Iron can start fielding Knights, whose great mobility and 
Combat Strength can be devastating on the battlefield. Pikemen are your best defense against them, and have the advantage of not requiring any resources to produce. Use their long pikes to keep enemy Knights at bay, and provide a decent line of defense even if you have no Iron. Try to avoid having them fight Men-At-Arms, however, until they earn the Thrust and Schiltron 
Promotion - Pikemen with these promotions are a force to be reckoned with, but without them, the +5 combat bonus Men-At-Arms receive against anti-cavalry units will turn the tide in their favour.
Make sure to upgrade your Pikemen as soon as possible. Pikes alone become useless against the muskets of the Cavalry, while the Pike and Shot is able to resist them, thanks to its inherent bonus vs. mounted.
Like the Spearmen from which they upgrade, Pikemen serve as the guards of barbarian outposts, making them difficult for Knights to capture and allowing them to withstand a few attacks from stronger cavalry units.
Civilopedia entry
A pike is, basically, a very long spear, used for thrusting the sharp point into someone instead of throwing it at them. Very effective against other foot soldiers and especially against horsemen of all types. Indeed, besides longbowmen and muddy ground, the pike was about the only thing that would dissuade mounted knights from riding the peasants down. Thus, the pike was best used in mass formations, as by the Greek phalanx or Swiss mercenaries or German landsknechts. However, as it’s difficult to hold a pike with two hands and a shield simultaneously, pikemen tended to be vulnerable to archers and swordsmen; they weren’t much good in a melee. But if it could maintain close ranks, a pike-armed mass could roll right over the opposition, and could anchor the flanks against knights. During the heyday of its use in the Renaissance Era, the pikes became longer and longer, eventually some being 22 feet or so.
See also
- Pikeman in other Civilization games
