The Skirmisher is a Medieval Era recon unit in Civilization VI: Gathering Storm. It upgrades from the Scout (or its replacements).
- Attributes:
- Has a ranged attack with
Range 1. - -17 Ranged Strength against District defenses and naval units.
- Gains XP when activating Tribal Villages (+5 XP) and discovering natural wonders (+10 XP), besides the normal gains from combat.
- Has a ranged attack with
Strategy[]
Since the Skirmisher is a recon unit and exploration isn't a high priority when the late Medieval Era rolls around, it's very hard to get a lot of use out of this unit. While more durable than the Scout, it has the same 
Combat Strength as the basic Warrior and slightly higher 
Ranged Strength than the Archer, it doesn't hold up well against Medieval Barbarians and is unlocked too late to amp up its XP gain with the Survey policy card. Thus, unless you play as the Inca (whose Warak'aq replaces the Skirmisher) or the Scottish (who can slot Survey and try to earn the Ambush 
Promotion for their recon units before upgrading them to Highlanders), you can ignore this unit and your empire won't suffer too much. Until the Spec Ops is unlocked, the main purpose of recon units is exploring safely, and the Scout fulfills this purpose without the 
Gold/
Production investment the Skirmisher requires.
Civilopedia entry[]
Encounters between small groups of soldiers are generally termed skirmishes. These are too small to warrant the definition of battle, and are characterized by low numbers of combatants on both sides. Skirmishes may precede a general battle, as reconnaissance edges into recon-by-force. In these situations, soldiers who are most effective fighting in small groups while remaining in contact with the larger army will tend to triumph.
As the late classical age edged into the medieval period, there was a general decrease in the size of fighting forces, in part because state-sponsored armies were less common, but also because of the rise of the personal retinue by the nobility as part of the feudal system. Viking nobles had personal households that accompanied them on raids. As the Hundred Years' War ground on, English soldiers practiced the chevauchee—a destructive pattern of raiding by small groups of soldiers (often without sanction). The skirmisher represents these kinds of forces. Tough, seasoned warriors, capable of living in the field, surviving on their wits, and ready to withdraw if faced by tougher foes.
See also[]
- Skirmisher in other Civilization games
