The Winged Hussar is a unique heavy cavalry unit of the Polish civilization in Civilization VI.
In the Gathering Storm expansion, the Winged Hussar replaces the Cuirassier and requires 10 
Iron to train.
- Common abilities:
- Ignores enemy zone of control.
- Special abilities:
- Pushes back enemies if it does more damage than it takes when attacking. Defenders that cannot be pushed back take additional damage.
Strategy[]
With its mighty lance, high mobility, and intimidating stature, it's easy to understand why enemies want to flee from the Winged Hussar. It has higher 
Combat Strength than any of the other units of its era by a long shot, and its ability to push back the enemy lines makes it a powerful weapon if Poland decides to go on the offensive. A force of 2-4 Winged Hussars can drive enemy units away from a besieged city and allow other Polish units to attack it without fear of retaliation. It's also great at clearing Barbarian outposts, since it can force the defending unit off the tile and capture the outpost in one fell swoop.
The Winged Hussar is superior to the Knight in conquest and becomes available much earlier than the Cuirassier it replaces, meaning that other civilizations have virtually no counterplay to this unit beyond training Pike and Shots en masse, which still barely have more Combat Strength with their bonus against cavalry. Because of this, the only civilization that can reliably defeat a horde of Winged Hussars is Sweden, with their unique Pike and Shot replacement.
When attacking, if the Winged Hussar deals more damage than it takes, it can push the enemy back to 1 of the 3 tiles behind the enemy, not just strictly the tile directly behind. This unique dislocation mechanic allows for really cool tactics. You can go around the enemy lineup and break it by pushing a unit (ideally a ranged or siege unit) towards your line of defense, push enemies out of their Forts or other defensive tile improvements, or push enemies out of formation to capture or kill civilian units, or to simply reduce their flanking and support bonus. You can even push units onto water tiles, which either forces them to waste at least one turn disembarking or makes them easy prey for your navy (and inflicts additional damage if the opponent hasn't discovered technologies that enable embarkation). The possibility for messing up is also there though, since players who forget about the knockback risk sending their Winged Hussars into the midst of enemy lines or within firing range of City Centers and Encampments.
One more uniqueness of the Winged Hussar is that they are unlocked via the civics tree, making early 
Culture generation essential for Poland. Try to pump out as many new cities as you can, build Monuments, go for a pantheon that supplies Culture (or Religious Settlements in Gathering Storm), appoint Pingala with the Connoisseur title immediately, and beeline Mercantilism. You should detour on the religious branch for Mysticism so that you can unlock the Revelation policy card. If you want to go a step further, pick Choral Music as your Follower Belief instead of Reliquaries (unless you're determined to go down the cultural path, in which case you still need to discover Mercantilism before other civilizations unlock Pike and Shots). After unlocking Winged Hussars, discover Divine Right to unlock the Chivalry policy card, then slot it and train as many of them as you need. The best part is that 
Science and Campuses no longer matter for Poland at this point - once you start conquering, Science will naturally pour in.
Civilopedia entry[]
Polish military reforms of the late 1570s gave birth to the winged hussars, a fearsome heavy cavalry force who would enjoy their elite status for the next two centuries. Rather than fielding cavalry comprised of foreign mercenaries, Transylvanian prince Stephen Bathory (also Grand Duke of Lithuania, King-by-right-of-his-wife of Poland, and collector of increasingly impressive titles) filled the ranks of the winged hussars with Polish nobility and their retinues. The famed "wings" were wooden frames with feathers attached, borne on a rider's back to clearly distinguish them. It was said the distinctive sound of the wings startled enemy horses and demoralized enemy soldiers with an "evil hiss"—by novelists of later centuries, who likely romanticized a ceremonial accessory. Far less contentious a question are the lances, sabers, and pistols the winged hussars brought to the battlefield, which no doubt startled enemy horses and demoralized enemy soldiers.
Gallery[]
.jpg "Winged Hussar concept art (Civ6).jpg (250 KB)")
.png "Historic Moment Winged Hussar (Civ6).png (552 KB)")
See also[]
- Winged Hussar in other games
