Royal standard of the Savoyard kings from 1720 to 1848. The design was based on medieval crusader flags such as those of the Knights of Malta, and the red-and-white cross of Savoy would feature front and center on the Italian national flag until 1946.

Availability: The Golden Age DLC
Focus: Balanced, Priests, 18c. Dragoons
Playstyle: European

Hailing from northern Italy and marching under the banner of the dukes and kings of Savoy, Piedmont is a balanced jack-of-all-trades country with good Dragoons in the 18th century and the only unique healer in the game. Those combined with their strong generic units and tech tree make Piedmont a credible threat at every stage of the game, allowing them to change their strategy to suit the needs of the match. I’d feel comfortable taking Piedmont into just about any game, which is something I can’t say about many other factions.

If you like making decisions and reacting to whatever your opponent is doing, enjoy using Priests and 18c. Dragoons, or just want to play a fun country that doesn't shoehorn you into a specific playstyle, Piedmont is a great nation for you.

EDIT 2/17/24: Added details about how Padres compare to Mullahs and Popes, the Islamic and Orthodox Christian healers respectively.

+ Armored 17c. Pikeman
+ Padre–fastest-working healer in the game
+ 18c. Musketeer
+ Piedmontese Dragoon–trains and fires faster but has slightly worse defenses
+ Balloon to reveal the map

Piedmont boasts the standard European buildings, units, and tech tree with no discounts or penalties to speak of, meaning its only unique traits are its two exclusive units, both of which function very similarly to their normal counterparts. This makes Piedmont an easy nation to play, especially for beginners.

Stats:

Cost: 50 food, 40 gold
Training time: 25 seconds

+ Fastest-working healer in the game
+ Outperforms standard Priests and can turn the tide of early engagements
+ Trained at the Cathedral–doesn’t interfere with Peasant or military production
- High gold cost
- Very slow training time
- Requires gold upkeep
- Healing becomes less relevant as battle size increases

Since Piedmont is the only nation in the game with a unique healer, it makes sense that theirs is arguably the best. With a healing rate of 30 health per second (hps), the Padre is the fastest-working medic in the game. None of the other three religious leaders can tend to your troops’ wounds as quickly as these white-robed ministers.

There are some drawbacks, of course. The Padre trains slower than the other healers and has both a higher base gold cost and upkeep. For a full comparison of healing and upkeep rates:

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

This isn't a big issue in-game, and I've never found that it majorly impacts my gold income, but it's just something to keep in mind.

With all that said, the question remains: How meaningful is that increased healing in battle? Does the Padre’s faster healing make up for his higher cost and slower training time compared to other ministers? Do they allow Piedmont to do better in the early game than their otherwise generic 17th century units would suggest?


108 Pikemen and 10 Padres vs. 108 Pikemen and 12 Priests. Even outnumbered 5 to 6, the Padres consistently outperformed the Priests, usually winning with around 30-60 Pikemen left.

The answer is yes. In my tests with equal groups of generic 17c. Pikemen supported by healers, I found that while the resulting battle could go either way, the Padres’ side won the vast majority of the time. It makes sense, as every second the 10 Padres were pumping an extra 60 health into their accompanying troops (300 hps vs. 240).

But that was just against generic 17c. Pikemen. The Padre’s true test comes when facing the stronger 17th century melee units; troops like Portuguese and Polish Pikemen, who are rightly feared for their ability to stomp nations with normal Pikemen in early-game battles. Can the Padre's healing powers turn this matchup around for Piedmont?


108 Piedmontese Pikemen and 10 Padres vs. 120 Austrian Roundshiers and 12 Priests. Both sides were at upgrade level 4 to simulate what they would likely be at in an early engagement.

This time, the answer is potentially yes, but it depends on which nation you’re facing. In a head-on battle with equal upgrades and training time, the Padre-pike combo will beat Austrian Roundshiers any day of the week but can only overcome Spanish Coseletes if the enemy lacks healers of their own; otherwise, the Spaniards stomp as usual. Even stronger rushing units like Swiss Pikemen and Islamic Light Infantry were always able to overwhelm the combo, even without healers of their own (albeit with a little more resistance from the Piedmontese than normal).

(EDIT: Concerning Popes and Mullahs, both will outperform Padres with equal production buildings and training time. This doesn't really matter in-game, though, as Russia, Ukraine, and the Islamic nations are stronger than Piedmont in the early game with or without their healers. In situations where the number of healers on both sides is equal, however, the Padre reigns supreme.)

These tests show pretty clearly how even a relatively small number of Padres can turn the tide of an early fight in Piedmont’s favor. And considering how they train from a Cathedral and thus don’t interfere with Peasant or military production, there’s an argument to be made that they’re a valuable addition to an early Piedmontese army. It’s enough that I think a strong case can be made for the Padre’s usefulness, especially in games with short peacetimes.


Last rites: Padres accompany a mid-game assault on a town.

The biggest challenge to using Padres (and any other healers in Cossacks) is the need to micromanage them. Healers have a very short range and they'll blindly walk into enemy arms like actual melee infantry if given a move command. Try to keep your Padres right behind your front lines, ideally where the fighting is thickest. I’d even recommend control-grouping them so you can direct them more easily.

Base stats:

Full upgrades:

Cost: 60 food, 65 gold, 7 iron max: 60 food, 32 gold, 4 iron min.
Training time: 20.25 seconds max: 13.5 seconds min.
Range: 16.88
Reload speed: 5 seconds max: 2.45 seconds min.

+ Very high attack
+ Cheap attack upgrades
+ Excels against high-armor targets
+ Slightly faster training and reload times than standard 18c. Dragoon
- Slow training time
- Costly defense upgrades
- Slightly less HP and worse melee protection than standard 18c. Dragoon

Compared to the Padre, the Piedmontese Dragoon is a refreshingly simple unit; a slightly altered 18c. Dragoon that fulfills the same role as a mobile, high-attack musketeer, but sacrifices some survivability for slightly improved offense and spammability.

Stat-wise, Piedmontese Dragoons have -25 HP and -2 max physical protection compared to normal 18c. Dragoons. In return, they attack 0.15 seconds faster (2.45 seconds per shot vs. 2.6) and train 1.5 seconds quicker (13.5 seconds vs. 15). Aside from that they’re identical to the base unit, including their jaw-dropping 56 attack.

Their greater squishiness makes keeping your Dragoons behind your blocking troops even more important for Piedmont than other nations. Without Pikemen and/or mercenaries out front absorbing bullets, your Dragoons are at risk of being gunned down. You’ll also want to beware of melee threats, particularly fast cavalry like Hussars who can close quickly and wipe out an isolated group of Dragoons alarmingly quickly.

If you can keep them safe, however, Piedmontese Dragoons are a good addition to your army. They retain the 18c. Dragoon’s massive 56 damage which, combined with their faster reloading and greater numbers, makes them even better at mowing down heavily armored troops like Cuirassiers as well as just about anything else that gets within range.


Piedmontese Dragoons firing from behind a barrier of armored Roundshiers and Pikemen during a final mopping-up. The melee infantry absorb incoming bullets while the Dragoons provide the killing blow.

There’s really not much else to say. Piedmontese Dragoons are just slightly modified 18c. Dragoons who’ll provide a bit more firepower if you keep them safe; an unexciting unit to be sure, but an effective one nonetheless.

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



Rising from the Alps: An early Piedmontese base. Note the Cathedral at the bottom, which I built right after the Diplomatic Center to start producing Padres.

How strong Piedmont is in the early game depends on if you’re using Padres. If you’re not, then Piedmont is a standard European nation–not strong, not weak. If you are using Padres, then their performance improves a bit. I’d place them between Austria and Spain in the early-game power tier, which isn’t amazing but still better than their generic units would imply.

Either way, Piedmont does equally well with both Pikemen and Musketeers. They use the standard European build orders with the exception of prioritizing a Cathedral earlier. (I recommend building it after your Diplomatic Center.)


Kicking Austria out of Italy two centuries early: A Piedmontese rush with pikes, mercs, and Padres.



Starting Dragoon production: A mid-game Piedmontese base.

Piedmont performs much the same in the mid game as it did earlier; good but not dominant. By now you should’ve laid down some Stables and added Cannons to your army.

Advancing to the 18th century sooner is a good idea since it gives you access to your unique Dragoons. You’ll want to snag the musket cost-reducing tech beforehand to save yourself a lot of gold, but once you get that and their cheap attack upgrades you’ll give your army a sizable boost in firepower. That said, don’t be afraid to make Hussars or Cuirassiers if you think the situation calls for it.

In terms of matchups, beware of mid-game powerhouses like Ukraine and Portugal. If you’re on the offensive and have a choice of targets, try to take out stronger late-game nations like Saxony and Denmark before they become a problem.



Risorgimento: A late-game Piedmontese base.

By now nations should have strong economies and be fielding large armies of powerful Musketeers. The same is true for Piedmont, which is capable of raising gunpowder armies slightly faster than most other factions thanks to their faster-training Dragoon.

While not quite on par with the kings of late-game combat, Piedmont can still make a strong showing in this era. An 18th century Piedmontese force with their unique Dragoons plus Musketeers, Roundshiers, artillery, and your 17th century infantry of choice will be just slightly squishier than an equivalent generic army, but makes up for it with greater firepower. With their higher number of faster-firing Dragoons, a Piedmontese force can shred through the enemy’s armored troops and expose their Musketeers sooner than most. Padres won't be as relevant in this era as the massive amounts of firepower being thrown around overwhelms their ability to heal, but they can still make a small difference in battle by keeping some of your soldiers alive and fighting just a little bit longer.


Execution by firing squad: Piedmontese Dragoons gun down some Polish Pikemen in a back alley while storming their base.

Being a very balanced nation means Piedmont doesn't have any real map preferences. They can do well on any map or resource setting, making them a safe option for any match with a lot of random settings. The flip side, of course, is that Piedmont doesn't particularly excel at any one map type. If you know all the game settings beforehand, you'd be better off picking a nation that's more suited for the game in question.

A collection of great Piedmont 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 fun mid-level game that shows how you don't always need to play optimally to have a great time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yff8KLL59Kg

4. A fun 4v4 colorfit game featuring some good Reiter action plus high-level players trying to coach beginners through a game.
https://youtu.be/wzYneyrZGAY?t=5662

5. A short 2v2, 15-minute peacetime game with 17c. Musketeers, Dragoons, and Padres. A good example of the sort of build order to use in these games.
https://youtu.be/frPj_eToRCg

Modern flag of Piedmont, first adopted in 1995. Although the territory is now a mere region of the Italian state it helped create, its flag, much like that of Brandenburg, harkens back to its time as an important player on the European stage.

That's everything to do with Piedmont! I know a lot of people don't find them a very exciting nation, but they have their place and it's cool to see the Savoyard state represented in Cossacks at all.

I hope you enjoyed my guide and found something useful in it, regardless of your level of skill and knowledge. If you have any suggestions or if there's a specific nation you'd like me to cover that I haven't yet, let me know in the comments!

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