Rus is a land of harsh winters and short summers inhabited by humans and Chudes, an exalted race of great strength and beauty. The Chudes and the humans have intermingled and neither race dominate the other. The Rusian society is divided into two moieties. The first is composed of hunters and nomads living in the deep forests. They worship the Bear and the Thunder and eat their meat raw. The warriors of the wild moiety are known for their fury and battle prowess. Their most prominent warriors are even able to take the shape of the sacred bear. The other moiety lives in houses of wood and in caves underneath the ground. They cook their meat and practice a new kind of magic. The Chudes of the second moiety call themselves sons and daughters of gods previously unheard of.

Most of the Rusian armies are composed of human infantry, but the elites of the kingdom are mighty Chudes. Yet the humans also field mighty warriors. The axe wielding Bear Warriors are respected and feared even by the warriors of Ulm. The peoples of Rus prefer a cold climate.

"Imagine cold winters, princes in sable-rimmed cloaks, opulent halls where sinister old men practice vile magics or seduce their masters' wives. Think of Rasputin. Think of orthodox patriarchs and bizarre sect- like movements of religious fanatics living in hiding. Imagine the monsters, heroes and bogatyrs of Russian fairy tales.

. . . . I've also used the Chuds, a people that appears in the myths of various peoples from the eastern Baltic seaboard. I haven't found very much on the Chuds, so they are mostly my creation. The "Pine of Skulls," shape-shifting and shamanic bear cult practices fit the nation. These features, as well as the Thunder Priests mentioned in the descriptions of the nation appear in Rus, the early version of the nation. . . .

I never got around to finish my ideas on Rus for Dominions 4. Instead it became the second of the new nations for Dominions 5. Baltic mythology, Latvian in particular, became an inspirational source for the nation." - Illwinter

If you are considering picking this nation to play, what should you know?

Magic Access	Alt. Access	Unit Summary	Core Abilities	Buildings
3 (rare 4) 3 (rare 4) 2 (rare 3) 1 (rare 2) 1 2 Capital 1	Heroes: 3132 (one, turn 20+) 412/323 (one, turn 15+) 23 (one) Summons: 2124 (requires 6) 31 (requires 2) 22 (requires 3)	Human Infantry, Hunters, and Berserkers Chud Warriors Sacred Chud Werebears	Cold Resistance (5) Snow Move Berserker Shapechanger/Wounded form	Flimsy Forts (Still 2 tiers) Temples cost 300

Capitol Gems: 1212
Cold limit: + 1

Prefers Cold Scale + 2

Flimsy Forts: Rus's "primitive forts," as described on the nation page, are actually a bit of a misnomer; Rus gets their own unique fort line, which happens to be made of wood and uses the palisade graphic for both forts. You will be saving 150 and 1 turn to build your Villages to then upgrade to a Fortress. The downside is that wooden forts have worse administration and about half the defenses against sieges. It's not a bad trade-off, as armies rather than fortifications often decide sieges, and the ability to get a leg up on finishing forts can be more valuable.

: Cold Resistance (5), Snow Move

See Magic Access. These guides supplement the summaries at the top.

With Fire and Air, it is possible to get to 45 to craft The Magic Lamp for Al Khazim - Jinn, who has 5533.

3 Daughter of the Sun (1 in 4) is the best recruitable start. Neither it nor any of the other recruitable mages have useful crosspaths.

Perkunu and a 3 Thunder Priest (1 in 4) are both one level away from the key 4. If there were a way to increase the 1 of the Perkunu one level, it could potentially make the unique Tome of High Power, but all other recruitable mages in the nation have at most 1 as well. Empowerment is probably the only option.

The hero, Perkuna Tete - Daughter of the Thunder, starts at the key 4.

3 can Contact Gamayun (22) and can craft the unique Tome of High Power.

No recruitable access but Baba Yaga - Hag starts with 1. With a Water Bracelet it can make natively, it can reach 2.

2 can Send Vodyanoy who has 31.

1 Rusian Wizard (1 in 4) and 1 Thunder Priest (1 in 4) are your only options here. In a chicken-and-the-egg situation, an Earth booster is needed to make the first Earth booster. Empowerment is needed. With a Nature booster, both can potentially create the unique The Tome of Gaia.

The hero, Perkuna Tete - Daughter of the Thunder, in Daughter of the Oak shape, can craft Earth Boots and the unique The Tome of Gaia. It can't wear the boots in that shape though, so it's stuck at 3.

31 can Contact Beregina, who only needs an Earth booster to craft the unique The Tome of Gaia.

Same with Contact Leshiy by 6.

All EA Rus's mages have at least a chance of 1. Astral and Earth would be a useful crosspath, but it's one or the other. The Fire crosspath, especially 21 Daughter of the Sun (1 in 4), can potentially make the unique The Forbidden Light.

The hero, Vod - Son of the Bear, has 2 but no useful crosspaths.

4 can Contact Cloud Vila, who, with an Astral booster, can craft the unique Tome of High Power.

Similarly, N4, which is more accessible, can Contact Mountain Vila, who can do the same.

No national access except Baba Yaga - Hag with 3 and no other useful crosspaths.

3 can cast Forest Troll Tribe for 1.

2 is common among EA Rus's mages. Getting an Earth booster (Earth Boots) and a Thistle Mace to a 11 mage allows them to potentially create the unique The Tome of Gaia. Giving both the Thistle mace and The Tome of Gaia to an 11 mage allows it to make a Moonvine Bracelet. Without all three, an 2 mage cannot make it to 5 to make the next booster and empowerment will be needed.

The hero, Vod - Son of the Bear, has 23, so it can make the Moonvine Bracelet natively. It also only needs two Nature boosters to get to 5, so it's not dependent on the unique Tome of Gaia.

The hero, Perkuna Tete - Daughter of the Thunder, in Daughter of the Oak shape, can natively craft the unique The Tome of Gaia. The hero only has two Misc. slots though, limiting its usefulness.

2 can Send Vodyanoy who has 31 and can Contact Naiad (3).

No native access. 3 can cast Forest Troll Tribe for a 1 in 4 chance of 1.

No native access. 5 can cast Awaken Treelord for a 1 in 3 chance of a stationary 1.

How to win as the nation. Feel free to use the following sections, or delete them, or change them.

Different expansion options.

Early game options.

Mid game options.

Late game options.

What are the nation's weaknesses?

Add links to guides or other overviews for this nation here.

Nations
Early Ages	Arcoscephale • Ermor • Ulm • Pyrène, • Marverni • Sauromatia • T'ien Ch'i • Machaka • Mictlan • Abysia • Caelum • C'tis • Pangaea • Agartha • Tir na n'Og • Fomoria • Vanheim • Helheim • Niefelheim • Muspelheim • Rus • Kailasa • Lanka • Yomi • Hinnom • Ur • Berytos • Xibalba • Mekone • Ubar • Atlantis • R'lyeh • Pelagia • Oceania • Therodos
Middle Ages	Arcoscephale • Ermor • Sceleria • Pythium • Man • Eriu • Ulm • Pyrène • Marignon • Mictlan • T'ien Ch'i • Machaka • Agartha • Abysia • Caelum • C'tis • Pangaea • Asphodel • Vanheim • Jotunheim • Nidavangr • Vanarus • Bandar Log • Shinuyama • Ashdod • Uruk • Nazca • Xibalba • Phlegra • Phaeacia • Ind • Na'ba • Atlantis • R'lyeh • Pelagia • Oceania • Ys
Late Ages	Arcoscephale • Pythium • Lemuria • Man • Ulm • Marignon • Mictlan • T'ien Ch'i • Jomon • Agartha • Abysia • Caelum • C'tis • Pangaea • Midgård • Utgård • Bogarus • Patala • Gath • Ragha • Xibalba • Phlegra • Vaettiheim • Feminie • Piconye • Andramania • Atlantis • R'lyeh • Erytheia