Pistolero

Pistolero
Unit information
Introduced in	Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs
Type	Infantry Heavy infantry Ranged infantry Gunpowder infantry Musket infantry* Outlaw*
Age	Commerce Age Fortress Age (Native Americans)
Training
Trained at	Tavern (Europeans) Native Embassy (Native Americans)* Monastery (Asians) Lombard (Italians)
Population	4
Coin	90
Training time	40 seconds
Statistics
Hit points	150
Resists	30% vs. Melee
Speed	4.5
Line of Sight	16
XP train bounty	18
XP bounty	18
Melee damage
Attack	12
Multipliers	×3.0 vs. Cavalry ×2.2 vs. Shock infantry
Range	1.5
Rate of Fire	1.5
Ranged damage
Attack	15
Range	2-12
Rate of Fire	1.5
Siege damage
Attack	24
Range	6
Rate of Fire	3.0

“	A dangerous outlaw with a pistol.	”
—In-game description

The Pistolero is an outlaw in Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs available on the Amazonia, Araucania, Bayou, Carolina, Colorado, Dakota, Orinoco, Painted Desert, Pampas, Rockies, Sonora, Unknown, Yucatán, and Yukon maps.

Overview

The Pistolero is an Outlaw unit armed with a pistol. As with other outlaws they cost little coin but many population slots, though their population cost can be lowered with the Theaters shipment. Compared to standard Musketeers, Pistoleros are faster and slightly more powerful.

Pistoleros are difficult to recommend beyond the Commerce Age, as standard Musketeers will eventually outdamage them with their upgrades. For Dutch, German, and Chinese players, who do not have a musket unit, Pistoleros are still a decent option, unless a better mercenary such as the Fusilier or Highlander is available.

Upgrades

The Pistolero upgrades in the Industrial Age and the Imperial Age when Compunction, Folk Heroes, or Wild West are researched.

• +30% hit points and attack
• +50% hit points and attack

Further statistics

Unit strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs.	Cavalry, shock infantry
Weak vs.	Light infantry, counter-skirmishers, artillery
Improvements
Hit points	Corselet (+25%; Spanish only) Compunction (+20%; Asians only) Folk Heroes (+20%; Europeans only) Wild West (+20%; Mexicans and Native Americans only) Thin Red Line (+20%; British only) Second Guarantee (+15%; Mexicans only) Flint Lock (+10%) Cree Tanning (+5%) Navajo Weaving (+5%) Tar Kilns (+5%)
Attack	Compunction (+20%; Asians only) Folk Heroes (+20%; Europeans only) Wild West (+20%; Mexicans and Native Americans only) Paper Cartridge (+15%) Second Guarantee (+15%; Mexicans only) Smokeless Powder (+10%) Armatoloi (+5%) Yoga (+5%) Clenched Fist (+25% hand attack) Socket Bayonet (+20% hand attack)
Resistance	Somali Oryx Hide Shields (+5% ranged resistance)
Line of Sight	Town Watch (+3)
Speed	Tilly's Discipline (+20%; Germans only) Military Drummers (+10%) Quechuan Mountaineering (+10%) Akan Fontomfrom (+5%) Apache Endurance (+5%)
Train time	Compunction (-50%; Asians only) Folk Heroes (-50%; Europeans only) Wild West (-50%; Native Americans only) Standing Army (-25%) Immigrants (-10%) Philhellenism (-10%)
Cost	Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10% coin cost) Golden Liberty (-5% coin cost) Philhellenism (-10%)
Other	Gun Running (Native Embassies can train Pistoleros; Native Americans only) Meritocracy (-20% upgrade cost)
Penalties	Corselet (-15% speed; Spanish only) Coffee Trade (-10% speed; Dutch only) Thin Red Line (-10% speed; British only) Tilly's Discipline (+10% cost; Germans only)

Home City Cards

Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Pistolero

Some cards are highlighted with:
Green	TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team
Purple	Shipment that can be sent an INFINITE number of times
Blue	Shipment that arrives fast (5 seconds)

All

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Liberation March	Infantry, cavalry, and shock infantry get +5% speed and -35% train time		N/A
Fencing School	Infantry and shock infantry train time -40% (also +2 Uhlans for the Germans)		10
Outlaw Combat	Upgrades Filibusters to Veteran (if not already); outlaws and mercenaries get +15% hit points and attack; costs 750 coin		N/A
Bandit Gang	Ships 20 random outlaws; costs 2,000 coin		40

• "Liberation March" is available to the Mexicans and Spanish.
• "Fencing School" is available to the Aztecs and Europeans (except French, Maltese, Ottomans, and Spanish).
• "Outlaw Combat" is available to Baja California and Mexico.
• "Bandit Gang" is available to the Lakota and Maya.

Asians

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Atonement	Iron Troopers/Jat Lancers/Yojimbo can be trained at the Monastery and available one age early; outlaws use -2 population (also +1 Villager for the Indians)		10

British

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Musketeer/Grenadier Hitpoints	Musket infantry and grenade trooper get +15% hit points		10

Chinese

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Western Reforms	All units get +8% hit points and attack		40
Acupuncture	All units' train time -20%		10

Dutch

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Infantry Hitpoints	Infantry get +10% hit points; Dutch-only infantry get +15% hit points instead		10

Ethiopians

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Coffee Consumption	Ranged infantry get +5% speed

Europeans

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Theaters	Upgrades the Tavern to the Theater which can train Ronin; outlaws use -2 population		1
Wanderlust	Land units get +5% hit points; land villagers and wagons get +5% speed		N/A

• "Theaters" is not available to the Germans.
• "Wanderlust" is available to the British and Dutch upon revolting to South Africa.

French

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Senegalese Riflemen	Ranged infantry get +10% attack; French and Hausa-only ranged infantry get +15% attack instead		10
Royal Fencing School	Infantry and shock infantry train time -40%; +3 Royal Musketeers		N/A

Germans

Card	Description	Age
Witch Hammer	Ships 3 Inquisitors; Inquisitors can be trained at Tavern/Mercenary Camps, Town Centers, Church, and Outposts; outlaws use -2 population; +2 Uhlans

Haudenosaunee

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Scout Infantry	Infantry get +8 Line of Sight		10
Wampum	Training units and constructing buildings grants +35% XP		N/A

Inca

Card	Description	Age
Road Building	Land military units get +10% speed
Couriers	Infantry, cavalry, and shock infantry train time -45%
TEAM Inca Bridges	Ships 1 Chasqui; infantry, land villagers, healing units, and Envoys get +5% speed

Indians

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Dravidian Martial Arts	All units get +15% hand attack; Rajputs get +30% hand attack instead; +1 Hindu Villager		40
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics	All units get +5% hit points and attack		25
Fencing School	Infantry train time -40%; +1 Hindu Villager		10
Zamindars	Infantry train time -20%; receives 2 Sepoys instead of 1 Villager with every Home City shipment; +2 Sepoys		1

Italians

Card	Description	Age
Infantry Hitpoints	Infantry get +15% hit points
Schiavoni Swords	Infantry and cavalry get +15% hand attack

Japanese

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Onin War	Infantry get +33% siege attack		40
TEAM Sengoku	Unit upgrades cost -20%		1
Bakufu	Daimyo and Shogun Tokugawa get +10% speed, +20 Line of Sight and train units 15% faster; land military units' train time -20%; Banner army train time -10%		10

Lakota

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Moccasins	Infantry get +10% speed		10
Winter Counts	Training units grants +40% XP and constructing buildings grants +20% XP		N/A
Hire Gunslingers	Ships 10 Gunslingers; upgrades Pistoleros to Gunslingers; costs 750 coin		1
Outlaw Band	Ships 19 random outlaws; costs 1,000 coin		10

Maltese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Knights of the Round Table	Ships 1 Hospitaller for each Town Center owned by the player; all units get +2% hit points
Squires	Military buildings train and research work 80% faster, except Forts which train and research work 260% faster

Mexicans

Card	Description	Age
Plan of Tuxtepec	[Plan] Turns all Salteadores into Soldados; musket infantry get +1 Line of Sight and range
TEAM Mariachi	For the next 30 seconds, military buildings work 400% faster and units get +10% speed
Colegio de San Nicolás	Ships 500 XP; units get +4 and buildings (except Walls) get +8 Line of Sight; sees what enemies can see for 20 seconds
Bustamante	The General can build Field Hospitals for free; musket infantry get +10% hit points; Field Hospitals can train Soldados

• "Colegio de San Nicolás" is available upon selecting the Michoacán Federal State.
• "Bustamante" is available upon selecting the San Luis Potosí Federal State.

Ottomans

Card	Description	Age
Matrakci School	Infantry and shock infantry train time -30%; Janissary, Azap, Nizam Fusilier, Abus Gunner, and Humbaraci train time -40% instead

Portuguese

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Gunpowder Infantry Hitpoints	Gunpowder infantry get +15% hit points		10

Russians

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Ransack	Infantry get +50% siege attack		25
Dueling School	Infantry train time -25%		25

Spanish

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Peninsular Guerrillas	Ranged infantry get +20% attack, musket infantry get +10% attack instead; Skirmishers now see the Line of Sight of enemies they attacked for 3 seconds		N/A
TEAM Spanish Inquisition	All units get +10 Line of Sight; +1 Inquisitor		10

Swedes

Card	Description	Age
TEAM House of Bernadotte	Heavy infantry get +15% hit points

Bandit Gunslinger

Bandit Gunslinger
Unit information
Introduced in	Age of Empires III
Type	Treasure guardian
Civilization	Mother Nature
Statistics
Hit points	270
Resists	30% vs. Ranged
Speed	7.0
Line of Sight	20
XP bounty	20
Melee damage
Attack	12
Range	2
Rate of Fire	1.5
Ranged damage
Attack	40
Range	2-12
Rate of Fire	3.0
Siege damage
Attack	24
Range	6
Rate of Fire	3.0

The Bandit Gunslinger (Outlaw Pistolero before update 38254) is the Treasure guardian version of the Pistolero.

Spanish and Portuguese can get 10 Bandit Gunslingers along with Bandit Riders through revolution by selecting Miguel Hidalgo. If one has a War Chief, one should not use it on him for fighting other treasure guardians, but use him as ranged cavalry.

History

“

The term "outlaw" is derived from a Scandinavian designation for the worst sort of criminal imaginable - one who lived outside the protections of the law and should be killed on sight. The gun-slinging, horse-riding, bandana-wearing outlaw of the American frontier is a common image, and one lived up to by famous shootist Billy the Kid, a career thief and cattle rustler. He escaped capture on a number of occasions and is thought to have been shot dead at the age of 21. Some think he died in the early 20th century in the far west Texas town of Hico.

”

Changelog

The WarChiefs

• The Pistolero costs 120 coin, takes 5 population, gives 16 XP when trained or killed, has a ranged rate of fire of 3.0, and does 30 ranged damage.

Definitive Edition

• With update 23511, the Pistolero costs 85 coin, takes 4 population, gives 17 XP when trained or killed, has a ranged rate of fire of 1.5, does 15 ranged damage, is tagged as musket infantry and outlaw and can be trained by Native Americans in the Fortress Age at the Native Embassy.

The African Royals

• With update 38254, the Outlaw Pistolero was renamed to Bandit Gunslinger.

In-game dialogue

Before update 23511

The Pistolero, as well as Comanchero and Renegado, speak in Western American English using "Saloon unit" dialogue files, which were used by Sheriff Billy Holme before the Definitive Edition with the pitch raised slightly, while the Outlaw Pistolero speaks Spanish using the Spanish Mortar's dialogue files.

• Select 1 Yeah?
• Select 2 I'm ready
• Select 3 Whatcha need?
• Move 1 Sure thing
• Move 2 Alright
• Move 3 Okay
• Attack 1 You got it!
• Attack 2 I'll get 'em!
• Attack 3 Right

After update 23511

After update 23511 and introduction of the United States major civilization the Pistolero speaks Spanish using the Spanish Mortar's dialogue files. The exception for this is the United States's units (both major and scenario) that speak in Western American English using Sheriff Billy Holme's dialogue files from the Definitive Edition.
The Outlaw Pistolero (Bandit Gunslinger after update 38254) continues to use Spanish Mortar's dialogue files.

Trivia

• Since update 23511, the Pistolero is tagged as Musket infantry, but it does not wield a musket. The same occurs with the Bolas Warrior, the Dacoit, the Gascenya and the Tomahawk.

History

“

On a dusty street, two steely eyed men grimly face one another. A moment of dread anticipation as a tumbleweed rolls past.. and then, two hands slap leather and pistols bark death. When the smoke passes, only one man still stands. The mythos of the American Old West would not be nearly so compelling without its archetypal protagonist: the gunslinger (or pistolero). Their names have become the stuff of legend: Wild Bill Hickok, Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp and his gun fight at the OK Corral. But the reality of a gunfight is never quite as dramatic as depicted. The epic mano-a-mano showdown in the street is more a fixture of Hollywood than history. Most fights resembled drunken brawls, often involving fists and blades rather than bullets. And while some of the most famous gunslingers did meet their makers through showdown or ambush, many others simply passed away after living out their days recounting tall tales of improbable glory.

”

Gallery

An in-game Pistolero

Pistolero stats

Outlaw Pistolero stats

The Pistolero's history portrait

The Outlaw Pistolero's history portrait

An in-game Pistolero in the Definitive Edition

See also

• Gunslinger – United States counterpart
• Desperado – Mexican counterpart