Template:Infobox UnitThe Hoop Thrower is a heavy infantry unit in Age of Empires III.
Overview
The hoop thrower throws burning rings (hoops) at the enemy. It is classified as a Heavy Infantry/Siege Trooper unit (like the Grenadier) and can be recruited from the Artillery Foundry in Act I: Blood (with Morgan Black and the Knights of St. John). The Hoop Thrower is effective against the Ottoman Janissary unit. This unit is only available to scenarios and campaigns in Age of Empires III. Only the Knights of St. John can train this unit.
Use
- The x4.0 versus Janissaries does not actually appear in-game on their stat card, the only method of testing that it is working is to attack a Janissary with a Hoop Thrower.
- Due to their extremely slow fire rate Hoop Throwers are not that impressive unless massed, which takes up sizeable chunks of population. Lancers are ultimately better, though they lack an area of effect outside of Trample Mode, they kill Janissaries very quickly and can respond to threats much faster or avoid total annihilation due to their speed.
History
| “ | During the Siege of Malta in 1565, the defenders of Malta (the Knights of St. John) relied heavily on incendiary weapons, including ones called the "firework hoop." These weapons, made of gunpowder and wood, were used against advancing Janissaries as they attempted to storm Fort St. Elmo. The incendiary weapons were highly effective, forcing the Janissaries to fall back from their attack. Approximately 2,000 elite Janissaries were killed during the assault on Fort St. Elmo, while only about eighty of their enemy died. After the siege the Knights of St. John, also known as the Knights Hospitaller, controlled Malta until 1798. | ” |