This article is about the unit in Age of Empires III. For other uses, see Janissary. |
“ | Powerful heavy Ottoman musket infantry with a lot of hitpoints. | ” |
—In-game description |
The Janissary is a ranged heavy gunpowder infantry in Age of Empires III that is unique to the Ottomans and can be trained at Barracks, Forts, and Galleons.
Overview[]
The Janissary fulfills the role of the Musketeer from other civilizations, though it costs more food than a Musketeer. They are one of the four heavy infantry units available to the Ottomans, the other three being the Humbaraci, Nizam Fusilier, and Azap. They have significantly more hit points than Musketeers.
Although the Janissary marches slowly and is weak against artillery, Rifle infantry, and foot archers, it is strong against cavalry and shock infantry. The Janissary fights at range with a musket and does slightly less ranged damage than a Musketeer and uses a yatagan (Turkish sword similar to Greek kopis and signature weapon of the Janissary) for hand attacks, doing less damage to cavalry than a Musketeer, but more damage to other units. Like the Musketeer, Janissaries can be upgraded to the Imperial level.
In the early Ages, Janissaries combined with Abus Gunners form a somewhat expensive but very powerful combination as artillery such as Falconets is not available until the Fortress Age. Janissaries will devastate any cavalry that come near the group while the Abus Gunners will take out any infantry they meet.
Even if the player does not plan to make Janissaries late in the game (because of the presence of highly upgraded artillery), the player should keep about 10 on hand if the "Battlefield Construction" card is in the player's deck. With this card, Janissaries can build Barracks, Stables, and Artillery Foundries to bring even more pressure to a weakened opponent immediately, and not have to bring a Settler that runs the risk of getting killed on the way to the battlefield to build military buildings. They do build far slower compared to a Settler, so this is why bringing 10 of them will speed up the process (8 can focus on constructing one building while the other two construct others or replace them if they die).
Upgrades[]
Age | Upgrade | Cost | Effect |
---|---|---|---|
Veteran Janissaries | 200 wood 200 coin |
Upgrades Janissaries to Veteran (+20% hit points and attack) | |
Guard Janissaries | 600 wood 600 coin |
Upgrades Janissaries to Guard (+30% hit points and attack); requires Veteran Janissaries | |
Imperial Janissaries | 1,500 wood 1,500 coin |
Upgrades Janissaries to Imperial (+50% hit points and attack); requires Guard Janissaries |
Campaign appearances[]
In the Age of Empires III campaign, Janissaries are led by Sahin The Falcon to attack Morgan Black and the Knights of St. John, battling them for the majority of the campaign. However, with the threat of The Circle, they later assist Morgan in stopping them.
Variants[]
“ | Powerful heavy Ottoman musket infantry with a lot of hitpoints. | ” |
—In-game description |
The Baghdad Janissary (Tufanci Corps before the Definitive Edition) is a counterpart of the Janissary, which starts with +10% hit points and attack.
Upgrades[]
The Baghdad Janissary is automatically upgraded in the Fortress Age, Industrial Age, and Imperial Age:
Civilization differences[]
- The Indians can get Baghdad Janissaries by allying with the Ottomans at the Consulate, which provides Ottoman Expeditionary Force, Ottoman Expeditionary Army, and Ottoman Brigade that includes 7, 13, and 13 Baghdad Janissaries respectively.
Revolutionary[]
- Barbary States and Indonesia can get Baghdad Janissaries through the "Ottoman Expeditionary Army" Home City Card, which ships 12 Baghdad Janissaries.
The Marauding Janissary is a treasure guardian variant of the Janissary. It uses slightly modified stats from the base unit.
Further statistics[]
Unit strengths and weaknesses | |
---|---|
Strong vs. | Cavalry, shock infantry |
Weak vs. | Light infantry, counter-skirmishers, artillery |
Improvements | |
Hit points | Flint Lock (+10%) Cree Tanning (+5%) Navajo Weaving (+5%) Tar Kilns (+5%) |
Attack | Paper Cartridge (+15%) Iroquois Lacrosse (+10%; vanilla Age of Empires III 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 | Military Drummers (+10%) Quechuan Mountaineering (+10%) Akan Fontomfrom (+5%) Apache Endurance (+5%) |
Train speed | Standing Army (-25%) Akan Fontomfrom (-20%) Quechuan Diet (-15%) Immigrants (-10%) |
Cost | Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10% coin cost) Golden Liberty (-5% coin cost) |
Other | Ottoman Brigade (ships 13 Baghdad Janissaries) Meritocracy (-20% upgrade cost) |
Home City Cards[]
- Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Janissary
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 |
---|---|---|
TEAM Senegalese Riflemen | Ranged infantry get +10% attack; French and Hausa-only ranged infantry get +15% attack instead |
- "TEAM Senegalese Riflemen" is available to the French and Hausa.
British[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Grenadier Guards | Musket infantry and grenade troopers get +15% hit points |
Chinese[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Yongle Infrastructure | Ships 1 Mongol Scout; infantry, land villagers, healing units, Envoys, and Disciples get +5% speed |
- "TEAM Yongle Infrastructure" does not stack with the Inca "TEAM Inca Bridges" card.
Dutch[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Infantry Hitpoints | Infantry get +10% hit points; Dutch-only infantry get +15% hit points instead |
Ethiopians[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Coffee Consumption | Ranged infantry get +5% speed |
Haudenosaunee[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Scout Infantry | Ships 1 Native Scout; infantry get +8 Line of Sight |
Inca[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Inca Bridges | Ships 1 Chasqui; infantry, land villagers, healing units, and Envoys get +5% speed |
- "TEAM Inca Bridges" does not stack with the Chinese "TEAM Yongle Infrastructure" card.
Indians[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
Dravidian Martial Arts | All units get +15% hand attack; Rajputs get +20% hand attack instead; +1 Hindu Villager | |
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics | All units get +5% hit points and attack | |
Good Faith Agreements | Consulate units' train time -50%; Consulate technologies' cost -40% (-300 export for Brigades) and research time -50% (except Brigades); +1 Hindu Villager | |
Foreign Trading Companies | Gives a trickle of 0.75 export/sec.; banner army cost -15% export; Indian units cost +2.5% (Hindu Villagers, Fishing Boats, and Sacred Cows cost +5% instead); +1 Hindu Villager |
Japanese[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Sengoku | Unit upgrades cost -20% |
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 |
Mexicans[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Mariachi | For the next 30 seconds, military buildings work 400% faster and units get +10% speed |
Ottomans[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
5 Janissaries | Ships 5 Janissaries | |
6 Janissaries | Ships 6 Janissaries | |
12 Janissaries | Ships 12 Janissaries | |
8 Janissaries | Ships 8 Janissaries | |
9 Janissaries | Ships 9 Janissaries | |
Enderun School | Janissaries, Azaps, and Nizam Fusiliers get +20% hit points and attack | |
Acemi Olglan School | Janissaries, Azaps, and Humbaracis, cost -20%; Nizam Fusiliers cost -10% | |
Kuleli School | Janissaries, Azaps, Nizam Fusiliers, Abus Gunners, grenade troopers, and Bashibozuks get +15% hit points and attack | |
Matrakci School | Infantry and shock infantry train time -30%; Janissary, Azap, Nizam Fusilier, Abus Gunner, and Humbaraci train time -40% instead | |
Derbentler | Janissaries and Azaps can build Barracks, Stables, and Artillery Foundries |
Portuguese[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Gunpowder Infantry Hitpoints | Gunpowder infantry get +15% hit points |
Spanish[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Spanish Inquisition | Ships 1 Inquisitor; all units get +10 Line of Sight |
Swedes[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM House of Bernadotte | Heavy infantry get +15% hit points |
Dutch[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
TEAM Infantry Hitpoints | Infantry get +15% hit points | 10 |
French[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
TEAM Ranged Infantry Attack | Gunpowder infantry and archers get +15% attack | 10 |
Indians[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
Dravidian Martial Arts | All units get +15% hand attack; +1 Villager | 40 | |
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics | All units get +5% hit points and attack | 25 | |
Good Faith Agreements | Consulate units' train time -50%; Consulate technologies' cost -40% (-400 export for Brigades) and research time -50% (except Brigades); +1 Villager | 1 |
Iroquois[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
TEAM Scout Infantry | Infantry get +8 Line of Sight | 10 |
Japanese[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
TEAM Cheaper Unit Upgrades | Unit upgrades cost -20% | 1 |
Ottomans[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
5 Janissaries | Ships 5 Janissaries | 1 | |
6 Janissaries | Ships 6 Janissaries | 1 | |
12 Janissaries | Ships 12 Janissaries | 10 | |
8 Janissaries | Ships 8 Janissaries | 25 | |
9 Janissaries | Ships 9 Janissaries | 25 | |
Janissary Combat | Janissaries get +15% hit points and attack | 1 | |
Acemi Olglan School | Janissaries cost -20% | 25 | |
Battlefield Construction | Janissaries can build Barracks, Stables, and Artillery Foundries | 25 |
Portuguese[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
TEAM Gunpowder Infantry Hitpoints | Gunpowder infantry get +15% hit points | 10 |
Spanish[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
TEAM Inquisition | All units get +10 Line of Sight | 10 |
Changelog[]
Age of Empires III[]
Definitive Edition[]
- Janissaries cost 90 food, 25 coin, give 12 XP when trained or killed, and have 210 hit points.
- With update 23511, Janissaries are tagged as musket infantry.
Knights of the Mediterranean[]
- With update 13.58326, Janissaries have 215 hit points.
History[]
“ | The ranks of the janissaries were filled by all manner of people pressed into the service of the Sultan - slaves, European prisoners of war, or captured Christians. They were not allowed to wear beards or marry, but were known to enjoy wine. There is some disagreement whether they were required to remain celibate. Without families of their own, when a janissary died his property passed to his regiment, or orta - a Turkish word meaning hearth. Their ranks were peppered with culinary terms; the commander was called the "head cook" and the next in command, the "soup distributor". They carried as a symbol of honor a heavy iron pot, which if lost or destroyed greatly disgraced the orta. They were encouraged to be independent, and could be very unruly and even disrespectful to their superiors. Many rose to political prominence in addition to being a powerful military presence. The janissaries were slaughtered in Constantinople in 1826, during an event now called the Auspicious Incident. The janissaries had gathered in protest to Mahmud II's imposition of European drill and discipline on the janissary corps. The sultan ordered them killed with no quarter by his newly raised regiments of European-style soldiers. The janissary corps was broken. Janissaries were known for their colorful dress, white felt hats and remarkable mustaches. They initially were armed with bows, but soon adopted muskets and rifles. | ” |
Gallery[]
See also[]
- Janissary (Age of Empires II)
- Musketeer – other European equivalent
- Ashigaru Musketeer – Japanese equivalent
- Sepoy – Indian equivalent
- Carolean – Swedish equivalent
- Regular – United States equivalent
- Rekrut – Russian equivalent