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This article is about the unit type in Age of Empires III. For other uses of the term, see Mercenary. |
Mercenaries are specialist units in Age of Empires III.
Overview
There are two types of Mercenaries:
- Outlaws
- Mercenaries
Outlaws
In the Colonial Age, only outlaw units are available for training. Outlaws are like mercenaries, they are improved versions of units, but, unlike mercenaries, are the improved version of very basic units. They usually cost more population but less coins compared to mercenaries. The types of outlaws available are fixed depending on the map.
Examples are Renegado, which are improved Skirmishers and Pirates, which are improved Rodelero.
Mercenaries
Mercenaries can be shipped from the Home City or trained in the Saloon (or Monastery for Asian Civilizations). Unlike standard unit shipments (such as military units and Villagers), mercenaries cost large amounts of coin (usually ~100 coin per unit), 1000 coin for Fortress Age shipments of a large squad, and 2000 for Industrial Age shipments of small armies of varied units. The mercenaries themselves are tougher versions of their normal counterparts. They usually cost more coins but less population compared to outlaws.
Examples of mercenaries include Swiss Pikemen, which have greatly increased HP and 22 attack compared to the normal 8, and Hackapells, which do not have a significant durability bonus compared to normal cavalry but the 121 attack (compared to the Veteran Uhlan's 44 in the Fortress Age, when you can get them) tends to make up for this somewhat. Also, although not technically a mercenary, the shipments provided by the 'Church Upgrade' cards function similarly to mercenaries, such as Kalmucks (Dragoons) for the Russians and L'Armée D'Imperial (27 Grenadiers by the Industrial Age) shipments for the French, as you pay a load of resources and can only order them once, although this doesn't use up a shipment card. When a player constructs a Saloon, the mercenaries they train will vary depending on the map and are randomly available every game.
NOTE: Mercenaries are not available in the demo version.
Available Mercenaries
Outlaws
| Unit icon | Outlaw | Use | Base unit | Maps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Pirate | Melee Infantry | Rodelero | Amazonia, Carribean, Hispañola, New England, Orenoque, Patagonia, Saguenay |
| Renegado | Ranged | Skirmisher | Andes, Bayou, California, Carolina, Great Lakes, Great Plains, New England, Rockies, Texas | |
| Comanchero | Ranged Cavalry | Dragoon | Andes, Araucania, California, Great Lakes, Great Plains, Northwest Territory, Painted Desert, Pampas, Patagonia, Saguenay, Sonora, Texas, Yucatàn, Yukon | |
| Pistolero | Musketeer | Musketeer | Amazonia, Araucania, Bayou, Carolina, Orinoco, Painted Desert, Pampas, Rockies, Sonora, Unknown, Yucatàn, Yukon | |
| Wokou Pirate | Hand Infantry | Rodelero | Borneo, Indochina | |
 |
Dacoit | Ranged Infantry | Musketeer | Deccan, Indochina, Himalayas, Silk Road |
 |
Thuggee | Ranged Infantry | Skirmisher | Deccan |
| Wokou Ronin | Melee Infantry | Samurai | Mongolia, Siberia
Honshu | |
 |
Wokou Horseman | Cavalry Archer | Cavalry Archer | Himalayas, Mongolia, Siberia, Silk Road, Yellow River |
 |
Wokou Monk | Archer Infantry | Yumi Archer | Yellow River |
Mercenaries
( * ) Requires the Atonement card from Home City