The Spy moves very quickly, and has the stealth ability, although it can be seen at all times by enemy Explorers, Town Centers, Forts, and some other units and buildings. When in stealth mode, spies move twice as slow as normal. They are also highly resistant to special abilities, taking much less damage than non-Spies do.
The Spy is very good at scouting the enemy without them knowing, giving advance notice on what they are building and when they will attack. The Spy has a very low base damage, but huge multipliers against Mercenaries, and especially against Heroes. The Spy can easily change the tide of a battle by coming in stealthed, and unstealthing and taking out enemy Mercenaries (including Li'l Bombards). With all speed improvement upgrades (including the Quechuan Mountaineering), the German Spy is the melee infantry with the highest speed, 8.75.
Special abilities[]
Carbine Attack (automatically activated when attacking a hero or mercenary with a cooldown of 75 seconds; requires the "Assassins" Home City Card): The Spy makes shot that does 10 damage (with a ×40.0 multiplier against heroes and ×20.0 against mercenary) from a range of 20.
Pistol Attack (automatically activated when attacking a hero or Mercenary with a cooldown of 45 seconds; requires the "Agents" Home City Card): The Spy makes shot that does 20 damage (with a ×5.0 multiplier against heroes and ×3.5 against mercenary) from a range of 12.
Upgrades[]
The Spy is automatically upgraded in every Age starting from the Fortress Age.
The Ethiopians can get access to the Church by allying with the Jesuits, while the Hausa can get access to the Mosque by allying with the Moroccans. Both civilizations can train Spies for 125 influence.
All civilizations that cannot train Spies can receive them by a Russian player sending the "TEAM Time of Troubles" Home City Card.
Revolutionary[]
(Definitive Edition) The United States can sent the "Knowlton's Continental Rangers" card, which ships 12 Spies and upgrades them to Knowlton Rangers, giving +60% hit points, a ranged attack, and changing unit type from hand infantry to ranged infantry. Additionally, this card reduces the effects of other Spy cards, such as the "Agents" card, which reduces hit points by 40% and gives +5 Line of Sight instead; the "Assassins" card, which gives +50% attack and +2.0 attack multiplier against heroes and mercenaries instead; and also the Military Drummers technology, which gives +2% speed instead.
Consulate units' train time -50%; Consulate technologies' cost -40% (-300 export for Brigades) and research time -50% (except Brigades) (also +1 Hindu Villager for the Indians)
Ships 12 Spies; upgrades Spies to Knowlton Rangers, which get +60% hit points, +15 Line of Sight, a ranged attack, and now are tagged as ranged infantry instead of hand infantry; reduces the effects of the "Agents", "Assassins" Home City Cards, and Military Drummers technology for Spies; costs 1,000 food
"Fencing School" is not available to the French, Maltese, and Spanish.
"Wanderlust" is available to the British and Dutch upon revolting to South Africa, and can be sent 3 times.
"Knowlton's Continental Rangers" and "Pennsylvania Long Rifles" are available to the British, Dutch, French, Italians, and Swedes upon revolting to the United States.
Daimyo and Shogun Tokugawa get +5% speed, +10 Line of Sight and train units 15% faster; land military unit train time -20%, artillery and banner army train time -10% instead
Ships 1 Carbine Cavalry for each shipment sent so far this game including this one; unit train time (except Heavy Cannons), technology research time, and age-up time -10%; costs 250 food, 250 wood
"Indiana Mobilization" is available upon selecting the Indiana Federal State.
Consulate units' train time -50%; Consulate technologies cost -40% (-400 export for Brigades) and research time -50% (except Brigades) (also +1 Villager for the Indians)
With update 14.43676, Spies cost 110 coin, give 11 XP when trained or killed, get their portrait updated, and get new portraits after sending the "Agents" and "Assassins" Home City Cards.
With update 15.30007, ranged attack range reduced to 12 from 16 and negative damage multipliers against heavy cavalry now apply to all cavalry.
History[]
“
For as long as there have been presidents and kings, governments have enlisted the aid of individuals for espionage. During the turbulent seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, spies were used by various governments to uncover secrets and identify opportunities for attack. Spies were known to use a variety of tools and technologies, such as invisible ink and secret codes. The fledgling government of the United States of America found itself embroiled in multiple assaults by loyalist spies - including secret messages sent to agents of the crown by William Franklin, Benjamin Franklin's own son!
”
Trivia[]
Even though the default Spy's icon showed a revolver before update 14.43676, it always used a dagger by default instead.
The aforementioned revolver is fully modeled and animated in the game files, and can be enabled via modding. The reason for making the Spy a melee unit is unknown. Since update 13.27885, the "Agents" Home City Card unlocks the "Charge Pistol Attack" special ability, which makes the Spy to use its revolver.
With update 14.43676, the default Spy's icon now correctly shows a dagger.
Gallery[]
An in-game Spy
Spies in stealth and attack mode
Spy model
In-game Spy in the Definitive Edition
Spy portrait after sending the "Agents" Home City Card, previously used as default
Spy portrait after sending the "Assassins" Home City Card
Views of the Agent, with the golden trim on the pleats of his outfit
Agents firing a revolver when using their ability
Many views of the Assassin, with a blade longer than the Spy