Explorer

The Explorer is a unique Hero Unit that is available for all European civilizations in Age of Empires III.

Game Info
The Explorer is a very strong Unit that explores the uncharted areas of the map and also provides economical and military benefits for your growing colony. The Explorer usually is available only once in the beginning of a game and has many special abilities to help himself.

Armed with a powerful rifle the Explorer can use his Sharpshooter ability to pick off one Treasure Guardian in a single shot and later learns Eye of Assassin which can be used on enemy units in a similar manner. The Portuguese Explorer also has the ability to use his spyglass to see into unexplored territory. The Explorers are also one of the two units in the game (the other being the Settler) that can collect treasures. The Explorer can build a Trading Post to boost your economy and can also build Town Centers while Settlers cannot. The Explorer is also useful because he cannot be killed, but he can be wounded. If an Explorer's hitpoints fall to zero, he will "faint", at which point he cannot move and cannot fight. The Explorer can be revived by paying 100 gold at the Town Center or by sending friendly units to his vicinity. The explorer's hitpoints must be above 100 in order to be rescued by a friendly unit.

The Explorer is able to explore and fight longer if he has an Explorer Party, which is just a group of friendly units that can back the Explorer up if he has taken too much damage. Explorer cannot be used to raid enemy settlements early in the game as it has a 0.3x damage against settlers and villagers. It is also very weak against spies and ninjas.

The Portuguese have a Industrial Age home city card, Bandeirantes, that ships 2 additional Explorers. The Spanish Explorer can train up to five War Dogs, which are effective against treasure guardians.

Every European Civilization has its own Home City card improvement for their Explorer which improves his fighting ability and sends him a Canine Companion, which are powerful war dogs that also collapse if their hitpoints fall to zero, rather than die. Instead of receiving a canine companion, the Spanish war dogs hitpoints and attack are increased instead.

British - Captain
Improves the British Explorer in combat, and gives the powerful area of effect ability, Swashbuckler.



Dutch - Stadhouder
Improves the Dutch Explorer in combat, and lowers the costs for Town centres (lowered to 200 wood)



French - Voyageur
Improves the French Explorer in combat, and grants the heal ability



Germans - Buergermeister
Improves the German Explorer in combat, and doubles the building speed of the explorer



Ottomans - Agha
Improves the Ottoman Explorer in combat, and increases his speed (+1).



Portuguese - Navigator
Improves the Portuguese explorer in combat, and increases the efficiency of his Spyglass ability (+6 LOS)



Bandeirantes

Ships 2 additional Explorers (available only to the Portuguese)



Russians - Polar Explorer
Improves the Russian Explorer in combat, and improves his attack bonus against treasure guardians (5x bonus)



Spanish - Conquistador
See Conquistador, TEAM Explorer Combat, Hot Air Balloons and Advanced Balloon.

Strategy
For how to use this Unit ingame, see the strategy page.