Mahout Lancer

The Mahout Lancer is an Indian heavy cavalry unit featured in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties. It is the strongest cavalry in the game.

Overview
The Mahout Lancer and Mahout Mansabdar are Indian units that cost considerable resources and population, but have a high hand attack with good area effect, and a huge number of hitpoints and also unilike the Age of Empires II they are not slow they have the speed same as some other heavy cavalry units which is faster than infantry. The only drawback is it high cost and population slots but if used properly it can be very cost effective. Mansabdar units trained at the Charminar Gate also boost the attack and hitpoints of other similar nearby units (Mahout Only) by 10%, this aura is very weak in comparison to Unction for any players wishing to use aura effects.

The Mahout Lancer is a durable heavy cavalry unit that is good against Light Infantry and Artillery, it should be used as a normal Heavy Cavalry unit. Like all the lancer cavalry unit it also have a bonus against infantry units but not that effective aganist Heavy Infantry in melee and Light Cavalry units, but it can slay many before dying. The Indian 2 and 3 Mahout Lancer cards available in Fortress Age may be worth adding to a deck of cards.

History
The elephant warfare first started in India .There is uncertainty as to when elephant warfare first began. The earliest Indian Vedic hymns, the Rigveda, dating from the late 2nd and early 1st millennium BC, make reference to the use of elephants for transport - especially Indra and his divine white elephant, Airavata - but make no reference to the use of elephants in war, focusing instead on Indra's role in leading horse cavalry. The later stories of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, dating from around the 4th century BC, do however mention elephant warfare, suggesting its introduction during the intervening period. The ancient Indian kings certainly valued the elephant in war, some stating that 'an army without elephants is as despicable as a forest without a lion, a kingdom without a king or as valour unaided by weapons.'