Swiss Pikeman

The Swiss Pikemen is a mercenary unit in Age of Empires III that is offered in groups of 12 costing 1000 Coin for some civilizations. It can also be purchased from the saloon on some maps. With HP 325 and attack of 22 (with a multiplier of 5 vs Cavalry and 3.5 vs Infantry) they are a serious threat to many units, especially cavalry. In addition, they have a high Siege attack of 64, allowing them to destroy buildings easily and are also fairly fast making them a good all-around unit. However like all infantry they will be defeated by artillery.

Often, if an Ottoman opponent reaches Fortress Age, at which time Spahis (the second strongest cavalry in the game) would become available, the only way to counter that would be a combination of Swiss Pikemen plus Ruyters/ Halberdiers/Pikemen/Other Anti-Cav. This also applies to the French in the Fortress age, when they gain access to Cuirassiers.

In some campaign scenarios, Swiss Pikemen appear to assist the players' forces. For example, in the Act I level 'Into the Caves', 3 Pikemen are provided at the start to help defend the player's colony.

Historical background
Swiss mercenaries were soldiers notable for their service in foreign armies, especially the armies of the Kings of France, throughout the Early Modern period of European history, from the Later Middle Ages into the Age of the European Enlightenment. Their service as mercenaries was at its apogee during the Renaissance, when their proven battlefield capabilities made them sought-after mercenary troops.

In-game dialogue language (Swiss German notation / Standard German notation)

 * Ufftrag? Auftrag? (order?)
 * Bereiit Bereit (ready)
 * Aagriff Angriff (attack)
 * Vorwärts Vorwärts! (forward!)
 * Verschtande Verstanden (understood)
 * Wird gmacht Wird gemacht (it will be done)
 * Jawoll! Jawohl! (Yes, sir!)