Ashigaru Musketeers are a more expensive version of the regular Musketeer, with slightly more hit points, speed and ranged attack, but with noticeably less damage vs units in melee, including cavalry and shock infantry. One thing to note is that they are less cost effective than regular Musketeers in terms of hit points and damage, but they have a higher speed to make up for it. Like most heavy infantry, Ashigaru can easily be countered by Skirmishers, archers and artillery.
One of the advantages of the Ashigaru Musketeer is the upgrade stacking advantages it gets. Between the Golden Pavilion passive boost, the Golden Pavilion Arsenal improvements, the regular Arsenal improvements (acquired by allying with Dutch in the Consulate), the Ashigaru attack cards, the passive consulate boost, the Daimyo boost, and the Shogun boost, the Ashigaru can reach very high power in the early ages, making them difficult to counter.
Ashigaru are quite powerful, however, they can become more powerful by stacking upgrades. It is possible for the Ashigaru to have around 140 hand attack to cavalry and slightly above 80 attack in ranged mode.
It is possible for Ashigaru to have around 500 hit points, 80 ranged attack, 140/70 attack against cavalry and Shock Infantry, all while maintaining a relatively cheap cost (with shogunate, native upgrades, and cost-lowering treasures) and good speed. Usually, Ashigaru stats can only be maxed out in treaty games. This is extremely effective since they only cost one population slot. Something to note is that Ashigaru Musketeers have about twice the stats (not hit points) of a Russian Musketeer if they are fully improved.
Note: Ashigaru were weakened in later patches, but remained one of the strongest and most expensive musketeer type units. The Spanishunction musketeers still remain the hardest hitting musketeer, but they have fewer hit points. Other powerful musketeers include Indian Sepoys, British Redcoats, and Portuguese Guerreiros.
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
With update 13.27885, Ashigaru Musketeers have a ×2.625 melee multiplier against shock infantry.
Trivia[]
Prior to the Definitive Edition, the Ashigaru Musketeer used a bayonet for hand attacks, just like the Musketeer. However, they use a yari spear now.
However, in the Definitive Edition beta, the Ashigaru Musketeer used a bayonet for hand attacks, as shown in an official graphic comparison image before the release of the game and in the image of the Compendium section.
History[]
“
During the Heian Period (794-1185 CE), Japan's system of a centralized military began to rapidly disintegrate with the rise of the warrior aristocracy. This left the creation and training of armies once again in the hands of powerful local lords. The ashigaru, which means "light-foot" or lightly armored, filled a growing need for enlisted warriors. They were the lowest class of warriors, commoners who were paid a stipend to enlarge a lord's local army. Because they essentially fought as contractors, the ashigaru often had to provide their own provisions and were not always as reliable as their commanders would have liked.
However, the status of the ashigaru evolved dramatically in the fifteenth century, following the introduction of European firearms to Japanese warfare. The arquebus required very little training to operate properly, unlike the use of a bow, which was considered an art form. By equipping his many ashigaru with guns, a local daimyo could complement his samurai warriors with a constant and brutal ranged attack. Thus, the ashigaru quickly became indispensable.
The most famous ashigaru to rise to prominence was Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the warrior turned powerful daimyo that spent the final years of the sixteenth century seeking to unite the disparate feudal warlords of Japan.
”
—In-game history section
Gallery[]
An in-game Ashigaru Musketeer
An in-game Disciplined Ashigaru Musketeer
An in-game Honored/Exalted Ashigaru Musketeer
The Ashigaru's history portrait
The Ashigaru Musketeer icon from the website
Ashigaru Musketeer in the original version and Definitive Edition
Ashigaru Musketeers in melee mode in The Asian Dynasties, using a bayonet.
Ashigaru Musketeers in melee mode in the Definitive Edition, using a yari spear.
Ashigaru Musketeer image from the Compendium section in the Definitive Edition
An in-game Ashigaru Musketeer in the Definitive Edition
An in-game Disciplined Ashigaru Musketeer in the Definitive Edition
An in-game Honored/Exalted Ashigaru Musketeer in the Definitive Edition
Note: Ashigaru were weakened in later patches, but remained one of the strongest and most expensive musketeer type units. The Spanish unction musketeers still remain the hardest hitting musketeer, but they have fewer hit points. Other powerful musketeers include Indian Sepoys, British Redcoats, and Portuguese Guerreiros.
Disciplined Ashigaru
Honored Ashigaru
Exalted Ashigaru
Cree Tanning (+5%)
Navajo Weaving (+5%)
Tar Kilns (+5%)
Smokeless Powder (+10%)
Armatoloi (+5%)
Yoga (+5%)
Clenched Fist (+25% hand attack)
Socket Bayonet (+20% hand attack)
Somali Oryx Hide Shields (+5% ranged resistance)
Town Watch (+3)
Quechuan Mountaineering (+10%)
Akan Fontomfrom (+5%)
Apache Endurance (+5%)
Standing Army (-25%)
Quechuan Diet (-15%)
Immigrants (-10%)
Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10% coin cost)
Golden Liberty (-5% coin cost)
Meritocracy (-20% upgrade cost)
TEAM Senegalese Riflemen
TEAM Grenadier Guards
TEAM Yongle Infrastructure
TEAM Infantry Hitpoints
TEAM Coffee Consumption
TEAM Scout Infantry
TEAM Inca Bridges
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics
7 Ashigaru Musketeers
5 Ashigaru Musketeers
14 Ashigaru Musketeers
Ashigaru Musketeer Attack
8 Ashigaru Musketeers
Close Combat
Onin War
TEAM Sengoku
Bakufu
TEAM Knights of the Round Table
TEAM Mariachi
TEAM Gunpowder Infantry Hitpoints
TEAM Spanish Inquisition
TEAM House of Bernadotte
TEAM Ranged Infantry Attack
Ashigaru Musketeer Attack
Dueling School
