Askari

Askari
Unit information
Introduced in	Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition - The African Royals
Type	Infantry Heavy infantry Ranged infantry Gunpowder infantry Musket infantry Mercenary
Age	Fortress Age
Training
Trained at	Tavern (Europeans) Monastery (Asians) Saloon (Americans) Palace (Africans) Lombard (Italians) Trading Post (with Sudanese Local Forces or Somali Local Forces)
Population	2
Coin	230
Training time	32 seconds
Statistics
Hit points	400
Resists	20% vs. Melee
Speed	4.5
Line of Sight	16
XP train bounty	23
XP bounty	23
Melee damage
Attack	32
Rate of Fire	1.5
Ranged damage
Attack	40
Multipliers	×1.5 vs. Cavalry ×1.3 vs. Shock infantry
Range	16
Rate of Fire	3.0
Siege damage
Attack	40
Range	6
Rate of Fire	3.0

“	Powerful well-drilled African musketeer mercenary ready to restore order.	”
—In-game description

The Askari is a mercenary ranged heavy infantry unit in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition - The African Royals.

Overview

The Askari is a heavy musketeer-type mercenary unit. It can either be part of the available mercenaries in the Tavern/Monastery/Saloon/Palace, or be unlocked and trained in a Trading Post on a Sudanese or Somali settlement through the Sudanese Local Forces and Somali Local Forces technologies, respectively. However, it still uses up population space when trained from a native settlement.

Strategy

Just like a Carolean, it has multipliers against cavalry for its ranged instead of its hand attack, while damage output and rate of fire remain closer to a conventional Musketeer. It can therefore fill a similar role as a Dragoon, shooting down enemy melee cavalry, but without being vulnerable against heavy infantry if cornered. Heavy cavalry (especially the Naginata Rider) covers all of its weaknesses and is therefore a great pairing.

Further statistics

Unit strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs.	Cavalry, shock infantry
Weak vs.	Light infantry, counter-skirmishers, artillery
Improvements
Hit points	Corselet (+25%; Spanish only) Thin Red Line (+20%; British only) Second Guarantee (+15%; Mexicans only) Flint Lock (+10%) Cree Tanning (+5%) Gadaa System (+5%; Ethiopians only) Navajo Weaving (+5%) Tar Kilns (+5%)
Attack	Paper Cartridge (+15%) Second Guarantee (+15%; Mexicans only) Smokeless Powder (+10%) Armatoloi (+5%) Gadaa System (+5%; Ethiopians only) Yoga (+5%) Clenched Fist (+25% hand attack) Socket Bayonet (+20% hand attack)
Resistance	Somali Oryx Hide Shields (+5% ranged resistance)
Line of Sight	Town Watch (+3)
Speed	Tilly's Discipline (+20%; Germans only) Military Drummers (+10%) Quechuan Mountaineering (+10%) Akan Fontomfrom (+5%) Apache Endurance (+5%)
Train time	Standing Army (-25%) Akan Fontomfrom (-20%) Blue Nile Ties (-15%; Ethiopians only) Quechuan Diet (-15%) Immigrants (-10%) New Mexico Immigration (-10%; United States only) Philhellenism (-10%) Strangers' Quarters (-10%; Africans only)
Cost	Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10% coin cost) Golden Liberty (-5% coin cost) Blue Nile Ties (-15%; Ethiopians only) Philhellenism (-10%) Yemeni Relations (exchanges cost for 50% coin, 50% influence; Ethiopians only)
Other	Sudanese Local Forces (Trading Posts on Sudanese settlements can train Askaris and Sennar Horsemen) Somali Local Forces (Trading Posts on Somali settlements can train Askaris)
Penalties	Corselet (-15% speed; Spanish only) Coffee Trade (-10% speed; Dutch only) Thin Red Line (-10% speed; British only) Tilly's Discipline (+10% cost; Germans only) Second Guarantee (+30% train time; Mexicans only)

Home City Cards

Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Askari

Some cards are highlighted with:
Green	TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team
Purple	Shipment that can be sent an INFINITE number of times
Blue	Shipment that arrives fast (5 seconds)

All

Card	Description	Age
Liberation March	Infantry, cavalry, and shock infantry get +5% speed and -35% train time
Outlaw Combat	Upgrades Filibusters to Veteran (if not already); outlaws and mercenaries get +15% hit points and attack; costs 750 coin

• "Liberation March" is available to the Mexicans and Spanish.
• "Outlaw Combat" is available to Baja California and Mexico.

Africans

Card	Description	Age
Feudal Armies	All units' train time -15%; hero respawn time -15%

British

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Musketeer/Grenadier Hitpoints	Musket infantry and grenade troopers get +15% hit points

Chinese

Card	Description	Age
Western Reforms	All units get +8% hit points and attack
Acupuncture	All units' train time -20%

Dutch

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Infantry Hitpoints	Infantry get +10% hit points; Dutch-only infantry get +15% hit points instead
Dutch States Army	Mercenary train time -15% and shipments arrive time -20%, and get +7% speed (except Napoleon Guns and Li'l Bombards); enables training of Highlanders at Barracks, Royal Horsemen at Stables, and both at Tavern; Pikeman, Halberdier, Skirmisher, Hussar, and Ruyter cost +10%

Egypt

Card	Description	Age
Hire Askaris	Ships 11 Askaris; +1 Mameluke

Ethiopians

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Coffee Consumption	Ranged infantry get +5% speed
Temenyas	Gunpowder infantry get +5% attack; Neftenya available in the Commerce Age
Ignatian Spirituality	All units get +5% hit points and regeneration capability even while in combat
Loyal Warriors	Native warriors, mercenaries, and outlaws cost -15% (also affects shipments)

Europeans

Card	Description	Age
Fencing School	Infantry and shock infantry train time -40% (also +2 Uhlans for the Germans)

• "Fencing School" is not available to the French, Maltese, Ottomans, and Spanish.

French

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Senegalese Riflemen	Ranged infantry get +10% attack; French and Hausa-only ranged infantry get +15% attack instead
Royal Fencing School	Infantry and shock infantry train time -40%; +3 Royal Musketeers

Germans

Card	Description	Age
Improved Mercenaries	Mercenaries get +15% hit points and attack; +3 Uhlans
Adler von Lübeck	Ships 1 Battleship; Battleships can now train mercenaries; +1 Privateer; costs 900 food, 900 wood, 900 coin

Haudenosaunee

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Scout Infantry	Infantry get +8 Line of Sight

Hausa

Card	Description	Age
Sahelian Kingdoms	Native warriors get +15% hit points and attack; mercenaries and outlaws get +10% hit points and attack

Inca

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Inca Bridges	Ships 1 Chasqui; infantry, land villagers, healing units, and Envoys get +5% speed

Indians

Card	Description	Age
Dravidian Martial Arts	All units get +15% hand attack; Rajputs get +30% hand attack instead; +1 Villager
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics	All units get +5% hit points and attack
Fencing School	Infantry train time -40%; +1 Hindu Villager
Zamindars	Infantry train time -20%; receives 2 Sepoys instead of 1 Villager with every Home City shipment; +2 Sepoys

Italians

Card	Description	Age
Infantry Hitpoints	Infantry get +15% hit points
Schiavoni Swords	Infantry and cavalry get +15% hand attack

Japanese

Card	Description	Age
Onin War	Infantry get +33% siege attack
Bakufu	Daimyo and Shogun Tokugawa get +10% speed, +20 Line of Sight and train units 15% faster; land military unit train time -20%; Banner army train time -10%

Maltese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Knights of the Round Table	Ships 1 Hospitaller for each Town Center owned by the player; all units get +2% hit points
Squires	Military buildings train and research work 80% faster, except Forts which train and research work 340% faster

Mexicans

Card	Description	Age
Plan of Tuxtepec	[Plan] Turns all Salteadores into Soldados; musket infantry get +1 Line of Sight and range
TEAM Mariachi	For the next 30 seconds, military buildings work 400% faster and units get +10% speed
Colegio de San Nicolás	Ships 500 XP; units get +4 and buildings (except Walls) get +8 Line of Sight; sees what enemies can see for 20 seconds
Bustamante	The General can build Field Hospitals for free; musket infantry get +10% hit points; Field Hospitals can train Soldados
National Servant	All units get +10% hit points; Padre healing 200% faster
Bastimento	Infantry train time -25%; Revolutionary train time -50%
Pok Ta Pok	Infantry get +10% speed and -10% train time

• "Colegio de San Nicolás" is available upon selecting the Michoacán Federal State.
• "Bustamante" is available upon selecting the San Luis Potosí Federal State.
• "National Servant" is available upon selecting the Estado de México Federal State.
• "Bastimento" is available upon revolting to Rio Grande.
• "Pok Ta Pok" is available upon revolting to the Maya.

Ottomans

Card	Description	Age
Matrakci School	Infantry and shock infantry train time -30%; Janissary, Azap, Nizam Fusilier, Abus Gunner, and Humbaraci train time -40% instead
Hire Askaris	Ships 11 Askaris; costs 1,000 coin

Portuguese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Gunpowder Infantry Hitpoints	Gunpowder infantry get +15% hit points

Russians

Card	Description	Age
Ransack	Infantry get +50% siege attack
Dueling School	Infantry train time -25%

South Africa

Card	Description	Age
Wanderlust	Land units get +5% hit points; land villagers and wagons get +5% speed

Spanish

Card	Description	Age
Peninsular Guerrillas	Ranged infantry get +20% attack, musket infantry get +10% attack instead; Skirmishers now see the Line of Sight of enemies they attacked for 3 seconds
TEAM Spanish Inquisition	Ships 1 Inquisitor; all units get +10 Line of Sight

Swedes

Card	Description	Age
TEAM House of Bernadotte	Heavy infantry get +15% hit points
German Mercenary Contracts	Mercenaries get +25% hit points and attack; Jaegers and Landsknechts can be trained at Barracks and Galleons; Black Riders can be trained at Stables and Galleons

United States

Card	Description	Age
United States Army	The General, Minutemen, and heavy infantry get +15% hit points and attack
Poker	Ships 13 random mercenaries; up to 3 random mercenaries available at Saloon; costs 3,500 coin
Indiana Mobilization	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
Hamilton's Own	Ships 4 Napoleon Guns and 2 Li'l Bombards; mercenaries get +25% hit points and attack; costs 2,500 coin

• "Indiana Mobilization" is available upon selecting the Indiana Federal State.
• "Hamilton's Own" is available upon selecting the New York Federal State.

Changelog

The African Royals

• Askaris cost 250 coin and give 23 XP when trained or killed.

Knights of the Mediterranean

• With update 14.43676, Askaris cost 230 coin and give 23 XP when trained or killed.

In-game dialogue

The Askari speaks Sudanese Arabic using dialogue files of the Sudanese.

History

“

Askari were African military units that were recruited and drilled by European powers controlling regions such as Central and East Africa. While they primarily served in their homelands, many were also enlisted as auxiliary forces in foreign conflicts between European powers.

”

Gallery

Askari image from the Compendium section

In-game Askaris