Axe Rider

This article is about the unit in Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs. For the native unit, see Lakota Axe Rider.

Axe Rider
Unit information
Introduced in	Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs
Type	Cavalry Heavy cavalry Hand cavalry
Civilization(s)	Lakota
Age	Commerce Age
Training
Trained at	Corral Fort
Population	2
Food	150
Coin	50
Train time	40 seconds
Statistics
Hit points	250
Resistance	20% Ranged
Speed	6.75
Line of Sight	12
Special ability	Nature Friendship (with the "Morning Star" Home City Card)
XP train bounty	20
XP kill bounty	20
Hand attack
Damage	35 Hand
Bonus damage	×0.75 vs. Light ranged cavalry
Rate of Fire	1.5
Siege attack
Damage	20 Siege
Bonus damage	×1.5 vs. Shrines ×0.5 vs. Walls
Range	6
Rate of Fire	3.0
Trample attack
Damage	18 Hand
Bonus damage	×0.75 vs. Light ranged cavalry
Area	3
Rate of Fire	2.0

“	Mounted warrior good against skirmishers, foot archers, and artillery.	”
—In-game description

The Axe Rider is a melee heavy cavalry in Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs that is unique to the Lakota and can be trained at the Corral.

Overview

The Axe Rider has a higher attack than most other cavalry units, making it quick and efficient at killing Shock Infantry. However, Axe Riders also have relatively low hit points (before upgrades), so it is recommended to guard them from heavy infantry and ranged cavalry. Mass Axe Rider production relies on gathering a large amount of food so it is advisable to take control of the map early and secure as many hunts as possible to produce them in large numbers.

It is a good idea to combine them with Rifle Riders as they can break through the enemy's line of Musketeers and Pikemen, allowing the Axe Riders to reach the skirmishers or artillery they were protecting and eliminate them.

Due to the incredible number of upgrades and Home City shipments the Lakota have to upgrade their cavalry units, Axe Riders scale exceptionally well into the late stages of the game. When fully upgraded, they possess 675 hit points and 80 attack, while being quite cheap (with Mustangs) and only two population. This of course does not take into account any available native upgrades, team cards, auras or ceremonies.

In the original The WarChiefs, the "Morning Star" Home City Card, available for a level 40 Sioux Home City, grants the Axe Rider the Nature Friendship ability to convert Treasure guardians; having a group of Axe Riders accompanying the Sioux War Chief allows the player to quickly collect all treasures and convert all Treasure guardians. In the Definitive Edition, "Morning Star" instead gives all hand cavalry a 2.0x multiplier against Treasure guardians.

Special ability

• Nature Friendship (requires the "Morning Star" Home City Card; not available in the Definitive Edition): Converts a Treasure guardian to the Axe Rider's side with the process taking 4 seconds to complete. 90 seconds cooldown.

Upgrades

Age	Upgrade	Cost	Effect
	Elite Axe Riders	200 wood 100 coin	Upgrades Axe Riders to Elite (+25% hit points and attack)
	Champion Axe Riders	400 wood 200 coin	Upgrades Axe Riders to Champion (+25% hit points and attack); requires Elite Axe Riders
	Legendary Axe Riders	1,500 wood 1,500 coin	Upgrades Axe Riders to Legendary (+50% hit points and attack); requires Champion Axe Riders

Further statistics

As Axe Riders are unique to the Lakota, only technologies that they have access to are shown in the following table:

Unit strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs.	Light infantry, artillery
Weak vs.	Heavy infantry, light ranged cavalry, ranged shock infantry
Improvements
Hit points	Cavalry Cuirass (+10%) Comanche Horse Breeding (+10%) Cree Tanning (+5%) Navajo Weaving (+5%) Tar Kilns (+5%)
Attack	Yoga (+5%) Pillage (+25% siege attack multiplier vs. buildings) Wind Horses (-10% Rate of Fire) Battle Anger (+2.0 multiplier vs. Artillery) Horsemanship (+1.0 multiplier vs. Walls)
Resistance	Sudanese Quilted Armor (+10% hand resistance) Pancerni (+10% ranged resistance) Bonepipe Armor (+10% siege resistance)
Speed	Apache Endurance (+5%) Comanche Mustangs (+5%) Wind Horses (+0.5)
Train time	Cheyenne Horse Trading (-40%) Horsemanship (-33%) Quechuan Diet (-15%) Shaman Drums (-10%)
Cost	Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10% coin cost) Golden Liberty (-5% coin cost)
Other	Meritocracy (-20% upgrade cost)

Home City Cards

As Axe Riders are unique to the Lakota, only their cards and other civilizations' TEAM cards are shown in the following tables:

Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Axe Rider

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)

• Definitive Edition
• The Asian Dynasties

French

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Hand Cavalry Attack	Hand cavalry and hand shock infantry get +15% attack

Germans

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Cavalry Attack	Heavy cavalry, light ranged cavalry, and shock infantry get +10% attack; Germans-only heavy cavalry, light cavalry, and shock infantry get +15% attack instead

• "TEAM Cavalry Attack" does not stack with the Italian "TEAM Cavalry Attack" card.

Indians

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics	All units get +5% hit points and attack

Italians

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Cavalry Attack	Heavy cavalry, light ranged cavalry, and shock infantry get +10% attack; Italians-only heavy cavalry, light cavalry, and shock infantry get +15% attack instead

• "TEAM Cavalry Attack" does not stack with the German "TEAM Cavalry Attack" card.

Japanese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Sengoku	Unit upgrades cost -20%

Lakota

Card	Description	Age
Morning Star	Temporarily reveals all enemies and treasures; Axe Riders can loot treasures for double the resources or XP; hand cavalry get ×2.0 attack multiplier against treasure guardians
Akichita	All Lakota warriors get +20% hit points, but get reduced multipliers against Villagers; Tashunke Prowlers get -0.75×; Cetan Bowmen, Club Warriors, Wakina Rifles, Axe Riders, and Tokala Soldiers get -0.33×; Bow Riders and Rifle Riders get -0.25×
3 Axe Riders	Ships 3 Axe Riders
4 Axe Riders	Ships 4 Axe Riders
4 Axe Riders	Ships 4 Axe Riders
5 Axe Riders	Ships 5 Axe Riders
8 Axe Riders	Ships 8 Axe Riders
6 Axe Riders	Ships 6 Axe Riders
Leman Trade Muskets	Turns all Axe Riders into Rifle Riders
Cavalry Damage	Cavalry get +15% attack
Cavalry Combat	Cavalry get +15% hit points and attack
TEAM Mustangs	Cavalry and shock infantry cost -10%
Winter Counts	Training units grants +40% XP and constructing buildings grants +20% XP
Lakota Support	Ships 7 Axe Riders and 9 Bisons; costs 1,000 coin
Santee Support	Ships 6 Axe Riders; Axe Riders get +20% hit points; costs 1,000 coin

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

Mexicans

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Mariachi	For the next 30 seconds, military buildings work 400% faster and units get +10% speed

Russians

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Kamchatka Expeditions	Cavalry and shock infantry get +10% hit points and +4 Line of Sight

Spanish

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Spanish Inquisition	Ships 1 Inquisitor; all units get +10 Line of Sight

French

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Hand Cavalry Attack	Heavy cavalry and Coyote Runners get +15% attack		10

Germans

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Cavalry Attack	Heavy cavalry, light ranged cavalry, and shock infantry get +15% attack		10

Indians

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics	All units get +5% hit points and attack		25

Japanese

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Cheaper Unit Upgrades	Unit upgrades cost -20%		1

Russians

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Cavalry Scouts	Cavalry and shock infantry get +10% hit points and +4 Line of Sight		1

Sioux

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Morning Star	Axe Riders can use Nature Friendship		40
3 Axe Riders	Ships 3 Axe Riders		1
4 Axe Riders	Ships 4 Axe Riders		1
4 Axe Riders	Ships 4 Axe Riders		10
5 Axe Riders	Ships 5 Axe Riders		10
8 Axe Riders	Ships 8 Axe Riders		25
6 Axe Riders	Ships 6 Axe Riders		40
Evening Star	Turns all Axe Riders into Rifle Riders		25
Cavalry Damage	Cavalry get +15% attack		10
Cavalry Hitpoints	Cavalry get +15% hit points		10
Cavalry Combat	Cavalry get +15% hit points and attack		25
Mustangs	Cavalry cost -10%		10
Riding School	Cavalry train time -40%		10
Lakota Support	Ships 7 Axe Riders and 9 Bisons; costs 1,000 coin		1
Santee Support	Ships 6 Axe Riders; Axe Riders get +20% hit points; costs 1,000 coin		10

Spanish

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Inquisition	All units get +10 Line of Sight		10

Changelog

The WarChiefs

• Axe Riders cost 160 food, 40 coin.

Knights of the Mediterranean

• With update 13.12327, Axe Riders cost 150 food, 50 coin, and although it is not listed in the patch notes, his portrait has been updated.
• With update 14.43676, Axe Riders have a ×0.75 multiplier against light cavalry.

Trivia

• Despite being called Axe Rider, the weapon they use is a gunstock war club, an indigenous weapon used by Native Americans. Indigenous tribes of America most likely created the design of the club based upon European firearms.
  • The other units that utilise these clubs are the Kanya Horseman, Lakota Axe Rider, and Club Warrior.

History

“

When the Lakota discovered horses, they were so impressed they named the new animal the Wonder Dog. It changed their entire way of life. Almost overnight, they became one of the most famous nomad peoples of history. Their effectiveness in combat is best summed up by the fact that the Lakota were long considered the best cavalry in the world.

”

Gallery

An in-game Axe Rider

An in-game Elite Axe Rider

An in-game Champion/Legendary Axe Rider

The Axe Rider from the in-game History section

An in-game Axe Rider in the Definitive Edition

An in-game Elite Axe Rider in the Definitive Edition

An in-game Champion/Legendary Axe Rider in the Definitive Edition