The Black Rider is a swift unit with a reasonable long range attack which can also take a lot of hits due to their substantial armor. Like its basic version, the Dragoon, the Black Rider is a type of ranged counter-cavalryunit. It is also good for killing enemy Artillery. The Black Rider has hand resistance, while the Dragoon has ranged resistance.
All European civilizations can pick the The Mercenary Contractorpolitician for aging up to the Imperial Age, and he will improve mercenaries (including the Black Rider) by increasing their hit points and attack by 50%. The Swedes may also pick this politician for advancing to the Fortress Age, and by doing this, they will be able to train this unit at Stables.
Cavalry train time -40% (also +2 Uhlans for the Germans; +1 Villager for the Indians)
10
Outlaw Combat
Outlaws and mercenaries get +15% hit points and attack (also upgrades Filibusters to Veteran for Baja California; costs 750 coin for Baja California, Hungary, and Revolutionary Mexicans)
N/A
"Cavalry Damage" is available to the British, Haudenosaunee, and Lakota.
"Cavalry Hitpoints" is available to the British and Haudenosaunee.
"Cavalry Combat" is available to the British, Dutch, French, Italians, Lakota, Mexicans, Ottomans, Russians, and Spanish.
"Liberation March" is available to the Mexicans and Spanish.
"Riding School" is available to Europeans (except the Maltese and Spanish) and Indians.
The player's heavy cavalry, light cavalry, and shock infantry get +15% attack; allied cavalry and shock infantry get +10% attack
10
Spanish Riding School
Cavalry get +10% speed; +4 Uhlans
25
Improved Mercenaries
Mercenaries get +15% hit points and attack; +3 Uhlans
10
Mercenary Camps
Upgrades Tavern into Mercenary Camp which cost -50%, build time -25%, build bounty and hit points -50%, auto gather coin -60%, build limit +3, and offer a fixed assortment of German mercenaries: Landsknechts, Jaegers, Giant Grenadiers, Black Riders, Pandours; +3 Uhlans
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%
Mercenaries get +20% hit points and attack; Jaegers and Landsknechts can be trained at Barracks and Galleons; Black Riders can be trained at Stables and Galleons
Contract Black Riders
Ships 7 Black Riders; Black Rider available at military buildings; costs 1,000 coin
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
With update 14.43676, Black Riders have 18 hand damage. Order Knights received new models.
In-game dialogue[]
The Black Rider, similar to the units of the Germans, speaks modern Standard German with a standard theater pronunciation ("Bühnendeutsch"), although this does not represent the form of German spoken in the Age of Empires III timeframe.
Select 1Ja? - Yes?
Select 2Bereit - Ready
Select 3Auftrag? - Order?
Move 1Jawohl - Yes
Move 2Verstanden - Understood
Move 3Wird erledigt - It will be done
Attack 1Angriff! - Attack!
Attack 2In den Kampf! - Into the fight!
Attack 3Jawohl! - Yes!
History[]
“
Black Riders were also known as "devil riders" because of the blackened armor they wore. They first appeared in Germany in the sixteenth century. The Riders developed a special tactic known as "caracole," which allowed them to effectively bombard infantry units with constant weapons fire. In caracole, cavalry units created a tight formation. The units in front fired their weapons, and then quickly charged to the back to reload. The units that were just behind them fired immediately after the first row charged backwards to reload.
Cavalry Damage
Cavalry Hitpoints
Cavalry Combat
Liberation March
Riding School
Outlaw Combat
Feudal Armies
Loyal Warriors
Western Reforms
Acupuncture
Dutch States Army
Ignatian Spirituality
Hire German Black Riders
Hire Holy Roman Army
Wanderlust
TEAM Cavalry Attack
Spanish Riding School
Improved Mercenaries
Mercenary Camps
Sahelian Kingdoms
Road Building
Dravidian Martial Arts
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics
Schiavoni Swords
Black Company
Bakufu
Mustangs
TEAM Knights of the Round Table
Squires
TEAM Mariachi
Colegio de San Nicolás
National Servant
Akincis
TEAM House of Aviz
TEAM Kamchatka Expeditions
TEAM Spanish Inquisition
German Mercenary Contracts
Contract Black Riders
Poker
Indiana Mobilization
Hamilton's Own
Seminole Ponies
Age of Empires III[]
