| “ | Elite Swordsmen of the Circle of Ossus. | ” |
| —In-game description | ||
The Boneguard Swordsman is an infantry unit that serves in the Circle of Ossus. They are first seen in Act I: Blood. They are not trainable in Skirmish and Campaign, but available when the player sets the civilization in the Scenario Editor. Rarely, it becomes trainable from Barracks and Forts in Unknown maps.
Overview[]
Boneguard Swordsmen have massive hit points compared to other infantry in the game, and the same as Boneguard Musketeers. They serve antagonists that are related to the Circle of Ossus, such as Pierre Beaumont.
It is one of the toughest infantry units, and strong against cavalry, but artillery and ranged infantry are an optimal choice to counter them as most artillery can kill them in few shots, and Skirmisher-type units cause increased damage against Heavy Infantry.
The lack of Artillery in Act I makes the Boneguard Swordsmen very dangerous. In order to defeat them in the first Act, it is recommended to train large masses of Crossbowmen. Both Boneguard units speak Standard German.
Changelog[]
Age of Empires III[]
- Boneguard Swordsmen give 10 XP when trained or killed.
Knights of the Mediterranean[]
- With update 13.58326, Boneguard Swordsmen give 13 XP when trained or killed.
In-game dialogue[]
The Boneguard Swordsman speaks modern Standard German using the German Heavy Cannon's dialogue files.
Trivia[]
- Originally, the Boneguard Swordsman was a generic Discovery Age unit available to the Russians and Germans (likely the Italians as well) called the Swordsman, representing the heavy sword infantry of the late Renaissance, likely functioning as a counter heavy infantry unit, before the concept was ultimately dropped in favor of limiting combat in the Discovery Age.
- According to screenshots, they also used to stand upright.
- Ottomans also had access to a similar Swordsman; however, it is unlikely it was the same Swordsman that ultimately became the Boneguard Swordsman.
- The model of the Hospitaller introduced in Knights of the Mediterranean for the Maltese is nearly identical to the Boneguard Swordsman.
History[]
| “ | The Boneguard are modeled loosely after the Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon, better known as the Knights Templar. The Knights Templar was a very influential order formed in the twelfth century to protect Christian pilgrims journeying to the Holy Land. Some saw the Knights Templar as corrupt because over time they became involved deeply in finance and politics. They became much more secularly oriented than other knightly orders, and rulers coveted their power. Some of them admitted heresies under torture, and the Knights Templar were crushed by political fallout in the wake of these, later pardoned, admissions. There is wild speculation that the Knights Templar led unsuccessful expeditions to North America predating Columbus' voyage by up to 100 years. This is unproven, but the mythos of Columbus is sprinkled with Templar lore; Columbus' naviagtors[sic] were rumored to have charts of earlier voyages and their sails bore the red cross of the defunct order. |
” |
Gallery[]
