Boyar (Age of Empires III)

This article is about the unit in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition - Knights of the Mediterranean. For the unit in Age of Empires II HD: The Forgotten, see Boyar (Age of Empires II).

Boyar
Information
Introduced in	Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition - Knights of the Mediterranean
Type	Cavalry Heavy cavalry Hand cavalry Native warrior
Age	Fortress Age
Training
Trained at	Trading Post or Tambo on a House of Phanar palace Native Embassy
Cost	130 Food 90 Coin
Train time	40 seconds
Train limit	9 per House of Phanar palace
Statistics
Hit points	340
Resistance	20% Ranged
Speed	6.75
Line of Sight	12
XP train bounty	22
XP kill bounty	22
Siege attack
Damage	16.5 Siege
Range	6
Rate of Fire	1.5
Hand attack
Damage	20 Hand
Rate of Fire	1.0
Bonus damage	1.25x Artillery
Trample attack
Damage	13 Hand
Area of Effect	3
Rate of Fire	2.0
Bonus damage	Same as hand attack

“	Heavy Hand Cavalry from Wallachia with good siege attack.	”
—In-game description

The Boyar is a heavy cavalry native warrior in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition - Knights of the Mediterranean that can be trained at a Trading Post built on a House of Phanar palace.

Overview

Boyars are heavy cavalry available in the Fortress Age. They are similar to Delis, having high speed, hit points, and ranged resistance, but a low melee and siege attack, which is compensated by having a faster Rate of Fire. In comparison, Boyars have less Line of Sight, hand attack, movement speed, an increased food cost, and more hit points, but have a faster siege attack speed and a multiplier against artillery.

As other heavy cavalry units, the Boyar is particularly effective against light infantry, and slightly better against artillery due to its multiplier, but vulnerable against heavy infantry and light cavalry, so it is recommended to protect Boyars with ranged infantry, like Musketeers or Skirmishers, who can handle heavy infantry and light cavalry that counters heavy cavalry.

Since Boyars have a lower training limit and they are not available until the Fortress Age, they are very situational units, but are helpful for civilizations that lack cavalry such as Aztecs or Inca, which can combine Boyars with Coyote Runners and Chimu Runners, respectively, to handle artillery or large groups of Skirmishers.

Upgrades

The Boyar starts at Veteran level, giving it +20% hit points and attack.

Age	Upgrade	Cost	Effect
	Royal Guard Phanariotes	350 wood 350 coin	Upgrades Evzones and Boyars to Royal Guard (+40% hit points and attack); requires Veteran Phanariotes
	Legendary Native Warriors Exalted Natives	1,500 food 1,500 wood	Upgrades native warriors to Legendary/Exalted/Imperial (+50% hit points and attack)

• The Legendary Native Warriors technology is available in the Capitol for European civilizations and the Mexicans, the State Capitol for the United States, and the Town Center for Asian (as Exalted Natives) and Native American civilizations.
• For African civilizations, native warriors are upgraded automatically and for free.

Civilization differences

• Boyars can be available if the player revolts to Romania as the Ottomans or the Russians and sends the "Danubian Principalities" Home City Card, which allows them to be trained and upgraded at the Native Embassy, costing 2 population but removing their build limit.

Further statistics

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%) Gadaa System (+5%; Ethiopians only) Navajo Weaving (+5%) Tar Kilns (+5%)
Attack	Gadaa System (+5%; Ethiopians only) Yoga (+5%) Pillage (+25% siege attack multiplier vs. buildings) Horsemanship (+1.0 multiplier vs. Walls; Lakota only) Wind Horses (-10% Rate of Fire)
Resistance	Kapikulu Corps (+10% hand resistance; Ottomans only) Sudanese Quilted Armor (+10% hand resistance) Pancerni (+10% ranged resistance)
Line of Sight	Town Watch (+3)
Speed	Cherokee War Dance (+20%) Horse Secrets (+10%; Haudenosaunee only) Apache Endurance (+5%) Comanche Mustangs (+5%) Wind Horses (+0.5)
Train time	Cree Kinship (-45%) Cheyenne Horse Trading (-40%) Horse Secrets (-35%; Haudenosaunee only) Mass Cavalry (-35%) Horsemanship (-33%; Lakota only) Terror Charge (-20%; Indians only) Quechuan Diet (-15%) Immigrants (-10%) New Mexico Immigration (-10%; United States only) Philhellenism (-10%) Shaman Drums (-10%) Strangers' Quarters (-10%; Africans only)
Cost	Philhellenism (-10%) Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10% coin cost) Golden Liberty (-5% coin cost)
Other	Yoruba Herbalism (regenerates hit points when close to a tree or Berry Bush) Meritocracy (-20% upgrade cost)

Home City Cards

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

Some cards are highlighted with:
Green	TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team
Red	Shipment that can be sent twice
Blue	Shipment that arrives fast (5 seconds)

All

Card	Description	Age
Cavalry Damage	Cavalry get +15% damage
Cavalry Hitpoints	Cavalry get +15% hit points
Cavalry Combat	Cavalry get +15% hit points and damage
Native Treaties	Each different allied native tribe sends a shipment of their respective native warriors (also +2 Uhlans for the Germans)
Native Alliance	Native warrior train limit +20% and cost -10% (also +1 Hindu Villager for the Indians)
Native Warriors	Native warriors cost -25% (also +3 Uhlans for the Germans)
Native Warrior Combat	Native warriors get +15% hit points and damage
TEAM Native Weapon Trade	Native warrior train limit +20%
Blood Brothers	Upgrades native warriors to Elite/Disciplined/Veteran and Champion/Honored/Royal Guard; Native Embassies get +40% hit points and +5 build limit (also +4 Uhlans for the Germans)
Liberation March	Infantry, cavalry, and shock infantry get +5% speed and -35% train time
Riding School	Cavalry train time -40%; Cuirassier and Oprichnik train time -35% instead; Gatling Camel train time -20% instead (also +2 Uhlans for the Germans; +1 Hindu Villager for the Indians)

• "Cavalry Damage" is available to the British 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.
• "Native Treaties" is available to Africans, Europeans (except the Maltese), Federal Americans, and Native Americans, and ships 1 Boyar if the player had built a Trading Post on a House of Phanar palace.
• "Native Alliance" is available to the Aztecs, Inca, Indians, and Japanese.
• "Native Warriors" is available to Europeans, the Lakota and Mexicans.
• "Native Warrior Combat" is available to the French, Haudenosaunee, and Inca, and also Mexicans upon revolting to the Maya, and British upon revolting to Haiti.
• "TEAM Native Weapon Trade" is available to the Dutch and Lakota, and also British and French upon revolting to Canada.
• "Blood Brothers" is available to the Aztecs, French, Germans, Haudenosaunee, Lakota, Portuguese, Russians, and Spanish, and also British upon revolting to Canada or Haiti.
• "Liberation March" is available to the Mexicans and Spanish.
• "Riding School" is available to Europeans (except the Maltese and Spanish) and the Indians.

Africans

Card	Description	Age
Feudal Armies	All units' train time -15%; hero respawn time -15%
Loyal Warriors	Native warriors, mercenaries, and outlaws cost -15% (also affects shipments)

Asians

Card	Description	Age
Native Warrior Hitpoints	Native warriors get +30% hit points and +10% speed (also +1 Hindu Villager for the Indians)
Native Warrior Attack	Native warriors get +30% damage and -25% train time

• "Native Warrior Hitpoints" is not available to the Japanese.
• "Native Warrior Attack" is not available to the Indians.

Chinese

Card	Description	Age
Western Reforms	All units get +8% hit points and damage
Acupuncture	All units' (except monks) train time -20%; Heavy Cannon, Flying Crow, and Summer Palace banner army spawn time -5%

Ethiopians

Card	Description	Age
Ignatian Spirituality	All units get +5% hit points and regeneration capability even while in combat

Europeans

Card	Description	Age
Mercenary Loyalty	Mercenary and native warrior shipments cost -25% (-10% for INFINITE cards)
7 Phanar Allies	Delivers 7 Boyars; cost 500 coin
Blandengues	Hand cavalry cost -20%
Loyal Warriors	Native warriors, mercenaries, and outlaws cost -15%; "TEAM 4 Zenata Rider", "Recruit Xebec", "Recruit Xebecs", and "15 Berber Allies" cost no coin
Sevites	Maroons, native warriors, and villagers now regenerate hit points at a rate of 0.25% per second when idle; Yoruba Eso Rider hit point degeneration rate -60% and Militiaman hit point degeneration rate -10%, and for both stops at 25% hit points
Louverture Liberation	Delivers 6 Citizens; Citizens can be trained at Town Centers for 70 coin; Fishing Boats can be trained at Docks; native warriors get +20% hit points and +5% speed
Junín Hussars	Hand cavalry and hand shock infantry get +5% speed and -30% train time (only get -20% train time if stacked with "Liberation March")
Danubian Principalities	Delivers 1 Royal Embassy Travois; Evzones and Boyars can be trained at Native Embassies; removes Evzones and Boyars training limit, but now they take 1 and 2 population, respectively; grants Veteran Phanariotes , and allows to research Royal Guard Phanariotes, Armatoloi, Athos Monasteries, Byzantine Legacy, and Greek Shipyards at the Native Embassy
Wanderlust	Land military units and land villagers get +5% hit points; land villagers and construction wagons get +5% speed

• "7 Phanar Allies" is available to the Maltese, Ottomans, and Russians.
• "Blandengues" is available to the Germans, Italians, and Spanish upon revolting to Argentina.
• "Loyal Warriors" is available to the Italians, Maltese, Ottomans, and Portuguese upon revolting to the Barbary States.
• "Sevites" and "Louverture Liberation" are available to the British and French upon revolting to Haiti.
• "Junín Hussars" is available to the Portuguese and Spanish upon revolting to Peru.
• "Danubian Principalities" is available to the Ottomans and Russians upon revolting to Romania.
• "Wanderlust" is available to the British and Dutch upon revolting to South Africa, and can be sent 3 times.

Federal Americans

Card	Description	Age
Indian Friendship/Chimayo Genizarios	Each different allied native tribe sends a large shipment of their respective native warriors and upgrades them to Elite and Champion; native warriors train time -10%; native warrior shipments and "Native Treaties" arrive time -50%; costs 500 food, 500 wood

• "Indian Friendship" is available to the United States and "Chimayo Genizarios" to the Mexicans.
• "Indian Friendship"/"Chimayo Genizarios" ships 3 Boyars, if the player had built a Trading Post on a House of Phanar palace.

French

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Hand Cavalry Attack	Hand cavalry and hand shock infantry get +15% damage
Wilderness Warfare	Coureurs des Bois, Cree Coureurs des Bois, native warriors, Skirmishers, and Settlers get +20% hit points
TEAM French Auxiliaries Combat	Native warriors get +10% hit points and damage
Cult of the Supreme Being	The player gains +10% XP from training units and other players receive -10% XP from defeating them; Sansculottes gather resources from Crates 50% faster; food from Berry Bushes and Cherry Orchards 25% faster; wood from trees and Mango Groves and coin from mines 20% faster; food from huntable and herdable animals, Mills, Farms and coin from Estates 15% faster

• "Cult of the Supreme Being" is available upon revolting to Revolutionary France.

Germans

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Cavalry Attack	Heavy cavalry, light ranged cavalry, and shock infantry get +10% damage; Germans-only heavy cavalry, light ranged cavalry, and shock infantry get +15% damage instead
Spanish Riding School	Cavalry get +10% speed; +4 Uhlans

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

Haudenosaunee

Card	Description	Age
Native Warrior Conscription	Native warrior cost -25% and train limit +20%
Wampum	Training units and constructing buildings grants +35% XP; unit train time -20%, siege unit and artillery train time -5% instead

Hausa

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

Inca

Card	Description	Age
Road Building	Land military units get +10% speed
Couriers	Infantry, cavalry, and shock infantry train time -45%

Indians

Card	Description	Age
Dravidian Martial Arts	All units get +15% all melee attack damage; Rajputs get +20% all melee attack damage instead; +1 Hindu Villager
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics	All units get +5% hit points and damage

Italians

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Cavalry Attack	Heavy cavalry, light ranged cavalry, and shock infantry get +10% damage; Italian-only heavy cavalry, light ranged cavalry, and shock infantry get +15% damage instead
Schiavoni Swords	Infantry, cavalry, and shock infantry get +15% all melee attack damage

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

Japanese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Sengoku	Unit upgrades cost -20%
Bakufu	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

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 bonus damage against treasure guardians
TEAM Mustangs	Cavalry and shock infantry cost -10%
Black Arrow	Native warriors train time -85%
Winter Counts	Training units grants +40% XP and constructing buildings grants +20% XP

Maltese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Knights of the Round Table	Delivers 1 Hospitaller for each Town Center and Command Post build; all units get +2% hit points
Squires	Military buildings train and research work 80% faster, except Forts which train and research work 260% faster

Mexicans

Card	Description	Age
Plan of Casa Mata	Turns all Dragoons into Chinacos; hand cavalry get +5% speed; costs 250 food, 250 wood
TEAM Mariachi	For the next 30 seconds, military buildings work 400% faster and units get +10% speed
Colegio de San Nicolás	Delivers Books of 500 XP; units get +4 and buildings (except Walls) get +8 Line of Sight; sees what enemies can see for 20 seconds
National Servant	All units get +10% hit points; Padre healing 200% faster

• "Colegio de San Nicolás" is available upon selecting the Michoacán Federal State.
• "National Servant" is available upon selecting the Estado de México Federal State.

Russians

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

Spanish

Card	Description	Age
Hand Cavalry Attack	Hand cavalry get +15% damage
Hand Cavalry Hitpoints	Hand cavalry get +15% hit points
TEAM Spanish Inquisition	Delivers 1 Inquisitor; all units get +10 Line of Sight

Swedes

Card	Description	Age
Hand Infantry/Hand Cavalry Attack	Hand infantry and hand cavalry get +15% damage
Hand Infantry/Hand Cavalry Hitpoints	Hand infantry and hand cavalry get +15% hit points

United States

Card	Description	Age
Indiana Mobilization	Delivers 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
Seminole Ponies	Delivers 9 Hussars; hand cavalry get +15% hit points and damage, and +5% speed; cavalry train time -10%

• "Indiana Mobilization" is available upon selecting the Indiana Federal State.
• "Seminole Ponies" is available upon selecting the Florida Federal State.

Changelog

Knights of the Mediterranean

• With update 13.10442, Boyars have a ×1.25 multiplier against Artillery.
• With update 14.43676, the unit's Compendium image was added.

In-game dialogue

The Boyar speaks Romanian, using the Hajduk's dialogue files.

History

“

Boyar has been a high noble rank in Eastern and South Eastern Europe since the early middle ages. For most of the medieval period this hereditary class of wealthy landowners wielded great political power and enjoyed various privileges. Throughout the ages the status, power, and obligations associated with the boyar title saw different regional interpretations and stratifications. Mandatory military service or the emergence of a class for landless boyars were common developments. In the Danubian principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia several boyar classes existed that were tied to the ownership of land, serfs, and high offices in administration or military. As most of the Balkans had been under Ottoman rule for hundreds of years Boyars tended to serve the Ottoman Porte. Subsequently affairs of boyar families became closely entangled with those of the Ottoman royal court where they occupied high offices. This trend increased in the 18th century during the Phanariot era which saw a strong growth in boyar numbers. When independence movements were on the rise in Greece, Bulgaria, Moldavia and Romania many boyar families fell out of favor at the Ottoman Porte and eventually encouraged them to pursue influential positions within the new nations of the Balkans.

”

Gallery

Boyar image from the Compendium section

An in-game Boyar