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| This article is about the unit in Age of Empires III. For the similar unit in Age of Empires II, see Cavalry Archer (Age of Empires II). |
"Ranged cavalry. Good against cavalry."—In-game description
The Cavalry Archer is a mounted archer in Age of Empires III that replaces the Dragoon for Ottomans and Russians and can be trained at the Stable, Fort, and Galleon once the Fortress Age is reached.
Overview 
Edit
Cavalry Archers do less damage than Dragoons but attack faster, dealing more damage per second then Dragoons. They resist 30% melee damage as well as having more hit points, so they are more capable of fighting against hand infantry and can take some of them down with them, though it is still not recommended to attack any hand infantry with them. They have multipliers against artillery, as well as cavalry, and paired with their high hit points, they can easily take down most cannons. Normally ranged cavalry do half damage to villagers, but the Ottomans' Irregulars Home City Card allow them to gain an attack bonus against villagers instead, making them an effective unit for slowing down the enemy's economy. They can also be used to lure enemies into a trap using guerilla tactics.
Upgrades Edit
The Cavalry Archer is automatically upgraded to Veteran (+20% hit points and attack) at the Fortress Age.
| Age | Upgrade | Cost | Effect | Civ. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  Guard Cavalry Archers
| 600 wood, 600 coin | Upgrades Cavalry Archers to Guard (+30% hit points and attack) | Ottomans |
| Tartar Loyalists
| 1,000 wood, 1,000 coin | Upgrades Cavalry Archers to Tartar Cavalry Archers (Guard Cavalry Archer with +10% hit points and attack) | Russians | |
 |  Imperial Cavalry Archers
| 1,500 wood, 1,500 coin | Upgrades Cavalry Archers to Imperial (+50% hit points and attack); requires Guard Cavalry Archers | Ottomans |
| Imperial Tartar Loyalists
| Upgrades Tartar Cavalry Archers to Imperial Tartar Loyalists (+50% hit points and attack); requires Tartar Loyalists | Russians |
Civilization differences Edit
- As seen above, the Russians can upgrade Cavalry Archers to Royal Guard and Imperial Guard levels.
Further statistics Edit
| Unit strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Heavy cavalry, light infantry, artillery |
| Weak vs. | Heavy infantry, ranged infantry, light cavalry |
| Improvements | |
| Hit points |  Comanche Horse Breeding (+10%) Cree Tanning (+5%) Navajo Weaving (+5%)
|
| Attack |  Ranged Cavalry Caracole (+10%) Carib Kasiri Beer (+10%) Carib Garifuna Drums (+1.0x multiplier vs. villagers) Seminole Bowyer (+25%) Tupi Poison Arrow Frogs (+10%) Yoga (+5%)
|
| Range | Ranged Cavalry Caracole (+2)
|
| Sight |  Town Watch (+2) Ranged Cavalry Caracole (+2)
|
| Speed |  Comanche Mustangs (+10%) Apache Endurance (+5%)
|
| Creation speed |  Mass Cavalry (-50%) Cheyenne Horse Trading (-25%) Incan Chasquis Messengers (-25%)
|
| Train cost |  Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10% coin cost)
|
| Other |  Westernization (grants Veteran upgrade, Russians only) Petrine Reforms (grants Royal Guard upgrade, Russians only) Meritocracy (-20% upgrade cost)
|
Home City Cards Edit
| Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Cavalry Archer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Europeans
|
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 5 Cavalry Archers
| Ships 5 Cavalry Archers |  | 1 |
 8 Cavalry Archers
| Ships 8 Cavalry Archers | | 1 |
 9 Cavalry Archers
| Ships 9 Cavalry Archers | | 10 |
 Cavalry Combat
| Cavalry get +15% hit points and attack | | 10 |
 Riding School
| Cavalry train time -40% |  | 10 |
- Since the Cavalry Archer is only available to Ottomans and Russians, all of the cards shown above are only relevant to them.
Germans Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Cavalry Attack
| Heavy cavalry, light cavalry, and light infantry get +15% attack | | 10 |
Indians Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Shivaji's Tactics
| All units get +5% hit points and attack | | 25 |
Japanese Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Cheaper Unit Upgrades
| Unit upgrades cost -20% | | 1 |
Ottomans Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 Irregulars
| Light cavalry get +1.0x multiplier against villagers | | 25 |
Portuguese Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Early Dragoons
| Dragoons, Cavalry Archers, Ruyters, Musket Riders, Rifle Riders, and Yabusame can be trained in the Colonial Age; Zamburak train time -15%; Ming Army and Mongolian Army train time -7% |  | 1 |
Russians Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 7 Cavalry Archers
| Ships 7 Cavalry Archers | | 10 |
 TEAM Cavalry Scouts
| Cavalry and light infantry get +10% hit points and +4 LOS | | 1 |
Spanish Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Inquisition
| All units get +10 LOS | | 10 |
Trivia Edit
- Russian Royal Guard Cavalry Archers are named after the Tatar people (also known as Tartar, after the Tartary region where the Tatars came from) who are renowned for their fierce horse archers.
- The Loyalist part of their upgrade's name refers to the Golden Horde from which the majority of Tatar khanates later conquered by the Russian Empire originates, as the in-game history section states.
- Cavalry Archers would originally cost less population than Dragoons. This feature can be seen in the History menu of this unit.
History Edit
"Nomadic cavalry archers roamed with their herds in eastern and southern Russia. They raided, traveled, and conquered into what would become Russia and eastern Europe. The Europeans called these fierce cavalrymen the Tartars, though the Tartars were only one of a conglomeration of many distinct nomadic tribes and people. Their colorful tents earned them a more poetic name, the "Golden Horde." The Golden Horde, united under Tokhtamysh, sacked Moscow, but was soon wracked by a civil war that splintered the Horde into several Khanates. The new Russian nation of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, allied with some of the splinter groups, while the Ottoman Empire under Mehmed II allied with others.
Cavalry Archers wore light clothes - baggy pants, vests, long coats, and furred hats. Blue and red were popular colors, and embroidery a popular decoration to garments. Soldiers carried a variety of arms, primarily bows, but also swords, spears, and later, firearms. Though the Tartars are most commonly thought of as cavalry, they were competent infantry as well."
Gallery Edit
An in-game Cavalry Archer
An in-game Cavalry Archer
An in-game Royal Guard/Imperial Cavalry Archer
The Cavalry Archer's history portrait
Muscovite Cavalry Archers by Baron Sigmund von Herbertstein
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