“ | Soldier armed with a very large sword. Good against cavalry. | ” |
—In-game description |
The Changdao Swordsman is a melee heavy infantry in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties that is unique to the Chinese and are trained as part of the Territorial Army or (since the Definitive Edition) as part of the Black Flag Army.
Overview[]
The Changdao Swordsman is a moderately powerful hand infantry, falling somewhere between a Pikeman and a Halberdier. It has very low hit points, but a fairly strong attack. Additionally, it has a high speed.
In battle, this unit tends to be killed very quickly, even by cavalry. However, due to it being so cheap, it trades cost effectively, and provides a meatshield for ranged units. With its strong base damage and decent siege damage, it can be used for raiding, taking down enemy Pikemen, or sieging down important buildings such as Trading Posts.
They can quickly fall behind strong cavalry units, so upgrading them should be a priority against cavalry-driven civilizations.
Upgrades[]
The Changdao Swordsman is automatically upgraded to Disciplined (+20% hit points and attack) in the Fortress Age.
Age | Upgrade | Cost | Effect |
---|---|---|---|
Honored Changdao | 300 wood 300 coin |
Upgrades Changdao Swordsmen to Honored (+30% hit points and attack) | |
Exalted Changdao | 750 wood 750 coin |
Upgrades Changdao Swordsmen to Exalted (+50% hit points and attack); requires Honored Changdao |
Further statistics[]
As Changdao Swordsmen are unique to the Chinese, only technologies that they have access to are shown in the following table:
Unit strengths and weaknesses | |
---|---|
Strong vs. | Cavalry, shock infantry, buildings |
Weak vs. | Light infantry, counter-skirmishers, artillery |
Improvements | |
Hit points | Maya Cotton Armor (+20%) Cree Tanning (+5%) Navajo Weaving (+5%) Tar Kilns (+5%) |
Attack | Zapotec Cult of the Dead (+20%) Carib Kasiri Beer (+10%) Master Lessons (+10%) Yoga (+5%) Mapuche Tactics (+50% siege attack) |
Resistance | Somali Oryx Hide Shields (+5% ranged resistance) |
Speed | Quechuan Mountaineering (+10%) Akan Fontomfrom (+5%) Apache Endurance (+5%) |
Train time | Cheyenne Horse Trading (-20% Black Flag Army) Akan Fontomfrom (-20% Territorial Army, -10% Black Flag Army) Immigrants (-10%, Territorial Army and Black Flag Army) |
Cost | Somali Oryx Hide Shields (-10% food cost; Black Flag Army and Territorial Army) |
Other | Meritocracy (-20% upgrade cost) |
Home City Cards[]
As Changdao Swordsmen are unique to the Chinese, 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 Changdao Swordsman
Some cards are highlighted with: | |
Green | TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team |
Blue | Shipment that arrives fast (5 seconds) |
Chinese[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Yongle Infrastructure | Ships 1 Mongol Scout; infantry, land villagers, healing units, Envoys, and Disciples get +5% speed | |
New Army | Turns all Chu Ko Nus into Arquebusiers, and Qiang Pikemen into Changdao Swordsmen; costs 400 food | |
18 Changdao Swordsmen | Ships 18 Changdao Swordsmen | |
11 Changdao Swordsmen | Ships 11 Changdao Swordsmen | |
Iron Cap Princes' Army | Ships 12 Changdao Swordsmen and 2 Flamethrowers; costs 800 food | |
Territorial Army Combat | Arquebusiers and Changdao Swordsmen get +15% hit points and attack | |
Manchu Combat | Qiang Pikemen, Changdao Swordsmen, Keshiks, and Meteor Hammers get +15% hit points and attack | |
Western Reforms | All units get +8% hit points and attack | |
Acupuncture | All units' (except Shaolin Masters) train time -20%; Summer Palace banner army, Flying Crow, and Heavy Cannon spawn time -5% | |
Banner School | Banner army train time -30%, Summer Palace banner army spawn time -7% |
- "TEAM Yongle Infrastructure" does not stack with the Inca "TEAM Inca Bridges" card.
Dutch[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Infantry Hitpoints | Infantry get +10% hit points; Dutch-only infantry get +15% hit points instead |
Haudenosaunee[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Scout Infantry | Ships 1 Native Scout; infantry get +8 Line of Sight |
Inca[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Inca Bridges | Ships 1 Chasqui; infantry, land villagers, healing units, and Envoys get +5% speed |
- "TEAM Inca Bridges" does not stack with the Chinese "TEAM Yongle Infrastructure" card.
Indians[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics | All units get +5% hit points and attack |
Japanese[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Sengoku | Unit upgrades cost -20% |
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 |
Spanish[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Hand Infantry Attack | Hand infantry get +15% attack | |
TEAM Spanish Inquisition | Ships 1 Inquisitor; all units get +10 Line of Sight |
Swedes[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM House of Bernadotte | Heavy infantry get +15% hit points |
Chinese[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
New Army | Turns all Chu Ko Nus into Arquebusiers, and Qiang Pikemen into Changdao Swordsmen; costs 200 food | 40 | |
18 Changdao Swordsmen | Ships 18 Changdao Swordsmen | 1 | |
11 Changdao Swordsmen | Ships 11 Changdao Swordsmen | 10 | |
Iron Cap Princes' Army | Ships 12 Changdao Swordsmen and 2 Flamethrowers; costs 1,000 food | 10 | |
Territorial Army Combat | Arquebusiers and Changdao Swordsmen get +15% hit points and attack | 25 | |
Manchu Combat | Qiang Pikemen, Changdao Swordsmen, Keshiks, and Meteor Hammers get +15% hit points and attack | 25 | |
Western Reforms | All units get +8% hit points and attack | 40 | |
Acupuncture | All units' (except Shaolin Masters, Heavy Cannons, Flying Crows, and Summer Palace banner armies) train time -20% | 10 | |
Banner School | Banner army train time -30%, Summer Palace banner army spawn time -7% | 10 |
Dutch[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
TEAM Infantry Hitpoints | Infantry get +15% hit points | 10 |
Indians[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics | All units get +5% hit points and attack | 25 |
Iroquois[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
TEAM Scout Infantry | Infantry get +8 Line of Sight | 10 |
Japanese[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
TEAM Cheaper Unit Upgrades | Unit upgrades cost -20% | 1 |
Russians[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
Dueling School | Infantry (except Skull Knights), Old Han Army, and Territorial Army train time -25%; Black Flag Army, Standard Army, Ming Army, and Imperial Army train time -12% | 25 |
Spanish[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
TEAM Hand Infantry Attack | Hand infantry get +15% attack | 10 | |
TEAM Inquisition | All units get +10 Line of Sight | 10 |
Changelog[]
Definitive Edition[]
- The Changdao Swordsman is now trained as part of the Black Flag Army.
Trivia[]
- Chang Dao (長刀) literally translates to "long sword" in Chinese.
- Chinese Zhanmadao inspired Japanese Zanbatō.
History[]
“ | The Chinese long sword known as changdao was actually a modification of a Japanese design carried by wokou pirates of the sixteenth century. The famed Chinese pirate fighter, General Qi Jiguang, is said to have taken the existing Japanese odachi sword, lengthened it, and straightened its curve. The resulting blade was extremely long, over three feet, and ideal for repelling cavalry. Therefore, it replaced the traditional Chinese horse fighting blade, the zhanmadao. During his campaign to secure the Mongol border in 1560, Qi Jiguang's Chinese forces used the new weapon to great effect. A proven success, the changdao was utilized throughout the remaining years of the Ming Dynasty. | ” |