Counter Infantry Rifling

Counter Infantry Rifling
Availability
Introduced in	Age of Empires III
Civilization	Africans Europeans Federal Americans Haudenosaunee Lakota
Age	Commerce Age
Research
Researched at	Arsenal (Africans, Europeans, Federal Americans) Longhouse (Haudenosaunee) Teepee (Lakota)
Required Home City Card	"New Ways" (Haudenosaunee and Lakota)
Wood	200
Coin	200
Influence	400 (Africans only)
Research time	30 seconds
Effect
Rifle infantry ranged and hand attack bonus damage against heavy infantry +1.0x Counter-skirmishers ranged and hand attack bonus damage against light infantry +1.0x Fire Thrower grenade and flame attack bonus damage against heavy infantry +0.75x, rocket attack bonus damage against infantry +0.75x

“	Skirmishers armed with rifles (Skirmishers, Cassadores, Cherokee, etc) do more damage to Heavy Infantry (Musketeers, Halberdiers, etc.)	”
—In-game description

Counter Infantry Rifling is a technology in Age of Empires III that can be researched by African, European and Federal American civilizations at the Arsenal; Haudenosaunee and Lakota can also research it at the Longhouse and the Teepee respectively once the "New Ways" Home City Card has been sent. Once researched, it increases ranged and hand attack bonus damage of rifle infantry against heavy infantry by 1.0x.

Additionally, the listed units below will have the following effects:

• Counter-skirmishers instead receive an additional 1.0x ranged and hand attack bonus damage against light infantry.
• Fire Throwers grenade and flame attack bonus damage against heavy infantry increased by 0.75x, and rocket attack against all infantry by 0.75x.

Overview

Counter Infantry Rifling is especially useful for civilizations that have Royal Guard upgrades for their Skirmishers (French and Germans), or those that have a unique replacement for Skirmishers (Abus Gunners and Cassadores). It helps them counter heavy infantry even more effectively without improving their general stats.

Further statistics

Technologies

• Meritocracy: cost -20%.

Home City Cards

Click for a list of Home City Cards related to Counter Infantry Rifling

Some cards are highlighted with:
Green	TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team

Haudenosaunee

Card	Description	Age
New Ways	Enables Infantry Breastplate, Counter Infantry Rifling, Cavalry Cuirass, Ranged Cavalry Caracole, and Heated Shot at Long Houses

Italians

Card	Description	Age
Milanese Arsenal	Delivers 1 Arsenal Wagon; Arsenal technology cost -50%; enables Flint Lock, Paper Cartridge, Military Drummers, Pillage, Professional Gunners, and Trunion in the Arsenal

Japanese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Sengoku	Unit upgrade cost -20%

Lakota

Card	Description	Age
New Ways	Enables Infantry Breastplate, Counter Infantry Rifling, Cavalry Cuirass, Ranged Cavalry Caracole, and Pillage at Teepees

United States

Card	Description	Age
Springfield Armory	Delivers 1 Arsenal Wagon; enables Flint Lock, Paper Cartridge, Military Drummers, Pillage, Professional Gunners, and Trunion in the Arsenal; Arsenal technologies are free but take +250% longer to research
Indiana Mobilization	Delivers 1 Carbine Cavalry for each shipment sent so far this game, including this one; unit train time, technology research time, Age up time -10%; costs 250 food, 250 wood

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

Changelog

Age of Empires III

• The in-game description is "Skirmishers armed with rifles (Skirmishers, Abus Gunners, Cassadores, Jaegers, Streltsy, Cherokee, Cree) do more damage to heavy infantry (Musketeers, Halberdiers, etc.)".

The WarChiefs

• Counter Infantry Rifling affects Navajo Riflemen.

Definitive Edition

• Counter Infantry Rifling no longer affects Navajo Riflemen.
• Counter Infantry Rifling now properly affects Renegados and Thuggees.
• Counter Infantry Rifling affects the Pirate's ranged attack when enabled by the Letter of Marque card.
• The in-game description is "Skirmishers armed with rifles (Skirmishers, Cassadores, Cherokee, etc) do more damage to Heavy Infantry (Musketeers, Halberdiers, etc.)".
• With update 23511, Nizam Fusiliers are affected by Counter Infantry Rifling when in Volley Mode.

Knights of the Mediterranean

• Although it is not listed in the patch notes, with update 13.9057, Counter Infantry Rifling now properly affects Navajo Riflemen again.
• Counter Infantry Rifling now increases counter-skirmishers' multiplier against light infantry instead of its usual effect of increasing multiplier against heavy infantry.
• With update 13.38085, Nizam Fusiliers no longer benefit from Counter Infantry Rifling.

Trivia

• Even though the Chinese and Indians do not have access to Country Infantry Rifling, Arquebusiers and Gurkhas get a +1.0 multiplier vs. heavy infantry by shipping specific Home City Cards ("Repelling Volley" and "Royal Green Jackets", respectively), achieving the similar effect as Counter Infantry Rifling.
• Even though Fire Throwers are technically not rifle infantry, they benefit from Counter Infantry Rifling, most likely for game balancing. On the other hand, Zouaves and Papal Zouaves do not benefit from Counter Infantry Rifling despite using rifles.