A very notable appearance of War Salamanders is in the first scenario of the Tale of the Dragon campaign, Rising Waters. Jiao-Long, escorted by some troops, meets Shun to oversee the construction of a Dam in a village that was drowned by a river flood. Unexpectedly, the camp is attacked by hostile Lizards and War Salamanders, that mostly attack from land.
The War Salamander is one of only two amphibious units in the game (the other being the Azure Dragon). Due to being able to fight on both land and water, it can fulfill multiple purposes. Not only can they be used to boost the already strong Chinese Navy, they can also be used to harass on water maps. Due to dealing crush damage, the War Salamander is also effective against buildings. Its strong attack and durability make it one of the stronger myth units in the game, for a very reasonable price.
Changelog[]
Tale of the Dragon[]
Initially, War Salamanders have 60 hack and pierce armor, 650 hit points, 25 hack damage, and cost 120 food. With patch 2.0, they have 45 hack and pierce armor, 600 hit points, 20 hack damage, and cost 200 food.
Mythology[]
“
Scientific name -- Andrias davidianus Size -- Up to 6 feet long Diet -- fish, crabs, shrimp, and insects
Arguably the largest amphibian, the War Salamander is a giant-headed creature with tiny eyes and the strength of a bear. Its sight is not its greatest asset, but the creature is covered in sensory nodes that enable it to sense even the gentlest tremors. And while the Salamander is capable of inflicting a lot of damage, it mostly sticks to fish and insects for food.
In ancient China, the creature adopted a nickname "infant fish" due to its cries strongly resembling a weeping child.
”
Trivia[]
The War Salamander is the only myth unit that can be trained from two different buildings: the Temple and Dock.
Given its size and scientific name, the War Salamander is based on the real-life Giant Chinese Salamander, that appears in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties as a rare huntable animal.
The War Salamander is the only Chinese myth unit to have a scientific name instead of its original Chinese name.
