The Forest Prowler has a long range and the stealth ability. It's good against heavy infantry and light cavalry at a range, while it's at a disadvantage in hand-to-hand fighting versus most units.
An excellent unit to use as an ambush warrior by switching to stealth and placed at a strategic point, such as a mountain pass on the map Himalayas-Upper, or Painted Desert. By combining them with Light Cannon they can take on any unit except rushing heavy cavalry such as Hussars, Spahis, and Cuirassiers, thus it is wise to protect these expensive (when compared to Aennas) warriors with a screen of Tomahawks or a flanking force of Musket Riders.
The quality of Forest Prowlers are unparallelled when fighting units such as Doppelsoldners, Samurai, Musketeers, Ashigaru, Landsknechts, to name a few. They are more effective against light cavalry than most other rifle-armed units, and can take down Hussars with relative ease, if not forced into hand combat. Forest Prowlers are at perhaps their most effective in Turtles, as they can be within the protection of walls, using their superior range to slaughter enemy units endeavoring to siege the walls. When walls possess Bastion, the power of this strategy is compounded.
Upgrades[]
The Forest Prowler starts at the Elite level, giving them +25% hit points and attack.
Despite being introduced in The WarChiefs, the unit's concept art appears on the original Age of Empires III cover art.
History[]
“
The classic stereotype of the Iroquois, even today, is the stealthy warrior slinking cat-like through the woods, senses keen, and armed with a loaded musket. Iroquois ambushes could be devastating, as unseen enemies opened fire on European troop columns from bushes and trees. The usual response for a defeated enemy was to retreat to a town or fort, which is when of course the Iroquois would unleash their feared siege techniques.
The Iroquois preferred this kind of shadowy warfare. Its effectiveness was proven by the fact that the Americans adopted these techniques in their revolution against the British in 1776. The Americans had been taught how to use the forests by the Iroquois themselves, in their periodic conflicts.
”
Gallery[]
An in game (Elite) Forest Prowler.
An in game Champion/Legendary Forest Prowler.
Forest Prowler concept art. Notice that it appears on the cover art of the original Age of Empires III.