"Nepalese skirmisher that is accurate to a long range. Good against infantry."—In-game description
The Gurkha is a ranged gunpowder infantry in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties that is unique to the Indians and can be trained at Barracks and Galleon, as well as the Agra Fort wonder. It is the Indian equivalent of a Skirmisher.
Gurkhas can also be rescued from certain Treasures on South Asian maps such as Borneo, Deccan, and Indochina.
Overview 
Edit
Gurkhas are expensive and somewhat fragile but have a strong attack and long range, that increases with every upgrade for them at the barracks, going up to 21 range. They are strong against infantry but are weak against cavalry. They are stronger than an ordinary Skirmisher and are also available in Colonial Age meaning that the Indians can have a very powerful anti-infantry support even in the Colonial Age. As such they should be escorted by heavy infantry to defeat any cavalry units that get too close while the Gurkhas snipe infantry that pose a threat.
Gurkhas, when combined with the Howdah can host a formidable all-rounder attack force as they provide multipliers against many categories of unit's in the game.
The Gurkha's fragility is offset somewhat by their ability to regenerate hit points.
Upgrades Edit
| Age | Upgrade | Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  Disciplined Gurkha
| 200 wood, 100 coin | Upgrades Gurkhas to Disciplined (+20% hit points and attack, +1 LOS and range) |
 |  Honored Gurkha
| 600 wood, 600 coin | Upgrades Gurkhas to Honored (+30% hit points and attack, +1 LOS and range); requires Disciplined Gurkha |
 |  Exalted Gurkha
| 1,500 wood, 1,500 coin | Upgrades Gurkhas to Exalted (+50% hit points and attack, +1 LOS and range); requires Honored Gurkha |
Mansabdar Gurkha Edit
"Inspires all nearby Gurkha. Indian skirmisher that is accurate to a long range. Good against infantry."—In-game description
The Mansabdar Gurkha is a stronger version of the Gurkha that can be trained from the Charminar Gate wonder. As a Mansabdar unit, the Mansabdar Gurkha has twice the hit points of a Gurkha and Imperial Service that increases the hit points and attack of nearby Gurkhas, but are two times more expensive.
Special ability Edit
- Imperial Service (passive): The Mansabdar Gurkha increases the hit points and attack of Gurkhas in a radius of 24 around him by 10%.
Further statistics Edit
As (Mansabdar) Gurkhas are unique to the Indians, only technologies that they have access to are shown in the following table:
| Unit strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Heavy infantry, light cavalry, Eagle Runner Knights |
| Weak vs. | Heavy cavalry, Coyote Runners, artillery |
| Improvements | |
| Hit points |  Cree Tanning (+5%) Navajo Weaving (+5%)
|
| Attack |  Yoga (+5%) Smokeless Powder (+30% siege attack) Clenched Fist (+30% melee attack)
|
| Speed |  Incan Road-building (+20%) Apache Endurance (+5%)
|
| Creation speed |  Incan Chasquis Messengers (-25%)
|
| Train cost |  Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10% coin cost)
|
| Other |  Meritocracy (-20% upgrade cost)
|
Home City Cards Edit
As (Mansabdar) Gurkhas are unique to the Indians, 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 (Mansabdar) Gurkha | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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|
Green: TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team Dutch
|
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Infantry Hitpoints
| Infantry get +15% hit points |  | 10 |
French Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Ranged Infantry Attack
| Ranged infantry get +15% attack | | 10 |
 TEAM Early Skirmishers
| Skirmishers, Cassadores, Forest Prowlers, Wakina Rifles, and Black Flag Army can be trained in the Colonial Age; Longbowman, Strelet, Macehualtin, Gurkha, and Yumi Archer train time -20% |  | 25 |
Indians Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 7 Gurkhas
| Ships 7 Gurkhas +1 Villager | | 1 |
 12 Gurkhas
| Ships 12 Gurkhas +1 Villager | | 1 |
 8 Gurkhas
| Ships 8 Gurkhas +1 Villager | | 10 |
 14 Gurkhas
| Ships 14 Gurkhas +1 Villager | | 25 |
 Dravidian Martial Arts
| All units get +15% melee attack +1 Villager | | 40 |
 TEAM Shivaji's Tactics
| All units get +5% hit points and attack | | 25 |
 British East India Company
| Sepoys, Gurkhas, and Sowars get +10% hit points and attack +1 Villager | | 25 |
 Royal Green Jackets
| Receive Gurkhas with every Consulate shipment; Gurkhas and the Mansabdar Gurkha get a +1.0x multiplier against infantry and heavy infantry | | 10 |
Iroquois Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Scout Infantry
| Infantry get +8 LOS | | 10 |
Japanese Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Cheaper Unit Upgrades
| Unit upgrades cost -20% | | 1 |
Portuguese Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Gunpowder Infantry Hitpoints
| Gunpowder infantry get +15% hit points | | 10 |
Russians Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Dueling School
| Infantry train time -25%; banner army train time -12% | | 25 |
Spanish Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Inquisition
| All units get +10 LOS | | 10 |
History Edit
"The Gurkhas are a Nepalese ethnic group who originally claimed to be descendents of the northern India Rajputs, but who took their famous name from the small state of Gurkha in Nepal, which they conquered in the early sixteenth century. For 200 years, the Gurkhas expanded eastward, seeking to conquer all of Nepal. They succeeded, and by the mid-eighteenth century, the entire country was theirs and Hinduism was named the state religion. The Gurkhas attempted to invade Tibet but ultimately failed, and as war with the British broke out in India, they found their control waning. They did, however, discover a surprisingly fruitful partnership with the British occupational forces in India.
Known for their short, curved sword called a kukri, the Gurkhas served in the armies of India and Great Britain, where more than 200,000 soldiers fought alongside the British in World War I, and in forty battalions in World War II."
Gallery Edit
