Harquebusier

Harquebusier
Unit information
Introduced in	Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition
Type	Cavalry Heavy cavalry Melee cavalry Ranged Cavalry Mercenary
Age	Fortress Age
Training
Trained at	Saloon (Europeans) Monastery (Asians)
Coin	330
Training time	50 seconds
Statistics
Hit points	295
Resists	30% vs. Ranged
Speed	6.75
Line of Sight	15
Population	3
XP train bounty	30
XP bounty	30
Melee attack
Damage	121
Rate of Fire	1.5
Ranged attack
Damage	80
Multipliers	×2.0 vs. Pet ×0.5 vs. Villager
Range	6
Rate of Fire	2.0
Siege attack
Damage	30
Range	6
Rate of Fire	3.0

“		”
—In-game description

The Harquebusier is a mercenary cavalry in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition. Harquebusiers are a very delicate heavy cavalry that function as improved Uhlans, that can also switch attack into Ranged attack by setting them in Staggered mode.

Overview

Although Harquebusiers can strike with great force (they can kill Zamburaks with one hit), they should not be used on their own during battle, since their low hit points make them vulnerable to enemy attacks. They excel at raiding enemy Villagers - In two strikes, a Villager or Coureur is dead. Harquebusiers should be used like Hussars, but mixed with regular hand cavalry or other heavy cavalry mercenaries. Harquebusiers have significantly more attack but significantly fewer hit points than the Mameluke. With 12 Missionaries (Japanese ally), Unction, all attack improvement upgrades (Bhakti Temple) and cards (French and Indian allies), the Spanish Harquebusier is the melee cavalry with the highest attack, 281.93. They act as a hybrid cavalry. They have a really high ranged attack equivalent to a Guard Dragoon, which makes them really strong at range.

Further statistics

Unit strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs.	Ranged infantry, light infantry, artillery
Weak vs.	Heavy infantry, light cavalry
Improvements
Hit points	Cavalry Cuirass (+10%) Comanche Horse Breeding (+10%) Cree Tanning (+5%) Navajo Weaving (+5%)
Attack	Pillage (+25% siege attack) Customized Merc Weapons (+30%, John Black's Mercenaries only) Yoga (+5%)
Sight	Town Watch (+2)
Speed	Comanche Mustangs (+10%) Apache Endurance (+5%)
Creation speed	Mass Cavalry (-50%) Cheyenne Horse Trading (-25%) Incan Chasquis Messengers (-25%)
Train cost	Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10% coin cost)
Other	Wild Geese (ships 5 Harquebusiers, Spanish only)
Penalties	Coffee Trade (-10% speed, Dutch only)

Home City Cards

Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Harquebusier

Green: TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team All Card Description Age HC level Riding School Cavalry train time -40% 10 The Riding School card is not available to Chinese and Japanese. Chinese Card Description Age HC level Western Reforms All units get +8% hit points and attack 40 Acupuncture Unit train time -20% 10 Europeans Card Description Age HC level Cavalry Combat Cavalry get +15% hit points and attack 10 Hire Harquebusiers Ships 6 Harquebusiers; costs 1,000 coin 10 Hire Highland Mercenary Army Ships 6 Highlanders, 4 Harquebusiers, and 8 Swiss Pikemen; costs 2,000 coin 25 The Cavalry Combat card is available to Dutch, Ottomans, and Russians. The Hire Finnish Harquebusier card is available to Dutch, Germans (which ships 2 extra Harquebusiers), Portuguese, and Russians. The Hire Highland Mercenary Army card is not available to Ottomans and Portuguese, and ships 1 extra Highlander, Harquebusier, and Swiss Pikeman for the Germans. French Card Description Age HC level TEAM Hand Cavalry Attack Heavy cavalry and Coyote Runners get +15% attack 10 Germans Card Description Age HC level TEAM Cavalry Attack Heavy cavalry, light cavalry, and light infantry get +15% attack 10 Spanish Riding School Cavalry get +10% speed +4 Uhlans 25 Improved Mercenaries Mercenaries get +20% hit points and attack +3 Uhlans 10 Indians Card Description Age HC level 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 Russians Card Description Age HC level TEAM Cavalry Scouts Cavalry and light infantry get +10% hit points and +4 LOS 1 Spanish Card Description Age HC level TEAM Inquisition All units get +10 LOS 10

In-game dialogue

The Harquebusier speaks English, reusing the British Falconet's dialogue.

Main article: British#In-game_dialogue

Changelog

Definitive Edition

• Originally, Harquebusiers have 97 ranged damage and a rate of fire of 1.5. Since update 5208, they have 80 ranged damage, a rate of fire of 2.0, and a splash damage radius of 1.

Trivia

• Harquebuisers replace Hackapells in the Definitive Edition due to the introduction of Hakkapelits for the Swedes. A Hackapell is still available for the player in Saratoga, the fifth scenario of Act I: Fire.

History

“	The harquebusier was the most common form of cavalry found throughout Western Europe during the early and mid 17th century. This type of cavalryman was characterised by the use of a form of carbine, the earliest type of carbine used was called a "harquebus" derived from arquebus. The switch of the harquebusier from a mounted support role, reliant on firearms, to one of shock-capable close combat cavalry came from Sweden (Hakkapelit). The harquebusier was first invented in France. The later harquebusier was used in a shock role by cavalry leaders of the English Civil War. They employed harquesbusiers very aggressively: charging with sword in hand, thus relegating their firearms to a secondary function. The harquebusier would usually have been armed with a carbine, wheellock, snaphaunce or doglock flintlock, hung from a swivel attached to a baldric, pistols in saddle holsters, and a stout, straight-bladed, sword and a typical harquebusier would have an iron cuirass with a breast and backplate, and an open faced helmet such as a lobster-tailed pot.	”
—In-game history section