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This article is about the unit class in Age of Empires III. For other uses of the term, see Heavy cavalry. |
Heavy cavalry is a tag in Age of Empires III, referred to as AbstractHeavyCavalry in the game files. Almost all heavy cavalry-types are hand cavalry except Rifle Riders, Jagunços and Mounted Granaderos.
There are three types of heavy cavalry:
- Hand cavalry: All cavalry that use swords, lances and blunt weapons (labeled as
AbstractHandCavalryin the game files) - Ranged heavy cavalry: Cavalry that can perform a ranged attack but it's also good in melee combat (labeled as
AbstractRangedHeavyCavalryin the game files) - Lance cavalry: Cavalry that use lances and usually have a bonus against infantry. (labeled as
AbstractLancerin the game files)
Some heavy cavalry have also the siege unit tag, which are specialized in besieging buildings (labeled as AbstractSiegeTrooper in the game files).
Overview[]
Heavy cavalry usually have high hit points and a large melee attack. However, they are also expensive and normally take two or more population slots (with some exceptions, such as Cossacks and Steppe Riders). With update 43871, the icons for heavy cavalry and hand cavalry were added.
Most heavy cavalry are vulnerable to heavy infantry, such as Pikemen, light ranged cavalry, such as Dragoons, and ranged shock infantry, such as Eagle Runner Knights. Exceptions are Lancers, Jat Lancers, Mahout Lancers, Elmetti, Rifle Riders, and Tokala Soldiers, thanks to their bonus against infantry/heavy infantry, and Sipahi and Cuirassiers because of their large hit points.
Heavy cavalry are considered the hard counter to light infantry (rifle infantry and foot archers; except Rifle Riders, Jagunços and Mounted Granaderos, since they have a light cavalry tag) and counter-skirmishers. They are highly effective at destroying artillery such as Falconets, because of their high hit points, speed, and attack. A small group of heavy cavalry can usually take out an artillery unit in seconds.
The Aztecs and the Inca use hand shock infantry instead of heavy cavalry.
Hand cavalry[]
Axe Rider- Berber Sultan
- Bosniak
- Boyar
- Cheyenne Rider
- Chinaco
- Cossack
- Cossack Daredevil
- Cuerudo
- Cuirassier
- Daimyo Kiyomasa
- Daimyo Masamune
- Daimyo Mototada
- Deli
- Desert Raider
- Eclaireur
- Elmetto
- Hackapell
- Hussar
- Iron Flail
- Jat Lancer
- Kanya Horseman
- Lakota Axe Rider
- Lakota Tokala Soldier
- Lakota War Chief
- Lancer
- Lifidi Knight
- Llanero
- Mahout Lancer
- Mansabdar Mahout
- Mansabdar Sowar
- Mameluke
- Meteor Hammer
- Mounted Infantry
- Mounted Rifleman
- Naginata Rider
- Papal Lancer
- Qizilbash
- Royal Horseman
- San Martin
- Saxon Cuirassier
- Sennar Horseman
- Shock Rider
- Shogun Tokugawa
- Sipahi
- Sowar
- Stradiot
- Tokala Soldier
- Totenkopf Hussar
- Tribal Horseman
- Uhlan
- War Elephant
- Winged Hussar
- Yoruba Eso Rider
The following unit is tagged as hand cavalry, but not heavy cavalry:
Ranged heavy cavalry[]
The following units are hand cavalry that also have the ranged heavy cavalry tag:
The following unit is tagged as heavy cavalry and ranged heavy cavalry, but not hand cavalry:
Harquebusiers and Mounted Riflemen are ranged heavy cavalry units that have penalties against pikeman (AbstractPikeman in the game files, shown as "hand infantry" in the stats UI). This tag was introduced in the Definitive Edition.
Lance cavalry[]
- Stradiot gains lance cavalry tag after researching Red Lancers technology.
Other[]
The following units are hand cavalry that also have the siege unit tag:
The following units are tagged as light and heavy cavalry:
Trivia[]
- Rifle Riders, Jagunços, and Mounted Granaderos are the only heavy cavalry units that are not tagged as hand cavalry.
- Berber Camel Riders are the only hand cavalry units that are not tagged as heavy cavalry.
- Despite Meteor Hammers and Chinacos having a small range, they do not have a ranged cavalry tag. They perform a hand attack at range.
- The Lakota War Chief had no heavy cavalry tag before the Definitive Edition.
- Although the Cheyenne Rider, Lakota Tokala Soldier, Lakota War Chief, Lifidi Knight, Shock Rider, Stradiot (before researching the Red Lancers technology), Tokala Soldier, and Winged Hussar wield a lance, they are not tagged as lance cavalry. This is due to balance purposes, so these units cannot benefit from the "Caballeros" Home City Card, which increases lance cavalry hand damage multiplier against infantry.
Gallery[]
| Tags in Age of Empires III | |
|---|---|
 Infantry | |
 Heavy infantry | Hand infantry ·  Pikeman · Musket infantry |
 Light infantry | Foot archer · Rifle infantry · Hand skirmisher |
| Other | Counter skirmisher · Gunpowder trooper · Grenade trooper |
 Cavalry /  Shock infantry | |
| Heavy cavalry | Hand cavalry · Ranged heavy cavalry · Lance cavalry |
 Light ranged cavalry | Gunpowder cavalry |
| Shock infantry |  Hand shock infantry ·  Ranged shock infantry |
| Other | Camel · Elephant |
| Siege units | |
 Siege trooper ·  Artillery ·  Siege Elephant · Gatling Camel* · Fixed Gun* · Arrow Knight* | |
 Ships | |
Fishing boat · War ship ·  Recruiting ship | |
 Building | |
 Resource enclosure ·  Wall · Frontier fortification · Barracks | |
| Other | |
 Hero ·  Mercenary · Monk ·  Outlaw ·  Pet ·  Villager | |
| Mother nature | |
 Hunted animals ·  Treasure guardian | |
| Support tags | |
| Archer · Healing unit · Native warrior · Archaic infantry · Ranged infantry · Ranged cavalry · Consulate unit | |
| All tags with icons are related to the bonus and penalties counter system, except *hidden tags that aren't in the UI | |