Light Cannon

Light Cannon
Information
Introduced in	Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs
Type	Artillery
Civilization(s)	Haudenosaunee Maya
Age	Industrial Age Revolution (Maya)
Internal name	xpLightCannon
Training
Trained at	Siege Workshop (Haudenosaunee) Artillery Foundry (Maya) Fort American Citadel
Cost	100 Wood 300 Coin 4 Population
Train time	45 seconds
Statistics
Hit points	150
Resistance	75% Ranged
Speed	3.0
Line of Sight	36
Train XP	40
Kill XP	40
Bombard attack
Damage	70 Siege
Area of Effect	2
Range	32
Rate of Fire	6.0
Bonus damage	3.0x vs. Ships 3.0x vs. Building 2.0x vs. Infantry 2.0x vs. Artillery

“	Light artillery. Good against infantry and artillery.	”
—In-game description

The Light Cannon is an artillery in Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs that is unique to the Haudenosaunee and can be trained at the Siege Workshop once the Industrial Age is reached. It combines the functions of a Falconet and a Culverin.

Overview

The most notable trait and largest disadvantage of the Light Cannon is that it is only available in the Industrial Age, unlike European artillery. This can be quite a restriction in a fast-paced battle.

It does excellent damage against artillery and buildings and is also good against ships. It can also do peripheral damage to nearby targets. The Light Cannon is strong against ships, infantry, and other artillery. Due to their effectiveness against a wide array of units complimented with a powerful range (most standard artillery have 26 or 28), they are devastating against enemy armies if left unchecked. If the "Siege Discipline" card is sent, the Haudenosaunee can easily mass a large number of these without a major penalty to the population space.

The Light Cannon is a mixture of Falconet and Culverin. It nearly has the range and damage of the Culverin, which makes it effective against other artillery units, and part of the power of the Falconet, which makes it effective against infantry and buildings.

Another advantage is that, unlike European artillery, they spend no time switching between Bombard and Limber mode. Both of the modes have equal speed, and if for any cause they have changed mode, they can change them instantly, allowing them to always remain both mobile and ready for combat. As of update 61213, Light Cannons no longer have a Limber mode, only a Bombard mode.

The main disadvantages of the Light Cannon are its slower rate of fire, less damage, and smaller damage area than a Falconet (making it for example only 31% as effective against infantry as a Falconet, not factoring in the reduced damage area), as well as its fewer hitpoints than either a Culverin or a Falconet, while costing almost the same amount of resources to train.

Light Cannons are arguably one of the best anti-artillery counter units in the game: Culverins slightly outrange them, but are highly situational and overspecialized. The Light Cannon's flexibility and great range makes it essentially a better Culverin that is also very capable at taking down buildings and can help against armies. It should be noted, however, that Light Cannons do not shine against infantry nearly as much as Falconets do, with a combination of weaker damage, area of effect and multiplier making them incapable of taking on large groups of infantry like Falconets can. This is why they should be used to destroy buildings and enemy artillery first and foremost, while their decent firepower against regular units is more of a bonus than their specialty. Aennas and Forest Prowlers should be used as a backbone of the Haudenosaunee army when it comes to dealing with infantry, with Light Cannons providing additional support.

Upgrades

Age	Upgrade	Cost	Effect
	Field Cannon	250 food 250 coin	Upgrades Light Cannons to Field Cannons (+25% hit points and damage)
Imperial Age	Legendary Field Cannon	1,500 wood 1,500 coin	Upgrades Field Cannons to Legendary (+50% hit points and damage); requires Field Cannon

Civilization differences

• The Inca can ship 4 Field Cannons through Thunderbolts of Illapa.

Revolutions

• For the Mexicans upon revolting to the Maya, Light Cannons replace Falconets, Culverins, and Horse Artillery in the Artillery Foundry.

Further statistics

Unit strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs.	Infantry, artillery, ships, buildings
Weak vs.	Cavalry, shock infantry, Culverins, Arrow Knights
Improvements
Hit points	Professional Gunners (+10%) Tar Kilns (+5%)
Attack	Smokeless Powder (+5%) Heated Shot (+50% multiplier vs. ships) Somali Ajuran Engineers (+20% multiplier vs. Frontier fortification)
Speed	Trunion (+15%) Siege Drill (+10%) Apache Endurance (+5%)
Line of Sight	Gunner's Quadrant (+6) Town Watch (+3)
Cost	Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10% coin cost) Golden Liberty (-5% coin cost)
Train time	Immigrants (-10%)
Other	Thunderbolts of Illapa (delivers 4 Field Cannons; Inca only) Jagiellonian Legacy (delivers 2 Light Cannons if The Warrior was chosen for the Haudenosaunee to reach the Industrial Age or 5 Light Cannons to reach the Imperial Age) Meritocracy (-20% upgrade cost)

Home City Cards

Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Light Cannon

Some cards are highlighted with:
Green	TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team
Purple	Shipment that can be sent an INFINITE number of times
Red	Shipment that can be sent twice
Blue	Shipment that arrives fast (5 seconds)

• Definitive Edition
• The Asian Dynasties

Shared

Card	Description	Age
4 Light Cannon	Delivers 4 Light Cannons
Marion's Diversions	Delivers 2 Quaker Guns; enables Quaker Guns to be trained at Artillery Foundries; artillery speed +5%

• "4 Light Cannon" is also available to the Haudenosaunee, and also Mexicans upon revolting to the Maya.
• "Marion's Diversions" is available to the United States upon selecting the South Carolina Federal State, and also British, Dutch, French, Italians, and Swedes upon revolting to the United States.

Chinese

Card	Description	Age
Siege Hitpoints	Artillery and Flamethrower hit points +15%; grenade trooper hit points +20%
Siege Attack	Artillery and Flamethrower damage +15%; grenade trooper damage +20%
Siege Combat	Artillery hit points and damage +15%; Flamethrower and grenade trooper hit points and damage +20%
Western Reforms	Unit hit points and damage +8%
TEAM Engineering School	Artillery, Fixed Gun, Siege Elephant, Flamethrower, Ram, Mantlet, and Haudenosaunee Mantlet train time -15%; Heavy Cannon, Great Bombard, Rocket, Flying Crow, and Gatling Camel train time -5% instead

Ethiopians

Card	Description	Age
Ignatian Spirituality	Unit (except herded animals) hit points +5%, regeneration rate +1.0 (even in combat)
Italian Firearms	Delivers 3 Li'l Bombards; artillery (except Culverins) attack Area of Effect +25%; costs 2,500 influence

Europeans

Card	Description	Age
Flying Battery	Artillery (except Fixed Gun) speed +1.1; Falconet, Culverin, Mortar, Horse Artillery, Heavy Cannon, and Li'l Bombard bombard attack Rate of Fire -10%; Napoleon Gun bombard and caseshot attack Rate of Fire -10%
Lantakas	Artillery, building, and ships' damage +15%
Wanderlust	Land military and land villager hit points +5%; land villager and construction wagon speed +5% (can be sent 3 times)
Knox's Continental Artillery	Delivers 5 Consulate Culverins; artillery train time -10%, hit points +10%; Culverin train time -25%, hit points +20% instead; costs 500 wood

• "Flying Battery" is available to the Germans, Italians, and Spanish upon revolting to Argentina, and French upon revolting to Revolutionary France.
• "Lantakas" is available to the Dutch and Portuguese upon revolting to Indonesia.
• "Wanderlust"is available to the British and Dutch upon revolting to South Africa.
• "Knox's Continental Artillery" is available to the British, Dutch, French, Italians, and Swedes upon revolting to the United States.

Haudenosaunee

Card	Description	Age
Siege Hitpoints	Ram, Mantlet, and Light Cannon hit points +15%
Siege Damage	Ram, Mantlet, and Light Cannon damage +15%
Siege Combat	Ram, Mantlet, and Light Cannon hit points and damage +15%
Siege Construction	Ram, Mantlet, and Light Cannon population cost -1, train time -30%
TEAM 2 Light Cannons	Delivers 2 Light Cannons
Wampum	Unit train bounty +35%, train time -20%, siege unit and artillery train time -5% instead; building build bounty +35%

Inca

Card	Description	Age
Road Building	Land military speed +10%

Indians

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics	Unit hit points and damage +5%

Japanese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Odzutsu Mortars	Artillery damage +10%; Samurai Line of Sight +2, siege attack range +1
TEAM Sengoku	Unit upgrades cost -20%

Maltese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Knights of the Round Table	Delivers 1 Hospitaller for each Town Center and Command Post present on the map; unit hit points +2%

Mexicans

Card	Description	Age
Plan of Veracruz	Transforms all Outposts into Falconets; grants Field Guns; artillery Line of Sight +4; costs 250 food, 250 wood
TEAM Mariachi	For the next 30 seconds, military building training and research work rate +400%, unit speed +10%
Colegio de San Nicolas	Delivers 1 Large Collection of Books (500 XP); unit Line of Sight +4; building (except Wall) Line of Sight +8; reveals enemy units' positions for 20 seconds
National Servant	Unit (except herded animals) hit points +10%; Padre heal work rate +200%	Imperial Age
British Weapon Trade	Delivers 12 Redcoats and 4 Rockets; Light Cannon hit points +70%, bonus damage against artillery +1.0; costs 1,000 wood

• "Colegio de San Nicolas" is available upon selecting the Michoacán Federal State.
• "National Servant" is available upon selecting the Estado de México Federal State.
• "British Weapon Trade" is available upon revolting to the Maya.

Ottomans

Card	Description	Age
Topçular	Artillery, artillery trooper, and grenade trooper hit points and damage +15%

Portuguese

Card	Description	Age
Artillery Hitpoints	Grenade trooper hit points +30%; artillery hit points +15%

Spanish

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Spanish Inquisition	Delivers 1 Inquisitor; military and economic unit Line of Sight +10

Chinese

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Engineering School	Abus Gun, Grenadier, Culverin, Falconet, Mortar, Organ Gun, Mantlet, Ram, Light Cannon, Petard, Horse Artillery, Siege Elephant, Morutaru, Flaming Arrow, Hand Mortar, and Flamethrower train time -30%; Heavy Cannon, Great Bombard, Rocket, and Flying Crow train time -5%		25

Europeans

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Artillery Hitpoints	Artillery, Abus Guns, and Grenadiers get +15% hit points		10

• "TEAM Artillery Hitpoints" is available to the Ottomans and Portuguese.

Indians

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics	All units get +5% hit points and damage		25

Iroquois

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Siege Hitpoints	Rams, Mantlets, and Light Cannons get +15% hit points		10
Siege Damage	Rams, Mantlets, and Light Cannons get +15% attack		10
Siege Combat	Rams, Mantlets, and Light Cannons get +15% hit points and damage		25
Siege Discipline	Rams, Mantlets, and Light Cannons take -1 population		40
4 Light Cannon	Ships 4 Light Cannons		25
Engineering School	Abus Gun, Grenadier, Culverin, Falconet, Mortar, Organ Gun, Mantlet, Ram, Light Cannon, Petard, Horse Artillery, Siege Elephant, Morutaru, Flaming Arrow, Hand Mortar, and Flamethrower train time -40%; Heavy Cannon, Great Bombard, Rocket, and Flying Crow train time -10%		25

Japanese

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Cheaper Unit Upgrades	Unit upgrades cost -20%		1

Spanish

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Inquisition	All units get +10 Line of Sight		10

Trivia

• A portrait file named sx_light_cannon_portrait.ddt in the game files suggests that the Sioux would also have access to the Light Cannon. This portrait has been updated for the Definitive Edition, where it remains unused.

History

“

Most Iroquois campaigns ended up with siege warfare. This fact, combined with the Iroquois predilection for modern weapons (trade steel and gunpowder), meant that they learned to deal with military technology early in their history. The cannon was a natural step in this development. The Light Cannon represents an artillery piece, bought or stolen from European allies, but crewed by Iroquois warriors.

”

Gallery

An in game Light Cannon

An in-game Light Cannon in the Definitive Edition

Light Cannon image from the Compendium section