Old Guard

Old Guard
Availability
Introduced in	Age of Empires III
Civilization	French
Age	Industrial Age
Research
Researched at	Church
Prerequisite(s)	Middle Guard
Required Home City Card	Edict of Nantes
Food	2,000
Research time	15 seconds
Effect
Delivers 15 Young Guards and renames them to Old Guards (also changes their visual) Grenadier and Old Guard Line of Sight and siege attack range +2, and replaces ranged attack with mortar attack Old Guard hand attack damage +100%, hand, ranged and siege resistance +10%

“	Ships 15 Old Guards (powerful Grenadiers) and researches Grenade Launchers. Any remaining Middle Guard are upgraded to Old Guard.	”
—In-game description

Old Guard is a technology in Age of Empires III that is unique to the French and can be researched at the Church once the Industrial Age is reached, the Edict of Nantes Home City Card has been sent, and Middle Guard is researched. Once researched, 15 Old Guards will appear in the Home City shipment point, the previous Middle Guards (if they still remain) will be renamed to Old Guards, Grenadiers and Old Guards replace ranged attack with mortar attack, get +2 Line of Sight and siege attack range, and also Old Guards get +100% hand attack damage and +10% hand, ranged and siege resistance.

Old Guards are consulate units, start with +10% hit points and damage, and are automatically upgraded in every Age up starting from the Fortress Age.

Changelog

Age of Empires III

• The technology is named Garde Imperial 3, ships regular Grenadiers, it grants +10% hit points and attack for Grenadiers, and the in-game description is "Ships 15 Old Guard Grenadiers. Any remaining Middle Guard are upgraded to Old Guard."

The WarChiefs

• The technology also grants Incendiary Grenades.

Definitive Edition

• The technology is renamed to Imperial Old Guard.
• With update 23511, the technology grants the Guard Grenadiers upgrade instead of granting additional hit points and damage.

Knights of the Mediterranean

• With update 13.27885, the technology is renamed to Old Guard, ships Consulate Grenadiers, Grenadiers use a hand mortar to attack, and get +2 Line of Sight and range instead of researching Incendiary Grenades and Guard Grenadiers, and the in-game description is "Ships 15 Old Guards (powerful Grenadiers) and researches Grenade Launchers. Any remaining Middle Guard are upgraded to Old Guard."

Trivia

• The French Expeditionary Company and French Expeditionary Force (if sent at the Industrial Age), available for the Chinese and the Indians in The Asian Dynasties through the Consulate by allying with the French, includes Old Guards.
• Historically, the Old Guard were Napoleon Bonaparte's best soldiers. They were all veterans of his campaigns, and up until the Battle of Waterloo, they never surrendered or were defeated in battle. However, this is likely due to the fact that Napoleon didn't like to use them often. Even so, their sheer presence on the battlefield was enough to boost the French morale. The myth of their invulnerability was unquestioned, until they were defeated by the British at Waterloo.