Comanchero

Comanchero
Unit information
Introduced in	Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs
Type	Cavalry Light ranged cavalry Ranged cavalry Gunpowder cavalry Outlaw*
Age	Commerce Age Fortress Age (Native Americans)
Training
Trained at	Tavern (Europeans) Native Embassy (Native Americans)* Monastery (Asians) Lombard (Italians)
Population	5
Coin	130
Training time	40 seconds
Statistics
Hit points	225
Resists	20% vs. Ranged
Speed	7.25
Line of Sight	16
XP train bounty	26
XP bounty	26
Melee damage
Attack	11
Multipliers	×3.0 vs. Heavy cavalry ×2.2 vs. Hand shock infantry ×2.0 vs. Artillery ×0.5 vs. Villager
Rate of Fire	1.5
Ranged damage
Attack	20
Multipliers	Same as Melee
Range	12
Rate of Fire	3.0
Siege damage
Attack	12
Range	6
Rate of Fire	3.0

“	A dangerous outlaw on horseback.	”
—In-game description

The Comanchero is an outlaw in Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs.

It is available on the Alaska, Andes, Araucania, Baja California, California, Great Lakes, Great Plains, Mexico, Northwest Territory, Painted Desert, Pampas, Patagonia, Saguenay, Sonora, Texas, Yucatán, and Yukon maps.

Overview

The Comanchero is a mounted outlaw with a pistol. At 130 coin and 5 population (3 with the "Theaters" or "Atonement" Home City Card), it is the most expensive outlaw unit. Compared to standard Dragoons, which share the similar multipliers, Comancheros are slightly more durable, but have less firepower. Like other outlaws, Comancheros are most useful in the Commerce Age and depreciate in value as the game progresses, as upgraded standard light cavalry (and proper mercenaries) will outclass them.

The Lakota are the only civilization to have the option of shipping them from the Home City. However, Comancheros are not useful for raiding due to their reductive multiplier; therefore, a regular shipment of 4 Axe Riders will likely have a greater effect on the game.

In the Definitive Edition, certain revolutionary nations have access to modified Comancheros. All of them can build Livestock Pens, train Cows, and gather food from livestock. They can be trained at not only the Tavern, but also Stables, Forts, and Galleons for different amounts of food (instead of 120 coin) and use up 1 population.

• Argentina has Gauchos with a ranged attack that slows enemies similar to Bolas Warriors. They also have a unique model where they use bolas instead of revolvers, and a unique hat.
• Brazil has Jagunços which are more similar to Rifle Riders.
• Gran Colombia has Llaneros. which have more hit points, but only have a hand attack with a bonus against infantry. They also have a unique model with a different hat.
• Mexico has Cuerudos that replace Settlers. Their ranged attack fires a burst of four shots similar to Organ Guns. They have a Mexican Hat.
• Peru has Morochucos which are similar to Mexican Cuerudos but with 5 attack, +3 range, ×2.0 multiplier vs. cavalry, ×0.5 multiplier vs. Villagers, and +7 siege attack. They wear a chullo hat.
• United States have Cowboys.

Upgrades

The Comanchero upgrades in the Industrial Age and the Imperial Age when Compunction, Folk Heroes, or Wild West are researched.

• +30% hit points and attack
• +50% hit points and attack

Further statistics

Unit strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs.	Heavy cavalry, hand shock infantry, artillery
Weak vs.	Heavy infantry, light infantry
Improvements
Hit points	Compunction (+20%, Asians only) Folk Heroes (+20%, Europeans only) Wild West (+20%, Native Americans only) Comanche Horse Breeding (+10%) Cree Tanning (+5%) Navajo Weaving (+5%)
Attack	Compunction (+20%, Asians only) Folk Heroes (+20%, Europeans only) Wild West (+20%, Native Americans only) Ranged Cavalry Caracole (+10%) Smokeless Powder (+10%) Yoga (+5%) Wind Horses (-10% Rate of Fire) Carabinieri (-10% ranged attack Rate of Fire; Italians only)
Resistance	Sudanese Quilted Armor (+10% hand resistance)
Range	Ranged Cavalry Caracole (+2)
Line of Sight	Town Watch (+3) Ranged Cavalry Caracole (+2)
Speed	Apache Endurance (+5%) Comanche Mustangs (+5%) Wind Horses (+0.5)
Train time	Compunction (-50%, Asians only) Folk Heroes (-50%, Europeans only) Wild West (-50%, Native Americans only) Cheyenne Horse Trading (-40%) Mass Cavalry (-35%) Terror Charge (-20%; Indians only) Quechuan Diet (-15%) Carabinieri (-10%; Italians only) Philhellenism (-10%) Immigrants (-10%) Shaman Drums (-10%)
Cost	Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10% coin cost) Golden Liberty (-5% coin cost) Philhellenism (-10%)
Penalties	Coffee Trade (-10% speed; Dutch only)

Home City Cards

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

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
Blue	Shipment that arrives fast (5 seconds)

All

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Cavalry Damage	Cavalry get +15% attack		10
Cavalry Hitpoints	Cavalry get +15% hit points		10
Cavalry Combat	Cavalry get +15% hit points and attack		10

• "Cavalry Damage" is available to the British, Haudenosaunee, and Lakota.
• "Cavalry Hitpoints" is available to the British and Haudenosaunee.
• "Cavalry Combat" is available to the British, Dutch, French, Italians, Lakota, Ottomans, Russians, and Spanish.

Asians

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Atonement	The Monastery can train Iron Troopers/Jat Lancers/Yojimbo; outlaws use -2 population (also +1 Villager for the Indians)		10

Chinese

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Western Reforms	All units get +8% hit points and attack		40
Acupuncture	All units' train time -20%		10

Europeans

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Riding School	Cavalry train time -40% (also +2 Uhlans for the Germans)		10
Theaters	Upgrades the Tavern to the Theater which can train Ronin; outlaws use -2 population		1

• "Riding School" is not available to the Maltese and Spanish.
• "Theaters" is not available to the Germans.

Germans

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Cavalry Attack	The player's heavy cavalry, light ranged cavalry, and shock infantry get +15% attack; allied cavalry and shock infantry get +10% attack		10
Cavalry Hitpoints	Uhlans, War Wagons, Comancheros, Llaneros, and Prinz Chevaulegers get +15% hit points; +2 Uhlans		10
Cavalry Combat	Uhlans, War Wagons, Comancheros, Llaneros, and Prinz Chevaulegers get +15% hit points and attack; +3 Uhlans		10
Spanish Riding School	Cavalry get +10% speed; +4 Uhlans		25

Haudenosaunee

Card	Description	Age
Wampum	Training units and constructing buildings grants +35% XP

Indians

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Dravidian Martial Arts	All units get +15% hand attack; Rajputs get +30% hand attack; +1 Hindu Villager		40
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics	All units get +5% hit points and attack		25

Italians

Card	Description	Age
Schiavoni Swords	Infantry and cavalry get +15% hand attack

Japanese

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Sengoku	Unit upgrades cost -20%		10
Bakufu	Daimyo and Shogun Tokugawa get +10% speed, +20 Line of Sight and train units 15% faster; land military units' train time -20%; Banner army train time -10%		10

Lakota

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Mustangs	Cavalry cost -10%		10
Winter Counts	Training units grants +40% XP and constructing buildings grants +20% XP		N/A
Hire Cowboys	Ships 7 Cowboys and upgrades all your Comancheros to Cowboys; costs 750 coin		10
Outlaw Band	Ships 19 random outlaws; costs 1,000 coin		25
Bandit Gang	Ships 20 random outlaws; costs 2,000 coin		40

Maltese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Knights of the Round Table	Ships 1 Hospitaller for each Town Center owned by the player; all units get +2% hit points
Squires	Military buildings train and research work 80% faster, except Forts which train and research work 340% faster

Mexicans

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Mariachi	For the next 30 seconds, military buildings work 400% faster and units get +10% speed

Ottomans

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Akincis	Light cavalry get +100% multiplier against Villagers		10

Russians

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Kamchatka Expeditions	Cavalry and shock infantry get +10% hit points and +4 Line of Sight		1

South Africa

Card	Description	Age
Wanderlust	Land units get +5% hit points; Villagers and Wagons get +5% speed

Spanish

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Liberation March	Infantry, cavalry, and shock infantry get +5% speed and -35% train time		N/A
TEAM Spanish Inquisition	Ships 1 Inquisitor; all units get +10 Line of Sight		10

Swedes

Card	Description	Age
Ranged Cavalry Combat	Ranged cavalry get +15% hit points and attack

Bandit Rider

Bandit Rider
Unit information
Introduced in	Age of Empires III
Type	Cavalry* Treasure guardian
Civilization	Mother Nature
Statistics
Hit points	390
Resists	30% vs. Ranged
Speed	8.0
Line of Sight	12
XP bounty	15
Ranged damage
Attack	14
Range	8
Rate of Fire	3.0
Siege damage
Attack	14
Range	6
Rate of Fire	3.0

The Bandit Rider (Outlaw Rider before update 38254) is the Treasure guardian version of the Comanchero, usually found in large or resourceful treasures. The Bandit Rider has much higher hit points but more vulnerable to cavalry and artillery. However, they are better at dealing with villagers, so they are recommended to be used in raiding.

Spanish and Portuguese can get 10 Bandit Riders along with Bandit Gunslingers through revolution by selecting Miguel Hidalgo. If one has a War Chief, one should not use it on him for fighting other treasure guardians, but use him as ranged cavalry.

History

“

The term "outlaw" is derived from a Scandinavian designation for the worst sort of criminal imaginable - one who lived outside the protections of the law and should be killed on sight. The gun-slinging, horse-riding, bandana-wearing outlaw of the American frontier is a common image. One such outlaw, Jesse James, used his knowledge of guerilla tactics in warfare to execute a series of bank robberies. He and his brothers lived a life of crime for decades, before James was killed by one of his own gang members when his bounty grew too high to resist.

”

Changelog

Age of Empires III

• The Outlaw Rider is tagged as cavalry.
• Comancheros cost 7 population, have 16 ranged damage and 30% ranged resistance.

Definitive Edition

• The Outlaw Rider no longer is tagged as cavalry.
• With update 23511, Comancheros cost 6 population, have 19 ranged damage and 20% ranged resistance, are tagged as outlaw and can be trained by Native Americans in the Fortress Age at the Native Embassy.

The African Royals

• With update 38254, the Outlaw Rider was renamed to Bandit Rider.

In-game dialogue

Before update 23511

The Comanchero, as well as Pistolero and Renegado, speak in Western American English using "Saloon unit" dialogue files, which were used by Sheriff Billy Holme before the Definitive Edition with the pitch raised slightly, while the Outlaw Rider speaks Spanish using the Spanish Mortar's dialogue files.

• Select 1 Yeah?
• Select 2 I'm ready
• Select 3 Whatcha need?
• Move 1 Sure thing
• Move 2 Alright
• Move 3 Okay
• Attack 1 You got it!
• Attack 2 I'll get 'em!
• Attack 3 Right

After update 23511

After update 23511 and introduction of the United States major civilization the Comanchero speaks Spanish using the Spanish Hussar's dialogue files. The exception for this is the United States's units (major and scenario) that continue to use Sheriff Billy Holme's dialogue files before the Definitive Edition
The Outlaw Rider (Bandit Rider after update 38254) continues to use Spanish Mortar's dialogue files.

Trivia

• The Comanchero, Bandit Rider and most revolutionary variants, appear to use a muzzle-loading pistol, as one can see the hand movement at the muzzle of the gun after a shot, not like the other outlaws units (despite the weapon in their portrait and in-game model resembling a revolver rather than a muzzle-loading pistol).
• The hand attack of the Comanchero unexpectedly shows the siege damage symbol instead of the usual hand attack symbol to denote the damage inflicted using hand attacks.
• Argentinian, Gran Colombian, Peruvian, and American Comancheros' names reflect the fact that cowboys in the Old West are the equivalent of gauchos in Argentina, llaneros in Venezuela and Colombia, and morochucos in Peru; horsemen who tends to cattle.

History

“

The name "comanchero" refers to those non-Indians, especially the Spanish, who traded with the Comanches of New Mexico. During the late 1800s in the U.S. Southwest, comancheros inhabited a shadowy world of commerce between dealers of guns, ammunition, and other forbidden commodities with the local Native Americans. Even though the Sioux, Apache, and other Native Americans were quite often provided firearms by the U.S. military, a significant black market emerged that the comancheros were more than happy to exploit.

”

Gallery

Two in-game Comancheroes

An outline of a "heroic" Comanchero

Outlaw Rider stats

Comanchero stats

From left to right: Comanchero, Repentant Comanchero, and Outlaw Rider

Outlaw Rider concept art

See also

• Cowboy – United States counterpart
• Cuatrero – Mexican counterpart