Puma Spearman

Puma Spearman
Information
Introduced in	Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs
Type	Infantry Heavy infantry Hand infantry Pikeman* Archaic infantry*
Civilization(s)	Aztecs
Age	Commerce Age
Training
Trained at	War Hut Fort American Citadel
Cost	45 Food 45 Coin 1 Population
Train time	30 seconds
Statistics
Hit points	125
Resistance	20% Hand
Speed	5.0
Line of Sight	12
Train XP	9
Kill XP	9
Siege attack
Damage	41 Siege
Range	6
Rate of Fire	3.0
Hand attack
Damage	12 Hand
Rate of Fire	1.5
Bonus damage	5.0x vs. Cavalry 3.5x vs. Shock infantry

“	Warrior armed with a deadly spear. Good against cavalry and buildings.	”
—In-game description

The Puma Spearman is a melee heavy infantry in Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs that is unique to the Aztecs and can be trained at the War Hut once the Commerce Age is reached.

Overview

Armed with a spear, the Puma Spearman is effective against cavalry and buildings. It is the Aztec version of the European Pikeman, stronger in combat (50% more damage, 10% more hand resistance and faster movement speed) but slightly more expensive and costing food and coin rather than food and wood.

The "Temple of Xochipilli Support" Home City Card (increases speed to 6) makes them even more dangerous, because it allows them to better defend Otontin Slingers from flanking cavalry or Villagers from raiding.

Upgrades

Age	Upgrade	Cost	Effect
	Elite Puma Spearmen	200 wood 100 coin	Upgrades Puma Spearmen to Elite (+25% hit points and damage)
	Champion Puma Spearmen	400 wood 200 coin	Upgrades Puma Spearmen to Champion (+25% hit points and damage); requires Elite Puma Spearmen
Imperial Age	Legendary Puma Spearmen	1,500 wood 1,500 coin	Upgrades Puma Spearmen to Legendary (+50% hit points and damage); requires Champion Puma Spearmen

Further statistics

As Puma Spearmen are unique to the Aztecs, only technologies that they have access to are shown in the following table:

Unit strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs.	Cavalry, shock infantry, buildings
Weak vs.	Light infantry, counter-skirmishers, artillery
Improvements
Hit points	Maya Cotton Armor (+20%) Cree Tanning (+5%) Navajo Weaving (+5%) Tar Kilns (+5%)
Attack	Zapotec Cult of the Dead (+20%) Carib Kasiri Beer (+10%) Master Lessons (+10%) Yoga (+5%) Mapuche Tactics (+50% siege attack)
Resistance	Somali Oryx Hide Shields (+5% ranged resistance)
Speed	Quechuan Mountaineering (+10%) Akan Fontomfrom (+5%) Apache Endurance (+5%)
Cost	Somali Oryx Hide Shields (-10%) Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10% coin cost) Golden Liberty (-5% coin cost)
Train time	Akan Fontomfrom (-20%) Quechuan Diet (-15%) Immigrants (-10%)
Other	Barometz (delivers 1 Puma Spearman for every 2 minutes of the game time, up to 30 minutes) Meritocracy (-20% upgrade cost)

Home City Cards

As Puma Spearmen are unique to the Aztecs, only their cards and other civilizations' TEAM cards are shown in the following tables:

Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Puma Spearman

Some cards are highlighted with:
Green	TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team
Blue	Shipment that arrives fast (5 seconds)

• Definitive Edition
• The Asian Dynasties

Aztecs

Card	Description	Age
9 Puma Spearmen	Delivers 9 Puma Spearmen
6 Puma Spearmen	Delivers 6 Puma Spearmen
War Hut Training	Coyote Runner, Otontin Slinger, and Puma Spearman train time -35%
Ruthlessness	Coyote Runner, Otontin Slinger, and Puma Spearman bonus damage against villager +0.5
Fencing School	Infantry (except Warrior Priest and Skull Knight) and shock infantry train time -40%
Chichimeca Rebellion	Transforms all Puma Spearmen into Jaguar Prowl Knights, Coyote Runners into Eagle Runner Knights, and Otontin Slingers into Arrow Knights; villagers become Warriors upon death; costs 1,000 food, 1,000 wood, 1,000 coin
Temple of Xochipilli Support	Delivers 8 Puma Spearmen; Puma Spearman speed +20%; costs 500 coin
Religious Unity	Temple Support, Native Ally, Renegade, and Buccaneer shipment cost -50%, infinite Native Ally shipment cost -25% instead

Chinese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Yongle Infrastructure	Delivers 1 Mongol Scout; infantry, land villager, healing unit, Envoy, and Disciple speed +5%

• "TEAM Yongle Infrastructure" does not stack with the Inca "TEAM Inca Bridges" card.

Dutch

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Infantry Hitpoints	Infantry hit points +10%; Dutch-only infantry hit points +15% instead

Haudenosaunee

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Scout Infantry	Delivers 1 Native Scout; infantry Line of Sight +8

Inca

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Inca Bridges	Delivers 1 Chasqui; infantry, land villager, healing unit, and Envoy speed +5%

• "TEAM Inca Bridges" does not stack with the Chinese "TEAM Yongle Infrastructure" card.

Indians

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

Japanese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Sengoku	Unit upgrade 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
TEAM Mariachi	For the next 30 seconds, military building training and research work rate +400%, unit speed +10%

Spanish

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Hidalgos	Pikeman, Crossbowman, Aenna, Cetan Bow, Longbowman, Otontin Slinger, Yumi Archer, and Pavisier train time -40%; Old Han Army train time -30%; Jungle Bowman, Plumed Spearman, Fulani Archer, Desert Archer, Puma Spearman, Insurgente, Standard Army, and Ming Army train time -15%
TEAM Hand Infantry Attack	Hand infantry damage +15%
TEAM Spanish Inquisition	Delivers 1 Inquisitor; military and economic unit Line of Sight +10

Swedes

Card	Description	Age
TEAM House of Bernadotte	Heavy infantry hit points +15%

Aztecs

Card	Description	Age	HC level
8 Puma Spearmen	Ships 8 Puma Spearmen		1
6 Puma Spearmen	Ships 6 Puma Spearmen		10
War Hut Training	Coyote Runner, Otontin Slinger, and Puma Spearman train time -40%		10
Ruthlessness	Coyote Runners, Otontin Slingers, and Puma Spearmen get +0.5 attack multiplier against villagers		40
Fencing School	Infantry train time -40%		10
Temple of Xochipilli Support	Ships 12 Puma Spearmen; Puma Spearmen get +20% speed; costs 1,000 coin		10
Religious Unity	Zapotec and Maya Allies, Renegade Spanish, Recruit Buccaneers, and (Great) Temple Support shipments cost -25% to -50%		40

• "Religious Unity" reduces "Temple of Xochipilli Support" cost by 50%.

Dutch

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Infantry Hitpoints	Infantry get +15% hit points		10

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
TEAM Scout Infantry	Infantry get +8 Line of Sight		10

Japanese

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

Russians

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Dueling School	Infantry (except Skull Knights), Old Han Army, and Territorial Army train time -25%; Black Flag Army, Standard Army, Ming Army, and Imperial Army train time -12%		25

Spanish

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Hand Infantry Attack	Hand infantry get +15% attack		10
TEAM Inquisition	All units get +10 Line of Sight		10

Changelog

The WarChiefs

• The Puma Spearman is classified as a siege unit.
• Puma Spearmen have a +3.0x multiplier against shock infantry.
• Puma Spearmen have 48 siege damage.
• Puma Spearmen cost 50 food, 50 coin, give 10 XP trained or killed, and have 135 hit points.

Definitive Edition

• The Puma Spearman is no longer classified as a siege unit.
• Puma Spearmen now have a +3.5x multiplier against light infantry (now shock infantry).
• With update 20322, Puma Spearmen have 42 siege damage.

The African Royals

• With update 43871, Puma Spearmen cost 45 food, 45 coin, give 9 XP trained or killed, have 125 hit points, and 41 siege damage.

Knights of the Mediterranean

• Although it is not listed in the patch notes, with update 13.58326, Puma Spearmen are tagged as Pikeman and archaic infantry.
• Although not listed in the patch notes, with update 14.43676, the Legendary Puma Spearmen upgrade received a new model.

History

“	In Aztec society, membership in the calpulli established each individual's religious and secular schooling, as well as how they would be trained in warfare. The men of a calpulli served together in battle and on the numerous public works projects. Their soldiers wielded weapons of wood and stone, and they often sought prisoners to be sacrificed in religious ceremonies. To the Aztecs, the puma was a respected predator and held religious significance within their pantheon of gods. The Spanish recorded that Montezuma kept a puma-like creature called the cuitlamiztli (or wolf-cat) in his private zoo. Mexican legends refer to the existence of the onza, a long-legged and extremely aggressive cat native to the region.	”
—In-game compendium

Trivia

• The shape of the Puma Spearman's spear differs from European and Asian designs.
  • The unit's spear is mostly based on the tepoztopilli, a long pole-arm made in sizes from 3 to 7 feet in length, with a wedge-shaped wooden head edged with sharp obsidian blades, in a similar way to the macuahuitl used by the Jaguar Prowl Knight. The last original tepoztopilli was destroyed in a fire in 1884 in the Royal Armoury of Madrid where it was housed. The only depictions left of the weapon are found in Aztec codices.
• The Champion/Legendary Puma Spearman carries a Pāmitl, a type of war banner that officers or prestigious warriors carried on the back, in a similar manner to the Japanese uma-jirushi (the same type of war banner carried by the Naginata Rider).
  • The one carried by the Puma Spearman was called Quaxolotl. It was umbrella-like in shape and was produced in yellow, blue and green. The top was ornamented with the head of a dog called Xolotl whose ears had been ripped off according to a legend.
• The History sections states the record of the cuitlamiztli and the onza, both referred as cougar-like felines from nowadays Mexico. It is likely that both terms actually refer to the jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouarundi), a wild cat native from America closely related to the cougar, but about twice as large as a domestic cat.

Gallery

An in-game Puma Spearman

An in-game Elite Puma Spearman

An in-game Champion/Legendary Puma Spearman

The Puma Spearman from the in-game history section

Model of the Puma Spearman

Model of the Elite Puma Spearman

Model of the Champion/ Legendary Puma Spearman

Puma Spearman image from the Compendium section

An in-game Puma Spearman in the Definitive Edition

An in-game Elite Puma Spearman in the Definitive Edition

An in-game Champion Puma Spearman in the Definitive Edition

An in-game Legendary Puma Spearman in the Definitive Edition since update 14.43676

Aztec warriors from Folio 67 of the Codex Mendoza. The Puma Spearman can be seen in the left end