Qizilbash

This article is about the unit in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition. For the unit in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - The Mountain Royals, see Qizilbash Warrior.

Qizilbash
Information
Introduced in	Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition
Type	Cavalry Heavy cavalry Hand cavalry Lance cavalry Ranged heavy cavalry Ranged cavalry Native warrior
Age	Commerce Age
Training
Trained at	Trading Post or Tambo on a Sufi Mosque holy site Native Embassy
Cost	120 Food 75 Wood
Train time	38 seconds
Train limit	12 per Sufi Mosque
Statistics
Hit points	230
Resistance	20% Ranged
Speed	6.75
Line of Sight	15
Train XP	20
Kill XP	20
Ranged attack
Damage	12.5 Ranged
Range	4-12
Rate of Fire	1.5
Siege attack
Damage	10 Siege
Range	6
Rate of Fire	1.5
Hand attack
Damage	18 Hand
Range	3.75
Rate of Fire	1.5
Bonus damage	2.0x vs. Infantry
Trample attack
Damage	12 Hand
Area of Effect	3
Range	3.75
Rate of Fire	2.0
Bonus damage	Same as hand attack

“	Heavy Turkoman cavalry armed with lance and bow. Good against infantry.	”
—In-game description

The Qizilbash is a ranged heavy cavalry native warrior in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition that can be trained at a Trading Post built on a Sufi Mosque. It replaces the War Elephant (which is now trained in the Bhakti Temple) since update 13.12327.

Overview

The Qizilbash is a heavy cavalry unit that is available starting in the Commerce Age. It uses a bow in ranged combat, but has a shorter range than most of mounted archers, does not deal additional damage, has less speed than other ranged cavalry, and an increased food and wood cost, but has a moderate amount of hit points, resists ranged damage, and has a fast Rate of Fire. Due to this, they can perform hit-and-run tactics easily, being capable of taking down units that have low speed, proving to be more general-purpose cavalry in ranged combat.

In melee combat, the Qizilbash uses a lance, which has a ×2.0 multiplier against infantry, being especially effective against light infantry, such as Skirmishers and foot archers, since these units don't have multipliers against heavy cavalry. However, they can be easily countered by heavy infantry and light ranged cavalry. Although they can counter artillery in melee combat, their lower attack makes them not equally effective as other hand cavalry, such as Hussars.

Additionally, since they don't have the negative multiplier against villagers that light cavalry have, Qizilbash are capable of raiding enemy settlements and decrease their economy, which can be even more effective if they are combined with Oprichniks.

Upgrades

Age	Upgrade	Cost	Effect
	Sufi Discipline Training	100 wood 75 coin	Upgrades Qizilbash to Disciplined (+25% hit points and damage)
	Sufi Honor Training	400 wood 300 coin	Upgrades Qizilbash to Honored (+35% hit points and damage); requires Sufi Discipline Training
Imperial Age	Legendary Native Warriors Exalted Natives	1,500 food 1,500 wood	Upgrades Qizilbash to Exalted (+50% hit points and damage)

• The Legendary Native Warriors technology is available in the Capitol for European civilizations and the Mexicans, the State Capitol for the United States, and the Town Center for Asian (as Exalted Natives) and Native American civilizations.
• For African civilizations, native warriors are upgraded automatically and for free.

Further statistics

Unit strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs.	Infantry, artillery
Weak vs.	Heavy infantry, light ranged cavalry, ranged shock infantry, Ninjas
Improvements
Hit points	Cavalry Cuirass (+10%) Gadaa System (+5%; Ethiopians only) Comanche Horse Breeding (+10%) Cree Tanning (+5%) Navajo Weaving (+5%) Tar Kilns (+5%)
Attack	Ranged Cavalry Caracole (+10%) Pillage (+25% siege attack multiplier vs. buildings) Horsemanship (+1.0× multiplier vs. walls; Lakota only) Gadaa System (+5%; Ethiopians only) Carabinieri (-10% ranged attack ROF; Italians only) Wind Horses (-10% ROF) Yoga (+5%)
Resistance	Sudanese Quilted Armor (+10% hand resistance) Pancerni (+10% ranged resistance)
Speed	Cherokee War Dance (+20%) Horse Secrets (+10%; Haudenosaunee only) Apache Endurance (+5%) Comanche Mustangs (+5%) Wind Horses (+0.5)
Line of Sight	Town Watch (+3) Ranged Cavalry Caracole (+2)
Range	Ranged Cavalry Caracole (+2)
Train time	Cree Kinship (-45%) Mass Cavalry (-35%) Horse Secrets (-35%; Haudenosaunee only) Horsemanship (-33%; Lakota only) Terror Charge (-20%; Indians only) Carabinieri (-10%; Italians only) Immigrants (-10%) New Mexico Immigration (-10%; United States only) Strangers' Quarters (-10%; Africans only) Shaman Drums (-10%)
Other	Yoruba Herbalism (regenerates hit points when close to a tree or Berry Bush) Meritocracy (-20% upgrade cost)

Home City Cards

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

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)

Shared

Card	Description	Age
Cavalry Damage	Cavalry damage +15%
Cavalry Hitpoints	Cavalry hit points +15%
Cavalry Combat	Cavalry hit points and damage +15%
Native Treaties	Each different allied native tribe sends a shipment of their respective native warriors
Native Alliance	Native warrior cost -10%, train limit +20%
Native Warriors	Native warrior cost -25%
Native Warrior Combat	Native warrior hit points and damage +15%
TEAM Native Weapon Trade	Native warrior train limit +20%
Blood Brothers	Upgrades native warriors to Elite/Disciplined/Veteran and Champion/Honored/Royal Guard; Native Embassy build limit +5, hit points +40%
Caballeros	Lance cavalry hand, trample and lance charge attack bonus damage against infantry +1.0, range +1
Liberation March	Infantry, cavalry, and shock infantry train time -35%, speed +5%
Riding School	Cavalry train time -40%; Cuirassier, Oprichnik, and Hakkapelit train time -35% instead; Gatling Camel train time -20% instead

• "Cavalry Damage" is available to the British, Lakota, and Swedes.
• "Cavalry Hitpoints" is available to the British and Haudenosaunee.
• "Cavalry Combat" is available to the British, Dutch, French, Italians, Lakota, Mexicans, Ottomans, Russians, and Spanish.
• "Native Treaties" is available to Africans (in the Industrial Age), Europeans (except the Maltese), Federal Americans, and Native Americans, and ships 2 Qizilbash if the player had built a Trading Post or Tambo (for the Inca) on a Sufi Mosque holy site.
• "Native Alliance" is available to the Aztecs, Inca, Indians, and Japanese.
• "Native Warriors" is available to Europeans, the Lakota and Mexicans.
• "Native Warrior Combat" is available to the French, Haudenosaunee, and Inca, and also Mexicans upon revolting to the Maya, and British upon revolting to Haiti.
• "TEAM Native Weapon Trade" is available to the Dutch and Lakota, and also British and French upon revolting to Canada.
• "Blood Brothers" is available to the Aztecs, French, Germans, Haudenosaunee, Lakota, Portuguese, Russians, and Spanish, and also British upon revolting to Canada or Haiti.
• "Caballeros" is available to the Mexicans and Spanish, and also Germans and Italians upon revolting to Argentina.
• "Liberation March" is available to the Mexicans and Spanish.
• "Riding School" is available to Europeans (except the Maltese and Spanish) and the Indians.

Africans

Card	Description	Age
Feudal Armies	Unit train time -15%; hero respawn time -15%
Loyal Warriors	Native warrior, mercenary, and outlaw cost -15% (also affects shipments)

Asians

Card	Description	Age
Native Warrior Hitpoints	Native warrior hit points +30%, speed +10%
Native Warrior Attack	Native warrior train time -25%, damage +30%

• "Native Warrior Hitpoints" is not available to the Japanese.
• "Native Warrior Attack" is not available to the Indians.

Chinese

Card	Description	Age
Western Reforms	Unit hit points and damage +8%
Acupuncture	Unit (except monk) train time -20%; Summer Palace banner army, Flying Crow, and Heavy Cannon spawn time -5%

Ethiopians

Card	Description	Age
Ignatian Spirituality	Unit (except herded animals) hit points +5%, regeneration rate +1.0 (even in combat)

Europeans

Card	Description	Age
Blandengues	Hand cavalry cost -20%
Loyal Warriors	Native warrior, mercenary, and outlaw cost -15%; "TEAM 4 Zenata Rider", "Recruit Xebec", "Recruit Xebecs", and "15 Berber Allies" cost no coin
Sevites	Maroon, native warrior, and villager hit points regeneratation rate 0.25%; Yoruba Eso Riders lose 0.35% hit points per second instead, Militiamen lose 1.9% hit points per second, and for both stops at 25% hit points
Louverture Liberation	Delivers 6 Citizens; enables Citizens to be trained at Town Centers for 70 coin; enables Fishing Boats to be trained at Docks; native warrior train limit +20%, speed +5%
Junín Hussars	Hand cavalry and hand shock infantry train time -30%, speed +5% (train time -20% and no speed bonus if stacked with Liberation March)
Wanderlust	Land military and land villager hit points +5%; land villager and construction wagon speed +5% (can be sent 3 times)

• "Blandengues" is available to the Germans, Italians, and Spanish upon revolting to Argentina.
• "Loyal Warriors" is available to the Italians, Maltese, Ottomans, and Portuguese upon revolting to the Barbary States.
• "Sevites" and "Louverture Liberation" are available to the British and French upon revolting to Haiti.
• "Junín Hussars" is available to the Portuguese and Spanish upon revolting to Peru.
• "Wanderlust" is available to the British and Dutch upon revolting to South Africa.

French

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Hand Cavalry Attack	Hand cavalry and hand shock infantry damage +15%
Wilderness Warfare	Coureur des Bois, Cree Coureur des Bois, native warrior, Skirmisher, and Settler hit points +20%
TEAM French Auxiliaries Combat	Native warrior hit points and damage +10%
Cult of the Supreme Being	Unit train bounty +10%, kill bounty -10%; Sansculotte gather work rate for crates +50%, Berry Bush and Cherry Orchard +25%, tree, Mango Grove, mine +20%, huntable animals, herded animals, Mill, Farm, and Estate +15%

• "Cult of the Supreme Being" is available upon revolting to Revolutionary France.

Germans

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Cavalry Attack	Heavy cavalry, light ranged cavalry, and shock infantry damage +10%; Germans-only heavy cavalry, light ranged cavalry, and shock infantry damage +15% instead
Spanish Riding School	Cavalry speed +10%, +4 Uhlans

• "TEAM Cavalry Attack" does not stack with the Italian "TEAM Cavalry Attack" card.

Haudenosaunee

Card	Description	Age
Native Warrior Conscription	Native warrior cost -25%, train limit +20%
Wampum	Unit train bounty +35%, train time -20%, siege unit and artillery train time -5% instead; building build bounty +35%

Hausa

Card	Description	Age
Sahelian Kingdoms	Native warrior hit points and damage +15%; mercenary and outlaw hit points and damage +10%

Inca

Card	Description	Age
Road Building	Land military speed +10%
Couriers	Infantry, cavalry, and shock infantry train time -45%

Indians

Card	Description	Age
Dravidian Martial Arts	Unit all melee attack damage +15%; Rajput hand attack damage +20% instead, +1 Hindu Villager
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics	Unit hit points and damage +5%

Italians

Card	Description	Age
Schiavoni Swords	Infantry, cavalry, and shock infantry all melee attack damage +15%
TEAM Cavalry Attack	Heavy cavalry, light ranged cavalry, and shock infantry damage +10%; Italians-only heavy cavalry, light ranged cavalry, and shock infantry damage +15% instead

• "TEAM Cavalry Attack" does not stack with the German "TEAM Cavalry Attack" card.

Japanese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Sengoku	Unit upgrade cost -20%
Bakufu	Daimyo and Shogun Tokugawa speed +5%, Line of Sight +10, training and research work rate +15%; land military train time -20%, artillery and banner army train time -10% instead

Lakota

Card	Description	Age
Morning Star	Temporarily reveals all enemies and treasures; Axe Rider can now loot treasures for double the resources or XP; hand cavalry bonus damage against treasure guardian +2.0
TEAM Mustangs	Cavalry and shock infantry cost -10%
Black Arrow	Native warrior train time -85%
Winter Counts	Unit train bounty +40%; building build bounty +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 Casa Mata	Transforms all Dragoons into Chinacos; hand cavalry speed +5%; costs 250 food, 250 wood
TEAM Mariachi	For the next 30 seconds, military building training and research work rate +400%, unit speed +10%
Chimayó Genizarios	Each different allied native tribe sends a large shipment of their respective native warriors and upgrades them to Elite and Champion; native warrior train time -10%; "Native Treaties" arrive time -50%; costs 500 food, 500 wood
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

• "Chimayó Genizarios" ships 4 Qizilbash if the player had built a Trading Post on a Sufi Mosque holy site.
• "Colegio de San Nicolas" is available upon selecting the Michoacán Federal State.
• "National Servant" is available upon selecting the Estado de México Federal State.

Ottomans

Card	Description	Age
9 Sufi Allies	Delivers 9 Qizilbash; costs 1,000 coin

Russians

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Kamchatka Expeditions	Cavalry and shock infantry hit points +10%, Line of Sight +4

Spanish

Card	Description	Age
Hand Cavalry Attack	Hand cavalry damage +15%
Hand Cavalry Hitpoints	Hand cavalry hit points +15%
TEAM Spanish Inquisition	Delivers 1 Inquisitor; military and economic unit Line of Sight +10

Swedes

Card	Description	Age
Hand Infantry/Hand Cavalry Hitpoints	Hand infantry and hand cavalry hit points +15%
Ranged Cavalry Combat	Ranged cavalry hit points and damage +15%

United States

Card	Description	Age
Indian Friendship	Each different allied native tribe sends a large shipment of their respective native warriors and upgrades them to Elite and Champion; native warrior train time -10%; "Seminole Scouts", "Apache Scouts", "Navajo Scouts", "1st Michigan Volunteer Sharpshooters", and "Native Treaties" arrive time -50%; costs 500 food, 500 wood
Indiana Mobilization	Delivers 1 Carbine Cavalry for each shipment sent so far this game, including this one; unit train time, technology research time, Age up time -10%; costs 250 food, 250 wood
Seminole Ponies	Delivers 9 Hussars; cavalry train time -10%; hand cavalry hit points and damage +15%, speed +5%	Imperial Age

• "Indian Friendship" ships 4 Qizilbash if the player had built a Trading Post on a Sufi Mosque holy site.
• "Indiana Mobilization" is available upon selecting the Indiana Federal State.
• "Seminole Ponies" is available upon selecting the Florida Federal State.

Changelog

Knights of the Mediterranean

• Originally, the Qizilbash costs 120 food, 80 wood. With update 13.27885, the Qizilbash costs 120 food, 75 wood.

In-game dialogue

The Qizilbash speaks Turkish, using the Turkish military units' dialogue files.

Trivia

• The Qizilbash uses a bow in ranged combat, but it does not have the archer tag. This is possibly due to balance reasons, as mounted archers are also tagged as light ranged cavalry. However, a similar case happens with the Azap, which is a heavy infantry unit that uses a bow in ranged combat, although it is also classified as an archer.
• Qizilbash refers to any member of the seven Turkmen tribes who supported the Safavid dynasty (1501–1736) in Iran. It comes from the Ottomans (their enemies) as a reference to what they wore. The term was applied later to the followers of a mystical Islamic sect in eastern Anatolia.
• The Qizilbash excelling at raiding is very flavorful, as the Safavid army had a decentralized command structure, which allowed groups to split up and manage themselves. This allowed devastating raids versus the Ottomans, which were so painful they managed to even out the Ottoman–Safavid wars into being mostly stalemates, despite the Ottomans often being strongly ahead when fighting more stereotypical battles.
• While the Ottomans have a Home City Card named "9 Sufi Allies" that sends Qizilbash, historically the Ottoman Empire and the Safavid dynasty were enemies due to their dogmatic differences and the constant warfare over control of Mesopotamia.

History

“

The Qizilbash were semi-nomadic Turkomans from Anatolia, Caucasia and Mesopotamia who brought ancient Turkic religion and steppe traditions into harmony with Islamic spirituality and Sufi mysticism. The name "qizilbash" means "red head" which refers to their crimson red conic headwear and is a symbol of their allegiance to Shia Twelver Islam. During the 15th century the Qizilbash were the military backbone of the Safavids, a Sufi order and dynasty from Ardabil. They traveled light on horseback and fought with lances and traditional Turkic bows. The military successes of the Qizilbash in Persia enabled their Safavid leaders to found their own state, the Safavid Empire.

”

Gallery

Qizilbash image from the Compendium section

An in-game Qizilbash

A rendition of a Qizilbash

Qizilbash Warriors in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - The Mountain Royals