“ | Fast-moving sword and buckler infantry. | ” |
—In-game description |
The Rodelero is a melee heavy infantry in Age of Empires III that is unique to the Spanish and can be trained at Barracks, Fort, and Galleon.
Rodeleros are also available to Knights of St. John in the Act I: Blood campaign.
Contents
Overview[edit | edit source]
Outfitted with a sword and buckler, Rodeleros are quite different compared to the typical heavy infantry. Their melee resistance enables them to negate melee damage multipliers, and attack units that would otherwise overpower them in a one to one fight. They move very quickly (similar to cavalry). This makes them a relatively cheap raiding/scouting unit in the very early stages of the game. Rodelero deal less damage against cavalry compared to Pikemen (even at Imperial level), however, Rodeleros can catch up to fleeing enemies due to their speed. They are also a decent melee unit against non-cavalry units as they possess a higher base damage compared to Pikemen. They are also more durable than Pikemen, with higher hitpoints and an exceptional melee resistance for non-mercenary units.
However, when destroying buildings, Rodeleros are not recommended, as they possess siege damage similar to that of ranged infantry, despite being a heavy infantry unit. Pikemen and Musketeers are far more efficient at razing buildings. Rodeleros should also be wary of ranged infantry and artillery, as they can be easily destroyed by them in battle.
Knights of St. John can further boost their Rodeleros' hit points by 20% through the "Hand Infantry Hitpoints" Home City Card (12 damage and 189 hit points with all upgrades except Corselet).
Through use of Academy cards from the Spanish Home City, Rodeleros' hit points and attack can be increased by 35% and 30% respectively. Unction will then boost their attack further 5-63% (39.93 damage and 324 hit points with all upgrades except Corselet).
Upgrades[edit | edit source]
Age | Upgrade | Cost | Effect |
---|---|---|---|
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200 wood, 200 coin |
Upgrades Rodeleros to Veteran (+20% hit points and attack) | |
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1,000 wood, 1,000 coin |
Upgrades Rodeleros to Espada Rodeleros (+40% hit points and attack); requires Veteran Rodeleros | |
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1,500 wood, 1,500 coin |
Upgrades Espada Rodeleros to Imperial Espadas (+50% hit points and attack); requires Espadachins |
Civilization differences[edit | edit source]
- The Knights of St. John can only upgrade Rodeleros to the Veteran level.
- The Aztecs can ship up to 35 Veteran Rodeleros with the "Renegade Spanish" cards.
- The Japanese can get Rodeleros by allying with the Spanish at the Consulate (requires a level 40 Home City) which provides Spanish Expeditionary Army and Spanish Brigade that includes 13 and 17 Rodeleros (named Espadachin) respectively. These Rodeleros start with +10% hit points and attack than their regular counterpart, and are automatically upgraded in every Age starting in the Fortress Age (see here for the exact values).
Further statistics[edit | edit source]
As Rodeleros are unique to the Spanish and Knights of St. John, only technologies that they have access to are shown in the following table:
Unit strengths and weaknesses | |
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Strong vs. | Cavalry, shock infantry, slow infantry |
Weak vs. | Skirmishers, archers, artillery |
Improvements | |
Hit points | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Attack | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Speed | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Sight | ![]() |
Creation speed | ![]() ![]() |
Other | ![]() ![]() |
Penalties | ![]() ![]() |
Home City Cards[edit | edit source]
As Rodeleros are unique to the Spanish and Knights of St. John, only their cards and other civilizations' TEAM cards are shown on the following tables:
Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Rodelero | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Aztecs[edit | edit source]
Dutch[edit | edit source]
Indians[edit | edit source]
Iroquois[edit | edit source]
Japanese[edit | edit source]
Russians[edit | edit source]
Spanish[edit | edit source]
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Changelog[edit | edit source]
Age of Empires III[edit | edit source]
- Rodeleros have 12 melee attack and ×3.0 multiplier against cavalry.
The WarChiefs[edit | edit source]
- With patch 1.04, Rodeleros now have 10 melee attack and increased multiplier against cavalry to ×3.5.
Definitive Edition[edit | edit source]
- Rodeleros now have 11 melee attack.
Trivia[edit | edit source]
- Royal Guard Rodeleros' name, Espada, is short from espadachín, which means "swordsman" in Spanish. Alternatively, it could also mean "fencer".
History[edit | edit source]
“ | Rodeleros were a Spanish infantry who used swords and round shields. This arms combination was often used against formations of pike and halberds. Agile swordsmen could better evade the deadly iron of densely packed pikes and could take formations apart from the inside. In 1506 Cortez arrived in the New World with over 1,300 soldiers, 1,000 of which were rodeleros. They were adaptable, versatile soldiers, capable in close quarters on the decks of ships as well as against the loose, guerilla tactics of non-European enemies. Rodela is a Spanish word meaning shield; Rodeleros are "shield-bearers." Rodeleros were armed with one-handed swords and round shields approximately two feet in diameter. These rodela were most often made of steel, but were also made of iron-bound wood covered with hide. |
” |