"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.
Overview 
Edit
The Rodelero is principally a unique unit of the Spanish, first available in the Colonial Age. It is also available to certain other civilizations: the Japanese with a Spanish ally selected can send it from the Consulate building (this requires attainment of a level 40 Home City), the Aztecs are also able to obtain the Rodelero through Home City shipments in groups ranging from ten to forty, and Knights of St. John can train them during the campaign.
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 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
| Age | Upgrade | Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  Veteran Rodeleros
| 200 wood, 200 coin | Upgrades Rodeleros to Veteran (+20% hit points and attack) |
 |  Espadachins
| 1,000 wood, 1,000 coin | Upgrades Rodeleros to Espada Rodeleros (+40% hit points and attack); requires Veteran Rodeleros |
 |  Imperial Espada
| 1,500 wood, 1,500 coin | Upgrades Espada Rodeleros to Imperial Espadas (+50% hit points and attack); requires Espadachins |
Civilization differences Edit
- The Knights of St. John can only upgrade Rodeleros to the Veteran level.
- 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
As Rodeleros are unique to Spanish and Knights of St. John, only technologies that they have access to are shown in the following table:
| Unit strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Cavalry, light infantry, slow infantry |
| Weak vs. | Skirmishers, archers, artillery |
| Improvements | |
| Hit points |  Infantry Breastplate (+10%) Corselet (+25%) Cree Tanning (+5%) Maya Cotton Armor (+20%) Navajo Weaving (+5%)
|
| Attack |  Carib Kasiri Beer (+10%) Mapuche Tactics (+50% siege attack) Zapotec Cult of the Dead (+20%) Yoga (+5%) Master Lessons (+10%)
|
| Speed |  Military Drummers (+10%) Incan Road-building (+20%) Apache Endurance (+5%)
|
| Sight |  Town Watch (+2)
|
| Creation speed |  Standing Army (-25%) Incan Chasquis Messengers (-25%)
|
| Other |  Meritocracy (-20% upgrade cost) Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10% coin cost)
|
| Penalties |  High Crusade (-5% hit points, Knights of St. John only) Corselet (-15% speed)
|
Home City Cards Edit
As Rodeleros are unique to 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aztecs
|
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 11 Renegade Spanish
| Ships 11 Rodeleros; costs 500 coin |  | 1 |
 24 Renegade Spanish
| Ships 24 Veteran Rodeleros; costs 1,000 coin | | 10 |
Dutch Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Infantry Hitpoints
| Infantry gets +15% hit points | | 10 |
Indians Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Shivaji's Tactics
| All units get +5% hit points and attack | | 25 |
Iroquois Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Scout Infantry
| Infantry gets +8 LOS | | 10 |
Japanese Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Cheaper Unit Upgrades
| Unit upgrades cost -20% | | 1 |
Russians Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Dueling School
| Infantry train time -25%; banner army train time -12% | | 25 |
Spanish Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 Spanish Square
| Ships 10 Pikemen and 8 Rodeleros | | 25 |
 5 Rodeleros
| Ships 5 Rodeleros | | 1 |
 7 Rodeleros
| Ships 7 Rodeleros | | 1 |
 13 Rodeleros
| Ships 13 Rodeleros | | 10 |
 8 Rodeleros
| Ships 8 Rodeleros | | 10 |
 6 Rodeleros
| Ships 6 Rodeleros | | 25 |
 TEAM Hand Infantry Attack
| Melee infantry gets +15% attack | | 10 |
 Hand Infantry Hitpoints
| Pikemen get +15% hit points; Rodeleros get +20% hit points | | 10 |
 Hand Infantry Combat
| Pikemen and Rodeleros gain +15% hit points and attack | | 25 |
 10 Rodeleros
| Ships 10 Rodeleros | | 10 |
 Fencing School
| Infantry train time -40% | | 10 |
 TEAM Inquisition
| All units get +10 LOS |  | 10 |
Trivia Edit
- Royal Guard Rodeleros' name, Espada, is short from espadachín, which means "swordsman" in Spanish. Alternatively, it could also mean "fencer".
- Rodeleros had their attack reduced in patch 1.04 for The WarChiefs. from 12 to 10.
History Edit
"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."
Gallery Edit
