Sacred Band Infantry

Sacred Band Infantry
Information
Introduced in	Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition - Knights of the Mediterranean
Type	Infantry Heavy infantry Ranged infantry Gunpowder infantry Musket infantry Native warrior
Age	Fortress Age
Internal name	deSacredBand
Training
Trained at	Trading Post or Tambo on a House of Phanar palace
Cost	70 Food 50 Coin 1 Population
Train time	35 seconds
Statistics
Hit points	135
Resistance	20% Hand
Speed	4.75
Line of Sight	16
Ability	Gains +0.84% hit points for every Sacred Band Infantry in an Area of Effect of 32, up to +32 hit points
XP train bounty	12
XP kill bounty	12
Ranged attack
Damage	16 Ranged
Range	14
Rate of Fire	2.0
Siege attack
Damage	21 Siege
Range	6
Rate of Fire	3.0
Hand attack
Damage	13 Hand
Rate of Fire	1.5
Bonus damage	3.0x Cavalry 2.25x Shock infantry

“	Revolutionary Greek musketeer that is stronger in groups. Good against cavalry.	”
—In-game description

The Sacred Band Infantry is a ranged infantry native warrior in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition - Knights of the Mediterranean that can only be obtained through the Greek Revolution ability after building a Trading Post on a House of Phanar palace.

Overview

The Sacred Band Infantry is a ranged heavy infantry similar to the Musketeer. It is effective against cavalry in melee combat, but vulnerable against light infantry and artillery.

They are similar to Black Brunswickers, sharing their hit points, speed, Rate of Fire, attack, and range, but use one population space and do not benefit from the Combat Promotion (they do not increase their hit points and attack for each defeated enemy military unit). Sacred Band Infantry can perform hit-and-run tactics more easily due to their higher speed, range, and faster Rate of Fire; these stats can be increased with Home City Cards or upgrades that benefit Musketeer-type units.

However, Sacred Band Infantry are not trainable, as they can only be obtained through the Greek Revolution Royal House Ability, which increases the amount of Sacred Band Infantry that can be spawned the longer the player waits before using it, which makes them very situational late-game units.

Like State Militia, Sacred Band Infantry receive a hit point bonus for every Sacred Band Infantry in an Area of Effect of 32, up to +32 hit points. In the practical sense, Sacred Band Infantry gain 1 hit point per other Sacred Band Infantry nearby.

Upgrades

The Sacred Band Infantry is automatically upgraded in the Fortress Age and Industrial Age. Unlike other units, however, its name is not changed to reflect this.

• +20% hit points and attack
• +40% hit points and attack

Age	Upgrade	Cost	Effect
	Legendary Native Warriors Exalted Natives	1,500 food 1,500 wood	Upgrades native warriors to Legendary/Exalted/Imperial (+50% hit points and attack)

• 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.	Cavalry, shock infantry
Weak vs.	Light infantry, counter-skirmishers, artillery
Improvements
Hit points	Corselet (+25%; Spanish only) Second Guarantee (+15%; Mexicans only) Flint Lock (+10%) Cree Tanning (+5%) Gadaa System (+5%; Ethiopians only) Navajo Weaving (+5%) Tar Kilns (+5%)
Attack	Paper Cartridge (+15%) Second Guarantee (+15%; Mexicans only) Smokeless Powder (+10%) Armatoloi (+5%) Gadaa System (+5%; Ethiopians only) Yoga (+5%) Clenched Fist (+25% hand attack) Socket Bayonet (+20% hand attack)
Resistance	Somali Oryx Hide Shields (+5% ranged resistance) Hualcana (+5%; Inca only)
Line of Sight	Town Watch (+3)
Speed	Cherokee War Dance (+20%) Tilly's Discipline (+20%; Germans only) Military Drummers (+10%) Quechuan Mountaineering (+10%) Akan Fontomfrom (+5%) Apache Endurance (+5%)
Other	Yoruba Herbalism (regenerates hit points when close to a tree or Berry Bush) Meritocracy (-20% upgrade cost)
Penalties	Corselet (-15% speed; Spanish only)

Home City Cards

Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Sacred Band Infantry

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

All

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Senegalese Riflemen	Ranged infantry get +10% damage; French and Hausa-only ranged infantry get +15% damage instead
Native Warrior Combat	Native warriors get +15% hit points and damage
Liberation March	Infantry, cavalry, and shock infantry get +5% speed and -35% train time

• "TEAM Senegalese Riflemen" is available to the French and Hausa.
• "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.
• "Liberation March" is available to the Mexicans and Spanish.

Asians

Card	Description	Age
Native Warrior Hitpoints	Native warriors get +30% hit points and +10% speed (also +1 Hindu Villager for the Indians)
Native Warrior Attack	Native warriors get +30% damage and -25% train time

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

British

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Grenadier Guards	Musket infantry and grenade troopers get +15% hit points

Chinese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Yongle Infrastructure	Delivers 1 Mongol Scout; infantry, land villagers, healing units, Envoys, and Disciples get +5% speed
Western Reforms	All units get +8% hit points and damage

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

Dutch

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

Ethiopians

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Coffee Consumption	Ranged infantry get +5% speed
Temenyas	Gunpowder infantry get +5% damage; Neftenya can be trained in the Commerce Age
Ignatian Spirituality	All units get +5% hit points and regeneration capability even while in combat

Europeans

Card	Description	Age
Sevites	Maroons, native warriors, and villagers now regenerate hit points at a rate of 0.25% per second when idle; Yoruba Eso Rider hit point degeneration rate -60% and Militiaman hit point degeneration rate -10%, and for both stops at 25% hit points
Louverture Liberation	Delivers 6 Citizens; Citizens can be trained at Town Centers for 70 coin; Fishing Boats can be trained at Docks; native warriors get +20% hit points and +5% speed
Wanderlust	Land military units and land villagers get +5% hit points; land villagers and construction wagons get +5% speed

• "Sevites" and "Louverture Liberation" are available to the British and French upon revolting to Haiti.
• "Wanderlust" is available to the British and Dutch upon revolting to South Africa, and can be sent 3 times.

French

Card	Description	Age
Wilderness Warfare	Coureurs des Bois, Cree Coureurs des Bois, native warriors, Skirmishers, and Settlers get +20% hit points
TEAM French Auxiliaries Combat	Native warriors get +10% hit points and damage
Cult of the Supreme Being	The player gains +10% XP from training units and other players receive -10% XP from defeating them; Sansculottes gather resources from Crates 50% faster; food from Berry Bushes and Cherry Orchards 25% faster; wood from trees and Mango Groves and coin from mines 20% faster; food from huntable and herdable animals, Mills, Farms and coin from Estates 15% faster

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

Haudenosaunee

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Scout Infantry	Delivers 1 Native Scout; infantry get +8 Line of Sight
Conservative Tactics	Infantry get +10% hit points and damage

Hausa

Card	Description	Age
Sahelian Kingdoms	Native warriors get +15% hit points and damage; mercenaries and outlaws get +10% hit points and damage

Inca

Card	Description	Age
Road Building	Land military units get +10% speed
TEAM Inca Bridges	Delivers 1 Chasqui; infantry, land villagers, healing units, and Envoys get +5% speed

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

Indians

Card	Description	Age
Dravidian Martial Arts	All units get +15% all melee attack damage; Rajputs get +20% all melee attack damage instead; +1 Hindu Villager
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics	All units get +5% hit points and damage

Italians

Card	Description	Age
Infantry Hitpoints	Infantry get +15% hit points
Schiavoni Swords	Infantry, cavalry, and shock infantry get +15% all melee attack damage

Japanese

Card	Description	Age
Onin War	Infantry get +33% siege attack damage
TEAM Sengoku	Unit upgrades cost -20%

Lakota

Card	Description	Age
Moccasins	Infantry get +10% speed

Maltese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Knights of the Round Table	Delivers 1 Hospitaller for each Town Center and Command Post build; all units get +2% hit points

Mexicans

Card	Description	Age
Plan of Tuxtepec	Turns all Salteadores into Soldados; musket infantry get +1 Line of Sight and range; costs 500 food, 500 wood
TEAM Mariachi	For the next 30 seconds, military buildings work 400% faster and units get +10% speed
Colegio de San Nicolás	Delivers Books of 500 XP; units get +4 and buildings (except Walls) get +8 Line of Sight; sees what enemies can see for 20 seconds
Bustamante	The General can build Field Hospitals for free; musket infantry get +10% hit points; Field Hospitals can train Soldados
National Servant	All units get +10% hit points; Padre healing 200% faster
Pok Ta Pok	Infantry get +10% speed and -10% train time

• "Colegio de San Nicolás" is available upon selecting the Michoacán Federal State.
• "Bustamante" is available upon selecting the San Luis Potosí Federal State.
• "National Servant" is available upon selecting the Estado de México Federal State.
• "Pok Ta Pok" is available upon revolting to the Maya.

Portuguese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Gunpowder Infantry Hitpoints	Gunpowder infantry get +15% hit points

Russians

Card	Description	Age
Ransack	Infantry get +50% siege attack damage

Spanish

Card	Description	Age
Peninsular Guerrillas	Ranged infantry get +20% damage, musket infantry get +10% damage instead; Skirmishers now see the Line of Sight of enemies they attacked for 3 seconds
TEAM Spanish Inquisition	Delivers 1 Inquisitor; all units get +10 Line of Sight

Swedes

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

United States

Card	Description	Age
United States Army	The General, Minutemen, and heavy infantry get +15% hit points and damage

In-game dialogue

The Sacred Band Infantry speaks Greek, using the Evzone's dialogue files.

Trivia

• The Sacred Band Infantry portrait is a modified Black Brunswicker portrait.

History

“

The Houses of Phanar held considerable influence in the Ottoman Empire and the Balkans from the 16th century through the 19th century. At the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence (1821-29) Phanariot general Alexander Ypsilantis formed the first military volunteer unit of the conflict, the Sacred Band. Their dark uniforms were directly inspired by those of the Black Brunswickers, a German volunteer force that successfully fought against Napoleon's occupation. The unit's name was a reference to the Sacred Band of Thebes that was considered an elite force in Ancient Greece. Although the unit did not survive the war of independence its initiative to pick up arms inspired other Greeks to do the same.

”

Gallery

An in-game Sacred Band Infantry