| This article is about the unit in Age of Empires III. For the similar unit in Age of Empires II, see Skirmisher (Age of Empires II). |
Overview 
Edit
Skirmishers are strong at countering and defeating heavy infantry with their long-ranged attack, but highly vulnerable to cavalry and artillery due to their low hit points.
Some civilizations feature units equivalent to Skirmishers in function. The British and Ottomans do not have Skirmishers, but have Longbowmen and Abus Guns, respectively, to compensate. The British can, however, send for 26 Roger's Rangers (Guard Skirmishers) through the Roger's Rangers upgrade from their Church card upgrade. The Abus Gun performs the Skirmisher role for, is much stronger but more expensive and takes up more population since they are classified as light artillery. Cassadors are the Portuguese version of the Skirmisher. They have a higher attack but lower hit points.
CivilizationsEdit
- The French are able to research the Voltigeurs upgrade in the Industrial Age, more powerful than a Guard Skirmisher
- They also have TEAM Early Skirmishers, which allows them (and applicable allies) to train Skirmishers in the Colonial Age, like the Dutch
- The Germans are able to research the Prussian Needle Gunners upgrade in the Industrial Age
- The Dutch Skirmishers can be trained from Colonial Age, due to not having any other ranged infantry
- The Portuguese have unique Cassadores instead of Skirmishers
- The Russians have a unique Strelet instead of Skirmishers
UpgradesEdit
Skirmishers can be upgraded into Guard Skirmisher and Imperial Skirmisher depending on the age reached. They can further be improved with home city shipments, minor civilization upgrades, unique Church upgrades and Arsenal upgrades (especially when using the "Advanced Arsenal" card).
ArsenalEdit
Veteran SkirmishersEdit
Veteran Skirmishers is the next upgrade of the Skirmisher in the Fortress Age. The resistance and multipliers remain the same, with a few improvements in its stats.
- Hit Points: 144
- Ranged Attack: 18
- Siege Attack: 14
- Hand Attack: 7
Guard SkirmishersEdit
Guard Skirmishers is the next upgrade of the Skirmisher in the Industrial Age. Their attack and hit points are improved by +50% (over base stats).
Imperial SkirmishersEdit
Imperial Skirmishers is the final upgrade of the Skirmisher and it is available in the Imperial Age. Their attack and hit points are improved by +100% (over base stats).
Royal Guard SkirmishersEdit
The French and Germans are the only civilizations can upgrade Skirmishers to Royal Guard level, making them the strongest out of all the civilizations. French Royal Guard Skirmishers are Voltigeurs which are available in the Industrial Age while German Royal Guard Skirmishers are Prussian Needle Gunners which are also available at the same age. Researching this upgrade improves the hit points and attack by a further 33% compared to their fortress stage.
Imperial Guard SkirmishersEdit
The French and Germans are the only civilizations that can upgrade skirmishers to Imperial Guard level, making their (skirms) the strongest out of all the civilizations. French Imperial Guard Skirmishers are Imperial Voltigeurs which are available in the Imperial Age while German Royal Guard Skirmishers are Imperial Needle Gunners which are also available at the same Age. Researching this upgrade improves the hit points and attack by another 30%. This is the final upgrade which provides the most benefits, but is the most expensive available.
History Edit
"Skirmishers were lightly armed and armored riflemen who used their speed to move quickly about the battlefield and perform a number of military roles. They defended flanks, helped artillerymen with cannon, dragged wounded soldiers off of the battlefield, and performed hit-and-run attacks on advancing enemy armies. Napoleonic-era skirmishers were effective against rigid ranks of musketeers because the fire of musketeers was less effective on the loose, informal skirmisher lines.
Many skirmishers in the nineteenth century were armed with rifles; the range and accuracy of these weapons made skirmishers dangerous enemies. Early rifles could only be fired once every minute or two, though later breechloading and repeating models could fire much more rapidly. One model fired so fast, a commander ordered his men to focus their fire on a single enemy skirmisher so that they could recover his rifle to examine it."
Shipments Edit
This is a list of shipments that benefit Skirmishers in any way.
- The French have a Card, "TEAM Early Skirmishers", making Skirmishers available in the Colonial Age. This Card can be sent in Discovery Age. Note that these are not veteran but only Skirmishers. They get auto-upgraded with aging to the Fortress Age
- The Dutch have Skirmishers available in the Colonial Age, granting them a good, but expensive, early anti-infantry unit. This problem is mitigated with Banks. These also get auto upgraded to veterans with aging to the Fortress Age.
- The British can't train Skirmishers but can send an army of twenty-six Roger's Rangers (Skirmishers) from their Church if the Glorious Revolution shipment is sent. The British also have the Longbowman, which acts like a Skirmisher.
| Click for a list of Skirmisher-related Home City cards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dutch
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| Card name | Card description | Age | Level |
| 7 Skirmishers | Sends 7 Skirmishers | 3 | 0 |
| 8 Skirmishers | Sends 8 Skirmishers | 4 | 0 |
| 9 Skirmishers | Sends 9 Skirmishers | 3 | 10 |
| 14 Skirmishers | Sends 14 Skirmishers | 4 | 25 |
| Infantry Attack | Increases attack | 2 | 10 |
| TEAM Infantry Hitpoints | Increases hit points | 2 | 10 |
| Infantry Combat | Increases hit points and attack | 3 | 25 |
| Fencing School | Decreases training time | 2 | 10 |
French Edit
| Card name | Card description | Age | Level |
| 7 Skirmishers | Sends 7 Skirmishers | 3 | 0 |
| 8 Skirmishers | Sends 8 Skirmishers | 4 | 0 |
| 9 Skirmishers | Sends 9 Skirmishers | 3 | 10 |
| 11 Skirmishers | Sends 11 Skirmishers | 4 | 10 |
| 14 Skirmishers | Sends 14 Skirmishers | 4 | 25 |
| Long-range Infantry Hitpoints | Increases hit points | 2 | 10 |
| TEAM Ranged Infantry Attack | Increases attack | 3 | 10 |
| TEAM Early Skirmishers | Enables Skirmishers and Cassadors to be trained at Colonial Age. Strelets and Longbowmen will train slightly faster. | 1 | 25 |
| Wilderness Warfare | Adds HP | 2 | 25 |
| Fencing School | Decreases training time | 2 | 10 |
Germans Edit
| Card name | Card description | Age | Level |
| 7 Skirmishers | Sends 7 Skirmishers | 3 | 0 |
| 8 Skirmishers | Sends 8 Skirmishers | 4 | 0 |
| 9 Skirmishers | Sends 9 Skirmishers | 3 | 10 |
| 11 Skirmishers | Sends 11 Skirmishers | 4 | 10 |
| Long-range Infantry Hitpoints | Increases hit points | 2 | 10 |
| Fencing School | Decreases training time | 2 | 10 |
GalleryEdit
TriviaEdit
- French Royal Guard Skirmishers are named after the Voltigeurs.
- German Royal Guard Skirmishers are named after the needle gun they use, possibly the famous Dreyse model.
- British Skirmishers are named after the Rogers' Rangers.
