This article is about the unit in Age of Empires III. For other uses of the term, see Spy. |
“ | Sneaky assassin. Highly effective against mercenaries, Explorers, War Chiefs, and Monks. | ” |
—In-game description |
The Spy is a melee infantry unit in Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs that can be trained at the Church by European civilizations, the Ethiopians and Japanese, at the Meeting House by the United States, and at the Cathedral by the Mexicans. It is a fast stealthy unit that excels against mercenaries and heroes.
Spies are available to all European civilizations except the Ottomans, who have the Muhbir, and Knights of St. John (Act I: Blood campaign).
Overview[]
The Spy moves very quickly, and has the stealth ability, although it can be seen at all times by enemy Explorers, Town Centers, Forts, and some other units and buildings. When in stealth mode, spies move twice as slow as normal. They are also highly resistant to special abilities, taking much less damage than non-Spies do.
The Spy is very good at scouting the enemy without them knowing, giving advance notice on what they are building and when they will attack. The Spy has a very low base damage, but huge multipliers against Mercenaries, and especially against Heroes. The Spy can easily change the tide of a battle by coming in stealthed, and unstealthing and taking out enemy Mercenaries (including Li'l Bombards). With all speed improvement upgrades (including the Quechuan Mountaineering), the German Spy is the melee infantry with the highest speed, 8.75.
The Spy's movement speed in Stealth mode is reduced by 25%.
Special abilities[]
- Carbine Attack (automatically activated when attacking a hero or mercenary with a cooldown of 75 seconds; requires the "Assassins" Home City Card): The Spy makes shot that does 10 ranged damage (with a ×40.0 bonus damage against heroes and ×20.0 against mercenary) from a range of 20.
- Pistol Attack (automatically activated when attacking a hero or Mercenary with a cooldown of 45 seconds; requires the "Agents" Home City Card): The Spy makes shot that does 20 ranged damage (with a ×5.0 bonus damage against heroes and ×3.5 against mercenary) from a range of 12.
Upgrades[]
The Spy is automatically upgraded in every Age starting from the Fortress Age.
- +25% hit points
- +25% hit points
- +50% hit points
Civilization differences[]
- Chinese and Indians can get Spies by allying with the British at the Consulate, which provides the 4 Spies technology.
- Since the Definitive Edition, the Japanese can train Spies by allying with the Dutch at the Consulate, which provides the Church Wagon shipment that ships the namesake technology capable of building a Church.
- The Ethiopians can get access to the Church by allying with the Jesuits. They can train Spies for 125 influence.
- All civilizations that cannot train Spies can receive them by a Russian player sending the "TEAM Time of Troubles" Home City Card.
Revolutionary[]
- (Definitive Edition) The United States can sent the "Knowlton's Continental Rangers" card, which ships 12 Spies and upgrades them to Knowlton Rangers, giving +60% hit points, a ranged attack, and changing unit type from hand infantry to ranged infantry. Additionally, this card reduces the effects of other Spy cards, such as the "Agents" card, which reduces hit points by 40% and gives +5 Line of Sight instead; the "Assassins" card, which gives +50% damage and +2.0 bonus damage against heroes and mercenaries instead; and also the Military Drummers technology, which gives +2% speed instead.
Further statistics[]
Unit strengths and weaknesses | |
---|---|
Strong vs. | Heroes, mercenaries |
Weak vs. | Everything else |
Improvements | |
Hit points | Maya Cotton Armor (+20%) Infantry Breastplate (+10%) Cree Tanning (+5%) Gadaa System (+5%; Ethiopians only) Navajo Weaving (+5%) Tar Kilns (+5%) |
Attack | Zapotec Cult of the Dead (+20%) Carib Kasiri Beer (+10%) Master Lessons (+10%) Armatoloi (+5%) Gadaa System (+5%; Ethiopians only) Yoga (+5%) Clenched Fist (+25% hand attack) Mapuche Tactics (+50% siege attack) |
Resistance | Somali Oryx Hide Shields (+5% ranged resistance) Hualcana (+5% resistance; Inca only) |
Line of Sight | Town Watch (+3) |
Speed | Tilly's Discipline (+20%; Germans only) Military Drummers (+10%) Push of Pike (+10%; Swedes only) Quechuan Mountaineering (+10%) Akan Fontomfrom (+5%) Apache Endurance (+5%) |
Train time | Standing Army (-25%) Akan Fontomfrom (-20%) Quechuan Diet (-15%) Immigrants (-10%) New Mexico Immigration (-10%; United States only) Strangers' Quarters (-10%; Ethiopians only) |
Cost | Somali Oryx Hide Shields (-10%) Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10% coin cost) Golden Liberty (-5% coin cost) |
Other | 4 Spies (delivers 4 Spies; Chinese and Indians only) |
Penalties | Push of Pike (+10% training time; Swedes only) Tilly's Discipline (+10% cost; Germans only) |
Home City Cards[]
- Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Spy
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) |
All[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Senegalese Riflemen | Ranged infantry get +10% attack; French and Hausa-only ranged infantry get +15% attack instead | |
Liberation March | Infantry, сavalry, and shock infantry get +5% speed and -35% train time | |
6 Spies | Ships 6 Spies | |
10 Spies | Ships 10 Spies | |
15 Spies | Ships 15 Spies | |
Agents | Upgrades Spies to Agents with +50% hit points and +15 Line of Sight; enables charged Pistol Attack | |
Assassins | Upgrades Spies to Assassins with +100% attack, +5.0 multiplier against heroes and mercenaries; enables charged Carbine Attack |
- "TEAM Senegalese Riflemen" is available to the French and Hausa.
- "Liberation March" is available to the Mexicans and Spanish.
- "6 Spies" is available to Europeans (except the French) and Federal Americans.
- "10 Spies" is available to Europeans (except the French and Germans) and Federal Americans.
- "15 Spies" is available to the Italians, Maltese, Mexicans, and Spanish.
- "Agents" is available to the British, Dutch, Germans, Portuguese, and United States.
- "Assassins" is available to the French, Italians, Maltese, Mexicans, Russians, Spanish, and Swedes.
Asians[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
Good Faith Agreements | Consulate units' train time -50%; Consulate technologies' cost -40% (-300 export for Brigades) and research time -50% (except Brigades) (also +1 Hindu Villager for the Indians) |
Chinese[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Yongle Infrastructure | Ships 1 Mongol Scout; infantry, land villagers, healing units, Envoys, and Disciples get +5% speed | |
Western Reforms | All units get +8% hit points and attack |
- "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 | |
Ignatian Spirituality | All units get +5% hit points and regeneration capability even while in combat | |
Feudal Armies | All units' train time -15%; hero respawn time -15% |
Europeans[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
Fencing School | Infantry and shock infantry train time -40% | |
Wanderlust | Land units get +5% hit points; land villagers and wagons get +5% speed | |
Knowlton's Continental Rangers | Ships 12 Spies; upgrades Spies to Knowlton Rangers, which get +60% hit points, +15 Line of Sight, a ranged attack, and now are tagged as ranged infantry instead of hand infantry; reduces the effects of the "Agents", "Assassins" Home City Cards, and Military Drummers technology for Spies; costs 1,000 food | |
Pennsylvania Long Rifles | Skirmishers, Rangers, Bersaglieri, and Papal Zouaves get +3 Line of Sight and +2 range; State Militia, Militiamen, and Spies get +4 Line of Sight and range |
- "Fencing School" is not available to the French, Maltese, and Spanish.
- "Wanderlust" is available to the British and Dutch upon revolting to South Africa, and can be sent 3 times.
- "Knowlton's Continental Rangers" and "Pennsylvania Long Rifles" are available to the British, Dutch, French, Italians, and Swedes upon revolting to the United States.
French[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
Royal Fencing School | Infantry and shock infantry train time -40%; +3 Royal Musketeers |
Haudenosaunee[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Scout Infantry | Ships 1 Native Scout; infantry get +8 Line of Sight | |
Conservative Tactics | Infantry get +10% hit points and attack |
Inca[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
Road Building | Land military units get +10% speed | |
TEAM Inca Bridges | Ships 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% hand attack; Rajputs get +20% hand attack instead; +1 Hindu Villager | |
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics | All units get +5% hit points and attack |
Italians[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
Infantry Hitpoints | Infantry get +15% hit points | |
Schiavoni Swords | Infantry and cavalry get +15% hand attack |
Japanese[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
Onin War | Infantry get +33% siege attack | |
Bakufu | Daimyo and Shogun Tokugawa get +5% speed, +10 Line of Sight and train units 15% faster; land military unit train time -20%, artillery and banner army train time -10% instead |
Lakota[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
Moccasins | Infantry get +10% speed |
Maltese[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Knights of the Round Table | Ships 1 Hospitaller for each Town Center owned by the player; all units get +2% hit points | |
Squires | Military buildings train and research work 80% faster, except Forts which train and research work 260% faster |
Mexicans[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Mariachi | For the next 30 seconds, military buildings work 400% faster and units get +10% speed | |
Colegio de San Nicolás | Ships 500 XP; units get +4 and buildings (except Walls) get +8 Line of Sight; sees what enemies can see for 20 seconds | |
National Servant | All units get +10% hit points; Padre healing 200% faster | |
Bastimento | Infantry train time -25%; Revolutionary train time -50%; villager train time -20% | |
Pok Ta Pok | Infantry get +10% speed and -10% train time |
- "Colegio de San Nicolás" is available upon selecting the Michoacán Federal State.
- "National Servant" is available upon selecting the Estado de México Federal State.
- "Bastimento" is available upon revolting to Rio Grande.
- "Pok Ta Pok" is available upon revolting to the Maya.
Portuguese[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
Constable | Pikemen, Halberdiers, Hussars, and Llaneros get +15% hit points and attack; Spies get +15% hit points and +10 hand attack |
Russians[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
Ransack | Infantry get +50% siege attack | |
Dueling School | Infantry train time -25% | |
TEAM Times of Troubles | Ships 8 Spies |
Spanish[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Hand Infantry Attack | Hand infantry get +15% attack | |
Archaic Infantry Hitpoints | Hand infantry and foot archers get +15% hit points; Rodeleros get +20% hit points instead | |
Archaic Infantry Combat | Hand infantry and foot archers get +15% hit points and attack | |
TEAM Spanish Inquisition | Ships 1 Inquisitor; all units get +10 Line of Sight |
Swedes[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
Hand Infantry/Hand Cavalry Attack | Hand infantry and hand cavalry get +15% attack | |
Hand Infantry/Hand Cavalry Hitpoints | Hand infantry and hand cavalry get +15% hit points |
United States[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
Indiana Mobilization | Ships 1 Carbine Cavalry for each shipment sent so far this game including this one; unit train time (except Heavy Cannons), technology research time, and age-up time -10%; costs 250 food, 250 wood |
- "Indiana Mobilization" is available upon selecting the Indiana Federal State.
Asians[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
Good Faith Agreements | Consulate units' train time -50%; Consulate technologies cost -40% (-400 export for Brigades) and research time -50% (except Brigades) (also +1 Villager for the Indians) | 1 |
Chinese[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
Western Reforms | All units get +8% hit points and attack | 40 |
Dutch[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
TEAM Infantry Hitpoints | Infantry get +15% hit points | 10 |
Europeans[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
Fencing School | Infantry train time -40% | 10 | |
6 Spies | Ships 6 Spies | 1 | |
10 Spies | Ships 10 Spies | 10 | |
Agents | Upgrades Spies to Agents with +50% hit points and +15 Line of Sight | 40 | |
Assassins | Upgrades Spies to Assassins with +100% attack, +5.0 multiplier against heroes and mercenaries | 40 |
- "Fencing School" is not available to the Ottomans.
- "6 Spies" is not available to the French.
- "10 Spies" is not available to the French and Germans.
- "Agents" is available to the British, Dutch, Germans, and Portuguese.
- "Assassins" is available to the French, Ottomans, Russians, and Spanish.
Indians[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
Dravidian Martial Arts | All units get +15% hand attack; +1 Villager | 40 | |
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics | All units get +5% hit points and attack | 25 |
Iroquois[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
Infantry Attack | Infantry get +15% attack | 10 | |
Infantry Hitpoints | Infantry get +15% hit points | 10 | |
Infantry Combat | Infantry get +15% hit points and attack | 25 | |
TEAM Scout Infantry | Infantry get +8 Line of Sight | 10 |
Japanese[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
Onin War | Infantry get +33% siege attack | 40 |
Russians[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
Ransack | Infantry get +50% siege attack | 25 | |
Dueling School | Infantry (except Skull Knights), Old Han Army, and Territorial Army train time -25%; Black Flag Army, Standard Army, Ming Army, and Imperial Army train time -12% | 25 | |
TEAM 8 Spies | Ships 8 Spies | 40 |
Sioux[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
Wind Runner | Infantry get +10% speed | 10 |
Spanish[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
TEAM Hand Infantry Attack | Hand infantry get +15% attack | 10 | |
15 Spies | Ships 15 Spies | 40 | |
TEAM Inquisition | All units get +10 Line of Sight | 10 |
Changelog[]
The WarChiefs[]
- Spies take 2 population, cost 125 coin, and have a ×4.0 multiplier against native warriors.
- The Ottomans can train Spies.
Definitive Edition[]
- Spies take 1 population, no longer have a ×4.0 multiplier against native warriors, and get +25% hit points in the Fortress Age.
The African Royals[]
- The Hausa can train Spies.
Knights of the Mediterranean[]
- With update 14.43676, Spies cost 110 coin, give 11 XP when trained or killed, get their portrait updated, and get new portraits after sending the "Agents" and "Assassins" Home City Cards.
- With update 14.43676, the Ottomans and Hausa can train Muhbirs instead.
- With update 15.30007, ranged attack range reduced to 12 from 16 and negative damage multipliers against heavy cavalry now apply to all cavalry.
History[]
“ | For as long as there have been presidents and kings, governments have enlisted the aid of individuals for espionage. During the turbulent seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, spies were used by various governments to uncover secrets and identify opportunities for attack. Spies were known to use a variety of tools and technologies, such as invisible ink and secret codes. The fledgling government of the United States of America found itself embroiled in multiple assaults by loyalist spies - including secret messages sent to agents of the crown by William Franklin, Benjamin Franklin's own son! | ” |
Trivia[]
- Even though the default Spy's icon showed a revolver before update 14.43676, it always used a dagger by default instead.
- The aforementioned revolver is fully modeled and animated in the game files, and can be enabled via modding. The reason for making the Spy a melee unit is unknown. Since update 13.27885, the "Agents" Home City Card unlocks the "Charge Pistol Attack" special ability, which makes the Spy to use its revolver.
- With update 14.43676, the default Spy's icon now correctly shows a dagger.