Stradiot

Stradiot
Information
Introduced in	Age of Empires III
Type	Cavalry Heavy cavalry Hand cavalry Mercenary
Age	Fortress Age
Training
Trained at	Tavern (Europeans) Monastery (Asians) Saloon (Americans) Palace (Africans) Lombard (Italians)
Cost	300 Coin 3 Population
Train time	50 seconds
Statistics
Hit points	585
Resistance	30% Ranged
Speed	7.25
Line of Sight	15
Train XP	30
Kill XP	30
Siege attack
Damage	30 Siege
Range	6
Rate of Fire	3.0
Hand attack
Damage	56 Hand
Rate of Fire	1.5
Trample attack
Damage	37 Hand
Area of Effect	3
Rate of Fire	2.0

“	Hand cavalry mercenary from the Balkans.	”
—In-game description

The Stradiot is mercenary heavy cavalry in Age of Empires III. It performs similarly to an improved Hussar, putting it in between the Mameluke and the Hackapell.

Overview

The Stradiot is the middle ground between the Mameluke and the Hackapell, in terms of both hit points and attack. Therefore, although having no attack bonuses, it is quite a powerful unit. They are effective in combat against artillery and light infantry. Being one of the fastest cavalry units in Age of Empires III, they can also be useful for raiding. However they are weak against heavy infantry, light cavalry, and, being mercenaries, Spies and Ninja.

Civilization differences

• The Dutch can upgrade Stradiots to Red Lancers through the Red Lancers technology researched at the Church, when the "Religious Freedom" Home City Card is sent. These Red Lancers have a ×1.2 hand attack multiplier against infantry, ×0.9 hand attack multiplier against heavy infantry, can be trained at the Tavern and are tagged as lance cavalry.
• The Germans' Battleships can train Stradiots through the "Adler von Lübeck" Home City Card (if they are available in the Tavern).
• The United States can get Stradiots through the "Poker" Home City Card, in the pool of random mercenaries shipped, which also randomly enables them in Saloons.

Revolutions

• Revolting to Egypt allows to train Stradiots at Stables, Forts, and Galleons.

Further statistics

Unit strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs.	Light infantry, counter-skirmishers, artillery
Weak vs.	Heavy infantry, light ranged cavalry, ranged shock infantry, MercType2
Improvements
Hit points	Cavalry Cuirass (+10%) Comanche Horse Breeding (+10%) Cree Tanning (+5%) Gadaa System (+5%; Ethiopians only) Navajo Weaving (+5%) Tar Kilns (+5%)
Attack	Gadaa System (+5%; Ethiopians only) Yoga (+5%) Red Lancers (+0.2 hand attack multiplier vs. infantry; Dutch only) Pillage (+25% siege attack multiplier vs. buildings) Wind Horses (-10% Rate of Fire)
Resistance	Sudanese Quilted Armor (+10% hand resistance) Pancerni (+10% ranged resistance)
Line of Sight	Town Watch (+3)
Speed	Apache Endurance (+5%) Comanche Mustangs (+5%) Wind Horses (+0.5)
Cost	Blue Nile Ties (-15%; Ethiopians only) Wallenstein's Contracts (-15%; Germans only) Philhellenism (-10%) Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10% coin cost) Golden Liberty (-5% coin cost) Yemeni Relations (exchanges cost for 50% coin, 50% influence; Ethiopians only)
Train time	Cheyenne Horse Trading (-40%) Mass Cavalry (-35%) Terror Charge (-20%; Indians only) Blue Nile Ties (-15%; Ethiopians only) Quechuan Diet (-15%) Immigrants (-10%) New Mexico Immigration (-10%; United States only) Philhellenism (-10%) Shaman Drums (-10%) Strangers' Quarters (-10%; Africans only) Wallenstein's Contracts (-10%; Germans only)
Other	Multinationalism (delivers 8 random European mercenaries) Red Lancers (delivers 5 Stradiots; Stradiots can be trained at the Tavern and are tagged as lance cavalry; Dutch only) Wallenstein's Contracts (-50% mercenary shipments cost; Germans only)
Penalties	Red Lancers (-10% hand attack multiplier vs. heavy infantry; Dutch only)

Home City Cards

Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Stradiot

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)

• Definitive Edition
• The Asian Dynasties

Shared

Card	Description	Age
Cavalry Damage	Cavalry damage +15%
Cavalry Hitpoints	Cavalry hit points +15%
Cavalry Combat	Cavalry hit points and damage +15%
Liberation March	Infantry, cavalry, and shock infantry train time -35%, speed +5%
Riding School	Cavalry train time -40%; Cuirassier, Oprichnik, and Hakkapelit train time -35% instead; Gatling Camel train time -20% instead

• "Cavalry Damage" is available to the British, Lakota, and Swedes.
• "Cavalry Hitpoints" is available to the British and Haudenosaunee.
• "Cavalry Combat" is available to the British, Dutch, French, Italians, Lakota, Mexicans, Ottomans, Russians, and Spanish.
• "Liberation March" is available to the Mexicans and Spanish.
• "Riding School" is available to Europeans (except Maltese and Spanish) and Indians.

Africans

Card	Description	Age
Feudal Armies	Unit train time -15%; hero respawn time -15%
Loyal Warriors	Native warrior, mercenary, and outlaw cost -15% (also affects shipments)

Chinese

Card	Description	Age
Western Reforms	Unit hit points and damage +8%
Acupuncture	Unit (except monk) train time -20%; Summer Palace banner army, Flying Crow, and Heavy Cannon spawn time -5%

Dutch

Card	Description	Age
Dutch States Army	Mercenary train time -15%, speed (except Napoleon Gun and Li'l Bombard) +7%; mercenary shipment arrive time -20%; enables Highlander to be trained at Barracks and Taverns, Royal Horseman at Stables and Taverns; Pikeman, Halberdier, Skirmisher, Hussar, and Ruyter cost +10%

Ethiopians

Card	Description	Age
Ignatian Spirituality	Unit (except herded animals) hit points +5%, regeneration rate +1.0 (even in combat)

Europeans

Card	Description	Age
Blandengues	Hand cavalry cost -20%
Loyal Warriors	Native warrior, mercenary, and outlaw cost -15%; "TEAM 4 Zenata Rider", "Recruit Xebec", "Recruit Xebecs", and "15 Berber Allies" cost no coin
Outlaw Combat	Outlaw and mercenary hit points and damage +15%
Junín Hussars	Hand cavalry and hand shock infantry train time -30%, speed +5% (train time -20% and no speed bonus if stacked with Liberation March)
Wanderlust	Land military and land villager hit points +5%; land villager and construction wagon speed +5% (can be sent 3 times)

• "Blandengues" is available to the Germans, Italians, and Spanish upon revolting to Argentina.
• "Loyal Warriors" is available to the Italians, Maltese, Ottomans, and Portuguese upon revolting to the Barbary States.
• "Outlaw Combat" is available upon revolting to the Barbary States, Hungary, and Mexico.
• "Junín Hussars" is available to the Portuguese and Spanish upon revolting to Peru.
• "Wanderlust" is available to the British and Dutch upon revolting to South Africa.

French

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Hand Cavalry Attack	Hand cavalry and hand shock infantry damage +15%
Cult of the Supreme Being	Unit train bounty +10%, kill bounty -10%; Sansculotte gather work rate for crates +50%, Berry Bush and Cherry Orchard +25%, tree, Mango Grove, mine +20%, huntable animals, herded animals, Mill, Farm, and Estate +15%

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

Germans

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Cavalry Attack	Heavy cavalry, light ranged cavalry, and shock infantry damage +10%; Germans-only heavy cavalry, light ranged cavalry, and shock infantry damage +15% instead
Spanish Riding School	Cavalry speed +10%, +4 Uhlans
Improved Mercenaries	Mercenary hit points and damage +15%, +3 Uhlans
Adler von Lübeck	Delivers 1 Battleship and 1 Privateer; enables Battleships to train mercenaries; costs 900 food, 900 wood, 900 coin

• "TEAM Cavalry Attack" does not stack with the Italian "TEAM Cavalry Attack" card.

Hausa

Card	Description	Age
Sahelian Kingdoms	Native warrior hit points and damage +15%; mercenary and outlaw hit points and damage +10%

Inca

Card	Description	Age
Road Building	Land military speed +10%

Indians

Card	Description	Age
Dravidian Martial Arts	Unit all melee attack damage +15%; Rajput hand attack damage +20% instead, +1 Hindu Villager
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics	Unit hit points and damage +5%

Italians

Card	Description	Age
Schiavoni Swords	Infantry, cavalry, and shock infantry all melee attack damage +15%
TEAM Cavalry Attack	Heavy cavalry, light ranged cavalry, and shock infantry damage +10%; Italians-only heavy cavalry, light ranged cavalry, and shock infantry damage +15% instead
Broken Lance Company	Delivers 3 Papal Lancers and 1 Stradiot; costs 300 food, 300 wood, 300 coin
Albanian Company	Delivers 4 Bosniaks and 4 Stradiots; costs 500 food, 500 wood, 500 coin

• "TEAM Cavalry Attack" does not stack with the German "TEAM Cavalry Attack" card.

Japanese

Card	Description	Age
Bakufu	Daimyo and Shogun Tokugawa speed +5%, Line of Sight +10, training and research work rate +15%; land military train time -20%, artillery and banner army train time -10% instead

Lakota

Card	Description	Age
Morning Star	Temporarily reveals all enemies and treasures; Axe Rider can now loot treasures for double the resources or XP; hand cavalry bonus damage against treasure guardian +2.0
TEAM Mustangs	Cavalry and shock infantry cost -10%

Maltese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Knights of the Round Table	Delivers 1 Hospitaller for each Town Center and Command Post present on the map; unit hit points +2%

Mexicans

Card	Description	Age
Plan of Casa Mata	Transforms all Dragoons into Chinacos; hand cavalry speed +5%; costs 250 food, 250 wood
TEAM Mariachi	For the next 30 seconds, military building training and research work rate +400%, unit speed +10%
Colegio de San Nicolas	Delivers 1 Large Collection of Books (500 XP); unit Line of Sight +4; building (except Wall) Line of Sight +8; reveals enemy units' positions for 20 seconds
National Servant	Unit (except herded animals) hit points +10%; Padre heal work rate +200%	Imperial Age
Outlaw Combat	Outlaw and mercenary hit points and damage +15%; costs 500 coin

• "Colegio de San Nicolas" is available upon selecting the Michoacán Federal State.
• "National Servant" is available upon selecting the Estado de México Federal State.
• "Outlaw Combat" is available upon revolting to Baja California.

Ottomans

Card	Description	Age
Hire Balkan Stradiots	Delivers 6 Stradiots; costs 1,000 coin
Ottoman Mercenary Army	Delivers 6 Barbary Corsairs, 4 Stradiots, and 3 Mamelukes; costs 2,000 coin
Hire Balkan Stradiots	Delivers 4 Stradiots, +1 Mameluke

• "Hire Balkan Stradiots" is available upon revolting to Egypt.

Russians

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Kamchatka Expeditions	Cavalry and shock infantry hit points +10%, Line of Sight +4

Spanish

Card	Description	Age
Hand Cavalry Attack	Hand cavalry damage +15%
Hand Cavalry Hitpoints	Hand cavalry hit points +15%
TEAM Spanish Inquisition	Delivers 1 Inquisitor; military and economic unit Line of Sight +10

Swedes

Card	Description	Age
Hand Infantry/Hand Cavalry Hitpoints	Hand infantry and hand cavalry hit points +15%
German Mercenary Contracts	Mercenary hit points and damage +20%; enables Landsknechts and Jaegers to be trained at Barracks, Blockhouses, Taverns (for Landsknechts), and Galleons; enables Black Riders to be trained at Stables and Galleons

United States

Card	Description	Age
Poker	Delivers 13 random mercenaries; enables up to 3 random mercenaries at Saloons; costs 3,500 coin
Indiana Mobilization	Delivers 1 Carbine Cavalry for each shipment sent so far this game, including this one; unit train time, technology research time, Age up time -10%; costs 250 food, 250 wood
Hamilton's Own	Delivers 2 Li'l Bombards and 4 Napoleon Guns; mercenary hit points and damage +25%; costs 2,500 coin	Imperial Age
Seminole Ponies	Delivers 9 Hussars; cavalry train time -10%; hand cavalry hit points and damage +15%, speed +5%	Imperial Age

• "Indiana Mobilization" is available upon selecting the Indiana Federal State.
• "Hamilton's Own" is available upon selecting the New York Federal State.
• "Seminole Ponies" is available upon selecting the Florida Federal State.

Shared

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Riding School	Cavalry train time -40% (also +2 Uhlans for the Germans; +1 Villager for the Indians)		10

• "Riding School" is available to Europeans and Indians.

Chinese

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Western Reforms	All units get +8% hit points and damage		40
Acupuncture	All units' (except monks, Heavy Cannon, Flying Crow, and Summer Palace banner army) train time -20%		10

Europeans

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Cavalry Combat	Cavalry get +15% hit points and damage		10
Hire Balkan Stradiots	Delivers 6 Stradiots; costs 1,000 coin		10
Hire Mediterranean Mercenary Army	Delivers 3 Mamelukes, 6 Barbary Corsairs, and 4 Stradiots; costs 2,000 coin		10

• "Cavalry Combat" is available to the Dutch, Ottomans, and Russians.
• "Hire Balkan Stradiots" is available to the Ottomans and Spanish.
• "Hire Mediterranean Mercenary Army" is available to the Dutch, Germans (with +1 Barbary Corsair and Mameluke), and Russians.

French

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Hand Cavalry Attack	Heavy cavalry and Coyote Runners get +15% damage		10

Germans

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Cavalry Attack	Heavy cavalry, light ranged cavalry, and shock infantry get +15% damage		10
Spanish Riding School	Cavalry get +10% speed; +4 Uhlans		25
Improved Mercenaries	Mercenaries get +20% hit points and damage		10

Indians

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Dravidian Martial Arts	All units get +15% all melee attack damage; +1 Villager		40
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics	All units get +5% hit points and damage		25

Japanese

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Cheaper Unit Upgrades	Unit upgrades cost -20%		1

Russians

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Cavalry Scouts	Cavalry and shock infantry get +10% hit points and +4 Line of Sight		1

Spanish

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Cavalry Combat	Hand cavalry get +15% hit points and damage		10
TEAM Inquisition	All units get +10 Line of Sight		10

Changelog

Age of Empires III

• The Stradiot's in-game description is "Light cavalry mercenary from the Balkans."

Definitive Edition

• The Stradiot's in-game description is "Hand cavalry mercenary from the Balkans."

Knights of the Mediterranean

• With update 14.43676, Stradiots shipped by the Red Lancers technology received new models.

In-game dialogue

The Stradiot speaks Albanian.

• Select 1 Po? - Yes?
• Select 2 Gati - Ready
• Select 3 Komandë? - Command?
• Move 1 Po - Yes
• Move 2 Do e bëj - I'll do it
• Move 3 Do ta bëj - I will do it
• Attack 1 Sulm! - Attack!
• Attack 2 Në beteje! - To battle!
• Attack 3 Po! - Yes!

History

“

The Stradiotto were originally the cavalry of Giorgio Castriota, an Albanian who was raised a hostage of the Ottoman court, which named him Iskander Bey. He escaped his captivity and led a rebellion against the Ottomans that expelled them from Albania. His forces, the remnants of which were the Stradiots, used guerilla tactics and the rugged Albanian terrain to repel the Ottoman Turks. The Stradiots were later employed as mercenaries by the Venetians in the sixteenth century. These cavalrymen were unruly and could be counted on to break off from a fight to raid camps or supply trains. They wore turkish clothes, including baggy pants and shirts and turkish mail, but eschewed turbans for European helmets. They typically carried short spears called assegai that had points on both ends, but also used swords, maces, and crossbows.

”

Gallery

An in-game Stradiot

The Stradiot's history portrait

The Stradiot's Concept Art.

In-game Stradiot in the Definitive Edition

In-game Stradiot after researching the Red Lancers technology since update 14.43676

Stradiot image from the Compendium section