Wakina Rifle

Wakina Rifle
Unit information
Introduced in	Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs
Type	Infantry Ranged infantry Gunpowder unit Rifle Infantry*
Civilization	Lakota
Age	Fortress Age
Abilities	Build Teepees
Training
Trained at	War Hut
Food	60
Coin	40
Training time	29 seconds
Statistics
Hit points	85
Resists	30% vs. Ranged
Speed	4.0
Line of Sight	24
Population	1
XP train bounty	10
XP bounty	10
Melee attack
Damage	7
Multipliers	x2.0 vs. Heavy infantry, Light cavalry, and Eagle Runner Knights x0.75 vs. Cavalry and Coyote Runners
Rate of Fire	1.5
Ranged attack
Damage	16
Multipliers	Same as melee
Range	18
Rate of Fire	3.0
Siege attack
Damage	12
Range	6
Rate of Fire	3.0

“	Light infantry with low hitpoints, but a long-ranged attack. Good against infantry.	”
—In-game description

The Wakina Rifle is a gunpowder ranged infantry in Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs that is unique to the Lakota and can be trained at the War Hut once the Fortress Age is reached.

Overview

The Wakina Rifle is a Skirmisher with relatively few hit points and a poor melee attack. However, it has a powerful ranged attack, albeit at slightly shorter range than other skirmishers, but still has 24 Line of Sight. They maintain the regular multipliers against heavy infantry and light cavalry, making it a critical part of a Lakotan army. Wakina Rifles are especially vulnerable to cavalry and artillery due to their very low hit points.

Despite the unfavourable comparison to European Skirmishers, Wakinas are more able to hit and run very effectively. With the Lakota War Chief's aura and/or the "Wind Runner" Home City Card, they become much more mobile than most other infantry, further increasing their potential to avoid taking damage.

Wakina Rifles should be combined with the Lakota's powerful cavalry units to get the most out of them. For example, they supplement the more expensive Rifle Riders against heavy infantry and allow them to focus on taking out heavy cavalry and artillery instead. Axe Riders or Tokala Soldiers can take down enemy skirmishers (as well as artillery). Wakina Rifles can then focus down any ranged cavalry and provide long-range support.

Wakina Rifles also have the advantage of being cheaper than most other ranged infantry (notably, 40 coin compared to the 65 for a European Skirmisher), which is useful due to the high expense of cavalry units. Wakina Rifles can be massed in large numbers using shipments (especially in the Industrial Age), allowing a player to field a huge number of them quite quickly. Unlike the other units from the War Hut, Club Warrior and the Cetan Bowman, the Wakina Rifle costs food and coin.

Upgrades

The Wakina Rifle starts at the Elite level, giving them +25% hit points and attack.

If made available at the Commerce Age with the "TEAM Early Skirmishers" card, Wakina Rifles will be automatically upgraded to Elite when the player reaches the Fortress Age.

Age	Upgrade	Cost	Effect
	Champion Wakina Rifles	400 wood, 200 coin	Upgrades Wakina Rifles to Champion (+25% hit points and attack)
	Legendary Wakina Rifles	1,500 wood, 1,500 coin	Upgrades Wakina Rifles to Legendary (+50% hit points and attack); requires Champion Wakina Rifles

Campaign appearances

In the original The WarChiefs, the Wakina Rifle appears in Act I: Fire as Seneca and Mohawk soldiers. They later appear in Act II: Shadow as Sioux soldiers, especially in the first part of the scenario Turning Point, where they keep harassing Holme's Settlers.

Further statistics

As Wakina Rifles are unique to the Lakota, only technologies that they have access to are shown in the following table:

Unit strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs.	Heavy infantry, light cavalry, Eagle Runner Knights
Weak vs.	Heavy cavalry, Coyote Runners, artillery
Improvements
Hit points	Cree Tanning (+5%) Navajo Weaving (+5%)
Attack	Gun Trade (+25%) Counter Infantry Rifling (+0.75x multiplier vs. heavy infantry) Yoga (+5%) Smokeless Powder (+30% siege attack) Clenched Fist (+30% melee attack)
Speed	Quechuan Mountaineering (+20%) Apache Endurance (+5%)
Creation speed	War Drums (-25%) Quechuan Diet (-25%)
Train cost	Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10% coin cost)
Other	Meritocracy (-20% upgrade cost)

Home City Cards

As Wakina Rifles are unique to the Lakota, only their cards and other civilizations' TEAM cards are shown in the following tables:

Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Wakina Rifle

Green: TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team Dutch Card Description Age HC level TEAM Infantry Hitpoints Infantry get +15% hit points 10 French Card Description Age HC level TEAM Ranged Infantry Attack Ranged infantry get +15% attack 10 TEAM Early Skirmishers Skirmishers, Cassadores, Forest Prowlers, Wakina Rifles, and Black Flag Army can be trained in the Commerce Age; Longbowman, Strelet, Otontin Slinger, Gurkha, and Yumi Archer train time -20% 25 Indians Card Description Age HC level TEAM Shivaji's Tactics All units get +5% hit points and attack 25 Haudenosaunee Card Description Age HC level TEAM Scout Infantry Infantry get +8 LOS 10 Japanese Card Description Age HC level TEAM Cheaper Unit Upgrades Unit upgrades cost -20% 1 Portuguese Card Description Age HC level TEAM Gunpowder Infantry Hitpoints Gunpowder infantry get +15% hit points 10 Russians Card Description Age HC level TEAM Dueling School Infantry train time -25%; banner army train time -12% 25 Lakota Card Description Age HC level Uprising Ships 7 Cetan Bows, 7 War Clubs, and 7 Wakina Rifles 40 9 Wakina Rifles Ships 9 Wakina Rifles 1 16 Wakina Rifles Ships 16 Wakina Rifles 10 18 Wakina Rifles Ships 18 Wakina Rifles 25 Wind Runner Infantry get +10% speed 10 Aggressive Policy Cetan Bows, War Clubs, and Wakina Rifles can build Teepees, War Huts, and Corrals 25 Hunkpapa Support Ships 16 Wakina Rifles and 2 War Hut Travois; costs 1,000 coin 10 Two Kettle Support Ships 14 Wakina Rifles and Wakina Rifles get +20% hit points; costs 1,000 coin 25 Spanish Card Description Age HC level TEAM Inquisition All units get +10 LOS 10

Changelog

The WarChiefs

• Wakina Rifles give 9 XP when trained or killed.

Definitive Edition

• Wakina Rifles can now build Teepees.
• Wakina Rifles give 10 XP when trained or killed.
• With update 23511, the Wakina Rifle is tagged as Rifle Infantry.

Trivia

• Wakina means "Thunderbird" in Lakota. The term refers to the animal and not to the sound.

History

“

Sometimes the Sioux had to fight on foot. It is not always possible to run someone down with your horse. On these occasions, they fought tenaciously and well. In general, the Sioux were known for their keen accuracy with their rifles.

”

Gallery

An in-game (Elite) Wakina Rifle.

An in-game Champion/Legendary Wakina Rifle.

The Wakina Rifle from the in-game history section.

Fully upgraded with 20 teepee aura

In other languages

Spanish: Rifle Wakina