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An Eastern pirate in search of booty. Good against cavalry and buildings.
—In-game description

The Wokou Pirate is an East Asian outlaw in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties. It is available on the Borneo and Indochina maps.

Overview

The Wokou Pirate is an outlaw unit armed with a sword, similar to the Pirate. It requires less population than most outlaws, but also costs a lot of Coin. Though not as strong against cavalry as Pikemen or other Hand Infantry units, it has a unique bonus against Villagers, making them neat for harassing an enemy's economy.

Like other outlaws, Wokou Pirates are best utilized in the Colonial Age, their use diminished as the game progresses. Their anti-villager bonus provide a unique niche among other Hand Infantry, but are less cost-efficient raiders than cavalry.

Further statistics

Unit strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs. Cavalry, light infantry
Weak vs. Light cavalry, artillery
Improvements
Hit points Infantry Breastplate Infantry Breastplate (+10%)
Thin Red Line Thin Red Line (+20%, British only)
Corselet Corselet (+25%, Spanish only)
Cree Tanning Cree Tanning (+5%)
Maya Cotton Armor Maya Cotton Armor (+20%)
Navajo Weaving Navajo Weaving (+5%)
Dance Hall Wild West (+35%, Europeans only)
Atonement Compunction (+35%, Asians only)
Attack Carib Kasiri Beer Carib Kasiri Beer (+10%)
Mapuche Tactics Mapuche Tactics (+50% siege attack)
Zapotec Cult of the Dead Zapotec Cult of the Dead (+20%)
Yoga Yoga (+5%)
Master Lessons Master Lessons (+10%)
Dance Hall Wild West (+35%, Europeans only)
Atonement Compunction (+35%, Asians only)
Speed Military Drummers Military Drummers (+10%)
Tillys Discipline Tilly's Discipline (+20%, Germans only)
File:Inca Road-building.png Incan Road-building (+20%)
Apache Endurance Apache Endurance (+5%)
Sight Town Watch Town Watch (+2)
Creation speed Standing Army Standing Army (-25%)
File:Inca Chaquis Messengers.png Incan Chasquis Messengers (-25%)
Train cost Mapuche Ad-mapu Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10%)
Penalties Thin Red Line Thin Red Line (-25% speed, British only)
Coffee Trade Coffee Trade (-10% speed, Dutch only)
Tillys Discipline Tilly's Discipline (+10% cost, Germans only)
Corselet Corselet (-15% speed, Spanish only)

Home City Cards

In-game dialogue

The Wokou Pirate uses the Wokou Junk's dialogues.

Main article: Japanese (Age of Empires III)#In-game dialogue

History

The term "wokou" is a combination of the Chinese word “wo,” referring to Japanese, and "kou,” meaning bandit or invasion.

Beginning in the thirteenth century, no group of sailors was as feared or as mighty as the plundering wokou pirates, a clan of Japanese raiders and smugglers who terrified the Chinese and Korean coasts. The first attacks occurred in 1223, triggering immediate calls for the Kamakura shogunate of Japan to corral these scoundrels and prevent further attacks on the Korean coast. In 1227, as a show of strength, the shogun had ninety suspected wokou pirates decapitated before the visiting Korean envoy.

During the Mongol invasions of the mid-thirteenth century, wokou attacks fell in number, most likely due to a heightened military preparedness on the part of both the Japanese and Korean governments. But this did not last. In the late fourteenth century, as central authority in Japan weakened, the wokou took full advantage, even branching out to initiate attacks along the coast of China. They profited highly from a severe trade embargo forced on Japan by the Qin and then Ming Dynasties of China, reaping rewards as black markets flourished. The wokou experienced periods of rise and decline, even attacking China with a makeshift fleet in 1419, but they ultimately became obsolete.

At its peak, the wokou culture was enough to threaten even the most powerful Asian rulers, and to appeal to the most ordinary of citizenry. Many men left behind their lives to seek fortunes at sea. Chinese merchants, militiamen, smugglers, Korean pirates, Portuguese sailors, traders, and even missionaries joined up with the notorious wokou pirates.

Smuggler

The Smuggler is a treasure guardian with high hit points but relatively low melee damage. He can be dealt easily using artillery or anti-infantry units, but can be quite hard to beat in melee combat, so in early game, it is recommended to convert or snipe as many Smugglers as possible.

History

For centuries, smugglers have worked within the laws of all nations to exploit scarcity and produce a profit. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, restrictive economic policies of mercantilism encouraged smuggling in France, the Spanish colonies, and North America. When the British attempted to fight the practice by enforcing the Navigation Acts, they contributed to the growing resentment that exploded into the American Revolution. During the Prohibition era in the United States, smuggling flourished across the continent.

Today, with the existence of widespread commercial privacy and active black markets, smuggling is more common than ever. Smugglers worldwide often traffic in luxury articles, stolen art, electronic devices, and software.

Gallery

Mercenary and Outlaw units in Age of Empires III
Aoe3 unit type mercenary Mercenaries
InfantryMercenary armored pistoleer portrait Armored Pistoleer · Arsonist aoe3de Arsonist · Askari aoe3de portrait Askari · Corsair de Barbary Corsair · Cannoneer portrait aoe3de Cannoneer · Dahomey amazon aoe3de portrait Dahomey Amazon · Fusilier de Fusilier · Mercenary giant grenadier portrait Giant Grenadier · Highlander de Highlander · Mercenary irish brigade portrait Irish Brigadier · Iron troop aoe3de Iron Troop · Jaeger portrait aoe3de updated Jaeger · Landsknecht de Landsknecht · Ninja de Ninja · Mercenary pandour portrait Pandour · Ronin de Ronin · Swiss pikeman aoe3de Swiss Pikeman · Zouave icon aoe3de Zouave
CavalryBlack rider aoe3de Black Rider · Mercenary bosniak rider portrait Bosniak · Elmeti aoe3de Elmetto · Gatling camel aoe3de portrait Gatling Camel · Hackapell aoe3de Hackapell · Harquebusier icon Harquebusier · Jat lancer de Jat Lancer · Kanuri guard aoe3de portrait Kanuri Guard · Mameluke aoe3de Mameluke · Manchu de Manchu · Mercenary mounted rifleman portrait Mounted Rifleman · Mercenary royal horseman portrait Royal Horseman · Sennar horseman aoe3de portrait Sennar Horseman · Stradiot aoe3de Stradiot · Yojimbo aoe3de Yojimbo · Zenata rider aoe3de portrait Zenata Rider
ArtilleryLil bombard aoe3de Li'l Bombard · Napoleon gun icon aoe3de Napoleon Gun · Gatling camel aoe3de portrait Gatling Camel
ShipBattleship portrait Battleship · Privateer aoe3de Privateer · War dhow portrait aoe3de War Dhow · Wokou junk aoe3de Wokou Junk · Xebec portrait aoe3de Xebec
Outlaws
InfantryAfrican vagabond portrait African Vagabond · Colonial looter portrait Colonial Looter · Dacoit aoe3de Dacoit · Desert archer portrait aoe3de Desert Archer · Desert warrior portrait aoe3de Desert Warrior · Hajduk portrait Hajduk · Highwayman dismounted portrait Highwayman · Inquisitor portrait Inquisitor · Pistolero aoe3de Pistolero · Renegado aoe3de Renegado · Thuggee aoe3de Thuggee · Blind monk aoe3de Wokou Monk · Wayward ronin aoe3de Wokou Ronin
Shock infantryPirate aoe3de Pirate · Wokou pirate aoe3de Wokou Pirate
CavalryComanchero icon aoe3de Comanchero · Cossack daredevil portrait Cossack Daredevil · Crabat portrait Crabat · Desert raider portrait aoe3de Desert Raider · Highwayman dismounted portrait Highwayman · Wokou horseman aoe3de Wokou Horseman
ArtilleryCaptured mortar aoe3de Captured Mortar
ShipCatamaran aoe3de Marathan Catamaran
Flag American act3 aoe3de United StatesGunslinger aoe3de Gunslinger · Cowboy aoe3de Cowboy · Owlhoot aoe3de Owlhoot
Flag MexicanDE MexicansDesperado portrait Desperado · Vaquero portrait Cuatrero · Bandido portrait Bandido
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