Yoruba Eso Rider

Yoruba Eso Rider
Information
Introduced in	Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition - The African Royals
Type	Cavalry Heavy cavalry Hand cavalry Lance cavalry Native warrior
Age	Commerce Age
Training
Trained at	Trading Post or Tambo on a Yoruba settlement Native Embassy
Cost	90 Food 90 Coin
Train time	20 seconds
Train limit	5 per Yoruba settlement
Statistics
Hit points	200
Resistance	55% Hand 55% Ranged
Speed	7.5
Line of Sight	15
Ability	The lower the hit points, the lower the Rate of Fire
XP train bounty	18
XP kill bounty	18
Siege attack
Damage	15 Siege
Range	6
Rate of Fire	3.0-2.0
Hand attack
Damage	35 Hand
Rate of Fire	2.0-1.0
Bonus damage	1.5x Artillery 1.5x Infantry 0.67x Heavy infantry 0.25x Villager
Trample attack
Damage	23.33 Hand
Area of Effect	3
Rate of Fire	2.5-1.5
Bonus damage	Same as hand attack
Notes
Loses 0.75% of hit points every second until left with only 1 HP

“	Quick-training and fast moving powerful lancer that slowly loses hitpoints. Attacks faster as he loses hitpoints.	”
—In-game description

The Yoruba Eso Rider is a heavy cavalry native warrior in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition - The African Royals that can be trained at a Trading Post built on a Yoruba settlement.

Overview

The Yoruba Eso Riders are similar to levied units; they lose hit points over time and can be trained, ignoring the previous queues. They excel at countering artillery and light infantry, and they attack faster when their hit points are lower. Their main weakness is losing hit points over time, which makes them difficult to use in long battles. However, unlike levied units, they can be healed by healing units.

Yoruba Eso Riders do not lose hit points while garrisoned in ships.

Upgrades

Age	Upgrade	Cost	Effect
	Yoruba Warrior Societies	150 wood 100 coin	Upgrades Yoruba Oyo Legionaries and Eso Riders to Elite (+25% hit points and attack)
	Champion Yoruba	400 wood 300 coin	Upgrades Yoruba Oyo Legionaries and Eso Riders to Champion (+35% hit points and attack); requires Yoruba Warrior Societies
	Legendary Native Warriors Exalted Natives	1,500 food 1,500 wood	Upgrades native warriors to Legendary/Exalted/Imperial (+50% hit points and attack)

• The Legendary Native Warriors technology is available in the Capitol for European civilizations and the Mexicans, the State Capitol for the United States, and the Town Center for Asian (as Exalted Natives) and Native American civilizations.
• For African civilizations, native warriors are upgraded automatically and for free.

Civilization differences

• The Hausa can train Yoruba Eso Riders at Palaces and Native Embassies if they choose the Yoruba Alliance to age up to the Industrial Age or Imperial Age.

Revolutions

• Haiti can get Yoruba Eso Riders through the "African Roots" Home City Card, in the pool of random West Africa units shipped. It also enables them to ally with the Yoruba at the Native Embassy.

Further statistics

Unit strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs.	Infantry, artillery
Weak vs.	Heavy infantry, light ranged cavalry, ranged shock infantry
Improvements
Hit points	Cavalry Cuirass (+10%) Comanche Horse Breeding (+10%) Cree Tanning (+5%) Gadaa System (+5%; Ethiopians only) Navajo Weaving (+5%) Tar Kilns (+5%) Yoruba Wrestling (hit point degeneration rate -25% and stops at 25% HP)
Attack	Gadaa System (+5%; Ethiopians only) Yoga (+5%) Pillage (+25% siege attack multiplier vs. buildings) Horsemanship (+1.0 multiplier vs. Walls; Lakota only) Wind Horses (-10% Rate of Fire)
Resistance	Kapikulu Corps (+10% hand resistance; Ottomans only) Sudanese Quilted Armor (+10% hand resistance) Pancerni (+10% ranged resistance)
Line of Sight	Town Watch (+3)
Speed	Cherokee War Dance (+20%) Horse Secrets (+10%; Haudenosaunee only) Apache Endurance (+5%) Comanche Mustangs (+5%) Wind Horses (+0.5)
Train time	Cree Kinship (-45%) Cheyenne Horse Trading (-40%) Horse Secrets (-35%; Haudenosaunee only) Mass Cavalry (-35%) Horsemanship (-33%; Lakota only) Terror Charge (-20%; Indians only) Quechuan Diet (-15%) Immigrants (-10%) New Mexico Immigration (-10%; United States only) Philhellenism (-10%) Shaman Drums (-10%) Strangers' Quarters (-10%; Africans only)
Other	Yoruba Twins (each Yoruba Eso Rider spawns a second one) Meritocracy (-20% upgrade cost)

Home City Cards

Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Yoruba Eso Rider

Some cards are highlighted with:
Green	TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team
Red	Shipment that can be sent twice
Blue	Shipment that arrives fast (5 seconds)

All

Card	Description	Age
Cavalry Damage	Cavalry get +15% damage
Cavalry Hitpoints	Cavalry get +15% hit points
Cavalry Combat	Cavalry get +15% hit points and damage
Native Alliance	Native warrior train limit +20% and cost -10% (also +1 Hindu Villager for the Indians)
Native Warriors	Native warriors cost -25% (also +3 Uhlans for the Germans)
Native Warrior Combat	Native warriors get +15% hit points and damage
TEAM Native Weapon Trade	Native warrior train limit +20%
Blood Brothers	Upgrades native warriors to Elite/Disciplined/Veteran and Champion/Honored/Royal Guard; Native Embassies get +40% hit points and +5 build limit (also +4 Uhlans for the Germans)
Caballeros	Lance cavalry get +1.0 hand attack bonus damage against infantry and +1 hand attack range
Liberation March	Infantry, cavalry, and shock infantry get +5% speed and -35% train time
Riding School	Cavalry train time -40%; Cuirassier and Oprichnik train time -35% instead; Gatling Camel train time -20% instead (also +2 Uhlans for the Germans; +1 Hindu Villager for the Indians)

• "Cavalry Damage" is available to the British and Lakota.
• "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.
• "Native Alliance" is available to the Aztecs, Inca, Indians, and Japanese.
• "Native Warriors" is available to Europeans, the Lakota and Mexicans.
• "Native Warrior Combat" is available to the French, Haudenosaunee, and Inca, and also Mexicans upon revolting to the Maya, and British upon revolting to Haiti.
• "TEAM Native Weapon Trade" is available to the Dutch and Lakota, and also British and French upon revolting to Canada.
• "Blood Brothers" is available to the Aztecs, French, Germans, Haudenosaunee, Lakota, Portuguese, Russians, and Spanish, and also British upon revolting to Canada or Haiti.
• "Caballeros" is available to the Mexicans and Spanish, and also Germans and Italians upon revolting to Argentina.
• "Liberation March" is available to the Mexicans and Spanish.
• "Riding School" is available to Europeans (except the Maltese and Spanish) and the Indians.

Africans

Card	Description	Age
Feudal Armies	All units' train time -15%; hero respawn time -15%
Loyal Warriors	Native warriors, mercenaries, and outlaws cost -15% (also affects shipments)

Asians

Card	Description	Age
Native Warrior Hitpoints	Native warriors get +30% hit points and +10% speed (also +1 Hindu Villager for the Indians)
Native Warrior Attack	Native warriors get +30% damage and -25% train time

• "Native Warrior Hitpoints" is not available to the Japanese.
• "Native Warrior Attack" is not available to the Indians.

Chinese

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

Ethiopians

Card	Description	Age
Ignatian Spirituality	All units get +5% hit points and regeneration capability even while in combat

Europeans

Card	Description	Age
Blandengues	Hand cavalry cost -20%
Loyal Warriors	Native warriors, mercenaries, and outlaws cost -15%; "TEAM 4 Zenata Rider", "Recruit Xebec", "Recruit Xebecs", and "15 Berber Allies" cost no coin
Sevites	Maroons, native warriors, and villagers now regenerate hit points at a rate of 0.25% per second when idle; Yoruba Eso Rider hit point degeneration rate -60% and Militiaman hit point degeneration rate -10%, and for both stops at 25% hit points
Louverture Liberation	Delivers 6 Citizens; Citizens can be trained at Town Centers for 70 coin; Fishing Boats can be trained at Docks; native warriors get +20% hit points and +5% speed
African Roots	Delivers a random selection of 6 West Africa units and allows to ally with the Akan or Yoruba in the Native Embassy; Akan infantry, Yoruba infantry and Maroons can now use Stealth mode; costs 1,000 food
Junín Hussars	Hand cavalry and hand shock infantry get +5% speed and -30% train time (only get -20% train time if stacked with "Liberation March")
Wanderlust	Land military units and land villagers get +5% hit points; land villagers and construction wagons get +5% speed

• "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.
• "Sevites", "Louverture Liberation", and "African Roots" are available to the British and French upon revolting to Haiti.
• "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, and can be sent 3 times.

Federal Americans

Card	Description	Age
Indian Friendship/Chimayo Genizarios	Each different allied native tribe sends a large shipment of their respective native warriors and upgrades them to Elite and Champion; native warriors train time -10%; native warrior shipments and "Native Treaties" arrive time -50%; costs 500 food, 500 wood

• "Indian Friendship" is available to the United States and "Chimayo Genizarios" to the Mexicans.

French

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Hand Cavalry Attack	Hand cavalry and hand shock infantry get +15% damage
Wilderness Warfare	Coureurs des Bois, Cree Coureurs des Bois, native warriors, Skirmishers, and Settlers get +20% hit points
TEAM French Auxiliaries Combat	Native warriors get +10% hit points and damage
Cult of the Supreme Being	The player gains +10% XP from training units and other players receive -10% XP from defeating them; Sansculottes gather resources from Crates 50% faster; food from Berry Bushes and Cherry Orchards 25% faster; wood from trees and Mango Groves and coin from mines 20% faster; food from huntable and herdable animals, Mills, Farms and coin from Estates 15% faster

• "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 get +10% damage; Germans-only heavy cavalry, light ranged cavalry, and shock infantry get +15% damage instead
Spanish Riding School	Cavalry get +10% speed; +4 Uhlans

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

Haudenosaunee

Card	Description	Age
Native Warrior Conscription	Native warrior cost -25% and train limit +20%
Wampum	Training units and constructing buildings grants +35% XP; unit train time -20%, siege unit and artillery train time -5% instead

Hausa

Card	Description	Age
Kororofa Confederacy	Delivers 6 Yoruba Eso Riders
Sahelian Kingdoms	Native warriors get +15% hit points and damage; mercenaries and outlaws get +10% hit points and damage

Inca

Card	Description	Age
Road Building	Land military units get +10% speed
Couriers	Infantry, cavalry, and shock infantry train time -45%

Indians

Card	Description	Age
Dravidian Martial Arts	All units get +15% all melee attack damage; Rajputs get +20% all melee attack damage instead; +1 Hindu Villager
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics	All units get +5% hit points and damage

Italians

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Cavalry Attack	Heavy cavalry, light ranged cavalry, and shock infantry get +10% damage; Italian-only heavy cavalry, light ranged cavalry, and shock infantry get +15% damage instead
Schiavoni Swords	Infantry, cavalry, and shock infantry get +15% all melee attack damage

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

Japanese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Sengoku	Unit upgrades cost -20%
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
Morning Star	Temporarily reveals all enemies and treasures; Axe Riders can loot treasures for double the resources or XP; hand cavalry get +2.0 attack bonus damage against treasure guardians
TEAM Mustangs	Cavalry and shock infantry cost -10%
Black Arrow	Native warriors train time -85%
Winter Counts	Training units grants +40% XP and constructing buildings grants +20% XP

Maltese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Knights of the Round Table	Delivers 1 Hospitaller for each Town Center and Command Post build; 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
Plan of Casa Mata	Turns all Dragoons into Chinacos; hand cavalry get +5% speed; costs 250 food, 250 wood
TEAM Mariachi	For the next 30 seconds, military buildings work 400% faster and units get +10% speed
Colegio de San Nicolás	Delivers Books of 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

• "Colegio de San Nicolás" is available upon selecting the Michoacán Federal State.
• "National Servant" is available upon selecting the Estado de México Federal State.

Russians

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

Spanish

Card	Description	Age
Hand Cavalry Attack	Hand cavalry get +15% damage
Hand Cavalry Hitpoints	Hand cavalry get +15% hit points
TEAM Spanish Inquisition	Delivers 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% damage
Hand Infantry/Hand Cavalry Hitpoints	Hand infantry and hand cavalry get +15% hit points

United States

Card	Description	Age
Indiana Mobilization	Delivers 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
Seminole Ponies	Delivers 9 Hussars; hand cavalry get +15% hit points and damage, and +5% speed; cavalry train time -10%

• "Indiana Mobilization" is available upon selecting the Indiana Federal State.
• "Seminole Ponies" is available upon selecting the Florida Federal State.

Changelog

The African Royals

• Yoruba Eso Riders have 50% melee and ranged resistance.

Knights of the Mediterranean

• With update 13.58326, Yoruba Eso Riders have 55% melee and ranged resistance.

In-game dialogue

Main article: Yoruba#In-game dialogue

Trivia

• The shield used by the Eso Rider is based on this Punu shield.

History

“

The Eso were an elite cavalry force in Ikoyi whose status was hereditary and highly prized as part of a complex warrior society. While powerful due to their weaponry, training, and military tradition, they had a crucial weakness: the horses on which they relied were in increasingly dwindling supply due to the climate and the predation of the parasitic tsetse fly.

”

Gallery

Yoruba Eso Rider image from the Compendium section

See also

• Yoruba Oyo Legionary