Aenna
Aenna is Haudenosaunee ranged infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Commerce Age; obtained through War Hut, Fort, American Citadel.
Recorded values
- Cost
- 100 Food
- Available
- Commerce Age · War Hut; Fort; American Citadel
- Training
- 27 sec · 1 population · 10 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 110 hit points · 30% ranged resistance · 5.0 speed · 20 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 8 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 2.0x vs. Light ranged cavalry; 2.0x vs. Ranged shock trooper; 2.0x vs. Heavy infantry; 0.75x vs. Cavalry; 0.75x vs. Shock troops
- Ranged attack
- 12 damage · 2-16 range · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 2.5x vs. Light ranged cavalry; 2.5x vs. Ranged shock trooper; 2.0x vs. Heavy infantry; 0.6x vs. Cavalry; 0.6x vs. Shock troops
- Siege attack
- 12 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
Role, availability & values
Production is available through War Hut, Fort, or American Citadel. It has 110 hit points and 30% ranged resistance. It moves at 5.0 speed and uses 1 population. Training costs 100 Food; it takes 27 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 8 damage. Ranged attack deals 12 damage. Siege attack deals 12 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 2.0× against Light ranged cavalry, 2.0× against Ranged shock trooper, 2.0× against Heavy infantry, 0.75× against Cavalry, and 0.75× against Shock troops*. Ranged attack bonuses: 2.5× against Light ranged cavalry, 2.5× against Ranged shock trooper, 2.0× against Heavy infantry, 0.6× against Cavalry, and 0.6× against Shock troops*.
Matchup & timing
Aenna are Haudenosaunee ranged infantry for sustained volleys against their listed light ranged and heavy-infantry targets. Their 2× melee and 2.5× ranged bonuses favor those classes, while the ranged attack’s shorter reach than later specialists makes escort important. Keep them behind Tomahawks or another screen rather than sending them to duel Cavalry.
Cost and ranged profile
Aennas are a Commerce Age ranged infantry unit unique to the Haudenosaunee. The current profile costs 100 Food, takes 27 seconds to train and uses one population. It has 110 hit points, 30% ranged resistance, speed 5.0 and 20 line of sight. Its bow attack deals 12 damage every 1.5 seconds at range two to sixteen, with bonuses against light ranged Cavalry, ranged shock troops and heavy infantry. The attack is less effective against Cavalry and shock troops. Its eight-point hand attack is unusually strong for a bowman, while the siege attack deals 12 at range six every three seconds. These values make the Aenna a useful early mass unit, but its target multipliers matter more than its raw damage.
Target selection and counters
Aennas are most effective against slow units that cannot return ranged fire. Their bonuses let them pressure heavy infantry and certain fast ranged or shock units, but heavy Cavalry and hand shock troops can close in and punish them. Counter-skirmishers and Artillery are also dangerous. Keep Tomahawks or other front-line units between Aennas and melee Cavalry; the Tomahawks can absorb charges while the bowmen continue firing. If the enemy army is mostly ranged, use terrain and a screen rather than allowing the Aennas to stand still and absorb fire. Their 30% ranged resistance helps them survive some exchanges but does not protect them from melee attacks.
Economic and production advantages
The Aenna costs only Food, so it does not compete directly with early Wood needs for Houses and production buildings or Coin for an age-up. Its 27-second training time also makes replacements relatively quick from a War Hut, Fort or American Citadel. This economy profile supports a large group without committing every resource type to infantry. The unit is inexpensive enough to serve as a screen or distraction for more costly Haudenosaunee units, but avoid losing the whole group to one Cavalry charge. Keep producing while the economy can support it, then use the mass to protect artillery or pin the opponent while stronger units attack from another angle.
Scaling through the ages
Elite Aennas cost 200 Wood and 100 Coin in the Fortress Age and gain 25% hit points and damage. Champion Aennas cost 400 Wood and 200 Coin in the Industrial Age and add another 25%, requiring the Elite upgrade. Legendary Aennas in the Imperial Age cost 1,500 Wood and 1,500 Coin and raise hit points and damage by 50%, requiring Champion Aennas. Haudenosaunee shipments, technologies and native settlement bonuses can further increase their performance. Seminole settlements are notable for archer improvements. Because the upgrade path becomes expensive, compare the investment with the alternative of adding Forest Prowlers or other units for a specific matchup.
Aenna and Forest Prowler
Forest Prowlers are the Haudenosaunee’s premium Skirmisher-type unit and generally provide better late-game damage, including a stronger heavy-infantry multiplier. Aennas are cheaper to mass and have access to more Home City Cards, which can make a fully upgraded group more durable. Their value shifts from damage efficiency to volume, screening and sustained support. Use Forest Prowlers when the army needs a stronger ranged counter; retain Aennas when the economy favors Food-only production or when a large, replaceable screen is useful. The two units can complement one another rather than competing for exactly the same job.
Home City support
The Haudenosaunee Home City can send shipments of six, seven, nine, ten or twenty Aennas, along with cards that improve War Hut warriors’ attack, hit points or combat. Other cards support War Huts, scouting infantry and the broader economy. Several team cards also affect Aennas, including infantry hit point or ranged infantry attack bonuses from allied civilizations. These cards make the unit scale beyond its basic statistics, but a shipment slot has an opportunity cost. Send a group of Aennas when immediate numbers matter; use an upgrade or combat card when the army already has a stable mass and will remain active long enough to benefit.
Practical formation use
Keep Aennas in a controlled group behind the melee line and focus fire on units they counter. Their range can wear down slow infantry before it reaches the Haudenosaunee front, and their speed is higher than that of many ranged infantry units. Do not let the group drift into heavy Cavalry or Artillery range without support. If the opponent switches to counters, withdraw the bowmen and replace them with suitable units instead of forcing a losing engagement. Their role is to add cheap ranged pressure and absorb some of the opponent’s attention while the rest of the army secures better trades.
Ranged resistance and armor context
The Aenna’s 30% ranged resistance lets it trade through some incoming fire, but it is not heavy armor and its 110 hit points remain limited. Keep it behind the front line and use the resistance to sustain support damage rather than treating the unit as a tank.
Shipment timing
The Haudenosaunee can ship groups of Aennas, including a twenty-unit shipment in the available card set. A large shipment creates an immediate screen, while attack or hit point cards improve units already in production. Choose based on whether the army needs numbers now or stronger long-term performance.
Ranged damage between two and sixteen
Aenna range starts at two, so an enemy that closes inside the minimum range can interrupt the bow’s strongest use. Keep the formation spaced and pull back before heavy Cavalry reaches the line.
Give the bowmen room to fire
Aennas need clear firing space to use their range. Avoid trapping the group against a wall or behind its own melee line, and keep a retreat route open when cavalry is nearby.
Cost-efficient Haudenosaunee ranged screen
An Aenna costs 100 Food, trains in 27 seconds and uses one population. Its profile has 110 hit points, 30% ranged resistance and speed 5.0. The ranged attack deals 12 damage at range 2–16 every 1.5 seconds; it has bonuses against Light ranged Cavalry, Ranged Shock Troops and Heavy Infantry, while its hand attack is weak against Cavalry and Shock troops. The one-population cost lets the Haudenosaunee form a broad firing line without consuming the space of heavier troops, but the 110 hit points still make exposure dangerous. Train them at the War Hut and keep a screen in front of the archers. They are most useful when the army can focus fire on the target classes their multipliers favor, then retreat before Cavalry closes the gap. Their short minimum range means units that reach point-blank distance can disrupt the preferred engagement.