Akan Ankobia
Akan Ankobia is Heavy infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Commerce Age; obtained through Trading Post or Tambo on an Akan kingdom, Native Embassy.
Recorded values
- Available
- Commerce Age · Trading Post or Tambo on an Akan kingdom; Native Embassy
- Training
- 30 sec · 12 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 170 hit points · 20% hand resistance · 4.0 speed · 18 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 10 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 3.0x vs. Cavalry; 2.2x vs. Shock troops
- Ranged attack
- 19 damage · 12 range · 3.0 attack interval
- Siege attack
- 16 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Trading Post or Tambo on an Akan kingdom or Native Embassy. It has 170 hit points. It moves at 4.0 speed. Training costs 75 Food and 40 Coin; it takes 30 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 10 damage. Ranged attack deals 19 damage. Siege attack deals 16 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 3.0× against Cavalry and 2.2× against Shock troops.
Matchup & timing
Akan Ankobia can fire a 19-damage shot at range 12 before switching to a melee attack that counters Cavalry and Shock troops. Keep it in the line with other Akan infantry so it is not isolated by fast units. Use its siege attack on exposed buildings only after the formation is secure, and use the Akan kingdom upgrades to improve a force that will remain in play.
Statistics and ranged splash
Akan Ankobias are Commerce Age native warriors available from a Trading Post or Tambo on an Akan kingdom. They cost 75 Food and 40 Coin, take 30 seconds to train and are limited to twelve per Akan kingdom. The baseline has 170 hit points, 20% hand resistance, speed 4.0 and 18 line of sight. Their ranged attack deals 19 damage at range 12 every three seconds and has a one-point area, giving it short-range splash against dense groups. The hand attack deals ten damage every 1.5 seconds with a 3× bonus against Cavalry and 2.2× against shock troops. Its siege attack is 16 at range six every three seconds. This is a sturdy, Musketeer-like native unit, but its slow ranged reload limits sustained single-target damage.
Battlefield role and matchups
The Ankobia’s melee bonuses make it a useful answer to Cavalry and shock troops, and its ranged splash can punish infantry packed into a narrow approach. It does not receive the heavy-infantry bonus of a conventional Skirmisher, so it should not be used as a general anti-infantry ranged counter. Light infantry, counter-skirmishers and Artillery are dangerous; protect the Ankobia with units that can reach those threats. Its range of twelve and three-second reload favor deliberate positioning rather than rapid kiting. Let it fire into a dense formation, then use its melee attack only when the target is Cavalry or a suitable shock unit.
Akan upgrade path
Akan Warrior Societies upgrades the Ankobia to Elite in the Fortress Age for 150 Wood and 100 Coin, raising hit points and damage by 25%. Champion Akan costs 400 Wood and 300 Coin in the Industrial Age, requires the Elite upgrade and increases hit points and damage by 35%. Legendary Native Warriors or Exalted Natives provides a 50% increase in the Imperial Age. African civilizations upgrade native warriors automatically and for free in the listed rules, while other civilizations use their Capitol, State Capitol or Town Center according to the technology. These upgrades improve the unit’s durability and output, but do not change its slow ranged reload or its lack of a heavy-infantry multiplier.
Dutch and Hausa access
The Dutch can train Ankobia at Native Embassies after sending Belanda Hitam. That card upgrades them to Elite and Champion and adds eighteen to their training limit. Hausa access is broader: choosing the Akan Alliance can ship six Ankobia on reaching the Fortress Age, eight at the Industrial Age and sixteen at the Imperial Age, and unlocks training from Palaces and Native Embassies. Hausa can also train them from a War Camp after sending Gaananci; this replaces the Influence cost with Food and Coin, removes the training limit and makes each Ankobia use one population. After sending Hegemony, Hausa Ankobia can generate 1.8 Influence per minute, adding an economic return to continued production.
Revolution and special variants
Haiti can receive Ankobia through African Roots as part of a random West African unit shipment. The card also opens an Akan alliance at the Native Embassy and gives the Ankobia Stealth mode. Indonesia has the Belanda Hitam card with the same effects as the Dutch version. These are conditional options rather than standard native recruitment. Confirm the revolution or Home City prerequisites before relying on stealth, increased limits or advanced upgrades.
Build a mixed force
Akan Ankobias work best as the heavy-infantry element of a mixed army. Their Cavalry bonus helps keep mounted units away from artillery, while their splash can punish infantry that bunches up around a choke point. Add light infantry or artillery of your own to handle the units that counter them. The per-settlement cap means one Akan kingdom cannot supply an unlimited force; Hausa and Dutch card options can change the effective limit, but the standard Trading Post roster remains constrained by map access.
Costs, reload and target focus
The 75 Food and 40 Coin cost makes an Ankobia cheaper in Coin than many European heavy infantry units, but each still takes half a minute to train. The three-second ranged reload means it is less efficient at repeatedly shooting a single target than its 19 damage figure may suggest. Focus fire on groups where its splash can contribute, then use the hand attack against Cavalry that reaches the line. If the enemy spreads out or adds light infantry, switch to another unit instead of paying to replace Ankobia losses.
When splash damage matters
The Ankobia’s one-point area attack is small, but its slow reload can still reward firing into a tightly packed group rather than a single separated target. Watch where the opponent gathers infantry around a choke or building and focus the closest cluster. If the enemy spreads out, the splash contributes less and the unit’s lower sustained ranged output becomes more apparent. Its Cavalry and shock bonuses are available through the hand attack as well, so keep the formation ready to meet a charge instead of leaving it exposed at range.
Choose between Embassy and War Camp
A Native Embassy uses the native alliance and settlement limit, while the Hausa War Camp route requires Gaananci and spends Food and Coin with one population per Ankobia. Use the War Camp route when Hausa need repeatable Musketeer-like production; use the Palace, Embassy or age-up shipment when the alliance is supplying a limited reinforcing group. Compare the population and Influence effects before building the army.
Protect the limited native group
The standard limit is twelve per Akan kingdom, so losing the entire group can take time to replace. Keep the Ankobia near units that can answer light infantry and Artillery; use its own melee bonus when Cavalry attempts to engage.
Use food and coin deliberately
The Ankobia’s 75 Food and 40 Coin cost is manageable for a mixed army, but Hausa War Camp production can quickly consume Food when the unit has no training cap. Monitor Villager production and the upcoming age-up before queuing a large group.
Hold the line while firing
Use a stable front so Ankobias can exploit their range and splash. If they are forced to retreat through their own army, their slow firing cycle loses value and the melee screen becomes harder to control.
Splash damage and civilization access
The Akan Ankobia is a ranged Heavy Infantry unit recruited from an Akan kingdom’s Trading Post or Tambo, with a limit of 12 per kingdom. Its ranged attack deals 19 damage at range 12 every three seconds and has a one-unit area effect, so tightly grouped Infantry can take damage from a shot that is aimed at one target. Unlike a conventional Musketeer, the Ankobia’s listed ranged attack does not gain a bonus against Heavy Infantry; its hand attack is the one with a 3× multiplier against Cavalry. This distinction matters when deciding whether it should replace a Musketeer-type unit or complement one. Hausa can obtain Ankobias through the Gaananci card at the War Camp, helping fill a roster gap when Maigadi access is constrained by Influence. Dutch access through the Belanda Hitam card and Native Embassy has its own upgrade interactions. Akan Warrior Societies, Champion Akan and Legendary Native Warriors affect promotion by the relevant faction rules; African civilizations receive native warrior upgrades automatically and for free. Check which access path is active before planning production or research.