Atakebune
Atakebune is Japanese naval unit in Age of Empires III, available from the Commerce Age; obtained through Asian Dock. Its listed ability is Transports land units; Trains infantry and cavalry (only if close to shore).
Recorded values
- Available
- Commerce Age · Asian Dock
- Training
- 30 sec · 60 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 2,000 hit points · 75% ranged resistance · 7.5 speed · 24 line of sight
- Ranged attack
- 18 range · 2.0 attack interval · bonuses: 0.5x vs. Artillery
- Ability
- Transports land units; Trains infantry and cavalry (only if close to shore)
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Asian Dock. It has 2,000 hit points and 75% ranged resistance. It moves at 7.5 speed. Training costs 300 Wood and 300 Coin; it takes 30 seconds to train. Ranged attack bonuses: 0.5× against Artillery. Special ability or role: Transports land units; Trains infantry and cavalry (only if close to shore).
Matchup & timing
Use an Atakebune when Japan needs a durable transport that can also train land units beside a shoreline. Its 2,000 hit points and 75% ranged resistance help it survive ranged fire better than a light transport, while its 7.5 speed makes repositioning slower than a Battle Canoe. It costs 300 Wood and 300 Coin and takes 30 seconds to train, so send it with a landing force or a naval group that can use its presence. Its listed 0.5× modifier against Artillery is reduced damage, not a counter bonus; protect it from dedicated warships instead of treating it as an artillery hunter.
Japanese support ship and unit production
Atakebune is a Japanese Asian Dock ship available in the Commerce Age. Its base profile costs 300 Wood and 300 Coin, takes 30 seconds to train, has 2,000 hit points, 75% ranged resistance and 7.5 speed. It transports land units and can train infantry and cavalry while close to shore, so it combines naval presence with a temporary forward production point. Its attack profile is reduced against Artillery, and it should not be treated as a dedicated artillery counter. Move it close enough to a safe coast for the production function, then protect both the ship and the land units arriving from it. A Dock-produced ship that can carry troops and recruit near shore can support an island landing or reinforce an exposed flank, but its 300-Wood/300-Coin cost competes with the rest of the Japanese army. Choose the shoreline before committing and avoid parking it within easy range of enemy coastal defenses.
Train limit and naming history
The Asian Dynasties version used the incorrect spelling Atakabune and had a train limit of five. Definitive Edition corrected the name, and a later update reduced the limit to four. The ship still requires close-shore access to train infantry and cavalry; moving it too far from land preserves transport and naval roles but disables that local recruitment function.
Boarding-oriented historical role
The Atakebune represents a Japanese armored ship used during the sixteenth-century conflicts of the warring states period. Its in-game strength is transport and shore-side recruitment rather than a cannon profile; Japanese naval combat emphasizes moving land troops onto an enemy vessel. Keep it near navigable shore when using its infantry and cavalry training function, and remember the later four-ship cap.
Japanese transport and shore production
The Atakebune is a Japanese naval unit available from the Commerce Age at the Asian Dock. It has 2,000 hit points, 75% ranged resistance and 7.5 speed, making it a durable transport rather than a fast raider. It can carry land units and train infantry or cavalry when close to shore, allowing it to serve as a mobile production point during a landing. That training condition matters: keep the ship near a valid coast and protect the units as they disembark.
Cost and fleet role
An Atakebune costs 300 Wood and 300 Coin and takes 30 seconds to train. Its attack is weak against Artillery, so do not rely on it to clear enemy siege or win a fleet battle alone. Use its 24 line of sight to inspect a crossing, escort it with warships and select a beach where troops can assemble safely. The ability to train near shore can shorten reinforcement routes, but the ship becomes a valuable target while supporting an operation. Protect the Dock and keep a land force ready to exploit the landing.