Bandido
Bandido is Mexicans, Mexico* ranged infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Commerce Age; Revolution (Mexico); obtained through Saloon, Tavern. Its listed ability is Dynamite Demolition.
Recorded values
- Cost
- 110 Coin
- Available
- Commerce Age; Revolution (Mexico) · Saloon; Tavern
- Training
- 40 sec · 4 population · 22 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 110 hit points · 25% ranged resistance · 4.0 speed · 22 line of sight
- Ranged attack
- 20 base damage · range 2-18 · attack interval 2.0 · bonus damage: 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
- 24 base damage · range 6 · attack interval 3.0
- Hand attack
- 12 base damage · attack interval 2.0 · bonus damage: 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
- Dynamite Demolition (charged)
- 17 base damage · range 12 · attack interval 1.0 · area of effect 3 · bonus damage: 2.5x vs. Building; 2.5x vs. Ship; 0.4x vs. Heavy cavalry; 0.4x vs. Hand shock trooper; 0.25x vs. Artillery · recharge 30
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Saloon or Tavern. It has 110 hit points and 25% ranged resistance. It moves at 4.0 speed and uses 4 population. Training costs 110 Coin; it takes 40 seconds to train. Attack profile: Ranged attack: 20 damage at range 2-18; every 2.0 seconds. Siege attack: 24 damage at range 6; every 3.0 seconds. Hand attack: 12 damage; every 2.0 seconds. Dynamite Demolition (charged): 17 damage at range 12; every 1.0 seconds; area of effect 3. Special ability or role: Dynamite Demolition.
Matchup & timing
Bandido is a four-population ranged Outlaw for Mexicans, available through a Saloon or Tavern in the Commerce Age and through the Mexico Revolution route. Its ordinary ranged attack deals 20 damage every two seconds at range 2–18, while 110 hit points and 25% ranged resistance leave it vulnerable if a melee line reaches it. Keep a screen ahead and use its listed bonuses against Light ranged cavalry, Ranged shock troopers and Heavy Infantry. Dynamite Demolition is its separate charged attack: 17 damage at range 12 with a three-unit area of effect. The 110-Coin cost and 40-second training time make each loss expensive; combine it with units that cover its short-range exposure.
Combat profile, costs and match timing
A Bandido costs 110 Coin, takes 40 seconds to train and uses four population. Its 110 hit points, speed 4.0 and 25% ranged resistance make it a costly ranged unit that should be kept behind a screen. It has 22 line of sight and a 20-damage ranged attack at range 2–18, firing every two seconds. That shot has a 2.5 multiplier against Light Ranged Cavalry and ranged shock troopers, and 2.0 against Heavy Infantry; against Cavalry and Shock Troops it falls to 0.6. The hand attack deals 12 damage every two seconds, with a 2.0 multiplier against Heavy Infantry and the listed light ranged cavalry and ranged shock classes, but only 0.75 against Cavalry and Shock Troops. Its separate siege attack deals 24 damage at range 6 every three seconds. The profile explains why a Bandido can punish infantry from distance yet needs protection from mounted charges and artillery. The unit is a Mexican outlaw that replaces the Renegado and is available on all maps. Mexico can train it from the Commerce Age at a Saloon or Tavern; a Spanish player can gain access after revolting to Mexico. Its reduced Coin price compared with many conventional units is balanced by unusually high population use, so an army of Bandidos can reach the population cap quickly. Plan the group size before queuing more, and compare its four-population cost with the alternative of adding several ordinary units or a specialist counter. The Bandido is more attractive early, when opponents have fewer upgraded counters. In the Fortress Age, improved Salteadores or Mercenaries can outclass it, so use the transition to reassess rather than continuing production automatically. Dynamite Demolition is a charged attack that activates automatically while the Bandido attacks. Every 30 seconds it throws dynamite from range 12 for 17 damage in an area of 3. The attack deals 2.5 times damage to Buildings and Ships, but only 0.4 to Heavy Cavalry and hand Shock Troops and 0.25 to Artillery. It can add meaningful siege pressure while the unit fires at a defensive position, but it is not a substitute for dedicated artillery: the cooldown makes its building damage intermittent, and charging into a structure exposes a fragile, high-population unit. Keep the Bandidos at their ranged distance and use the dynamite when a safe attack window appears. The unit cannot enter Stealth mode, and its normal ranged attack does not reveal enemies through the Fog of War. Do not rely on it as a scout or as a substitute for a Salteador’s stealth options. Use an Explorer or another unit to check the route, then position the Bandido where its long range can hit the opponent’s Heavy Infantry and light ranged cavalry. Cavalry and hand shock units should be intercepted by friendly anti-cavalry troops; enemy skirmisher-type infantry and artillery also threaten it. A mixed Mexican force can give the Bandidos time to fire while another unit absorbs those counters. Age upgrades and cards affect the decision to keep investing. Folk Heroes and Wild West provide the listed Industrial and Imperial age improvements of 30% and 50% to hit points and damage, while other accessible cards and technologies can further alter survivability or attack. These later bonuses can extend usefulness, but they do not erase the population cost, slower training or counter matchups. The source data records balance changes to the Coin cost, ranged multipliers, ranged resistance, Dynamite damage and area; current Definitive Edition values are 110 Coin, 25% ranged resistance, 17 Dynamite damage and area 3. Older guides may show earlier numbers. Use the current profile when comparing it with Salteadores, Skirmishers, Heavy Infantry or Cavalry.
Building a force around its strengths
When choosing a Bandido army, count both resources and population. Four population per outlaw can make a small group costly to replace, even though the Coin price is lower than many advanced troops. Keep the group at range and assign another unit to scout; the Bandido has no Stealth mode and its gunfire does not uncover hidden ground beyond ordinary vision. If the opponent changes to cavalry, pause production and add a counter instead of feeding isolated Bandidos into the charge. Their automatic dynamite is most useful during a sustained but safe attack, since the 30-second cooldown prevents it from functioning as reliable siege on its own. Use the Mexican Home City and age-up plan to decide whether an early outlaw force is a timing attack or a temporary answer. In later ages, compare its damage and cost with upgraded Salteadores and available Mercenaries before spending more Coin.
Outlaw rifle matchups
Bandido is a Mexican Outlaw rifle Infantry unit. Its current profile costs 110 Coin and has 25% ranged resistance, with 22 Experience for both training and a kill. Earlier profiles listed 100 Coin, 30% resistance and 20 Experience, although the source does not identify the update for those older values. Its ranged attack is specialized against Light Ranged Cavalry and Ranged Shock Troops at 2.5× and Heavy Infantry at 2.0×; the first two bonuses were 2.0× before update 13.58326. It deals 0.6× against Cavalry and Shock Troops, with the latter class formerly described as Hand Shock Trooper. Its fourth attack profile currently deals 17 damage over area 3, compared with 20 damage and area 3.5 before update 19.18309 and 13.27885 respectively. Use Bandido against its intended ranged and heavy targets rather than as a generic answer to Cavalry.