Barbary Corsair
Barbary Corsair is Heavy infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Fortress Age; obtained through Tavern (Europeans), Monastery (Asians), Saloon (Americans), Palace (Africans), Lombard (Italians), Berber Sultan (with the Berber Dynasties).
Recorded values
- Cost
- 180 Coin
- Available
- Fortress Age · Tavern (Europeans) ; Monastery (Asians) ; Saloon (Americans) ; Palace (Africans) ; Lombard (Italians) ; Berber Sultan (with the Berber Dynasties)
- Training
- 40 sec · 2 population · 18 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 315 hit points · 40% hand resistance · 6.0 speed · 12 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 28 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 3.0x vs. Cavalry; 2.25x vs. Shock troops
- Siege attack
- 20 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Tavern (Europeans), Monastery (Asians), Saloon (Americans), Palace (Africans), Lombard (Italians), or Berber Sultan (with the Berber Dynasties). It has 315 hit points. It moves at 6.0 speed and uses 2 population. Training costs 180 Coin; it takes 40 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 28 damage. Siege attack deals 20 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 3.0× against Cavalry and 2.25× against Shock troops.
Matchup & timing
Commit the Corsair when a durable melee mercenary can reach the enemy line: its 28-damage hand attack is the main weapon, and its 20 siege damage lets it pressure structures once defenders are occupied. It has no ranged attack, so escort it across open ground and avoid paying its mercenary cost for a force that cannot close safely.
Mercenary profile and cost
The Barbary Corsair is a Fortress Age mercenary heavy infantry unit. In the current profile it costs 180 Coin, uses two population and takes 40 seconds to hire. It has 315 hit points, 40% hand resistance, speed 6.0 and 12 line of sight. Its speed is unusually high for heavy infantry, making the Corsair useful for a rapid response or a short flank. Mercenary training is not ordinary Barracks production: Europeans usually hire it at a Tavern, Asians at a Monastery, Americans at a Saloon, Africans at a Palace and Italians at a Lombard. The Berber Sultan also offers it with Berber Dynasties. Check the building that applies to the active civilization before adding it to a composition.
Melee and siege attacks
The Corsair’s scimitar attack deals 28 damage every 1.5 seconds, with a 3× multiplier against Cavalry and 2.25× against shock troops. It is therefore a strong close-range answer to mounted units and can fight other heavy infantry reasonably well. Its building attack is much weaker for a mercenary: it deals 20 siege damage at range six every three seconds. Use the Corsair to fight units rather than to replace artillery or dedicated siege infantry. Its speed helps it close on a target, but it still needs to enter melee and can be shot while approaching. Pair it with ranged units that handle light infantry and artillery, which can punish a heavy infantry charge.
Place in a mercenary army
Two population and a high Coin cost make each Corsair a deliberate investment. Its main payoff is a durable, fast melee unit with strong anti-Cavalry multipliers. Use it to protect a line of ranged infantry, counter an enemy cavalry dive or chase down units that would otherwise retreat. Do not overproduce it into Skirmishers, Crossbowmen or artillery: heavy infantry is vulnerable to those counters, and the Corsair’s 40% hand resistance does not reduce ranged damage. Keep its target choices clear and support it with units that can attack at range. This combination preserves the Corsair’s mobility while preventing the opponent from answering it with a single counter category.
Mercenary Contractor and Veteran upgrade
When aging to the Imperial Age, European civilizations can choose The Mercenary Contractor, who increases mercenary hit points and damage by 50%. The Barbary Corsair benefits from that improvement. In the Algiers Historical Battle, Barbary Pirates can research Veteran Barbary Corsairs in the Fortress Age for 200 Wood and 200 Coin; the technology gives +20% hit points and damage. These are distinct systems: the Imperial Age politician improves mercenaries for eligible European civilizations, while the Veteran upgrade belongs to the scenario’s own technology options. Apply only the bonus that is available in the active game mode.
Historical Battle and card access
In Algiers, Barbary Corsairs can be delivered by the Hire Barbary Corsairs Home City Card or trained in the Commerce Age and later upgraded to Veteran. This scenario version is not tagged as a mercenary and has reduced values: 150 hit points, 17 hand damage and 26 siege damage. It costs 45 Food and 55 Coin, uses one population, trains in 30 seconds and awards 10 XP when trained. Outside the scenario, Germans can add them to Battleships with Adler von Lübeck if they are available at the Tavern. The United States can receive them through Poker as part of a random mercenary shipment. These routes are card- or scenario-specific and do not change ordinary Tavern access for other civilizations.
Historical identity
The Barbary Corsair represents a pirate mercenary from the Barbary Coast of North Africa. The game’s role combines that setting with a scimitar-armed melee fighter and a torch-based siege attack. Its mechanical identity is defined by unusually high speed for heavy infantry and strong bonuses against Cavalry, while its building damage remains low. This explains why it is most effective as a mobile combat unit rather than as a raider sent alone to burn buildings.
Comparison with the Rodelero
The Barbary Corsair fills a role similar to the Rodelero: a fast melee infantry unit that threatens Cavalry and can move quickly across the battlefield. The Corsair is a mercenary with high Coin cost and two population, while the Rodelero follows its civilization’s ordinary unit-production rules. The Corsair’s 40% hand resistance makes it durable against melee attacks, but it does not protect it from ranged counters. Its modest 20-point siege attack is also far below what a dedicated siege unit can provide. Choose it when mobile anti-Cavalry infantry is worth the Coin and population, and choose regular production when repeated reinforcement or lower-cost army mass matters more.
Patch-aware costs and XP
The current Barbary Corsair costs 180 Coin and provides 18 XP when trained or killed. Before update 14.43676, it cost 200 Coin and awarded 20 XP. The Algiers scenario profile is separate and has its own lower cost, population and training time. Do not use its 45 Food and 55 Coin scenario price as a general multiplayer cost. This distinction also affects shipment comparisons: a card or mercenary contract that provides a fixed group should be evaluated against the unit’s current Coin price and population use.
Fight, do not siege
A Corsair’s flaming torch can attack buildings, but its siege damage is only 20 every three seconds. Use this attack when the unit is already beside a target or when a structure is unguarded; do not send the mercenary alone to burn a defended Town Center. Its better use is to force an engagement against Cavalry, protect valuable ranged units and punish a retreating army. If the opponent relies on ranged counters, retreat behind the main line instead of trading hit points for a low-value building attack.
Retreat from ranged counters
A Corsair can close rapidly on Cavalry, but it should not chase ranged infantry beyond the protection of its army. Its speed is an advantage for choosing a fight, not a guarantee that it can survive concentrated fire. If the opponent screens Cavalry with Skirmishers, pressure the screen with ranged units first, then commit the Corsairs when the mounted targets are exposed.
Protect the investment
The Corsair’s Coin cost and two population make losses costly. Keep the unit in a supported formation and let it engage the Cavalry or shock troops it counters.
Fast Fortress Age mercenary Infantry
The Barbary Corsair is a Fortress Age Mercenary that costs 180 Coin, trains in 40 seconds and uses two population. It has 315 hit points, 40% hand resistance and speed six, making it faster than many heavy hand Infantry. Its 28-damage melee attack fires every 1.5 seconds and deals 3× damage against Cavalry and 2.25× against Shock troops; the Siege attack deals 20 damage. Depending on civilization and expansion, it can be hired at a Tavern, Monastery, Saloon, Palace, Lombard or Berber Sultan. The unit’s speed helps it accompany mobile forces and respond to Cavalry, while its resistance helps in a close fight. It remains a high-Coin specialist, so include it when its anti-Cavalry role addresses the opponent’s army.
Pair the Corsairs with ranged support
Barbary Corsairs can chase slower Infantry or intercept a Cavalry dive, but they are still melee units and can be kited by ranged troops. Pair them with Skirmishers or artillery that can pressure the units that keep their distance, and avoid using them as the only frontline. The two-population cost reduces the number of supporting units in the army, while the 40-second queue means replacements are not immediate. If the map offers Barbary access through a Berber Sultan rather than a standard mercenary building, protect that settlement and confirm its current train options. Withdraw Corsairs when the screen falls instead of trading them into massed fire; their speed is most useful when it preserves the expensive unit for the next engagement.