Barbary States
Barbary States is an Industrial Age Revolutionary Nation in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition, available to the Italians, Maltese, Ottomans and Portuguese. Its transition converts the existing Villagers into Barbary Warriors rather than ordinary Revolutionaries and sends ten Corsair Marksmen. The route emphasizes outlaws, mercenaries, naval access and treasure play, giving the player a military conversion with several ways to keep pressure after the revolution.
Revolution access & effects
Barbary Warriors are mobile hand infantry with a role similar to Rodeleros: they are useful against cavalry and shock infantry and deal increased damage to Villagers, but they do not replace a full ranged or siege line. Corsair Marksmen are ranged light infantry with long reach and low durability. They can contribute against treasure guardians and ships, but their low hit points mean they need a screen and do not win a naval fight by themselves. The Barbary Home City adds Privateers at the Dock and supports Xebec shipments, opening options that ordinary land revolutions may not provide. Other cards can deliver mercenaries such as Zenata Riders or Berber units, so the army can combine the converted Villagers with shipped forces rather than relying on a single unit type.
Army & economy
Choose this route when a fast military finish is plausible, when the match has useful water access, or when the existing deck and army already support outlaws and mercenaries. It is an all-in transition because the ordinary Villager economy is converted; use the immediate army to damage the opponent or secure a decisive objective. Privateers and Xebecs are useful only when the map offers a sea lane or target worth contesting. Treasure-focused cards become more valuable if guarded treasures remain, while Barbary units can collect resource crates and gain additional value from the relevant Corsair Captain shipment. Avoid revolting simply because the Industrial Age is available: if the first attack is stopped, the reduced worker economy can make recovery difficult.
Outlaw army roles and treasure value
The Barbary force is strongest when its unit roles are combined. Barbary Warriors form the close-range line and threaten cavalry, shock infantry and Villagers; Corsair Marksmen attack from range and can help against Treasure Guardians or ships, but their limited durability makes them poor front-line units. The Corsair Captain is a mobile outlaw hero whose Crescent Swing and Lightning Kilij abilities reward active control. A shipment that unlocks the Captain also gives Barbary units special value from Treasures and enemy buildings or ships, so clear valuable guarded Treasures only when the army can protect the heroes and ranged troops. Resource crates can also be collected by the appropriate Barbary units, which can help exploit crates left by an opponent. These interactions make the route more than a one-time mass of Revolutionaries, but they require micro and a clear target.
Deck preparation and naval follow-up
Because the transition changes both the workers and Home City deck, send any essential cards for the old civilization before revolting. Once the new deck is active, use its repeatable unit shipments to maintain pressure and decide whether a Dock is worth adding. Privateers can be recruited at the Dock and Xebec shipments provide a distinct naval option; these matter most when the map has accessible water and a target the fleet can reach. On a land map, an early Dock may delay the army that must use the Barbary Warrior and Corsair Marksman timing. Mercenary and outlaw cards can strengthen a specialized force, while the Berber-related shipments can add cavalry or nomad support. This is a high-commitment route: if the opening attack fails, avoid wasting the remaining shipments on units that cannot answer the opponent’s composition.
Unit profile and force limits
Barbary Warriors move at speed 6.0 and have 40% hand resistance in the listed profile. Their bonus against cavalry and shock infantry supports the front line, while a 2× Villager multiplier makes them dangerous to exposed workers; use them to punish an unprotected economy rather than chase a prepared army indefinitely. Corsair Marksmen have lower hit points than a durable frontline unit, so place them behind the Warriors and use their range to focus valuable targets. Shipments of Falconets or additional Corsair Marksmen can reinforce a push, but population and the force’s vulnerability to counter-units still matter. Build the army around the actual opposing composition and preserve enough strength to exploit the first attack.
What the revolution creates and what it removes
Barbary States raises population space to 200, disables further Settler, Yörük and Fishing Boat training, converts the current Villagers into Barbary Warriors, and immediately sends ten Corsair Marksmen. All Treasures are revealed to the player. The conversion turns the existing economy into a large force, so use the first units to secure a finish, break an enemy attack or seize ground that preserves access to resources. Without Villagers, ordinary land gathering stops; plan around the remaining Trade Route, existing economic buildings, trickle cards, livestock and shipments. A Dock may support naval production but does not restore Fishing Boat income. Send any essential cards from the original civilization deck before the transition, and avoid spending the first post-revolt shipments on a unit type that cannot answer the opponent’s army.
Barbary Warriors and Corsair Marksmen fill different roles
Barbary Warriors are non-outlaw hand infantry with a Rodelero-like role. They move at speed 6 and have 40% hand resistance in the listed profile; their damage bonuses make them useful against cavalry and shock troops, and their 2× multiplier against Villagers lets them punish an exposed economy. Their anti-cavalry and anti-shock multipliers are lower than those of an Espadachin, so they should not be treated as an unconditional counter to every heavy unit. Corsair Marksmen are light infantry with high range and low hit points. They bring bonuses against ships, Treasure Guardians and Villagers, including a 1.25× Villager multiplier, but a ship’s durability can still overwhelm them. Keep Marksmen behind Warriors, focus a suitable target, and use the siege attack against a ship only when the approach is safe. The immediate ten-unit shipment is useful for defending a base or adding a ranged line to a push, not a substitute for the whole army composition.
The Corsair Captain turns treasure into a military objective
The Corsair Captain is a hand-infantry outlaw hero rather than light or heavy infantry. Crescent Swing and Lightning Kilij give it strong active abilities, but their value depends on positioning and careful control. The Captain can counter cavalry, shock troops and Villagers. Its shipment also gives Barbary Warriors, Corsair Marksmen, Corsair Captains and the Explorer better Treasure and crate utility: the group can collect resource crates, gain increased rewards from Treasures, and turn destruction of enemy buildings or ships into Coin rather than Experience. This makes revealed Treasures a strategic resource on maps where guarded sites remain available late in the game. Bring enough Warriors to screen the hero and Marksmen while clearing a valuable Treasure; sending the Captain alone risks losing the unit that enables the extra rewards. The same tools can recover value from crates left by an opponent, but only after the fighting force has made the area safe.
Privateers and Xebecs add a water-map route
Privateers can be trained at Docks up to a limit of five and can also train the ground units otherwise associated with Galleons, plus Falconets and Culverins. Barbary Warriors and Corsair Marksmen can be trained from Barracks, Forts, Galleons and Privateers, so a surviving naval platform may also reinforce a land force. Privateers are cheap and hit hard but are comparatively fragile; use them to exploit a local naval advantage rather than trade them into a prepared fleet. Xebec shipments offer another ship type and do not count against the creation limit of other ships. The Barbary Home City therefore gains real value when the map has accessible water, a coastline worth raiding or a naval objective. On a landlocked map, an early Dock can postpone the attack that the converted Villagers are meant to support.
Deck choices and civilization-specific support
The four available parent civilizations—Italians, Maltese, Ottomans and Portuguese—share the Barbary conversion but bring different Home City support. The Portuguese path gains Falconets; available privateer shipments differ by civilization, and Italy can pair a land-based economic recovery with its Lombard cards. Mercenary Loyalty can reduce the cost of a Zenata Rider shipment, while Theaters reduces the population cost of outlaw units. Improved Warships or Offshore Support can strengthen Privateers and Xebecs where the parent deck provides them; Advanced Arsenal helps the land units. Berber Nomads and Berber Camel Riders extend the force with mobile economic or cavalry options, but Camel Riders may lack their Berber-settlement upgrades on a map without that alliance. Infinite shipments of Corsair Marksmen, Barbary Warriors and Falconets give late-game reinforcement choices with different resource profiles. Compare those options with the enemy’s counters: another ranged line does not solve an artillery problem, and a larger Warrior mass does not answer a protected gun line by itself.
Infinite shipments answer different battlefield problems
The repeatable Barbary shipments provide a choice of roles rather than one universally correct queue. Sixteen Corsair Marksmen add a large ranged line; sixteen Barbary Warriors supply close-range bodies but spend Food and can be poor value if they have no screen; three Falconets add a direct answer to buildings and artillery positions. Compare the remaining resources and population with the enemy’s composition before sending one. Privateer and Fort Wagon shipments can answer a water threat or provide forward support, while Xebec deliveries help contest water without counting against the creation limit of other ships. The Portuguese path can make Falconets available through its unique revolution effect, so the player should plan an artillery shipment around the parent civilization instead of assuming every path starts with the same siege option.
Recover resources without recreating a worker economy
Barbary States is strongest when its shipments turn the all-in into a result before the lost Villager economy becomes decisive. Resource crates can be collected by Barbary Warriors and, after the Captain-related shipment, by the Marksmen, Captain and Explorer as well. Treasure rewards can also improve under that effect; prioritize the larger guarded sites only when the army can protect the collection. Italian players can prepare Lombard shipments such as Uffizi, Usury or Advanced Lombards to keep balancing resources after Villagers are gone. Resource trickles and Factory shipments can also matter, while Home City access and Trading Posts create Experience for further deliveries. These are support lines, not replacements for safe Villager gathering: if shipments are spent inefficiently and the initial force is lost, recovery is difficult.
Counter the opposing army with the proper mix
Barbary Warriors can engage cavalry and shock infantry, but their lower multipliers than an Espadachin mean they do not automatically defeat every heavy target. Corsair Marksmen can focus Treasure Guardians, Villagers and ships, but their low hit points make them vulnerable if cavalry reaches them. Use the Captain’s abilities against cavalry, shock troops or an exposed economy only while the rest of the force can cover the hero. Privateers have high damage for their cost but comparatively low durability; avoid sending them alone into an established fleet. If the opponent fields buildings or artillery, allocate a Falconet shipment or another siege option and protect it with Warriors. This role-based composition makes the national army more reliable than repeatedly choosing the largest shipment.
Choose minor-civilization cards with their upgrade limits in mind
The Berber-related cards can add Berber Nomads and Berber Camel Riders, but their value depends on map and civilization access. Camel Riders may arrive without the later Berber upgrades on a map that has no Berber settlement; on a map where the Berbers are available, a Trading Post alliance can support their progression. Zenata Riders suit an outlaw or mercenary plan, and Mercenary Loyalty can reduce the cost of their shipment. Theaters reduces population spent on outlaw units, leaving more room for supporting infantry or siege. Water upgrades such as Improved Warships, Offshore Support and Advanced Dock are useful only if a fleet will be built. These card choices are deck investments: select them before the revolution if they are meant to support the Barbary army, and do not spend a slot on a naval or minor-civilization bonus that the generated map cannot use.
Decide whether the timing is a finish or a recovery defense
The strongest timing is usually the moment the ten Corsair Marksmen and converted Barbary Warriors can change the next fight. If the opponent is exposed, attack a resource line or objective with enough force to make the lost workers matter before recovery. If defending against an enemy all-in, use the immediate Marksmen and hand-resistant Warriors to stabilize the base, then collect revealed Treasures and crates while the opponent rebuilds. After either opening, count what remains: remaining shipments, Trade Route income, Lombard trickles and water access determine whether another push is practical. A Barbary revolt that survives without damaging the opponent still has to fund later units without Villagers, so use each shipment to solve a concrete problem.