Berber Sultan
Berber Sultan is hero in Age of Empires III, available from the Exploration Age. Its listed ability is Claims treasures; Builds Trading Posts and Native Embassies; Trains Barbary Corsairs and Zenata Riders; Regeneration.
Recorded values
- Cost
- 200 Influence
- Available
- Exploration Age
- Durability & mobility
- 500 hit points · 30% ranged resistance · 6.75 speed · 18 line of sight
- Siege attack
- 20 base damage · range 6 · attack interval 3.0
- Hand attack
- 30 base damage · attack interval 1.5 · bonus damage: 1.2x vs. Treasure guardian; 0.25x vs. Villager
- Trample attack
- 20 base damage · attack interval 2.0 · area of effect 3 · bonus damage: 0.25x vs. Villager
- Musket attack (charged)
- 60 base damage · range 15 · attack interval 3.0 · bonus damage: 2.0x vs. Heavy cavalry; 2.0x vs. Hand shock trooper; 2.0x vs. Artillery; 0.25x vs. Villager · recharge 30 · requires Berber Fantasia
- Ability
- Claims treasures; Builds Trading Posts and Native Embassies; Trains Barbary Corsairs and Zenata Riders; Regeneration
Role, availability & values
It has 500 hit points and 30% ranged resistance. It moves at 6.75 speed. Training costs 200 Influence. Attack profile: Siege attack: 20 damage at range 6; every 3.0 seconds. Hand attack: 30 damage; every 1.5 seconds. Trample attack: 20 damage; every 2.0 seconds; area of effect 3. Musket attack (charged): 60 damage at range 15; every 3.0 seconds. Special ability or role: Claims treasures; Builds Trading Posts and Native Embassies; Trains Barbary Corsairs and Zenata Riders; Regeneration.
Matchup & timing
Use the hero to reveal the map, defeat manageable Treasure guardians and claim nearby Treasures; avoid trading the hero’s health for a reward guarded by a force it cannot beat. A Trading Post ability turns the hero into an early map-control tool; scout the route first and build where the site can be defended. Place a Native Embassy where its allied roster can reinforce the army, and confirm a suitable settlement or access condition first. Use its training ability when Barbary Corsairs and Zenata Riders are needed; keep the hero safe while units are being produced. Withdraw between fights when damaged so regeneration can restore health instead of risking the hero for marginal damage.
Hero abilities and map control
The Berber Sultan is a fast African hero available in the Exploration Age for 200 Influence. It has 500 hit points, 30% ranged resistance, speed 6.75 and line of sight 18. The Sultan claims Treasures, builds Trading Posts and Native Embassies, and can train Barbary Corsairs and Zenata Riders. These tasks give the hero economic and military value beyond direct combat. Scout before building: a Trading Post on a safe route can generate experience and secure a passage, while an Embassy gives access to allied units only when the relevant settlement and alliance rules are met. The Sultan’s 6.75 speed helps it move between these points, but it should not be sent alone toward a heavily guarded Treasure. Its 30-damage hand attack and 20-damage trample attack can contribute against nearby enemies; a charged musket shot deals 60 at range 15. Keep the hero close enough to support the army and withdraw while regeneration restores damage.
Training units and choosing fights
The Sultan’s charged Musket attack has a 15-range reach and can open a fight before the hero commits to melee. Use it to soften a priority target, then let the main army take the engagement; the attack does not make the Sultan a stand-alone ranged unit. Its regular hand strike is 30 damage, and the trample attack deals 20 across an area of effect of three. Against structures, the 20-damage siege attack can help once defenders are controlled. Barbary Corsairs and Zenata Riders trained by the hero provide a way to reinforce with units suited to African play, but each training action takes the Sultan away from scouting and exposes it if the enemy is near. Choose a safe point, start production when the force needs those units and return the hero to cover. Preserve the Sultan for the whole match: Trading Post construction, Embassy placement, Treasure collection and regeneration can continue to produce value after its first fight. The unit’s abilities and Influence cost belong to its applicable African civilization rules and should not be assumed for every Berber-related campaign force.
Survival and the Influence investment
The 200 Influence price is the cost of an early hero with several forms of map utility, not merely a combat unit. The Sultan’s speed lets it scout a Treasure route, place a Trading Post and return to the army without spending as much time away as a slower hero. A Native Embassy can support a later composition, while the hero’s training ability can produce Barbary Corsairs or Zenata Riders where the rules permit. Each task should have a purpose: do not place an Embassy if there is no useful allied roster or safe location, and avoid abandoning the force during a critical battle just to start production. The Sultan has 500 hit points and ranged resistance, but a concentrated army or dangerous Treasure guardians can still force it to collapse. Its regeneration rewards disengaging before health gets too low. Use the charged shot to contribute from range, let the main force control the fight, and reserve trample for groups that have already been pinned. A living Sultan can continue to collect Treasures, construct map infrastructure and train units, so preserving it often returns more value than pursuing an enemy hero.
Escort the builder and recruiter
The hero’s construction and training functions require safe time and space. Let ordinary units guard an Embassy or Trading Post while the Sultan works, and avoid starting Corsair or Zenata Rider production inside an enemy’s approach path. Once the ability is used, return the fast hero to scouting or army support so its Influence cost continues to pay off.
Mercenary support and timing
The Berber Sultan is a mercenary associated with Berber support through applicable Home City or mercenary options. It can add a specialized fighter without following the ordinary Barracks queue, but access and cost depend on the source that provides it. Check the relevant card or mercenary building before planning repeated production. Use the Sultan alongside the regular army to fill a missing role rather than consume resources needed for core units. Its arrival is most useful when it coincides with an attack, protects an age-up or reinforces a force that lacks a front line.
Protect the investment in a mixed force
Mercenaries can require a larger resource commitment and population space than ordinary troops, so protect them from avoidable losses. Let supporting ranged units screen counters, scout for artillery and anti-Cavalry before approaching a fortified position, and retreat when the enemy’s full army arrives. If the Sultan comes from a one-time shipment, its value includes the tempo it creates; do not measure it only by kills. Keep standard production flexible enough to continue after the mercenary is lost.