Black Brunswicker
Black Brunswicker is Heavy infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Fortress Age; obtained through Trading Post or Tambo on a House of Hanover palace, Native Embassy. Its listed ability is Combat Promotion.
Recorded values
- Available
- Fortress Age · Trading Post or Tambo on a House of Hanover palace; Native Embassy
- Training
- 35 sec · 12 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 135 hit points · 20% hand resistance · 4.75 speed · 16 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 13 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 3.0x vs. Cavalry; 2.25x vs. Shock troops
- Ranged attack
- 16 damage · 14 range · 2.0 attack interval
- Siege attack
- 21 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
- Ability
- Combat Promotion
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Trading Post or Tambo on a House of Hanover palace or Native Embassy. It has 135 hit points. It moves at 4.75 speed. Training costs 70 Food and 50 Coin; it takes 35 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 13 damage. Ranged attack deals 16 damage. Siege attack deals 21 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 3.0× against Cavalry and 2.25× against Shock troops. Special ability or role: Combat Promotion.
Matchup & timing
Use the Black Brunswicker as a ranged line that can still answer cavalry at close range: its 16-damage shot fires every two seconds at range 14, while the hand attack gains 3× against Cavalry and 2.25× against Shock troops. Keep its formation intact so the role can shift without exposing it to a flank.
Recruitment and base statistics
The Black Brunswicker is a Fortress Age gunpowder native warrior added in Knights of the Mediterranean. It is recruited from a Trading Post or Tambo built on a House of Hanover palace, or through the German Royal Embassy under the required Prince-Electors selection. The baseline unit costs 70 Food and 50 Coin and trains in 35 seconds. It has 135 hit points, 20% ranged resistance, speed 4.75 and 16 line of sight. Its ranged attack deals 16 damage at range 14 every two seconds. In melee it deals 13 damage every 1.5 seconds, with 3× damage against Cavalry and 2.25× against shock troops. Its siege attack deals 21 damage at range six every three seconds. These values make it a mobile anti-Cavalry infantry option rather than a general-purpose replacement for every Musketeer.
Combat role and Musketeer comparison
Black Brunswickers resemble Musketeers: they are ranged heavy infantry with a strong melee response to Cavalry. Compared with Musketeers, they have lower hit points but higher movement speed, slightly greater ranged reach and a faster ranged reload. This lets them reposition and perform short hit-and-run exchanges more readily, especially alongside a Drummer or movement-speed cards. Their 3× hand multiplier against Cavalry and 2.25× against shock troops make them useful protection for artillery and ranged infantry. They are weak against light infantry, counter-skirmishers and Artillery, which can attack them at range or deal area damage. Do not use their speed as a reason to pursue Skirmishers through open ground; keep a counter ready.
Combat Promotion
Combat Promotion raises hit points and damage when a Black Brunswicker defeats an enemy military unit, up to three promotions. This reward makes the unit more valuable when it survives several engagements, but the unit must secure the kills itself and cannot instantly promote from training. Protect veteran Black Brunswickers and avoid using them as disposable screens once they have accumulated promotions. Their increased speed can help them choose engagements, while a Musketeer-style ranged attack gives them opportunities to contribute without immediately entering melee. The promotion system also creates a reason to keep them with a stable army rather than repeatedly splitting them into small groups that may be defeated separately.
House of Hanover limit and German variant
A House of Hanover palace supports a limit of 15 Black Brunswickers. After sending Prince-Electors and choosing Hanover as the German ally, the limit can rise to 23, and the Germans can train them from the Royal Embassy. In that configuration they use one population, can reach Royal Guard level and can be accompanied by Totenkopf Hussars and Drummers at the Embassy. Choosing The Black Duke when aging to the Imperial Age as the Germans also provides sixteen Black Brunswickers. These are separate civilization and card conditions; ordinary access through a Hanover settlement does not automatically grant the German limit or shipment.
Where the unit fits in an army
Use Black Brunswickers to guard a ranged army from Cavalry and to move quickly between threatened positions. Their ranged reach and reload rate help them trade against infantry while maintaining distance, but their lower hit points make concentrated fire costly. Put them in front of Artillery only when enemy Cavalry is the immediate threat; against enemy guns, use terrain and a proper Artillery counter. Their siege attack is modest, so a force of Brunswickers should not replace dedicated siege units when buildings are the objective. A mixed composition lets them fill the anti-Cavalry role while other infantry, Cavalry or Artillery handle targets outside their strengths.
Civilization variants and cards
Revolutionary France can receive Black Brunswickers through the Sister Republics card as part of its pool of randomly shipped native warriors. The shipment route differs from recruiting them at a Hanover palace and may not produce a predictable quantity in every card result. Home City support, infantry technologies and Drummers can further improve their combat performance. Since their value depends on a House of Hanover settlement or specific card, they are a map- and deck-dependent option; confirm that access is available before building a strategy around their anti-Cavalry profile.
Promotion control and counter choices
Combat Promotion rewards completed kills, so focus damaged military targets when it is safe and keep promoted units away from artillery. A promoted group can become a fast anti-Cavalry screen, but the same counters remain: light infantry can damage it efficiently, and artillery punishes a formation that stays in range.
Choose recruitment timing
Black Brunswickers arrive from a Fortress Age settlement and require 35 seconds to train, making them a planned support unit rather than an emergency shipment. Secure the Hanover access before relying on them, then add enough standard infantry to cover the light-infantry matchup.
Use a promotion-ready formation
Promotions reward kills against enemy military units, so the unit performs best when it can stay with the army through several fights. Keep a small reserve to replace losses and protect experienced Brunswickers from being isolated.
Historical unit identity
The name refers to the Black Brunswickers, a German volunteer corps associated with the Napoleonic era. In the game, the historical identity is expressed through the House of Hanover connection and the unit’s mobile, musket-armed infantry role.
Matchup reminders
A ranged attack with 14 range gives Black Brunswickers room to fire before most melee units reach them, and their movement speed helps them retreat. Their 20% ranged resistance and modest hit-point total still leave them exposed to concentrated light-infantry fire. Use their melee multiplier when Cavalry reaches the line, but maintain spacing so artillery does not hit the whole formation. Promotions improve the individual soldiers that secure kills; they do not change the unit’s counters. Preserve experienced groups and replace losses from a protected Hanover site.
Native limit is per palace
The normal limit is fifteen per House of Hanover palace, not fifteen across every allied site. The German Prince-Electors option can raise it to twenty-three when Hanover is selected, so count the relevant palaces before planning the final army size.
Do not overextend the detachment
A fast promotion-ready unit group can screen a retreat, guard a siege line or reinforce a second front. Keep it within support range of the main army so it can still receive help against its natural counters.
House of Hanover gunpowder warrior
The Black Brunswicker is a Fortress Age Native gunpowder Infantry unit recruited from a Trading Post or Tambo on a House of Hanover palace, or from a Native Embassy where available. It costs 70 Food and 50 Coin, takes 35 seconds to train and is limited to 15 per palace. It has 135 hit points, 20% hand resistance, speed 4.75 and sight 16. Its ranged attack deals 16 damage at range 14 every two seconds; the 13-damage hand attack has a 3× bonus against Cavalry and 2.25× against Shock troops. A 21-damage Siege attack lets it assist once the battle reaches a building. Combat Promotion offers a separate improvement route.
Flexible fire with a settlement cap
The Black Brunswicker combines a useful ranged line with a hand attack that discourages cavalry from diving onto the formation. Keep it behind a screen because 135 hit points can be lost quickly to concentrated fire, and ranged attackers can exploit the unit before its melee bonus matters. Its 15-unit limit is attached to the House of Hanover palace, making the alliance location part of army planning. A Native Embassy can offer an alternate route in some contexts, but the unit’s upgrades and cap still depend on its access rules. Use Brunswickers when a mixed Infantry role fits the match; if the opponent fields massed ranged counters, add artillery or mobile units rather than filling the entire force with one capped unit.