Cannoneer
Cannoneer is artillery in Age of Empires III, available from the Commerce Age; obtained through Tavern (Europeans), Monastery (Asians), Saloon (Federal Americans), Palace (Africans), Lombard (Italians).
Recorded values
- Cost
- 140 Coin
- Available
- Commerce Age · Tavern (Europeans) ; Monastery (Asians) ; Saloon (Federal Americans) ; Palace (Africans) ; Lombard (Italians)
- Training
- 37 sec · 1 population · 14 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 130 hit points · 20% ranged resistance · 4.0 speed · 22 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 15 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 1.5x vs. Heavy infantry; 0.5x vs. Heavy cavalry; 0.5x vs. Hand shock trooper
- Ranged attack
- 2-18 range · 3.0 attack interval · bonuses: 2.5x vs. Light ranged cavalry; 2.5x vs. Ranged shock trooper; 1.5x vs. Heavy infantry; 0.75x vs. Ship; 0.5x vs. Artillery; 0.5x vs. Villager; 0.4x vs. Cavalry; 0.4x vs. Shock troops
- Siege attack
- 13 damage · 12 range · 3.0 attack interval · bonuses: 2.0x vs. Ship
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Tavern (Europeans), Monastery (Asians), Saloon (Federal Americans), Palace (Africans), or Lombard (Italians). It has 130 hit points and 20% ranged resistance. It moves at 4.0 speed and uses 1 population. Training costs 140 Coin; it takes 37 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 15 damage. Siege attack deals 13 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 1.5× against Heavy infantry, 0.5× against Heavy cavalry, and 0.5× against Hand shock trooper. Ranged attack bonuses: 2.5× against Light ranged cavalry, 2.5× against Ranged shock trooper, 1.5× against Heavy infantry, 0.75× against Ship, 0.5× against Artillery, 0.5× against Villager, 0.4× against Cavalry, and 0.4× against Shock troops. Siege attack bonuses: 2.0× against Ship.
Matchup & timing
Hand attack is especially effective against Heavy infantry (1.5×). Ranged attack is especially effective against Light ranged cavalry (2.5×), Ranged shock trooper (2.5×), Heavy infantry (1.5×). Siege attack is especially effective against Ship (2×). Its reduced multipliers against Heavy cavalry (0.5×), Hand shock trooper (0.5×), Ship (0.75×), Artillery (0.5×), Villager (0.5×), Cavalry (0.4×), Shock troops (0.4×) make it less suitable for those targets. Use ranged fire to focus Light ranged cavalry, Ranged shock trooper, and Heavy infantry before they can close; hold the melee attack for Heavy infantry when they enter contact; reserve the siege attack for Ship. Keep a frontline between this unit and threats that can reach it safely.
Current statistics and attack profile
In Definitive Edition, a Cannoneer costs 140 coin, takes 37 seconds to train, uses one population, and has 130 hit points with 20% ranged resistance. It moves at speed 4.0 and has line of sight 22. Its melee attack deals 15 damage every 1.5 seconds, with a 1.5 multiplier against heavy infantry and a 0.5 multiplier against heavy cavalry and hand shock troops. At range 2–18, its gun deals 28 siege damage every 3 seconds. That ranged attack has multipliers of 2.5 against light ranged cavalry and ranged shock troopers, 1.5 against heavy infantry, 0.75 against ships, 0.5 against artillery and Villagers, 0.4 against cavalry, and 0.4 against shock troops. Its separate siege attack deals 13 damage at range 12 every 3 seconds and has a 2.0 multiplier against ships. The gun's siege damage is the defining feature: it makes an infantry unit effective against many infantry targets while still allowing it to contribute to building and ship pressure.
Role and comparison with Abus Gunner
The Cannoneer is a mercenary light infantry unit based on the Ottoman Abus Gunner. Both use a ranged attack that deals siege damage, but the Cannoneer occupies one population and costs coin only. Compared with the Abus Gunner it has lower ranged and siege damage, weaker multipliers and resistance, but it trains faster, has a slightly stronger hand attack, and can use its siege attack from longer range. Its low population use and Commerce Age availability can make a group accessible earlier than many mercenary armies, provided the player can secure the coin and the unit appears in the recruitment pool. It can punish infantry formations and ships, but it is not a durable front line: keep it behind cavalry or sturdier infantry so its low hit points do not get exposed.
Recruitment and civilization access
European civilizations can recruit Cannoneers at a Tavern, Asian civilizations at a Monastery, Federal American factions at a Saloon, and African civilizations at a Palace; Italians use the Lombard. Ethiopians can access them at a Palace by selecting the Portuguese alliance when aging to the Commerce Age. Maltese players may obtain them at the Tavern after choosing The Mercenary Contractor to reach the Fortress Age. Germans can receive access through the Adler von Lübeck Home City Card if Cannoneers are available in their Tavern pool. The United States can receive them through the Poker Home City Card's random mercenary shipment pool, which can also enable them at Saloons. These are access conditions tied to a civilization, age-up choice, card, or map pool; a Tavern does not guarantee a Cannoneer in every match.
Matchups and combined arms
Cannoneers are strong against heavy infantry, light ranged cavalry, ranged shock troops, and ships because their ranged attack carries large multipliers against those classes. Their siege damage also means counter-skirmishers cannot treat them as ordinary ranged infantry: although counter-skirmishers have an advantage against light infantry, they still take damaging siege shots in return. Heavy cavalry, hand shock troops, artillery, and mercenaries with anti-mercenary bonuses are dangerous counters. Spies are especially effective against mercenaries, but should not be sent in alone where Cannoneers can focus them. A mixed response that combines heavy cavalry with Spies or counter-skirmishers can force the Cannoneer line to reposition while cavalry closes. Protect the Cannoneers from those counters with screening units, and use their range to focus high-value infantry rather than scattering fire.
Technology and version notes
The Cannoneer was added with The African Royals and belongs to the Definitive Edition unit roster. Its current classification includes light infantry, ranged gunpowder infantry, rifle infantry, artillery trooper, and mercenary tags; the light-infantry classification applies from update 13.9057. It benefits from applicable infantry hit-point and attack improvements, but individual faction access to those technologies differs. A balance update changed its ranged siege damage from 30 to 28, so older recordings or guides can show a different value. Use the current 28-damage profile when assessing present matches, and check the patch context before comparing older statistics.
Positioning and resource trade-offs
The Cannoneer's 18 range is its main protection: let it fire from behind a screen rather than allowing cavalry to reach it. Its attack is strongest against infantry targets, especially heavy infantry and light ranged cavalry, but the penalties against cavalry and artillery mean it should not be used as a universal ranged answer. Its one-population cost can make a small group easier to fit into an army than higher-population mercenary cavalry, while the all-coin price creates pressure on the same resource used for age-ups and other mercenaries. A player should compare the current map's mercenary pool and coin income before planning around repeated Cannoneer batches. In ship engagements, both its ranged multipliers and its dedicated siege attack help, but its 130 hit points still make it vulnerable to focus fire. Pair it with durable units that absorb charges and give it time to make repeated volleys.
Coin-only ranged light infantry against infantry
The Cannoneer is ranged light infantry based on the Abus Gunner. Its attack deals siege damage, making it effective against infantry while also giving it some utility against structures. Compared with the Abus Gunner, the documented profile has less ranged and siege attack, weaker multipliers and resistance, but costs Coin only and trains five seconds faster. This resource profile can make Cannoneers useful when Food or Wood is reserved for other production.
Protect the firing line and understand the trade
Cannoneers remain vulnerable if Cavalry or artillery reaches them, and their reduced damage means they should not be treated as a stronger Abus Gunner. Use them behind a front line, focus on infantry and avoid exposing the group while it fires on buildings. Their faster training helps replace losses, but a coin-only queue can compete with age advancement and other advanced units. Compare the actual access and upgrade path for the civilization using them.