Chakram Thrower
Chakram Thrower is ranged infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Commerce Age; obtained through Trading Post or Tambo on an Udasi Temple holy site, Native Embassy.
Recorded values
- Available
- Commerce Age · Trading Post or Tambo on an Udasi Temple holy site; Native Embassy
- Training
- 40 sec · 15 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 165 hit points · 50% ranged resistance · 4.5 speed · 14 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 8 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 1.5x vs. Heavy infantry; 0.75x vs. Heavy cavalry; 0.75x vs. Hand shock trooper
- Ranged attack
- 18 damage · 14 range · 3.0 attack interval · bonuses: 1.5x vs. Heavy infantry; 0.6x vs. Heavy cavalry; 0.6x vs. Hand shock trooper
- Siege attack
- 20 damage · 10 range · 3.0 attack interval
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Trading Post or Tambo on an Udasi Temple holy site or Native Embassy. It has 165 hit points and 50% ranged resistance. It moves at 4.5 speed. Training costs 100 Food and 50 Wood; it takes 40 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 8 damage. Ranged attack deals 18 damage. Siege attack deals 20 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 1.5× against Heavy infantry, 0.75× against Heavy cavalry*, and 0.75× against Hand shock trooper*. Ranged attack bonuses: 1.5× against Heavy infantry, 0.6× against Heavy cavalry*, and 0.6× against Hand shock trooper*.
Matchup & timing
Hand attack is especially effective against Heavy infantry (1.5×). Ranged attack is especially effective against Heavy infantry (1.5×). Its reduced multipliers against Heavy cavalry (0.75×), Hand shock trooper (0.75×), Heavy cavalry (0.6×), Hand shock trooper (0.6×) make it less suitable for those targets. Use ranged fire to focus Heavy infantry before they can close; hold the melee attack for Heavy infantry when they enter contact. Keep a frontline between this unit and threats that can reach it safely.
Ranged area attack and unit profile
The Chakram Thrower is a Commerce Age Udasi native warrior from The Asian Dynasties, trained at a Trading Post or Tambo on an Udasi Temple holy site, or at a Native Embassy where available. It costs 100 Food and 50 Wood, trains in 40 seconds and is limited to 12 per Udasi Temple. It has 165 hit points, 50 percent ranged resistance, speed 4.5 and sight 14. Its chakram attack deals 18 damage at range 14 every three seconds and has a radius-two area of effect, allowing each throw to damage clustered targets. It also has an eight-damage melee attack and a 20-damage siege attack at range ten every three seconds. The high ranged resistance lets it sustain fire from ordinary ranged Infantry better than many Light Infantry units, while its splash attack can punish tightly grouped opponents. The unit is slow to train and costly in Food, so protect the group and use its area attack against formations rather than single dispersed targets.
Damage classes and infantry counters
The Chakram Thrower’s ranged attack deals 1.5 times damage against Heavy Infantry, but only 0.6 times against Heavy Cavalry and Hand Shock troops. Its hand attack has corresponding bonuses and penalties. This class profile makes it a strong ranged answer to Infantry, especially when several targets stand within the radius-two splash, but a poor choice against cavalry-heavy forces. Its 50 percent ranged resistance helps it trade with other ranged units and can allow it to pressure Outposts, Castles, War Huts and Town Centers from a distance once the defending army is displaced. It is not a dedicated siege unit: the range-ten siege attack is useful, but the ordinary chakram is the main damage source. Light Cavalry and shock units can exploit the reduced multipliers, while Heavy Infantry remains a favorable target. Protect it with units that can intercept cavalry and avoid bunching the throwers, since area attacks can punish a clustered group.
Range upgrades and native ranks
Army of the Pure increases the Chakram Thrower’s range, making the unit more effective at choosing a firing distance and attacking from behind its screen. This range technology is especially valuable because the thrower’s movement speed is 4.5 and its firing cycle is slow at three seconds. Udasi Discipline Training upgrades Chakram Throwers to Disciplined with 25 percent more hit points and attack; in Definitive Edition it costs 100 Wood and 75 Coin, compared with 200 of each resource earlier. Udasi Honor Training requires Discipline and costs 400 Wood and 300 Coin, adding 35 percent in the current version compared with 40 percent before Definitive Edition. Legendary Native Warriors or Exalted Natives adds a further 50 percent where the civilization has access. Rank upgrades strengthen both its area damage and durability, while the range upgrade changes how safely it can deliver that damage. Plan the technologies together if the unit is intended as a central army component.
Target density and siege decisions
The radius-two splash gives the Chakram Thrower value beyond its direct target. It is most efficient against packed Infantry formations, reinforcements crossing a choke or defenders clustered near a structure. Against a scattered army, much of the area damage is lost and its slow firing cycle can make a different unit more effective. Use the range upgrade and another unit’s vision to select a lane where multiple enemies can be hit without exposing the throwers. Its siege attack reaches ten and deals 20 damage, while its ranged attack benefits from the 50 percent ranged resistance that can help it sustain pressure on buildings with ranged fire. Even so, it should not attack a Town Center or Castle while enemy cavalry remains nearby. Let the main army clear defenders first, then use the Chakrams to maintain pressure from a safer distance.
Version changes and naming
The unit was called simply Chakram before update 14.43676, when the name Chakram Thrower became standard. Its classification as Light Infantry dates from update 13.58326, and the Definitive Edition also classifies it as a Grenade trooper. The base ranged attack increased from 15 to 18 in update 13.58326; the siege attack increased from 15 to 20 in the same update. Its range increased from ten to 14 in Definitive Edition. Earlier profiles also used lower multipliers against Cavalry and Shock troops. These changes explain why legacy advice can underestimate its reach, attack and reduced damage against mounted targets. The current 12-unit limit per Udasi Temple and 40-second training time are important constraints even when its range is upgraded. It remains a Light Infantry native warrior with area damage, rather than a conventional Grenadier or artillery unit.
Composition and battlefield value
Chakram Throwers reward an army that can keep enemy units in their firing area. Use melee Infantry or Cavalry to hold the opponent in place, then let the throwers deal splash damage from behind. Their high ranged resistance provides unusual durability against archers and Skirmishers, but does not protect them from melee Cavalry, Artillery or other damage types. A force made entirely of Chakrams can be countered by units that benefit from the reduced damage multipliers, so mix them with a dedicated anti-Cavalry option. Their Udasi site limit and long training time also make them difficult to replace all at once; protect the Trading Post and consider a Native Embassy route for forward production if available. The unit’s role is to punish Infantry and create ranged pressure, not to chase targets or hold the frontline by itself.
Area damage versus single-target fire
A Chakram’s radius-two attack can strike several nearby units with a single throw. This makes the unit most efficient when enemy Infantry is massed, but less efficient against spread-out targets or a single durable unit. Its three-second interval means each missed attack cycle costs more than it would for a fast-firing Archer. Use a frontline to keep opponents in the affected area and avoid sending the throwers forward where Cavalry can scatter them. The 50 percent ranged resistance is strongest against ordinary ranged fire; it does not protect the group from melee bonuses or every type of damage. Split the formation enough to reduce the chance that one area attack hits every Chakram, then focus on an Infantry cluster or a structure whose defenders have been removed.
Technology and faction considerations
The Chakram Thrower’s base range is 14 in Definitive Edition, but Army of the Pure can extend that reach further. Udasi Discipline Training and Udasi Honor Training improve its health and attack through the native rank ladder, so the three investments solve different problems: range improves safety and target access, while ranks increase durability and damage. The unit is available through Udasi holy sites and selected Native Embassy access. Its limit of 12 per site and 40-second training time mean that a destroyed group cannot be replaced instantly. Before committing to a Chakram-focused army, verify that the faction can train or ship Udasi units on the map and reserve a unit type that can stop Cavalry. That preparation is more reliable than assuming ranged resistance alone will keep the Chakrams alive.
How it compares with artillery and Grenadiers
The Chakram Thrower can resemble a Grenadier or Arsonist because of its splash damage, but it attacks differently. Its primary attack is ranged, has 14 base range before Army of the Pure and receives an Infantry bonus, while dedicated siege units focus their damage more directly on buildings. This lets Chakrams damage an Infantry group or a structure from a protected position, but they are not a replacement for a Culverin against enemy artillery. Their 50 percent ranged resistance is unusually high and supports a ranged exchange, while their 165 hit points and slow attack interval limit how many shots they can take before losing value. Use them as a protected anti-Infantry core, then add dedicated siege or anti-artillery units when the opponent’s composition requires those roles. The distinction is useful when choosing a shipment or technology: range and splash help the Chakrams do their job, but do not solve every siege matchup.
Protecting the Udasi investment
A 12-unit limit per Udasi Temple and 40-second training time make Chakram Throwers expensive to replace after a lost fight. Their attack is strongest against clustered Infantry, so avoid exposing them to a spread-out army or a direct Cavalry charge. Keep anti-Cavalry support close and use the range upgrade to maintain distance. If the opponent switches away from Infantry, reassess production instead of continuing to spend Food on a matchup that no longer favors the Chakrams.
Production cap and match transitions
The 12-unit cap per Udasi Temple limits how quickly a player can grow the force, even if Food and Wood are abundant. If the opponent moves from Infantry into Cavalry, use the existing Chakrams behind a screen and redirect new production into a unit with better mounted damage. Their area attack remains useful against clustered infantry, but the reduced Cavalry multipliers make continued mass production inefficient.
Ranged splash damage against infantry groups
Chakram Throwers are Indian ranged infantry whose spinning-disc attack can hit grouped targets with area damage. They combine some of the formation-clearing role of a Grenadier with a ranged attack and bonus damage against Heavy Infantry. This lets them punish dense infantry without needing to enter melee, but their ranged attack is weaker against buildings than dedicated siege. Use them behind a durable screen and focus on enemy infantry clusters; avoid sending them alone into Cavalry or artillery.
Use the area attack without wasting its range
A Chakram group is most effective when the opponent cannot spread or close safely. Protect the throwers with Sepoys, Mahouts or another suitable front line, then reposition to keep the enemy inside their firing arc. They can damage some defensive structures, but a Mortar or dedicated siege unit is more efficient for breaking a base. Their population and resource costs must be balanced against ordinary ranged infantry, so add them when the opponent’s composition gives their splash damage a clear target.