Colonial Looter
Colonial Looter is ranged infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Commerce Age; obtained through Tavern (Europeans), Monastery (Asians), Lombard (Italians).
Recorded values
- Cost
- 140 Coin
- Available
- Commerce Age · Tavern (Europeans) ; Monastery (Asians) ; Lombard (Italians)
- Training
- 45 sec · 5 population · 28 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 225 hit points · 25% ranged resistance · 4.25 speed · 22 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 10 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 2.0x vs. Light ranged cavalry; 2.0x vs. Ranged shock trooper; 2.0x vs. Heavy infantry; 0.75x vs. Cavalry; 0.75x vs. Shock troops
- Ranged attack
- 40 damage · 18 range · 3.0 attack interval · bonuses: 2.5x vs. Light ranged cavalry; 2.5x vs. Ranged shock trooper; 2.0x vs. Heavy infantry; 0.6x vs. Cavalry; 0.6x vs. Shock troops
- Siege attack
- 10 damage · 6 range · 1.5 attack interval
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Tavern (Europeans), Monastery (Asians), or Lombard (Italians). It has 225 hit points and 25% ranged resistance. It moves at 4.25 speed and uses 5 population. Training costs 140 Coin; it takes 45 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 10 damage. Ranged attack deals 40 damage. Siege attack deals 10 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 2.0× against Light ranged cavalry, 2.0× against Ranged shock trooper, 2.0× against Heavy infantry, 0.75× against Cavalry, and 0.75× against Shock troops*. Ranged attack bonuses: 2.5× against Light ranged cavalry, 2.5× against Ranged shock trooper, 2.0× against Heavy infantry, 0.6× against Cavalry, and 0.6× against Shock troops*.
Matchup & timing
Use the Colonial Looter when its outlaw access is available and a concentrated 40-damage ranged volley can remove a valuable target. Its 18 range and strong bonuses against Light ranged cavalry, Ranged shock troops and Heavy Infantry make positioning important; its three-population commitment and outlaw cost make it a specialist, not a cheap replacement for a Barracks line.
Outlaw statistics and access routes
The Colonial Looter is a Definitive Edition outlaw and treasure guardian. Its regular combat profile has 225 hit points, speed 4.25, 22 line of sight and 25% ranged resistance. It costs 140 Coin, takes 45 seconds to train and uses five population. Its ranged attack deals 40 damage at range 18 every three seconds, with a 2.5 multiplier against Light Ranged Cavalry and ranged Shock Troops and 2.0 against Heavy Infantry; Cavalry and Shock Troops receive only 0.6. In melee it deals 10 damage every 1.5 seconds, with a 2.0 multiplier against Heavy Infantry and the listed light ranged cavalry and ranged shock classes, but 0.75 against Cavalry and Shock Troops. A separate siege attack deals 10 damage at range 6 every 1.5 seconds. The unit’s large ranged hit and long reach can punish infantry, but a five-population price makes losses expensive. The Colonial Looter upgrades in the Industrial and Imperial Ages when its civilization has researched the corresponding outlaw improvement: Compunction for Asians, Folk Heroes for Europeans, or Wild West for Native American civilizations. The listed age bonuses are +30% hit points and damage in the Industrial Age and +50% in the Imperial Age. These improvements can raise the value of an existing force, but the unit’s access is unusual and is not the same for every civilization. Lakota Home City cards Outlaw Band and Bandit Gang can add Colonial Looters to random outlaw shipments. Argentina and the Maya can gain them through their respective Outlaw Band or Bandit Gang cards, and Haiti can train them from Battleships with Brethren of the Coast when the Tavern option is available. Check the civilization and card condition before planning around a regular production queue. Its combat role follows the familiar outlaw rifle pattern: shoot Heavy Infantry and vulnerable light ranged cavalry from a protected position, then withdraw if Heavy Cavalry, hand Shock Troops, counter-skirmishers or Artillery can engage. The 18 range provides room to focus exposed targets, but the 4.25 speed is not enough to make it safe from a committed cavalry chase. A sturdy screen and clear retreat path matter more than adding Looters to an unsupported line. The unit can contribute against buildings only slowly: its siege attack is modest, so bring proper siege units when the objective is a Town Center, Fort or defensive structure. For treasure guardians, the Colonial Looter is a separate Gaia profile rather than the trainable outlaw profile. The guardian version has 400 hit points, speed 7.0, line of sight 20 and 30% ranged resistance; defeating it awards 26 XP in the listed current data. Do not use guardian health or movement values when comparing the trainable unit. The distinction is useful when judging whether an Explorer can safely clear a Treasure: guardian strength depends on the specific Treasure encounter, while the recruitable Looter’s five population and resource cost matter only after a civilization has unlocked an access route. This unit was introduced in update 13.18214, and later patches changed some values and clarified its classification. The current profile distinguishes it from a generic outlaw label by its Light Infantry role and card-dependent access. In an army, think of it as an expensive ranged specialist with a high damage shot, not as a cheap mass unit: save Coin for replacements, keep it firing into favorable targets and spend the shipment or revolution access only when the army can protect it. Its strongest use is to reinforce a plan already built around ranged infantry; it is a poor substitute for cavalry counters, artillery or a durable frontline.
When an outlaw shipment is worthwhile
Because access comes from civilization-specific cards and conditions, check the current Home City deck before treating Colonial Looters as a repeatable unit. An outlaw shipment can add an unexpected ranged force, but the five-population units may crowd out a balanced army and their 140 Coin cost makes replacement expensive. A shipment is most useful when it reinforces a protected line against Heavy Infantry or light ranged cavalry; it is much less useful if the opponent already has Heavy Cavalry, artillery or hand shock units ready to engage. Keep a separate unit screening the approach, and avoid chasing targets that pull the Looters away from the army. The treasure-guardian version is stronger and faster than the recruitable profile, so estimate a Treasure fight from the specific guardian encounter rather than from the trainable unit’s numbers. These distinctions help explain why the same named character can appear both as a map enemy and as a civilization-dependent outlaw.