Comanchero
Comanchero is ranged cavalry in Age of Empires III, available from the Commerce Age; Fortress Age (Native Americans); obtained through Tavern (Europeans), Native Embassy (Native Americans)*, Monastery (Asians), Lombard (Italians).
Recorded values
- Cost
- 130 Coin
- Available
- Commerce Age; Fortress Age (Native Americans) · Tavern (Europeans) ; Native Embassy (Native Americans)* ; Monastery (Asians) ; Lombard (Italians)
- Training
- 40 sec · 5 population · 26 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 225 hit points · 20% ranged resistance · 7.25 speed · 16 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 11 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: Same as ranged attack
- Ranged attack
- 20 damage · 12 range · 3.0 attack interval · bonuses: 3.0x vs. Heavy cavalry; 2.2x vs. Hand shock trooper; 2.0x vs. Artillery; 0.5x vs. Villager
- Siege attack
- 12 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Tavern (Europeans), Native Embassy (Native Americans), Monastery (Asians), or Lombard (Italians). It has 225 hit points and 20% ranged resistance. It moves at 7.25 speed and uses 5 population. Training costs 130 Coin; it takes 40 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 11 damage. Ranged attack deals 20 damage. Siege attack deals 12 damage. Hand attack bonuses: Same as ranged attack. Ranged attack bonuses: 3.0× against Heavy cavalry, 2.2× against Hand shock trooper, 2.0× against Artillery, and 0.5× against Villager.
Matchup & timing
Ranged attack is especially effective against Heavy cavalry (3×), Hand shock trooper (2.2×), Artillery (2×). Its reduced multipliers against Villager (0.5×) make it less suitable for those targets. Use ranged fire to focus Heavy cavalry, Hand shock trooper, and Artillery before they can close. Keep a frontline between this unit and threats that can reach it safely.
Ranged cavalry statistics and price
The Comanchero is a Commerce Age outlaw introduced in The WarChiefs. It currently costs 130 Coin, trains in 40 seconds, uses five population and has 225 hit points, 20 percent ranged resistance, speed 7.25 and sight 16. Before update 23511 it cost 120 Coin, took 60 seconds, used seven population and had 30 percent ranged resistance. Its ranged attack deals 20 damage at range 12 every three seconds, with 3 times damage against Heavy Cavalry, 2.2 times against Hand Shock troops and 2 times against Artillery, but half damage against Villagers. Earlier patches used 2.5 against Hand Shock troops and lower base damage. The hand attack deals 11 damage every 1.5 seconds and shares the ranged class multipliers; its siege attack is 12 at range 6. These values make the unit a costly specialist for fighting cavalry and artillery, not a worker raider. The five-population cost and Coin-only price are high for a unit with limited late-game scaling, so it is usually most useful in the Commerce Age before standard units and mercenaries receive more upgrades.
Outlaw access and map rules
On eligible maps, European civilizations train Comancheros at a Tavern, Asian civilizations at a Monastery and Italians at a Lombard. Native American civilizations require the Gun Running technology at a Native Embassy and can then train Pistoleros, Comancheros and Renegados regardless of map. Native Americans historically had a different age and access path; check the current Definitive Edition rules. The unit appears on maps including Alaska, Andes, Araucania, Baja California, California, Great Lakes, Great Plains, Mexico, Northwest Territory, Painted Desert, Pampas, Patagonia, Saguenay, Sonora, Texas, Yucatán and Yukon. Lakota are the only civilization listed with Home City shipment access, through Outlaw Band and Bandit Gang card pools. These shipments are random pools rather than guaranteed Comanchero deliveries. Because the outlaw is expensive and vulnerable to anti-cavalry counters, compare the expected shipment value with direct Axe Rider or other cavalry shipments.
Civilization variants and counters
The Lakota can upgrade Comancheros to Cowboys with Hire Cowboys. Argentina and Maya may receive them through outlaw shipment cards; Argentina replaces existing Comancheros with Gauchos in Taverns, Lombards and on the map. Haiti Battleships can train them with Brethren of the Coast when the Tavern has them available. Peru can upgrade them to Morochucos. These are route-specific changes and do not apply to every outlaw. Comancheros share a role with Dragoons in having strong class bonuses against Heavy Cavalry and Artillery, but their base attack and cost efficiency are weaker than dedicated standard units in later Ages. Use them to focus enemy heavy Cavalry or artillery behind a screen, and keep them away from Skirmishers, Musketeers and other anti-cavalry troops. The 0.5 Villager multiplier makes raiding poor despite speed 7.25; target military units that justify the high population and Coin investment.
Avoid treating an outlaw as a raider
The Comanchero has speed 7.25 and a strong attack against Heavy Cavalry, Artillery and Hand Shock troops, but its Villager multiplier is only 0.5. Sending it to raid workers therefore wastes its expensive Coin and five population. Use it to focus a military counter or chase artillery once the frontline is occupied. The 225 hit points and 20 percent ranged resistance give it slightly more durability than some standard ranged Cavalry, yet its firepower and cost efficiency fall behind upgraded units later. Pull it away from Skirmishers and anti-cavalry troops, and do not let a small group fight under a Town Center or Fort.
Population discounts and card upgrades
Theaters and Atonement can reduce the Comanchero population cost from five to three, a substantial change to its army-capacity burden. Cavalry Damage, Cavalry Hitpoints, Cavalry Combat and Riding School can improve related values for civilizations with the relevant cards. Lakota Outlaw Band and Bandit Gang cards include Comancheros in a random outlaw pool, while Hire Cowboys upgrades the unit to a Cowboy. These cards can make an outlaw group more useful, but they do not erase the Coin price or the unit’s late-game depreciation. Check whether the chosen civilization can train the unit locally through a Tavern, Monastery, Lombard or Native Embassy before relying on repeated production.
Support the specialist with a conventional army
Comancheros should supplement rather than replace standard military production. Their three-times Heavy Cavalry bonus gives them a clear target, and the Artillery multiplier helps remove guns that threaten the frontline. A screen of Heavy Infantry or anti-cavalry units can keep enemies away while the Comancheros fire from range 12. If the opponent switches to ranged Infantry or massed anti-cavalry, stop adding outlaws and spend on a direct counter. The Comanchero is an Age of Empires III outlaw unit from The WarChiefs and later Definitive Edition rules; it is not the cowboy unit of another Age of Empires game.
Current values versus older patches
Several Comanchero values changed over time. Update 23511 reduced the population cost from seven to five, changed training time from 60 to 40 seconds, increased ranged attack from 16 to 20 and changed ranged resistance from 30 to 20 percent. The Coin cost is now 130 rather than 120. Update 13.27885 raised its hand damage from nine to eleven and siege damage from 16 to 20, while update 23511 changed the Hand Shock troop multiplier. Read archived strategy advice with its patch date: older costs and damage can make the outlaw appear either less efficient or more durable than it currently is. The present role remains a costly ranged cavalry counter to Heavy Cavalry and Artillery.
Use shipments as a conditional reinforcement
Lakota Outlaw Band and Bandit Gang include Comancheros in a random group, so the card is not a guaranteed fixed Comanchero shipment. The same named card may appear for Argentina or the Maya after revolting. If the desired unit is absent from the Tavern or the random shipment pool selects other outlaws, do not base an immediate defense on receiving it. Native American civilizations can use Gun Running to unlock local outlaw production at the Native Embassy; this is the more predictable route when the technology and resources are available. Consider the five-population cost before training several.
Compare the outlaw to a Dragoon
The Comanchero and Dragoon share a ranged cavalry role and similar target multipliers, but the Comanchero is slightly more durable and has lower firepower efficiency for its price. The 130 Coin and five population commitment can be worthwhile when the army urgently needs a Heavy Cavalry or artillery counter and standard production is unavailable. In a longer game, veteran or Royal Guard Dragoons and specialized mercenaries generally scale better. Outlaws lose value as age upgrades and ordinary unit improvements accumulate, so use the Comanchero as an early answer or shipment reinforcement rather than a permanent core unit.
Protect the unit from its natural counters
The 20 percent ranged resistance is lower than the older 30 percent profile, and the unit has no special resistance to hand attacks. Keep it away from Skirmishers and Heavy Infantry that can close the distance. Use speed 7.25 to reposition, but do not chase into a Town Center or Fort. Its strongest target is a costly Heavy Cavalry unit; focus fire with the army so the outlaw does not remain exposed after a single volley.
Use a shipment when timing matters
The Lakota outlaw cards can reinforce a counter timing, but their outlaw pool is random.
Specialist fire against expensive targets
The Comanchero ranged attack fires every three seconds and deals 20 damage before its class multiplier. Heavy Cavalry takes three times damage, Artillery twice and Hand Shock troops 2.2 times in the current profile. This makes it valuable when an opponent commits to a costly mounted unit or cannon, especially if the Comanchero can fire from behind Heavy Infantry. The same attack deals half damage to Villagers, so it is not a strong raider despite its high movement speed. Focus on a single military target, withdraw during reloads if the enemy closes, and avoid spending more Coin on reinforcements when the counter target is gone.
Save population for the core army
Five population is a large cost for an outlaw specialist.
Use range to counter artillery
Focus fire on cannon from range twelve, and retreat if Infantry closes.
Use the matchup bonus
Avoid an unfavorable fight
Withdraw from anti-cavalry units and Skirmishers.
Late-game transition
Replace expensive outlaws with upgraded units when possible.
Reserve Coin for core units
The outlaw costs 130 Coin before shipment or population discounts.
Focus fire
Concentrate shots on a valuable cavalry target.
Use the mounted range
Fire at range twelve from behind the screen and reposition if threatened.
Stop production when counters change
Shift away if the enemy leaves Cavalry and artillery.
Target priority
Save shots for Heavy Cavalry and cannon.
Preserve the outlaw
Pull back when counter units close.
Retreat before being surrounded
Use speed to preserve the unit.
Keep an escort nearby
The outlaw has ranged resistance, not melee armor.
Outlaw cavalry with a five-population commitment
The Comanchero costs 130 Coin, trains in 40 seconds and uses five population in the listed profile. It has 225 hit points, speed 7.25 and 20% ranged resistance. Its ranged attack deals 20 damage at range 12 every three seconds, with 3× against Heavy Cavalry, 2.2× against Hand Shock Troops and 2× against Artillery, but half damage against Villagers. These bonuses make it a specialist mounted response, while its five population makes even a small group a major army-capacity investment. Tavern access for Europeans, Monastery access for Asians and Lombard access for Italians make it a Coin-only mercenary option; Native American access has a separate Gun Running requirement and age timing. Choose it when the opponent fields expensive targets that justify the population, not just because the Coin cost is convenient. Preserve the unit with a screen, and stop producing it if the enemy switches to counters that can catch or outnumber the group.
Mercenary source and campaign variants
The Comanchero’s access depends on the civilization and match mode. Europeans can recruit it at a Tavern in the Commerce Age, while Native American access is tied to Gun Running and the Fortress Age in the listed rules; other regional buildings provide separate routes. A Home City shipment or a campaign force can deliver the unit under conditions that do not apply to ordinary local production. Before planning an outlaw build, check the age requirement, population cost, shipment access and any civilization discount. The Comanchero’s mounted gun gives it range and mobility, but its short 12-range attack means it still needs to approach vulnerable targets. Use it to pressure artillery, Heavy Cavalry or Hand Shock Troops from a protected flank, then disengage if ranged counters begin focusing it. Do not mistake its Outlaw classification for a universal bonus against mercenaries: its listed attack multipliers determine which targets it handles well.