Crabat
Crabat is ranged cavalry in Age of Empires III, available from the Commerce Age; obtained through Tavern (Europeans), Monastery (Asians), Lombard (Italians). Its listed ability is Valor Promotion.
Recorded values
- Cost
- 150 Coin
- Available
- Commerce Age · Tavern (Europeans) ; Monastery (Asians) ; Lombard (Italians)
- Training
- 40 sec · 4 population · 30 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 220 hit points · 15% ranged resistance · 7.0 speed · 14 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 12 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 3.0x vs. Heavy cavalry; 2.25x vs. Hand shock trooper
- Ranged attack
- 30 damage · 2-8 range · 3.0 attack interval · bonuses: 0.5x vs. Villager
- Siege attack
- 10 damage · 6 range · 1.5 attack interval
- Ability
- Valor Promotion
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Tavern (Europeans), Monastery (Asians), or Lombard (Italians). It has 220 hit points and 15% ranged resistance. It moves at 7.0 speed and uses 4 population. Training costs 150 Coin; it takes 40 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 12 damage. Ranged attack deals 30 damage. Siege attack deals 10 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 3.0× against Heavy cavalry* and 2.25× against Hand shock trooper. Ranged attack bonuses: 0.5× against Villager. Special ability or role: Valor Promotion.
Matchup & timing
Hand attack is especially effective against Heavy cavalry (3×), Hand shock trooper (2.25×). Its reduced multipliers against Villager (0.5×) make it less suitable for those targets. Hold the melee attack for Heavy cavalry and Hand shock trooper when they enter contact. Keep a frontline between this unit and threats that can reach it safely.
Current profile and promotion
The Crabat is an outlaw light ranged cavalry unit introduced as a standard recruitable outlaw in Knights of the Mediterranean. Its current profile costs 150 Coin, takes 40 seconds to train, uses four population, and has 220 hit points, 15 percent ranged resistance, speed 7, and line of sight 14. It combines a hand attack with a short ranged pistol attack and a small siege contribution. The basic hand attack deals 12 damage every 1.5 seconds, including a three times multiplier against Heavy cavalry and a 2.25 multiplier against Hand shock troops. Its ranged attack deals 30 damage at range 2 to 8 every three seconds, with reduced damage to Villagers. The short range means it does not fill the same role as a long range Dragoon, even though both are mobile gun cavalry. Crabat's Valor Promotion improves the unit for each military kill, up to three levels: Bronze adds 15 percent hit points and lowers attack interval by 10 percent; Silver adds 30 percent hit points and lowers interval by 20 percent; Gold adds 45 percent hit points and lowers interval by 30 percent. Promotion rewards survival and repeated combat, but the unit's high population cost makes losing it expensive.
Strengths and limitations
The Crabat is a stronger, more expensive outlaw option with unusually high hit points for light ranged cavalry and an attack profile suited to Heavy cavalry and Hand shock troops. It can move between skirmishes, punish exposed targets, and build value through Valor Promotion. Its short range and four population cost constrain how many can be fielded, while the current ranged resistance is modest. The unit's pistol also deals only half damage to Villagers, so it is not an efficient worker raider compared with units whose attack is designed for that target. Its ranged bonus profile does not include the same anti-heavy-cavalry and anti-shock multipliers as its hand attack; if the target is safe to reach, melee may produce much higher damage, but closing the distance exposes the Crabat to danger. Choose the attack mode based on the target and the opponent's screen. Use ranged fire while approaching or withdrawing, and only commit to melee when allied units have prevented the target from escaping or counterattacking.
How civilizations obtain Crabats
Access depends on civilization and shipment. The Lakota can receive random outlaw groups through Outlaw Band and Bandit Gang Home City Cards. The Argentina and Maya revolutions have similar card routes. Haiti can allow Battleships to train Crabats through Brethren of the Coast when Crabats are present in the Tavern's available pool. Hungary and Romania revolutions receive a 12 Crabats shipment that also unlocks recruitment at several production structures, including Taverns, Stables, Forts, Galleons, and Outposts; a Russian revolution uses Blockhouses in the relevant building list. These are separate acquisition paths, so the Crabat is not a universal Stable unit for every civilization. Check the card and revolution rules before building an army around it. A shipment may be the only practical source in one match, while another civilization may gain repeatable production after the shipment is sent.
Using the unit in a mixed force
A Crabat is best evaluated as a mobile specialist rather than as the whole cavalry line. Pair it with units that can hold enemy Heavy infantry at range and screen opposing melee cavalry, then send the Crabats toward targets for which their hand attack bonuses matter. Their speed lets them shift sides or retreat from a losing fight, but ranged cavalry counters and anti-cavalry screens can still make an approach costly. Avoid leaving a small group under concentrated fire while trying to build promotions; a Bronze or Silver Crabat is valuable only if it survives to keep contributing. If the opponent is protecting artillery or workers, do not assume the Crabat's mobility makes it a good answer: its short range, four population, and low Villager multiplier can make other units more efficient. Plan retreat routes before engaging, and preserve promoted Crabats when the battle turns against them.
Patch history and related outlaw rules
Several current values differ from the original Knights of the Mediterranean version. Crabats previously cost 140 Coin and had 24 hand damage; update 13.10442 changed the cost to 150 and reduced the hand attack to 12 while adjusting its multipliers. Update 13.18214 changed the ranged attack from 43 to 30, reduced ranged resistance from 25 percent to 15 percent, and revised the cavalry and shock multipliers. Their current hand multiplier is described against Heavy cavalry rather than all hand cavalry. Older strategy notes can therefore overstate both damage and durability. The unit also appears as a treasure guardian variant with its own statistics, which should not be confused with the recruitable Crabat profile. In Definitive Edition, compare the source civilization, the current patch, and whether the entry describes the standard outlaw or a treasure variant before applying an exact stat line.
Resource and population planning
The Crabat's printed Coin price understates the army space it consumes: four population per unit makes a large group compete directly with Heavy cavalry and other expensive specialists. Check the population cap before sending an outlaw shipment, and leave room for the infantry screen needed to protect the Crabats. Its 40 second training time also means that replacing losses from a small Tavern or Stable can be slow. A shipment that delivers a ready group can create an immediate timing, while repeat production is better suited to a longer match. Use those routes deliberately and avoid spending Coin on Crabats when the intended opponent has no Heavy cavalry or Hand shock troops for them to threaten.
Fast mercenary cavalry and Valor Promotion
The Crabat is ranged cavalry hired through mercenary structures, with Valor Promotion as its listed special ability. At 7.0 speed, it can move around a battle and pressure exposed targets; the ranged attack deals 30 damage at 2–8 range, while its 12-damage hand attack carries bonuses against Heavy cavalry and Hand shock troopers. This makes target selection important: it can threaten those mounted classes but should not be treated as a general-purpose raider. The unit’s 220 hit points and 15% ranged resistance provide limited protection, while four population makes each Crabat an expensive commitment.
Recruitment and use of the short-range volley
Taverns, Monasteries and the Italian Lombard are the listed hiring routes. A Crabat costs 150 Coin and takes 40 seconds to train, so plan around the site’s roster and a reliable Coin supply. Its 2–8 ranged reach is shorter than many ranged cavalry profiles; approach behind a screen, fire on the appropriate target and withdraw before melee counters surround it. Valor Promotion is a progression mechanic, and the available promotion choices should be read in the relevant interface instead of inferred from the name. Use the Crabat when its heavy-cavalry or shock-trooper matchup is useful, and keep infantry or artillery available for other enemy units.
Revolution-era profile changes
Crabat’s current cost is 150 Coin, up from 140 before update 13.10442; its ranged resistance is now 15%, compared with 25% before update 13.18214. Training and kill Experience are 30 each, versus 28 before update 13.18214. The current hand attack is 12 damage, compared with 24 before update 13.10442, while ranged damage is 30 rather than 43 before update 13.18214. Its Heavy Cavalry hand multiplier is 3.0× now; earlier snapshots were 2.5× before update 13.10442 and 4.5× before update 13.18214. Against Hand Shock Troops its multiplier is 2.25×, compared with 3.1× after update 13.10442 and before 13.18214. This large revision changed how a revolutionary player should value Crabat at close range.