Dahomey Amazon
Dahomey Amazon is ranged infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Fortress Age; obtained through Tavern (Europeans), Monastery (Asians), Saloon (Americans), Palace (Africans), Lombard (Italians), Native Embassy (with the "Royal Dahomets" card), Battleship (with the "Royal Dahomets" card).
Recorded values
- Cost
- 280 Coin
- Available
- Fortress Age · Tavern (Europeans) ; Monastery (Asians) ; Saloon (Americans) ; Palace (Africans) ; Lombard (Italians) ; Native Embassy (with the "Royal Dahomets" card) ; Battleship (with the "Royal Dahomets" card)
- Training
- 42 sec · 2 population · 30 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 240 hit points · 20% hand resistance · 5.25 speed · 24 line of sight
- Ranged attack
- 35 base damage · range 14-20 · attack interval 3.0 · bonus damage: 3.5x vs. Heavy infantry; 0.5x vs. Infantry; 0.5x vs. Heavy cavalry; 0.5x vs. Hand shock trooper; 0.5x vs. Artillery; 0.5x vs. Villager
- Siege attack
- 27 base damage · range 6 · attack interval 3.0
- Volley hand attack
- 35 base damage · range 0-14 · attack interval 3.0-1.0 · bonus damage: Same as ranged attack
- Hand attack
- 35 base damage · attack interval 1.0 · bonus damage: Same as ranged attack
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Tavern (Europeans), Monastery (Asians), Saloon (Americans), Palace (Africans), Lombard (Italians), Native Embassy (with the "Royal Dahomets" card), or Battleship (with the "Royal Dahomets" card). It has 240 hit points. It moves at 5.25 speed and uses 2 population. Training costs 280 Coin; it takes 42 seconds to train. Attack profile: Ranged attack: 35 damage at range 14-20; every 3.0 seconds. Siege attack: 27 damage at range 6; every 3.0 seconds. Volley hand attack: 35 damage at range 0-14; every 3.0 seconds-1.0. Hand attack: 35 damage; every 1.0 seconds.
Matchup & timing
Keep this ranged unit behind a screen and let it fire before melee troops can reach it. Its listed attack reaches 14-20 range and is especially useful against Heavy infantry. Move it with the frontline as that screen advances, and reposition when cavalry or artillery gains a clear shot.
Mercenary profile and access
The Dahomey Amazon is a Fortress Age mercenary ranged infantry unit added with The African Royals. It costs 280 Coin, uses two population and trains in 42 seconds in the current profile. It has 240 hit points, 20% hand resistance, speed 5.25 and line of sight 24. Europeans hire it from Taverns, Asians from Monasteries, Americans from Saloons, Africans from Palaces and Italians from Lombards. The Royal Dahomets card also opens access at the Native Embassy and Battleship. The unit’s long reach and two-population cost make it a mobile specialist; the access card matters if a strategy relies on native or naval production rather than a normal mercenary site.
Range, volley and target bonuses
The Amazon’s ranged attack deals 35 damage at range 14 to 20 every three seconds. It deals 3.5× damage to Heavy Infantry, but half damage to ordinary Infantry, Heavy Cavalry, hand shock troops, Artillery and Villagers in the current profile. A separate volley hand attack operates from range zero to fourteen; its rate of fire becomes slower as the target is farther away, reaching a three-second interval at the longest range. This unusual close-range volley lets the unit remain dangerous when enemies approach, but does not remove the need for a screen. Its listed bonuses favour Heavy Infantry while the penalties make several other classes poor targets.
Counter role and vulnerabilities
As Light Infantry, the Dahomey Amazon is useful against Heavy Infantry and can threaten other targets from a distance, but it is vulnerable to Heavy Cavalry and Artillery. Its 20% hand resistance helps when melee pressure reaches it; it does not provide ranged resistance, so focused gunfire and artillery remain dangerous. The unit’s long line of sight helps it see threats early, which can be used to reposition before the opponent closes. Keep it behind a frontline and aim at high-value Heavy Infantry rather than spending volleys into units that take half damage. If the enemy fields artillery, use a separate counter and avoid leaving the Amazons stationary in its firing lane.
Comparison with Sudanese Dervish
The Dahomey Amazon can be considered a mercenary counterpart to the Sudanese Dervish with a much longer attack range. Both occupy the light-infantry space and pressure Heavy Infantry, but their firing patterns differ: the Dervish accelerates its ranged reload at short distance, while the Amazon’s extended ranged attack and variable-rate volley hand attack cover different spacing. The Dervish is tied to Sudanese settlements and a per-kingdom limit; the Amazon is usually hired for Coin at mercenary buildings, with Royal Dahomets providing alternative access. Choose according to the available economy, the desired range and the enemy’s composition rather than treating them as identical units.
Version changes and battle use
The profile has changed across Definitive Edition balance updates. Before update 43871 the Amazon moved faster, took longer to train and occupied three population for a period; before update 19.18309 its hand resistance was lower. Its Heavy Infantry multiplier was also adjusted from lower values in earlier updates. The present values describe the updated unit, while older guides may quote those earlier costs and bonuses. In battle, use the long line of sight to choose the firing position, keep the unit protected from artillery and Heavy Cavalry, and value the two-population efficiency when a force needs ranged specialists without consuming three slots per mercenary.
Use the two firing modes deliberately
At long distance the ranged attack provides a stable three-second volley from range 14 to 20. When an enemy closes, the volley hand attack reaches from zero to fourteen and its firing interval changes with distance. This creates a broad band in which the Amazon can continue dealing damage while repositioning, but it should not be ordered into melee as if it were Heavy Infantry. Keep a front line between it and fast threats and use the 24 line of sight to spot an approach. Since the unit deals half damage to several target classes, switching to a more suitable target can matter more than adding another volley.
Recruitment choice and resource timing
The ordinary mercenary route spends 280 Coin and takes 42 seconds, while the Royal Dahomets card opens a Native Embassy and Battleship route. A Palace is the standard African mercenary site, but the Embassy option can matter when the alliance economy and native production are already part of the plan. The card changes access; it does not turn the Amazon into a free reinforcement. Plan Coin reserves and population around the two-unit population cost, and protect whichever site is producing the group. If an opponent has no Heavy Infantry for the Amazon to counter, a different ranged unit may offer better value.
Keep the Amazon out of artillery range
The Amazon’s range and sight can tempt players to hold a firing position too long. Artillery is one of its listed weaknesses and the unit deals only half damage to it, so withdraw when enemy guns take aim. Send a dedicated artillery counter around the flank while the Amazons reposition. Preserving the mercenary keeps its anti-Heavy-Infantry damage available for the next engagement.
Protect a costly ranged group
The unit combines 280 Coin, a 42-second queue and two population slots. Protect the producing site and keep a reserve of units that can answer Cavalry and artillery. A small group with the right Heavy Infantry targets can be more useful than replacing losses indiscriminately.
Exploit the long sight range
Line of sight 24 helps the Amazon identify incoming units before they close. Use that warning to move away from Heavy Cavalry or artillery and keep the unit available to fire on Heavy Infantry instead.
Card access changes the production route
Royal Dahomets provides special Native Embassy and Battleship access. Without that card, plan on the faction’s usual mercenary building and Coin expense; the special route should be treated as an unlock, not assumed baseline availability.
Dahomey ranged Mercenary with a Heavy Infantry bonus
The Dahomey Amazon is a Fortress Age Mercenary available from a Tavern, Monastery, Saloon, Palace or Lombard where the civilization can hire it. The Royal Dahomets card also grants access through a Native Embassy or Battleship. It costs 280 Coin, takes 42 seconds to train, uses two population and has 240 hit points with 20% hand resistance. Its ranged attack deals 35 damage at range 14–20 every three seconds and has 3.5× damage against Heavy Infantry, while its damage is reduced against most other classes. The hand attack deals the same base damage and shares the target profile. This makes the Amazon a specialist that should focus Heavy Infantry rather than a general-purpose ranged unit.
Adapt range and protect the specialist
The Amazon’s volley attack becomes faster as the target gets closer, but closing range also exposes the unit to melee and anti-Cavalry threats. Keep a screen in front and use its long range to punish Heavy Infantry before they reach the formation. It deals only half damage to Infantry, Heavy Cavalry, Hand Shock troops, Artillery and Villagers, so assign those targets to other units. The two-population cost and 280-Coin price make overproduction costly; add a group when the opponent commits to Heavy Infantry and switch production when the enemy composition changes. The Royal Dahomets card’s special access is separate from standard Tavern hiring, so include the card requirement in a deck-based plan.
Mercenary combat profile and revision history
The Dahomey Amazon is a mercenary Infantry unit whose present damage profile is tuned strongly against Heavy Infantry. Its current Coin cost is 280 and training time is 42 seconds; before update 14.3853 it cost 300 Coin, while before update 43871 it trained in 36 seconds. It currently has 20% hand resistance, 5.25 speed and a 3.0-second interval in its third attack profile. The resistance was 10% before update 19.18309, and movement was 5.5 before update 43871. Its Heavy Infantry modifier has climbed from 1.75× before update 13.58326, to 2.0× before update 43871, to 3.5× currently. By contrast, several other listed matchups use 0.5× modifiers, including Infantry, Heavy Cavalry and Hand Shock Troops. This sharp specialization makes target selection important: keep the Amazons focused on Heavy Infantry and supported against classes their profile handles poorly.