Drummer
Drummer is ranged infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Commerce Age; obtained through Trading Post or Tambo on a House of Hanover palace, Native Embassy. Its listed ability is "Cadence Aura"; "Cadence Support".
Recorded values
- Available
- Commerce Age · Trading Post or Tambo on a House of Hanover palace; Native Embassy
- Training
- 30 sec · 1 population · 30 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 250 hit points · 10% hand resistance · 4.5 speed · 24 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 10 damage · 1.5 attack interval
- Ranged attack
- 20 damage · 12 range · 3.0 attack interval
- Siege attack
- 10 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
- Ability
- "Cadence Aura"; "Cadence Support"
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Trading Post or Tambo on a House of Hanover palace or Native Embassy. It has 250 hit points. It moves at 4.5 speed and uses 1 population. Training costs 150 Food and 150 Coin; it takes 30 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 10 damage. Ranged attack deals 20 damage. Siege attack deals 10 damage. Special ability or role: "Cadence Aura"; "Cadence Support".
Matchup & timing
A Drummer is a House of Hanover support unit whose Cadence abilities help a moving army rather than make it a frontline fighter. Cadence Support gives nearby friendly units 10% speed and a -5.25% Rate of Fire modifier within radius 34; Cadence Aura increases the Drummer’s own speed by 4% for each nearby friendly military unit, up to 22.23%. The effects do not stack, and the palace can train at most three. Its Inspiring Flag special action requires the Acts of Union Home City Card. Its 250 hit points, 10% hand resistance and 150-Food, 150-Coin cost make protection important. Keep it with the force that can use its movement and attack cadence, and avoid sending it forward alone to trade pistol shots.
Support role and recruitment
The Drummer is a Commerce Age ranged infantry native warrior available through a House of Hanover palace. Build a Trading Post or Tambo on the palace to train it; a Royal Embassy route is available to Germans who send Prince-Electors and ally with Hanover. The current standard profile costs 150 Food and 150 Coin, takes 30 seconds and is limited to three per palace. It has 250 hit points, 10% hand resistance, speed 4.5, line of sight 24 and costs one population in the current Definitive Edition profile. Despite carrying a pistol, the Drummer’s value is its support aura and not its damage. It is an expensive, capped support unit, so one is often enough for a normal army.
Cadence Aura and Cadence Support
Cadence Aura improves the Drummer’s own speed by 4% for every friendly military unit within its radius of 34, up to a maximum increase of about 22.23%. Cadence Support affects nearby friendly units in the same radius: it grants 10% movement speed and reduces their rate of fire by 5.25% under the current profile. The aura effects do not stack, so training several Drummers does not multiply the movement bonus for the whole army. Keep the Drummer close enough to support the main force, but not directly in front where it can be focused down. Its high hit points increase when allied units are nearby, making it harder to kill when embedded in an army.
Inspiring Flag
With Acts of Union, the Drummer gains access to Inspiring Flag. Planting the flag at a chosen location creates an area that increases the attack of nearby military units and military buildings by 10%, excluding artillery. Its area and line of sight start at 14 and grow by 10 for each age. The ability has a 360-second cooldown and also spawns one Irish Brigadier, one Highlander and one Harquebusier under the described rules. Because the cooldown is long, place the flag where a major fight or defensive stand is likely rather than using it for a small skirmish. The spawned units can reinforce the position, but the flag’s attack bonus is the broader army benefit.
Combat limits and protection
The Drummer can fire a 20-damage ranged attack at range 12 every three seconds, but its weapon is not designed to win a direct exchange. It has no ranged resistance and is vulnerable to cavalry, artillery and enemy ranged infantry. Use Pikemen or Halberdiers to protect it from hand cavalry; Dragoons or other ranged cavalry can also help because they answer both cavalry and artillery. Keep the Drummer behind the frontline and retreat if the enemy targets it. Its line of sight 24 helps reveal approaching threats, but a support unit should not be sent forward alone to scout.
Upgrade path and variants
Veteran Hanoverians costs 125 Wood and 125 Coin in the Fortress Age and upgrades hit points and damage by 20%. Royal Guard Hanoverians costs 350 Wood and 350 Coin, requires Veteran and gives a 40% improvement over base. Imperial native upgrades add 50% hit points and damage for 1,500 Food and 1,500 Wood through the applicable Capitol, Sejm or Town Center technology. Germans who use Prince-Electors can train a distinct Drummer through the Royal Embassy; that version costs two population and can receive Veteran and Royal Guard upgrades. British players who choose The Black Duke when advancing to the Imperial Age receive six Drummers. If a player already has a Hanover palace and also chooses Hanover through Prince-Electors, more than one Drummer type can be available; check population and aura behavior before production.
How many to train
Because Cadence Support does not stack, one Drummer covers the movement and rate-of-fire benefit for most armies. A second can be useful when the force is split across distant fronts or when one can remain with a defensive base, but it adds cost and population for the same aura. The own-speed aura scales with nearby military units, so the Drummer itself moves faster when embedded in a large force; this does not mean it increases the army’s speed beyond the separate Cadence Support effect. Preserve enough room for combat units, and do not spend 300 resources on extra support until the core army can answer enemy cavalry and artillery.
Best use in battle
Keep the Drummer just behind the main line so the aura covers the combat units while it remains out of melee reach. Its speed bonus helps reposition, chase a retreating enemy or disengage from a bad fight; the rate-of-fire penalty means the support should be evaluated as a mobility tool rather than a universal damage increase. Plant Inspiring Flag before a decisive engagement if the card is available. The Drummer is especially valuable when an army must move between map objectives, but it does not replace a dedicated counter unit or artillery support.
Patch and ruleset notes
The Drummer was added as a House of Hanover native warrior in Knights of the Mediterranean. Its classification, population cost, XP value and Cadence Support rate have changed in Definitive Edition updates. Older profiles show two population and a larger rate-of-fire penalty; the current general profile lists one population and a 5.25% reduction. German Royal Embassy Drummers may still have a different population cost. These differences mean that a single generic population number should not be applied to every access route. The original game and older expansions do not contain the same Hanover palace unit system.
Aura radius and formation spacing
Cadence Support has a radius of 34, so the Drummer must stay reasonably close to the units receiving its movement and rate-of-fire effect. The army can spread across a broad front, but units that move beyond the aura lose the benefit. Keep the support group near the center of the formation and avoid sending the Drummer with a fast cavalry detachment. Its own Cadence Aura scales from nearby friendly military units; this is a separate self-speed effect and does not replace the support aura for allies.
When to use the flag
Inspiring Flag is most valuable before a planned engagement at a fixed location, such as defending a Trading Post, pushing a Fort or holding a narrow crossing. Its 10% attack bonus applies to nearby military units and buildings but excludes artillery. The ability also generates three named mercenary units under the described card conditions. Because the cooldown is 360 seconds, choose the target point carefully and ensure the army can use the area instead of moving away immediately. The age-dependent area and line of sight make it increasingly useful later in a long game.
Availability across civilizations
The standard unit is tied to the House of Hanover, but cards and politicians can deliver or unlock it through other routes. Germans can select Hanover through Prince-Electors after sending the card; their Royal Embassy Drummer uses two population and has the same three-unit cap, while the standard profile now uses one population. British players choosing The Black Duke for the Imperial Age receive six Drummers. A player with both palace access and the German ally may see distinct Drummer types. Check the production panel and population cost before queuing more than one.
Resource and population choice
The support bonus is valuable, but spend the unit’s 150 Food and 150 Coin only when the army is large enough to benefit from it.
Support positioning
Keep it within the aura while remaining behind the combat line.
Aura note
Extra Drummers do not stack Cadence Support.
Final reminder
One protected Drummer usually supplies the army-wide mobility aura.
One protected support unit can serve a whole formation
A Drummer costs 150 Food and 150 Coin, takes 30 seconds to train and is limited to three per House of Hanover palace. It has 250 hit points, speed 4.5 and uses one population. Cadence Aura and Cadence Support improve friendly movement, while the Inspiring Flag is a separate special ability; additional Drummers do not stack the Cadence Support aura. Keep one inside range of the units that need to reposition and protect it behind the frontline. The Hanover Palace alliance or Native Embassy gives access, so the settlement and its cap matter when replacing a lost support unit. Train extra Drummers only when the formation needs a second support position or the unit must be split between separate fronts. They can attack, but their value comes mainly from keeping an army mobile; losing the support unit during a cavalry charge can slow the whole force.
House of Hanover support unit
The Drummer is a support unit available through a House of Hanover palace settlement or Native Embassy where the roster permits it. It has 250 hit points, 4.5 speed and a 24 line of sight, and its listed Cadence Aura and Cadence Support abilities provide utility beyond its 20-damage ranged attack. Keep the Drummer near the force that benefits from its aura, but behind the frontline so Cavalry or melee units cannot remove the support unit quickly.
Alliance cost and combat role
A Drummer costs 150 Food and 150 Coin, uses one population and trains in 30 seconds. Access depends on securing the relevant Trading Post or Tambo and the available House of Hanover roster. Its 10-damage hand attack and 10-damage siege attack are secondary, so do not expect it to replace infantry. Protect the allied site and keep the Drummer with units that can use its support effects; compare the investment with other settlement units before committing resources.