Fusilier
Fusilier is Heavy infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Fortress Age; obtained through Tavern (Europeans), Monastery (Asians), Saloon (Federal Americans), Palace (Africans), Lombard (Italians).
Recorded values
- Cost
- 300 Coin
- Available
- Fortress Age · Tavern (Europeans) ; Monastery (Asians) ; Saloon (Federal Americans) ; Palace (Africans) ; Lombard (Italians)
- Training
- 50 sec · 2 population · 30 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 300 hit points · 10% hand resistance · 5.0 speed · 16 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 35 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 2.0x vs. Cavalry; 1.5x vs. Shock troops; 1.0x vs. Light ranged cavalry
- Ranged attack
- 70 damage · 12 range · 3.0 attack interval · bonuses: 1.5x vs. Cavalry; 1.3x vs. Shock troops; 1.0x vs. Light ranged cavalry
- Siege attack
- 60 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Tavern (Europeans), Monastery (Asians), Saloon (Federal Americans), Palace (Africans), or Lombard (Italians). It has 300 hit points. It moves at 5.0 speed and uses 2 population. Training costs 300 Coin; it takes 50 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 35 damage. Ranged attack deals 70 damage. Siege attack deals 60 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 2.0× against Cavalry, 1.5× against Shock troops, and 1.0× against Light ranged cavalry. Ranged attack bonuses: 1.5× against Cavalry, 1.3× against Shock troops, and 1.0× against Light ranged cavalry.
Matchup & timing
Hand attack is especially effective against Cavalry (2×), Shock troops (1.5×). Ranged attack is especially effective against Cavalry (1.5×), Shock troops (1.3×). Use ranged fire to focus Cavalry and Shock troops before they can close; hold the melee attack for Cavalry and Shock troops when they enter contact. Keep a frontline between this unit and threats that can reach it safely.
Current statistics and mercenary profile
The Fusilier is a Fortress Age ranged Heavy Infantry mercenary introduced in The WarChiefs. Its current profile costs 300 Coin, takes 50 seconds to train, and uses two population. It has 300 hit points, 10% ranged resistance, movement speed 5.0, and line of sight 16. The ranged attack deals 70 damage at range 12 every three seconds, while the hand attack deals 35 damage every 1.5 seconds. The unit also has a 60-damage siege attack at range six. Fusiliers therefore combine a powerful long-range volley with a strong melee option, but their mercenary cost and recruitment conditions make them different from ordinary Barracks Infantry. A group is most valuable when its anti-Cavalry bonuses answer a threat the player's standard army cannot cover as efficiently.
Anti-Cavalry attack modes
The ranged attack has a 1.5 multiplier against Cavalry and a 1.3 multiplier against Shock troops, while the hand attack deals twice its normal damage to Cavalry and 1.5 times to Shock troops. This gives the Fusilier a rare ability to punish a Cavalry charge before it reaches the line and continue fighting if enemies close in. Its ranged attack has a normal multiplier against Light Ranged Cavalry in the current profile, rather than the stronger bonus found in older versions. The unit can also damage Light Infantry with its high base attack, though that does not make it a specialist counter to every ranged Infantry formation. Use the range to focus an approaching mounted unit, and switch to hand combat only when the enemy is already close enough that the ranged volley cannot be used safely.
Weaknesses and battlefield protection
Despite its strong anti-Cavalry role, the Fusilier is weak to Light Infantry, counter-skirmishers, Artillery, and MercType2 units. Artillery can attack its costly formation at range, and the Fusilier's two-population cost makes losses difficult to replace. Keep it behind a screen and use Cavalry or dedicated anti-Artillery troops to remove enemy guns. Avoid leaving Fusiliers isolated where Skirmishers can fire repeatedly without being threatened. Their speed 5.0 allows them to reposition with an Infantry force, but it does not make them safe from fast raiders. Focus the group on the Cavalry threat it is designed to answer, then withdraw before enemy Artillery or Light Infantry can retaliate.
Recruitment and civilization access
The standard mercenary roster determines whether the Fusilier appears in a Tavern, Monastery, Saloon, Palace, or Lombard, depending on the civilization. Dutch and Polish players can train them at the Tavern after choosing The Mercenary Contractor to reach Fortress Age. German Battleships can train them through the Adler von Lübeck Home City Card when Fusiliers are available in the Tavern. The United States can receive Fusiliers from the random mercenary pool in the Poker shipment, which can also make them available in Saloons. These routes are conditional; the unit is not an ordinary universal Barracks option. Check the map's mercenary pool or the selected politician and Home City card before basing an army plan on Fusilier production.
Spanish Walloon Guards route
The Spanish can unlock a special Fusilier line called Walloon Guards. In Industrial Age, the player must send Royal Decree to Claim the New World and research Wild Geese before researching Walloon Guards at the Church. The technology sends 14 Walloon Guards and allows their recruitment at the Tavern. The upgraded unit has Regeneration, restoring 0.15% of its hit points per second rather than the usual 0.25% rate. This is a civilization-specific route with several prerequisites, not a generic Fusilier upgrade available to every faction. Because it depends on cards and research, plan the deck before the Industrial Age and protect the Church and Tavern if the army will rely on continued production.
How to fit the Fusilier into an army
A Fusilier group is best used as a hard answer to Heavy Cavalry and Shock troops, with other units covering its counters. Pair it with Light Infantry or skirmisher-type units that can pressure enemy Heavy Infantry and protect the Fusiliers from Artillery. A few Fusiliers can be sufficient if their job is to deter Cavalry; a large mass consumes Coin and population that might be needed for support. When the opponent stops producing Cavalry, reassess whether the mercenary remains worth its upkeep and replacement cost. Its high ranged damage still matters, but the unit is most efficient when its target multipliers are active. Use the range to focus dangerous targets early, and avoid trading the group into Culverins or a superior Light Infantry line.
Version and unit-name changes
The Fusilier was originally presented as a Swedish mercenary in earlier Age of Empires III versions. Definitive Edition changed its nationality to French while retaining the unit's broader role as a strong ranged mercenary. Its speed was reduced from 5.5 to 5.0 in update 13.27885, and its hand multiplier against Light Ranged Cavalry changed from 1.5 to 1.0 in Definitive Edition. These adjustments matter when comparing original-game guides with current play. Use the current French identity and current statistics for Definitive Edition, while treating older Swedish references as historical version details.
Research and deck support
General Infantry attack and hit-point cards can improve the Fusilier where its unit tags qualify, while speed or training-time technologies can help it stay with the rest of the army. The Spanish Walloon Guards route is its most explicit civilization-specific improvement. Other civilizations should compare the cost of a mercenary shipment with the resources needed for ordinary anti-Cavalry units. Because the Fusilier is available from different structures depending on civilization, include the correct building in the plan and protect it during the match. A Home City shipment that supplies Fusiliers can create an immediate defensive force; regular Tavern recruitment offers replacement access when the map and civilization allow it.
Target selection in a mixed force
Fusiliers should focus the Cavalry or Shock troops that threaten the rest of the army. Their 70-damage ranged shot is strongest when the class multiplier applies, and their hand attack can punish a mounted unit that reaches the formation. If the opponent switches to Light Infantry or Artillery, pull the Fusiliers behind the screen and let Skirmishers or Cavalry answer instead. This keeps the mercenaries in their preferred matchup and preserves the Coin investment.
A mercenary line that needs a clear purpose
Because the Fusilier is hired rather than trained as ordinary Infantry, decide what job the force will perform before paying its Coin cost. A small group can protect ranged units from Heavy Cavalry; a larger force can dominate a Cavalry-heavy opponent, but uses population that could support other counters. Use shipment access for immediate defense or a Tavern route for replacements if the civilization qualifies. Avoid adding Fusiliers simply because the mercenary pool offers them: their strengths are clearest when the opponent's composition gives their attack multipliers a target.
High-impact ranged Mercenary
The Fusilier is a Fortress Age Mercenary hired for 300 Coin, with a 50-second training time and two-population cost. It has 300 hit points, 10% hand resistance, speed five and sight 16. Its ranged attack deals 70 damage at range 12 every three seconds, with bonuses against Cavalry and Shock troops; its 35-damage hand attack has similar anti-Cavalry bonuses. A 60-damage Siege attack adds structural pressure. Europeans, Asians, Federal Americans, Africans and Italians use their corresponding Tavern, Monastery, Saloon, Palace or Lombard access where available. Its unusually high ranged damage makes it a powerful timing unit, but the long queue and Coin cost mean it should be protected and aimed at valuable targets.
Support the expensive firing line
Keep Fusiliers behind a screen that can stop Cavalry from reaching their short-range combat zone. Their speed helps them reposition compared with slower Infantry, but they are still vulnerable to concentrated ranged fire and artillery. The attack bonus against Cavalry gives the unit a defensive role, while its large base damage can also punish a mixed enemy group. Do not spend all available Coin on Fusiliers if the army still needs artillery, upgrades or Age advancement. A small group can create a strong combat window; add ordinary units with other resource costs to preserve population and replace losses. Confirm the mercenary building and map pool before planning around them, since access depends on the civilization and release.