Hackapell
Hackapell is Heavy Cavalry available from the Fortress Age through several civilization-specific buildings. It has a powerful hand attack and high trample damage, but its three-population cost makes its engagements expensive.
Recorded values
- Cost
- 300 Coin
- Available
- Fortress Age · Tavern (Europeans) ; Monastery (Asians) ; Saloon (Americans) ; Palace (Africans) ; Lombard (Italians)
- Training
- 50 sec · 3 population · 30 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 295 hit points · 30% ranged resistance · 6.75 speed · 15 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 121 damage · 1.5 attack interval
- Siege attack
- 30 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
- Trample attack
- 80 damage · 2.0 attack interval
Role, availability & values
It can be recruited from a Tavern for Europeans, Monastery for Asians, Saloon for Americans, Palace for Africans or Lombard for Italians. The recorded profile has 295 hit points, 6.75 speed and 30% ranged resistance. It costs 300 Coin, uses three population, takes 50 seconds and deals 121 hand, 30 siege and 80 trample damage.
Matchup & timing
Use Hackapells to flank or pressure exposed targets, then withdraw when anti-cavalry units can pin them down. Their cost and high damage reward a deliberate engagement, not an unsupported charge. Confirm the correct production building for the chosen civilization.
Fortress Age mercenary profile
The Hackapell is a Fortress Age Mercenary Heavy Cavalry unit in the original Age of Empires III ruleset. It costs 300 Coin, trains in 50 seconds and uses three population. Its profile has 295 hit points, 30% ranged resistance, speed 6.75 and line of sight 15. A 121-damage hand attack fires every 1.5 seconds, while the siege attack deals 30 damage. It also has an 80-damage trample attack with a radius of three. This is a high-impact cavalry unit with strong burst damage, but its health is low for an expensive mercenary. Its value comes from striking a vulnerable target decisively and escaping before concentrated fire removes it.
A raider with unusually high melee damage
The Hackapell can kill a Villager or Coureur des Bois in two hand attacks, making exposed workers an attractive target. Its speed helps it reach a gap in the enemy's defenses, while the 121 damage lets a small group deliver a rapid blow. Avoid leaving it under Town Center or Outpost fire and do not trade it into a prepared Infantry line. Its 295 hit points are substantially lower than those of some other Heavy Cavalry mercenaries, so the unit should not be treated as a durable Hussar replacement. Use a direct route to a valuable target, keep a second cavalry group ready to interrupt pursuers, and retreat after the raid rather than lingering for a low-value fight.
Trample mode and attack options
The unit's 80-damage trample attack affects an area with radius three, offering a way to damage several nearby enemies during a charge. The ordinary hand attack is the more direct strike against an isolated target, while trample can pressure a tightly packed group. Neither option removes the need to choose the engagement carefully: a massed formation of anti-Cavalry units can punish the Hackapell before it completes another attack. Its siege damage is useful after the field is clear, but at 30 it is not a reason to send the mercenary into a fortified position. Keep the cavalry focused on raids, decisive charges and rapid follow-up after the frontline has already disrupted enemy defenders.
Mix it with other cavalry
Hackapells work best alongside regular hand Cavalry or other Heavy Cavalry mercenaries. A more durable unit can absorb attention while the Hackapell reaches a side or targets a weakened group. Compared with a Uhlan, the Hackapell has far greater attack but is more delicate and costs Coin as a mercenary. Compared with a Mameluke, it has much less health and a narrower role, but its high melee damage can deliver a faster raid. The combination should not be viewed as a universal upgrade path: it trades survivability for concentrated damage. A mixed cavalry group makes it harder for the opponent to focus all defensive fire on the Hackapells and gives the army more staying power after the first charge.
Definitive Edition availability
In Definitive Edition, the ordinary mercenary roster replaces Hackapells with Harquebusiers after the Swedish Hakkapelit was added. The Hackapell remains present in some campaigns and on certain maps, so it can still appear in scenario play even when a standard Tavern does not offer it. This is a major version distinction: original-version strategies about massing Hackapells from mercenary buildings may not apply to Definitive Edition random matches. Harquebusiers share a similar cavalry role and gain a short-ranged attack, but they are a separate named unit with their own profile. Use the exact unit shown by the game and do not treat Hackapell and Hakkapelit as alternate spellings of the same unit.
Mercenary upgrades and Spanish combinations
The Mercenary Contractor is an Imperial Age politician available to European civilizations and improves mercenaries by 50% to hit points and damage. This affects Hackapells when the unit is available, greatly increasing the value of surviving mercenaries in a late-game force. Spanish players can build unusually high attack through a combination of Missionaries, Unction and available attack improvements from allies and the Bhakti Temple; the source describes a maximum melee attack of 281.93 under a specific combination of twelve Japanese-allied Missionaries and all listed improvements. That is a specialized ceiling rather than an ordinary match expectation. The practical advice is to use bonuses that are actually accessible in the chosen game and protect the Hackapells long enough to benefit from them.
Counterplay and resource commitment
Artillery and anti-Cavalry Infantry are natural answers to a cavalry unit that must approach to deal its strongest damage. Keep Hackapells moving until a target is exposed, then attack from more than one direction so the opponent cannot easily focus fire. Their 30% ranged resistance softens some ranged damage but does not compensate for low hit points under sustained fire. A 300-Coin purchase and 50-second training time make losses costly, especially if the force is being recruited from a limited mercenary pool. Build the rest of the army to handle counters rather than paying for more Hackapells after every unfavorable engagement. When the unit is available only through a campaign or map-specific roster, preserve it even more carefully because replacement may not be possible.
Recruitment depends on the mercenary pool
In the original game, a Tavern or civilization-equivalent mercenary building may offer Hackapells when the map's Fortress Age roster includes them. Europeans use Taverns, Asians Monasteries, Americans Saloons, Africans Palaces and Italians Lombards. The building alone does not guarantee access on every map. In Definitive Edition, this availability is further restricted because Harquebusiers replace Hackapells in the ordinary mercenary selection; campaigns and selected maps can still use the original unit. Check the scenario roster before planning a shipment or spending resources on a mercenary strategy. This distinction matters in a normal skirmish, where a player may need to choose a different cavalry unit, and in a historical scenario, where Hackapells may be deliberately provided.
Protect the retreat after a raid
The safest attack pattern is a short raid with a planned exit. Approach from a side away from the main army, strike the Villagers or a damaged unit, then retreat as soon as anti-Cavalry troops arrive. The Hackapell's speed 6.75 helps it leave many infantry formations, but ranged Cavalry and fast defenders can still pursue it. Avoid entering a narrow gap where the group can be trapped, and do not turn a successful raid into a fight under defensive structures. If the opponent is not exposing a valuable target, keep the Hackapells with the main Cavalry group and wait for the enemy to split its forces.
Heavy mercenary cavalry for raids
Hackapells can strike with great force but have low hit points compared with many other cavalry units. They are best used to raid Villagers rather than form the front line of a large battle; two successful strikes can kill an ordinary Villager or Coureur in the documented profile. Their speed helps them reach exposed workers and withdraw, but a Town Center or anti-Cavalry screen can destroy them quickly.
Do not trade them into a prepared army
Use Hackapells like Hussars: approach from a flank, attack a resource line and retreat before the opponent’s army responds. Their mercenary cost makes losses expensive, and their low durability makes prolonged combat unfavorable. Check the mercenary camp or shipment access and population cost before building a strategy around them. Pair them with a durable main force that can hold the opponent’s attention while the Hackapells raid.