Highwayman (Rider)
Highwayman (Rider) 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 Can dismount its horse to became an infantry unit in 4 seconds.
Recorded values
- Cost
- 115 Coin
- Available
- Commerce Age · Tavern (Europeans) ; Monastery (Asians) ; Lombard (Italians)
- Training
- 40 sec · 4 population · 23 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 155 hit points · 0% hand resistance · 20% ranged resistance · 7.25 speed · 20 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 6 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 3.0x vs. Heavy cavalry; 2.2x vs. Hand shock trooper; 2.0x vs. Artillery
- Ranged attack
- 16 damage · 12 range · 3.0 attack interval · bonuses: 3.0x vs. Heavy cavalry; 2.25x vs. Hand shock trooper; 2.0x vs. Artillery; 0.5x vs. Villager
- Siege attack
- 10 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
- Ability
- Can dismount its horse to became an infantry unit in 4 seconds
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Tavern (Europeans), Monastery (Asians), or Lombard (Italians). It has 155 hit points and 20% ranged resistance. It moves at 7.25 speed and uses 4 population. Training costs 115 Coin; it takes 40 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 6 damage. Ranged attack deals 16 damage. Siege attack deals 10 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 3.0× against Heavy cavalry, 2.2× against Hand shock trooper, and 2.0× against Artillery. Ranged attack bonuses: 3.0× against Heavy cavalry, 2.25× against Hand shock trooper, 2.0× against Artillery, and 0.5× against Villager. Special ability or role: Can dismount its horse to became an infantry unit in 4 seconds.
Matchup & timing
Hand attack is especially effective against Heavy cavalry (3×), Hand shock trooper (2.2×), Artillery (2×). Ranged attack is especially effective against Heavy cavalry (3×), Hand shock trooper (2.25×), Artillery (2×). Its reduced multipliers against Villager (0.5×) make it less suitable for those targets. Use ranged fire to focus Heavy cavalry, Hand shock trooper, and Artillery before they can close; hold the melee attack for Heavy cavalry, Hand shock trooper, and Artillery when they enter contact. Keep a frontline between this unit and threats that can reach it safely.
Mounted statistics and combat role
The mounted Highwayman is a Commerce Age European Outlaw from Knights of the Mediterranean. It costs 115 Coin, trains in 40 seconds, occupies four population and has 155 hit points, 20 percent ranged resistance, speed 7.25 and sight 20. Its pistol attack deals 16 damage at range 12 every three seconds. The attack is specialized: it deals three times damage to Heavy Cavalry, 2.25 times to Hand Shock troops and twice to Artillery, but only half damage to Villagers. Its six-damage hand attack has the same cavalry, shock and artillery multipliers, while its siege attack deals 10 damage at range six every three seconds. This profile makes the mounted form a dedicated counter to expensive cavalry and guns rather than a general raider. Its four-population cost is substantial for a unit with a slow pistol cadence, so concentrate fire on high-value targets and keep it away from Heavy Infantry and Light Infantry, which are listed counters. Compared with the Ruyter, the Highwayman trades attack output for somewhat more durability and speed.
Dismounting and the infantry form
A Highwayman can dismount in four seconds and become a Heavy Infantry Outlaw armed with two pistols. The dismounted form keeps 155 hit points and sight 20, but moves at speed 4.25 and changes its resistances: it has 20 percent hand resistance and no ranged resistance in the current profile. Its 12-damage pistol attack reaches 12 and fires every 1.3 seconds; its hand attack deals 15 damage every 1.5 seconds with three times damage against Cavalry and 2.4 times against Shock troops. The form also deals 20 siege damage at range six. Dismount when the fight requires a slower heavy ranged Infantry body or when the Highwayman must contribute against approaching Cavalry from a protected line. Staying mounted is usually preferable for pursuit and repositioning. The transition takes time and the unit cannot attack while changing form, so do not switch after it is already under pressure. It is trained as cavalry and must be manually dismounted; it does not begin a match as a Musketeer-like unit.
Viper Eye, Outgunning and timing
The mounted form has Viper Eye, an automatic special rifle shot triggered when attacking with a 60-second cooldown. It fires once for 36 ranged damage and reaches up to 16, giving the Highwayman an occasional burst beyond its ordinary pistol range. After dismounting, the special changes to Outgunning: both pistols fire simultaneously, also on a 60-second cooldown. These effects reward preserving the unit until a meaningful target appears rather than spending the ability on a low-value skirmish. The mounted rifle can punish a damaged Cavalry unit or contribute an opening shot against artillery, while Outgunning gives the infantry version a burst at close combat range. Neither effect removes the unit’s class weaknesses or makes it an ordinary ranged Cavalry counter to every army. Pay attention to the cooldown and the current form before committing: switching form changes the available special attack. Both abilities are automatic when attacking, so arrange target priority and firing position before contact.
Map access, Dutch card and outlaw upgrades
The Highwayman appears on selected European maps including Alps, Archipelago, Corsica and Sardinia, Courland, England, Finland, France, Ireland, Low Countries, Pyrenees, Scandinavia, Scotland, Spain and Wales. Europeans train it at a Tavern, Asian civilizations at a Monastery and Italians at a Lombard, when the map offers access. The Dutch Buckriders Home City Card ships three Highwaymen, reduces their Coin cost by 10 percent and population by one, and enables production at Stables as well as the Tavern; additional population discounts cannot reduce the unit below its two-population minimum. Lakota Outlaw Band or Bandit Gang shipments may include it in a random outlaw pool. Argentina and Maya can likewise receive it through their respective outlaw shipment pools, and Haiti can access it through Brethren of the Coast if the Tavern unit is available. Compunction, Folk Heroes or Wild West enables Industrial and Imperial improvements of 30 and 50 percent hit points and damage. Outlaws are strongest early; upgraded standard light Cavalry and Mercenaries can outscale the Highwayman later.
Choosing targets and protecting the investment
The Highwayman is most valuable when an enemy invests in Heavy Cavalry, Hand Shock troops or Artillery and the player can exploit its class multipliers. Keep the mounted squad at a distance where it can fire on those targets without being pinned by Heavy Infantry or Light Infantry. Its broad 20 sight can help reveal threats while moving with a larger force, but its high population cost means a few losses can weaken the whole army. Use an infantry screen or another Cavalry group to stop a charge, then let Highwaymen focus fire. If a fight shifts into a drawn-out ranged engagement, their 20 percent ranged resistance can help mounted units survive, whereas dismounted units instead resist hand attacks. This change makes form choice tactical: the rider is faster and better protected from ranged fire, and the foot form is slower but tougher against melee. Reassess the form before pursuing retreating units or standing to defend a position.
Survivability upgrades and upgrade access
The Highwayman’s hit points and attack can be improved by civilization technologies that affect Outlaws or cavalry, but access varies by civilization. Compunction increases the relevant outlaw statistics for Asian civilizations; Folk Heroes serves European civilizations; Wild West supports Mexicans and Native American civilizations. The unit also appears in improvement lists for general Cavalry health and attack technologies, including Cavalry Cuirass and other class bonuses where the player has access. Industrial Age research through Compunction, Folk Heroes or Wild West raises hit points and damage by 30 percent, and the Imperial Age tier raises them by 50 percent. The dismounted form changes which resistance it benefits from, so consider whether the current bonus affects its infantry or cavalry class before investing. These improvements help, but they do not erase the higher population price or the weakness to Light Infantry. Since the unit is a map-dependent Outlaw, compare its upgrade cost with a standard unit that can be trained continuously.
Campaigning across a changing battlefield
The unit is most attractive when the opponent’s early army includes heavy Cavalry or artillery and when the player has a Coin surplus. It can pressure those targets during the Commerce Age, then dismount to support a defensive musket line if the battle shifts toward a base. The mounted form’s 7.25 speed and 20 sight allow it to scout or reposition with a cavalry wing, but four population per model makes prolonged attrition expensive. Its low 16 ranged damage and three-second interval mean a large group should focus one target at a time. When the rifle ability is ready, use the opening burst on a valuable target before ordinary fire begins; do not assume it reloads on every attack. If the enemy transitions to Skirmishers or heavy ranged Infantry, withdraw or change the army composition rather than trying to brute-force the matchup. As upgrades improve standard Cavalry and Mercenaries, the Highwayman’s niche becomes its special abilities and target multipliers.
Patch changes and form comparisons
Update 13.27885 changed the Highwayman’s defensive profile and cost to field: the mounted form moved from 20 percent hand resistance and no ranged resistance to no hand resistance and 20 percent ranged resistance, and its speed fell from 7.5 to 7.25. Its population requirement dropped from five to four. The mounted pistol attack rose from 12 to 16, while the dismounted form’s hand attack rose from 12 to 15 and its Cavalry multiplier increased from two to three. These changes reinforce the distinction between the two stances. The rider is now more durable against ordinary ranged fire and more useful against Heavy Cavalry at range; the foot form resists melee and can punish Cavalry with a close attack. Older strategy notes that describe the rider as hand-resistant or assign it five population refer to an earlier patch. Compare the active game version before reusing an old build order or damage calculation.
Practical transition checklist
Before mounting or dismounting, consider three questions: which enemy class is the next target, which damage type is most likely to hit the Highwayman, and whether the unit has enough time to finish the four-second transformation. Against a Cavalry force approaching over open ground, dismounting behind a friendly line gives the unit a pike-like anti-Cavalry melee profile and pistol fire. Against guns or a retreating target, remain mounted for speed and the 16-range Viper Eye shot. If ranged Infantry is the main enemy, the rider’s ranged resistance can help it reposition, but the foot form should not stand exposed. Give the unit a clear target order, then preserve its health for the ability cooldown and expensive replacement cost. This simple form decision is often more important than adding another Highwayman.
Timing the long-range rifle shot
Viper Eye reaches 16, four range beyond the ordinary pistol attack. This makes the start of a fight a useful moment to trigger it: the Highwayman can contribute before closing to its normal range, then continue with its slower pistol volley. Since its cooldown is 60 seconds, save the shot for Artillery or a high-value Cavalry target rather than a unit that will retreat unharmed. The special does not make the Highwayman a long-range unit after the shot; reposition once it is spent.
Coin-only outlaw cavalry against mounted units
The Highwayman is an outlaw rider effective against Cavalry. It resembles a Ruyter in role but trades some attack for additional hit points and speed. As an outlaw, it costs Coin only and occupies more population than standard units, which can make it useful when Coin is abundant but Food is constrained. Access depends on the Saloon or other applicable source and its limits; it is not a universal Stable unit.
Best in the Commerce Age
Highwaymen are most valuable early, when their anti-Cavalry role can protect ranged infantry or punish an opponent’s first mounted group. Their cost and population burden become less attractive as upgraded standard cavalry and mercenaries enter the match. Use them to answer a specific mounted threat, then reassess as the opponent ages up. Avoid spending the whole army budget on outlaws: maintain ordinary production and keep enough population for infantry, artillery and Villagers.