Lakota War Chief
Lakota War Chief is Lakota hero in Age of Empires III. Its listed ability is Claims treasures; Builds Town Centers and Trading Posts; Trains Native Scouts; Stealth mode (with the "Heyoka" card).
Recorded values
- Cost
- 200 Coin
- Training
- 20 sec
- Durability & mobility
- 500 hit points · 10% ranged resistance · 7.76 speed · 18 line of sight
- Siege attack
- 15 base damage · range 6 · attack interval 3.0
- Hand attack
- 6 base damage · attack interval 1.5 · area of effect 2 · bonus damage: 3.0x vs. Treasure guardian; 0.5x vs. Hero; 0.25x vs. Villager
- Berserk attack
- 750 base damage · attack interval 3.0 · bonus damage: 0.25x vs. Beast of Gévaudan, 16
- Swashbuckler attack
- 50 base damage · attack interval 2.0 · area of effect 3 · bonus damage: 0.25x vs. Villager; 0.1x vs. MercType2 · requires Counting Coup card
- Ability
- Claims treasures; Builds Town Centers and Trading Posts; Trains Native Scouts; Stealth mode (with the "Heyoka" card)
Role, availability & values
It has 500 hit points and 10% ranged resistance. It moves at 7.76 speed. Training costs 200 Coin; it takes 20 seconds to train. Attack profile: Siege attack: 15 damage at range 6; every 3.0 seconds. Hand attack: 6 damage; every 1.5 seconds; area of effect 2. Berserk attack: 750 damage; every 3.0 seconds. Swashbuckler attack: 50 damage; every 2.0 seconds; area of effect 3. Special ability or role: Claims treasures; Builds Town Centers and Trading Posts; Trains Native Scouts; Stealth mode (with the "Heyoka" card).
Matchup & timing
Use the hero to reveal the map, defeat manageable Treasure guardians and claim nearby Treasures; avoid trading the hero’s health for a reward guarded by a force it cannot beat. A Trading Post ability turns the hero into an early map-control tool; scout the route first and build where the site can be defended. Use the Town Center ability to establish expansion only after scouting a safe location and enough nearby resources. Use its training ability when Native Scouts are needed; keep the hero safe while units are being produced.
Hero profile and support aura
The Lakota War Chief is a cavalry hero available in The WarChiefs and starts with the Lakota in standard random map games. Definitive Edition lists 500 hit points, 10 percent ranged resistance, speed 7.76, and a limit of one. The hero costs 200 Coin and trains in 20 seconds if the scenario or game mode allows production. Its support aura affects friendly units within a radius of 24, increasing their speed by 10 percent in the current profile. The Blotáhunka Home City Card adds 10 percent attack, and the Ogle Tanka Un card adds 10 percent siege attack in Definitive Edition. These bonuses make the Chief a mobile army support unit as well as an explorer. Keep the army close enough to benefit from the aura, but do not let the hero lead into a concentrated counter force merely because it is the fastest War Chief.
Exploration and special abilities
The War Chief can claim Treasures, build Town Centers and Trading Posts, train Native Scouts, and detect Stealth units. Its Recruit Guardian ability converts a human Treasure guardian after a four second process and has a 90 second cooldown. With the Counting Coup card, Swashbuckler Attack deals 50 damage in a radius of three, with reduced damage to Villagers and MercType2 units. Berserk Attack deals 750 damage to Treasure guardians in one blow and has a 55 second cooldown. Recruit Guardian, Swashbuckler Attack, and Berserk Attack share cooldowns, so using one ability delays access to the others. Choose the ability for the immediate situation: recruit a useful guardian, clear a treasure quickly, or damage a group near the Chief. The conversion effect only applies to human guardians in Definitive Edition, unlike the broader original behavior.
Survivability and rescue
Like other explorer type heroes, the Lakota War Chief collapses rather than dying when its hit points reach zero. It remains incapacitated until rescued or until the scenario ends. A friendly unit or building can rescue it after it regenerates at least 100 hit points, and the War Chief Ceremony at the Community Plaza can also return it without requiring a unit to reach the fallen hero. The ceremony needs Villagers to dance for at least ten seconds. Passive regeneration restores 0.25 percent of maximum hit points per second after 3.5 seconds idle. This lets the player recover after a short retreat, but it is not fast enough to justify leaving the hero in danger. Withdraw when its health drops, let the regeneration begin, and avoid leaving the fallen hero in an enemy controlled area where rescue is impossible.
Age upgrades and version changes
The War Chief receives automatic improvements as the civilization advances. Commerce Age adds 50 percent hit points and damage, and Definitive Edition also adds 20 percent ranged resistance at that point. Later Age upgrades continue to improve durability and attack, culminating in large Imperial Age bonuses. The unit was called Sioux War Chief before Definitive Edition, when its speed aura was 20 percent; the DE version initially had a 15 percent aura, then update 20322 reduced it to 10 percent. The original Nature Friendship ability converted both human and nonhuman guardians, while Recruit Guardian in Definitive Edition is limited to human guardians. These differences change the safest use of the hero and should be kept separate when reading older strategies. Current cards also divide the aura's attack and siege benefits among named upgrades.
Using the hero with the Lakota army
The War Chief's aura is most valuable when the army moves as a group. Use it to help cavalry reposition, chase a retreating force, or disengage from a dangerous fight. A Lakota army has many mounted units, so the speed bonus can help maintain pressure, but the hero should remain near enough to support rather than sprint far ahead. Place Trading Posts or Town Centers with the Chief when the site is scouted and safe. Keep it near the army while claiming Treasures, since the unit can detect Stealth and improve the return from exploration. If the opponent has a strong ranged screen, use the Chief's abilities carefully and let the army create an opening before the hero approaches.
Safe ability use and shared cooldowns
Because the three active abilities share cooldowns, use them as a sequence rather than pressing whichever becomes available first. Recruit Guardian is useful when a human guardian has a strong combat role or when capturing it removes defenders from a nearby Treasure. Swashbuckler Attack is better when several enemy units are within its radius and the Chief can survive the approach. Berserk Attack clears a Treasure guardian instantly, but spending the shared cooldown on it means the conversion or area attack is unavailable for a time. Before using an ability, check the nearby army and the next objective. The Chief can also build a Town Center or Trading Post, but construction leaves it in a fixed place and may draw enemy attention. Build only after scouting the site, and keep a rescue force available if a counterattack arrives. Its passive health regeneration starts only after it has been idle for 3.5 seconds, so a brief pause between attacks can help it recover.
Aura formation and army movement
The aura applies to nearby units, so the Chief should travel with the formation rather than remain at the Town Center. When the army splits to raid and defend, decide which group gains the most from its speed and keep the hero there. Avoid moving so quickly that the slower infantry cannot benefit; the aura helps a coordinated group, not units already spread across the map.
Speed aura and Lakota army coordination
The Lakota War Chief provides a speed aura to friendly units within a radius of 24, helping the army reposition and choose engagements. The Blotáhunka Home City Card adds a 10% attack bonus to the aura, and the Definitive Edition Ogle Tanka Un card also adds 10% siege attack. These bonuses can affect the whole force around the Chief, so keep him close enough to the army to share the benefit.
Protect the hero and use the aura deliberately
A speed aura helps Lakota units chase, disengage and move between fronts, but the War Chief should not lead an unsupported charge. Escort him with the army and use his mobility to keep the formation together. If a card strengthens attack or siege, time the push around the completed shipment and position units within the aura. His hero abilities and card effects differ from other civilization leaders, so use the Lakota-specific profile rather than generic Warchief rules.