Leonardo's Tank
Leonardo’s Tank is an Italian multi-cannon artillery unit in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition — Knights of the Mediterranean. It is awarded once per game when the Italians reach the Imperial Age after sending the Advanced Politicians Home City Card; it is not a cheat summon despite its Scenario Editor classification.
Recorded values
- Available
- Exploration Age* · Town Center *
- Training
- 45 sec · 300 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 3,500 hit points · 50% hand resistance · 50% ranged resistance · 5.25 speed · 30 line of sight
- Bombard attack
- 300 base damage · range 18 · attack interval 2.0 · area of effect 4 · bonus damage: 2.0x vs. Building; 0.75x vs. Cavalry; 0.34x vs. Artillery; 0.34x vs. Arrow Knight, 16
- Heliocentric attack
- 300 (6) base damage · range 26 · attack interval 4.0 · area of effect 4 · bonus damage: Same as bombard attack
- Toccata attack
- 300 (7) base damage · range 26 · attack interval 4.0 · area of effect 4 · bonus damage: Same as bombard attack
- Ability
- Claims treasures
Role, availability & values
Its recorded profile lists 3,500 hit points, 50% hand, ranged and siege resistance, and 5.25 speed. The Tank has a range-18 Bombard attack and two range-26 attacks: Heliocentric and Toccata. Each deals 300 base damage with a four-area effect; the special attacks have a ten-second cooldown. The Bombard attack fires every two seconds and has a 2× building multiplier. Its one-per-game reward condition is separate from ordinary Town Center production.
Matchup & timing
Plan the Advanced Politicians card before the Imperial Age transition if the Tank is part of the intended late-game push. Since the reward is one per game, preserve it and use its mobility and long-range splash against a valuable target group or structure. Screen it from cavalry and artillery counters; its large hit-point pool does not remove the need for support.
Imperial reward, not an Exploration Age purchase
The unit’s structured data includes an Exploration Age and Town Center marker, but its article description states that Italians receive the Tank as an age-up reward after sending Advanced Politicians and advancing to the Imperial Age. The reward can be received once per game. Treat the latter scenario and card condition as the access rule; do not plan to train or buy it from a Town Center.
The special access condition still applies
Its recorded Town Center profile lists 1,500 Wood, 1,500 Coin and a 45-second time, alongside the Italian Imperial Age reward condition. Keep the distinction clear when planning: the Advanced Politicians card and Imperial Age transition unlock the once-per-game Tank; these figures belong to its special production record and do not imply that other civilizations can add it to a normal artillery queue.
Long-range specials and target bonuses
The Tank’s three attacks share the Bombard attack’s target multipliers: double damage against Buildings, three-quarter damage against Cavalry, and 0.34× damage against Artillery and Arrow Knight. Heliocentric and Toccata each have range 26, a four-area effect and a ten-second cooldown, while the ordinary Bombard shot has range 18 and fires every two seconds. The longer reach does not remove the cooldown, so use the special attacks when their area and target type justify waiting. The profile also lists Claims Treasures as an ability; that is separate from its Imperial Age reward and attack cycle. Italians receive the Tank once per game after sending Advanced Politicians and reaching the Imperial Age, so its role is a single supported late-game artillery piece rather than a repeatable production line.
A single late-game siege piece with an unusual attack cycle
The Tank is a unique artillery reward rather than a unit that can be replaced through ordinary production. It occupies no population space in its normal profile and has seven cannon positions around its body, allowing it to fire in any direction without turning to face each target. Its 3,500 hit points, 50% hand, ranged and siege resistance, and 5.25 speed make it unusually durable and mobile for artillery. Those strengths do not make its attacks universally efficient: the Bombard shot is its rapid option, while Heliocentric and Toccata are longer-range abilities with ten-second cooldowns. The special attacks each release multiple projectiles, so reserve them for a group or high-value target rather than spending both on a low-value isolated unit.
Target selection and counterplay
The unit is strongest when it can exploit its area damage against Infantry, ships or Buildings. It does not have an Infantry damage multiplier, and its standard Bombard profile is less specialized against structures than dedicated siege weapons. Cavalry can close the distance quickly, while Culverins and Arrow Knights threaten artillery at range; Huaracas are another listed weakness. Keep friendly units between those counters and the Tank, and use its mobility to change position before the opponent can focus it. Its resistance and health can absorb pressure, but should not be read as immunity to concentrated fire. The Tank can collect Treasures like an Explorer or Villager, a useful ability when it is already moving through a cleared area; do not send the one-per-game reward alone into guardians or an enemy front just to claim a minor prize.
Improvements and version-specific details
The Italian profile can benefit from several listed improvements: Professional Gunners adds 10% hit points, Tar Kilns adds 5%, Smokeless Powder adds 5% attack and Heated Shot adds a 1.5 multiplier against ships. Trunion increases speed by 15%, Apache Endurance by 5%, Gunner’s Quadrant adds six Line of Sight and Town Watch adds three. Somali Ajuran Engineers supplies a 20% multiplier against Frontier fortifications. These are separate card or technology effects, and the relevant civilization or target condition still applies. Definitive Edition updates also changed the special attacks: the Knights of the Mediterranean profile records 100 damage over an area of three, while The Baltic Powers update records 300 damage over an area of four. Use the profile matching the installed version instead of combining the older damage with the later area values.
Do not confuse the Italian reward with the cheat summon
The regular Leonardo’s Tank is obtained by the Italians through Advanced Politicians and the Imperial Age-up reward. A separate cheat version can be summoned with the Age of Empires III cheat code “venividivinci”; it has 5,000 hit points, 75% resistance to hand, ranged and siege damage, faster movement, and a much stronger attack profile. Cheat-only values do not describe the Italian reward. This difference also explains why the Scenario Editor and cheat references can show statistics that do not match the normal unit page: they refer to a separate, deliberately enhanced object.