Levied Gunner
Levied Gunner is Africans Heavy infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Commerce Age; obtained through Palace, Battle Canoe.
Recorded values
- Cost
- 90 Influence
- Available
- Commerce Age · Palace; Battle Canoe
- Training
- 5 sec · 1 population
- Durability & mobility
- 150 hit points · 20% hand resistance · 4.0 speed · 15 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 13 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 3.0x vs. Cavalry; 2.25x vs. Shock troops; 2.0x vs. Siege unit; 0.25x vs. Villager
- Ranged attack
- 23 damage · 12 range · 3.0 attack interval · bonuses: 2.0x vs. Siege unit; 0.25x vs. Villager
- Siege attack
- 4 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Palace or Battle Canoe. It has 150 hit points. It moves at 4.0 speed and uses 1 population. Training costs 90 Influence; it takes 5 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 13 damage. Ranged attack deals 23 damage. Siege attack deals 4 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 3.0× against Cavalry, 2.25× against Shock troops, 2.0× against Siege unit, and 0.25× against Villager. Ranged attack bonuses: 2.0× against Siege unit and 0.25× against Villager. Special ability or role: Loses 2% of maximum hit points over time until left with only 1 HP.
Matchup & timing
Hand attack is especially effective against Cavalry (3×), Shock troops (2.25×), Siege unit (2×). Ranged attack is especially effective against Siege unit (2×). Its reduced multipliers against Villager (0.25×) make it less suitable for those targets. Use ranged fire to focus Siege unit before they can close; hold the melee attack for Cavalry, Shock troops, and Siege unit when they enter contact. Keep a frontline between this unit and threats that can reach it safely.
Influence cost and ongoing health loss
The Levied Gunner is African heavy infantry available in the Commerce Age through the Palace or Battle Canoe. It costs 90 Influence, takes five seconds to call and occupies one population. Its 150 hit points and 20% hand resistance support a short-lived combat role, but it loses two percent of its maximum hit points over time until only one hit point remains. This decay makes the unit a temporary levy: send it into a fight promptly instead of leaving it idle while its health drains. It has a 23-damage ranged attack at range 12 with a three-second interval, and its ranged siege bonus is twice normal against Siege units; it also has a 13-damage hand attack with large multipliers against Cavalry and Shock troops. Against Villagers its damage is heavily reduced. The fast Palace access can add a burst of specialized defense or pressure, but the Influence expenditure should be compared with other African uses of that resource. Keep the Gunners under command, target the classes their attacks counter and do not rely on them to hold a long frontline as their health steadily declines.
When to spend Influence
The five-second call time means a Palace can add Gunners quickly when the army needs a response, but each order spends Influence that could serve other African mechanics. Account for that opportunity cost before queuing a large group. Because the unit’s health decays while it waits, train or levy it near the moment it can join combat, and keep the force moving toward a useful target. The gunner’s bonuses are strongest when the enemy presents the listed counter classes; against ordinary Villagers or an unsupported mixed army, the expense and short lifespan may not pay off.
Use the levy before its health expires
The five-second call time is what makes a Levied Gunner useful in an emergency: it can reinforce a Town Center quickly, but the 90 Influence cost competes with African technologies, mercenaries and Native warriors. Its 23 ranged damage at range 12 is effective against cavalry, shock troops and siege units because of its listed multipliers, while its 13 hand damage is a fallback if the enemy closes. The unit loses two percent of maximum hit points over time until only one remains, so gather a group and move it directly to the fight. Mass Levies removes this decay, changing the unit from a temporary response into an army that can travel and remain useful. It does not solve the weak siege attack or the vulnerability to Light Infantry, counter-skirmishers and artillery; screen it accordingly. A garrisoned Levied Gunner does not suffer the health loss, which can preserve a reserve during transport.