Line Infantry
Line Infantry is Heavy infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Fortress Age; obtained through Trading Post or Tambo on a House of Habsburg palace, Native Embassy. Its listed ability is Combat Promotion.
Recorded values
- Available
- Fortress Age · Trading Post or Tambo on a House of Habsburg palace; Native Embassy
- Training
- 35 sec · 12 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 140 hit points · 10% ranged resistance · 4.25 speed · 19 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 11 damage · 1.0 attack interval · bonuses: 3.0x vs. Cavalry; 2.25x vs. Shock troops
- Ranged attack
- 21 damage · 13 range · 2.7 attack interval
- Siege attack
- 17 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
- Ability
- Combat Promotion
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Trading Post or Tambo on a House of Habsburg palace or Native Embassy. It has 140 hit points and 10% ranged resistance. It moves at 4.25 speed. Training costs 60 Food and 55 Coin; it takes 35 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 11 damage. Ranged attack deals 21 damage. Siege attack deals 17 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 3.0× against Cavalry and 2.25× against Shock troops. Special ability or role: Combat Promotion.
Matchup & timing
Keep Line Infantry in the firing line until cavalry threatens, then use its hand attack, which gains 3× against Cavalry and 2.25× against Shock troops. The 21-damage ranged shot reaches 13 and fires every 2.7 seconds. Combat Promotion rewards keeping the unit active through engagements; consult its stance and promotion sections before switching the entire force.
Stance controls and changing priorities
The Line Infantry’s stance is a tactical choice, not a cosmetic animation. Volley Mode gives its standard 13 range and 2.7-second firing interval. Stagger Mode extends the range to 16, letting the unit fire from farther away but slowing the cycle to 3.0 seconds. Use it while approaching or holding an open firing line where the extra reach matters. Defend Mode returns the range to 13 and fires every 3.0 seconds, while adding 10 percentage points of hand, ranged and siege resistance. This is the safer stance when the formation is under pressure or needs to hold ground. Stand Ground changes the weapon profile: it attacks at range 12 every 2.0 seconds for 13 damage that ignores resistance. That damage is not reduced by siege resistance despite using the siege-damage icon. It can be useful when ordinary shots are being mitigated, but the shorter range and different attack behavior make it a situational choice. Recheck stances after moving or selecting a mixed group; the wrong mode can leave the Line Infantry with less range or protection than the fight requires.
Combat Promotion and preserving veterans
Combat Promotion is earned by defeating enemy military units and can advance the Line Infantry through Bronze, Silver and Gold ranks, up to three promotions. Bronze grants +20% hit points and damage, Silver +30%, and Gold +45% to those base values. The bonus rewards keeping experienced units alive: a promoted group can contribute more than a freshly trained group of the same size. These ranks are separate from the unit’s starting Veteran upgrade and later Royal Guard or Imperial status. A promotion does not change its role or make it invulnerable to artillery and light infantry. Rotate damaged units to the back of the formation, use Defend Mode when expecting concentrated fire, and avoid trading promoted troops for an unprotected siege attempt. Cards and upgrades that affect Musketeer-type hit points or damage, including Flint Lock and Socket Bayonet, can further improve the unit where available.
Starting profile and matchup logic
The standard profile costs 60 Food and 55 Coin, trains in 35 seconds, occupies one population and has a limit of 15 per House of Habsburg palace. It begins with 140 hit points, 10% ranged resistance, speed 4.25 and line of sight 19. Its ranged attack deals 21 damage at range 13 every 2.7 seconds; the melee attack deals 11 and has a 3.0 multiplier against cavalry and 2.25 against shock troops. That bonus makes it a flexible defense against a cavalry dive, but the unit’s modest base health and damage compared with ordinary Musketeers mean it should not be mistaken for a mass-produced frontline. Its 17 siege damage is useful for incidental pressure, not a replacement for artillery. Use a screen and exploit the melee multiplier only when cavalry commits; against artillery, light infantry or counter-skirmishers, withdraw or bring a more suitable answer.
Availability across civilizations and modes
In Knights of the Mediterranean, the principal route is a Trading Post or Tambo placed on a House of Habsburg palace, after allying with that native site. The unit is a Fortress Age native warrior and begins at Veteran level. Germans can access a Royal Embassy route after sending Prince-Electors and choosing the Habsburg alliance; that version has a higher train limit of 23, costs one population and can reach Royal Guard. Dutch players choosing The Royalist while aging to the Imperial Age receive 17 Line Infantry. Revolutionary France can gain access through the Sister Republics random native-warrior shipment. These routes are not interchangeable: check the civilization, card or ally condition before planning production. A shipment can create a one-time force, while palace access provides local recruitment but requires a safe map position and time to train.
Upgrade path and force planning
The unit’s upgrade sequence begins at Veteran, proceeds to Royal Guard through the Fortress Age Royal Guard Habsburgs technology for 350 Wood and 350 Coin, and can reach Imperial with the applicable native-warrior upgrade for 1,500 Food and 1,500 Wood. The Royal Guard step requires Veteran and adds 40% hit points and damage; the Imperial step adds 50%. Access depends on civilization: the Capitol or equivalent age-upgrade building is not identical for every roster, and African civilizations upgrade native warriors automatically under the listed rules. Home City cards can improve availability, combat stats or train limits, but the large shared card pool varies by civilization. Compare the likely number of units you will recruit with the value of a general army card. If the palace can produce only a handful before the game ends, immediate resources or a more accessible unit may produce better results.
Practical formation use
A reliable formation uses the Line Infantry as a flexible second line: keep it close enough that the cavalry multiplier can punish a charge, but use its ranged attack against infantry while the enemy remains at a distance. Stagger Mode can extend the first volley’s reach; Defend Mode helps when the line must absorb incoming damage. Keep artillery and light infantry from firing freely by using cavalry or other mobile units to threaten them. If the opponent changes to dedicated ranged counters, avoid reinforcing a losing matchup simply because the Line Infantry has promotions. Its premium comes from combining gunpowder fire, melee anti-cavalry and promotion growth; each part still needs support from the rest of the army.
Using upgrades without overcommitting
Several civilization bonuses can alter the cost or resilience of this native unit. Spanish Corselet increases hit points but slows movement, while Mexico’s Second Guarantee raises both hit points and attack with a longer training time. Polish Leszczyński Alliances reduces cost and increases the train limit, and Germans using Tilly's Discipline pay more while gaining speed. These trade-offs can change whether a local Habsburg force is a practical supplement or a central army component. Native warrior cards may also affect combat statistics or availability, but their access differs by deck. Check the exact civilization and card before relying on an effect; a generic Musketeer upgrade does not erase the unit’s cap, population use or vulnerability to artillery.
Target selection and retreat cues
The Line Infantry’s best targets are cavalry or shock troops that have entered its melee range, and infantry that can be safely engaged with the ranged weapon. Its 3.0 cavalry multiplier and 2.25 shock multiplier make a prepared stance switch valuable, but the unit is still heavy infantry and can be countered by light infantry, counter-skirmishers and artillery. Do not chase skirmishers across open ground or keep firing at guns while their escort attacks. Move back toward a screen, use the increased range of Stagger Mode to continue contributing when safe, and switch to Defend Mode if the formation must survive a push. Its value comes from adapting to the engagement, not from winning every unit matchup alone.
A compact decision rule
Use the Line Infantry when Habsburg access is available and the army benefits from a capped, promotion-capable gunpowder unit. Its best value comes from the combination of a ranged volley, a cavalry multiplier in melee and the ability to change stance as the fight changes. It is less attractive as the only frontline because its roster is limited and dedicated light infantry or artillery can exploit its heavy-infantry class. Keep the unit with a mixed force, build only to the number the palace and population can support, and preserve promoted troops when the opponent’s counter units arrive.
House of Habsburg musket Infantry
Line Infantry are Fortress Age ranged Infantry available through a House of Habsburg palace. They cost 60 Food and 55 Coin, take 35 seconds to train and are limited to 15 per palace. Each has 140 hit points, 10% ranged resistance, speed 4.25 and sight 19. The ranged attack deals 21 damage at range 13 every 2.7 seconds, while the 11-damage hand attack has a 3× bonus against Cavalry and 2.25× against Shock troops. The unit’s role resembles a musket line: it can fire at Infantry and defend itself when Cavalry closes. The palace or Native Embassy route is distinct from standard Barracks production, and the settlement limit constrains replacement.
Combat Promotion and formation support
Line Infantry have Combat Promotion, which lets the Habsburg force benefit from promotion access where available. Keep the line in front of Skirmishers and artillery, but do not allow the 140-hit-point units to absorb every attack. Their 13 range supports focus fire on approaching targets, and their hand bonuses discourage Cavalry charges. Use supporting ranged Infantry against heavy foot troops and artillery against enemy structures. A limit of 15 per House of Habsburg palace encourages a measured unit group rather than an unlimited musket mass. Protect the Trading Post or Tambo that provides access, and check whether the army has already committed to a different Habsburg alliance before building a plan around these troops.