Napoleon Gun
Napoleon Gun is artillery in Age of Empires III, available from the Fortress Age; obtained through Tavern (Europeans), Saloon (Federal Americans), Monastery (Asians), Palace (Africans), Lombard (Italians).
Recorded values
- Cost
- 475 Coin
- Available
- Fortress Age · Tavern (Europeans) ; Saloon (Federal Americans) ; Monastery (Asians) ; Palace (Africans) ; Lombard (Italians)
- Training
- 45 sec · 4 population · 45 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 230 hit points · 50% ranged resistance · 4.0 speed · 28 line of sight
- Bombard attack
- 75 base damage · range 11.5-23 · attack interval 3.0 · area of effect 2 · bonus damage: 3.0x vs. Infantry; 2.0x vs. Ship; 0.5x vs. Arrow Knight, 16
- Case shot attack
- 7.5 (7) base damage · range 11.5 · attack interval 3.0 · area of effect 3 · bonus damage: 0.5x vs. Cavalry; 0.5x vs. Shock troops
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Tavern (Europeans), Saloon (Federal Americans), Monastery (Asians), Palace (Africans), or Lombard (Italians). It has 230 hit points and 50% ranged resistance. It moves at 4.0 speed and uses 4 population. Training costs 475 Coin; it takes 45 seconds to train. Attack profile: Bombard attack: 75 damage at range 11.5-23; every 3.0 seconds; area of effect 2. Case shot attack: 7.5 damage (7) at range 11.5; every 3.0 seconds; area of effect 3.
Matchup & timing
Choose the Napoleon Gun’s bombard shot for Infantry or Ships at range, and switch to Case shot when Cavalry or Shock troops reach its near edge. The bombard has 3× against Infantry; Case shot creates a radius-3 area attack at range 11.5. Protect the gun as a mercenary investment and do not keep firing the wrong mode into the current formation.
Modes, range and target choice
The Napoleon Gun is a mercenary artillery piece available in the Fortress Age for 475 Coin. It takes 45 seconds to train, uses four population and has 230 hit points, 50% ranged resistance, speed 4 and line of sight 28. Its Bombard attack deals 75 damage at a variable range of 11.5–23, with a two-point area radius and a three-second interval. Case shot is a close defense profile with a three-point area radius; it is useful when units enter the gun’s near space, but does not remove the need for a screen. The Gun’s modest range compared with a Falconet makes placement especially important: keep it behind infantry and choose a lane that lets it fire without walking into enemy cavalry. Since it costs Coin rather than Wood and Coin together, compare it with other mercenary hires and the age-up plan. It can contribute siege pressure during a Fortress Age push, but four population and a long training time mean the army needs enough frontline units to keep it firing.
Mercenary access and battlefield role
The Napoleon Gun’s production building depends on the roster: Tavern for eligible Europeans, Saloon for Federal Americans, Monastery for Asians, Palace for Africans and Lombard for Italians. A scenario may grant access through its own rules, so this list should be checked against the selected civilization. The unit is artillery, but it is not a standard Factory Heavy Cannon or a Falconet. Its 75-damage bombard shot is less powerful than a Heavy Cannon’s, while the shorter deployment and faster rate of fire can make it useful as a supporting gun. Its case shot can punish units close to the gun, but units that specialize in countering artillery can still defeat it. Move the gun with the army, deploy behind a screen, and focus fire on a valuable structure or clumped force rather than scattering shots. If the opponent fields Culverins or fast cavalry, protect or withdraw the Napoleon Gun before it is trapped. Its mercenary cost and access make it a composition choice for a timing attack rather than a default replacement for civilization artillery.
When the mercenary gun is worth its cost
The Napoleon Gun is a situational Fortress Age purchase: Coin-only cost can be convenient when the economy has surplus Coin, but it can also compete directly with mercenary infantry, age advancement and other units. Evaluate the map before hiring. On an open approach, its range and area damage can soften a compact force before your infantry engages; in a narrow passage, its three-radius shots can pressure units clustered around a defensive point. On a map where the enemy can flank freely, the gun needs a mobile screen and a retreat path. Its 4.0 speed when limbered helps it follow an army, while the 1.6 deployed speed makes movement under fire risky. Avoid advancing in firing mode just to save a short setup: the slow deployed pace can leave it exposed. Unlike the Falconet’s stronger anti-infantry bombard, the Napoleon Gun is best used for steady supporting fire and siege pressure. Use it to supplement the civilization’s core composition when Tavern, Saloon, Monastery, Palace or Lombard access is available; do not plan around it if the building or age condition is absent.
Counterplay and retreat
The Napoleon Gun is threatened most when an opponent can reach it before the next shot. Watch for cavalry and counter-artillery, keep a clear retreat route, and do not let a 475-Coin hire become an isolated target. When the enemy closes, preserve the piece and let the infantry line respond rather than forcing it to remain deployed.
Mobile Fortress Age mercenary artillery
The Napoleon Gun is a Fortress Age mercenary artillery unit available through the relevant Tavern, Saloon, Monastery, Palace or Lombard for each civilization. It costs 475 Coin, takes 45 seconds to train and uses four population. It has 230 hit points, 50% ranged resistance, speed four and sight 28. Its Bombard attack deals 75 damage at range 11.5–23 every three seconds, hits an area of two and has strong bonuses against Infantry and Ships. Case shot deals 7.5 damage at range 11.5 over an area of three, making it useful when enemy units close. The two firing modes let the gun threaten structures and formations, but it needs a screen to prevent melee units reaching it.
Choose Bombard or Case shot by distance
Use Bombard against buildings, Ships or clustered Infantry, and switch to Case shot when a group approaches within its short range. The gun’s speed four helps it reposition, but it still cannot escape fast Cavalry without an escort. A four-population cost and 475-Coin price make each Napoleon Gun an investment; add enough Infantry or Cavalry to protect it instead of committing all population to artillery. Map pool and civilization determine whether the gun can be hired, and a Tavern queue takes time before the first shot. If the enemy fields Culverins or other artillery counters, use mobility and allied siege support to remove them before setting up a firing line.