Nizam Fusilier
Nizam Fusilier is Ottomans Heavy infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Industrial Age*; obtained through European Barracks, Fort, Galleon, American Citadel. Its listed ability is Sürat Assault.
Recorded values
- Available
- Industrial Age* · European Barracks; Fort; Galleon; American Citadel
- Training
- 50 sec · 1 population · 13 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 215 hit points · 4.25 speed · 18 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 15 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 3.0x vs. Cavalry; 2.25x vs. Shock troops
- Ranged attack
- 20 damage · 2-12 range · 3.0 attack interval · bonuses: See Unit stance modifications
- Siege attack
- 25 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
Role, availability & values
Production is available through European Barracks, Fort, Galleon, or American Citadel. It has 215 hit points. It moves at 4.25 speed and uses 1 population. Training costs 60 Food and 70 Coin; it takes 50 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 15 damage. Ranged attack deals 20 damage. Siege attack deals 25 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 3.0× against Cavalry and 2.25× against Shock troops. Ranged attack bonuses: See Unit stance modifications. Special ability or role: Sürat Assault.
Matchup & timing
Set the Nizam Fusilier’s stance for the opponent before engaging; its ranged attack changes under the stance rules and the entry lists the exact modifications. The base profile is range 2–12 with a three-second interval, while the melee attack counters Cavalry and Shock troops. Use its Sürat Assault and formation options deliberately rather than treating every attack as the same profile.
Ottoman formation infantry and current statistics
The Nizam Fusilier is a ranged heavy infantry unit available to the Ottomans in Definitive Edition after researching New Order Infantry at the Mosque. The improvement is unlocked through Palace Intrigue, and Nizams replace Janissaries in Home City shipments once the technology is active. They become trainable at the Industrial Age from Barracks, Forts, Galleons or an American Citadel. Each costs 60 Food and 70 Coin, takes 50 seconds, uses one population and is limited to twenty. Its profile has 215 hit points, 20% siege resistance, speed 4.25 and line of sight 18. The ranged attack deals 20 damage at range 2–12 every three seconds, but its bonus damage changes with the selected stance. Volley Mode adds a 2.0 multiplier against Heavy Infantry. Stagger Mode gives the bonus against Artillery and Siege units. Melee Mode enables a 3.0 Cavalry multiplier and 2.25 against Shock Troops. Defend Mode grants 2.5 against Cavalry and 1.8 against Shock Troops while retaining range 12. Stand Ground increases range to 18 but removes bonus damage. The hand attack deals 15 damage every 1.5 seconds, and siege attack deals 25 at range six every three seconds. The stance system is the unit’s central mechanic. Switch to Volley when enemy heavy infantry is the priority, Stagger against cannon, Melee when cavalry reaches the line, and Defend when the formation must maintain ranged anti-cavalry fire. Stand Ground can exploit the 18 range for scouting and pressure but sacrifices the specialized multipliers. The player should adapt stances to the actual target instead of leaving the unit in a default mode. Its 20% siege resistance reduces damage from Artillery and siege effects, but the matching ranged resistance is absent; ordinary ranged fire can therefore be more dangerous than the siege-resistance label might suggest. Sürat Assault is a charge attack that lets Nizams close distance quickly, similar in function to the Carolean charge but belonging to a different civilization and unit. Use it when the target is within the attack window and the melee formation is advantageous; do not charge into a prepared counter line merely to close distance. The unit’s range and stance bonuses make it flexible, but it still needs support against heavy melee infantry and concentrated ranged fire. New Order Infantry changes Ottoman shipment and production planning. The Mosque improvement requires resources and the Home City unlock, and Mosque Construction can reduce the cost of Mosque technologies by 50%. Once active, Janissary shipments are replaced by Nizams, so a deck built around Janissary deliveries changes composition. Nizams arrive as a hybrid skirmisher and musketeer force: they can specialize against heavy infantry or artillery at range and defend themselves against cavalry in melee. They do not replace the need for dedicated cavalry, artillery or a frontline. Balance values have changed. The unit was available from earlier ages in past updates, had different population limits and resource costs, and its hit points and multipliers were revised. Current access is Industrial Age through New Order Infantry, the limit is twenty, and the listed 215 hit points and 60 Food/70 Coin cost apply to the current profile. Use older build orders only when the cited patch matches.
Match the stance to the target
The stance bonuses do not all apply at once, so the player should change formation as the opponent changes its unit mix. Volley Mode gives the expected anti-heavy-infantry role. Stagger Mode is the answer to artillery and siege, while the longer-range Stand Ground stance can pressure an exposed target from safety when no specialized multiplier is required. Defend Mode keeps a ranged anti-cavalry option at range 12; Melee Mode is for cavalry or shock units that have already reached the Ottoman line. Make the switch before the formation is engaged, since changing stance after units have scattered can leave the wrong group exposed. Nizams have only 12 range in the specialized firing stances, so keep an escort in front while they move into position. Their 18 line of sight can reveal targets early, but does not mean every stance can attack at that distance. The 20% siege resistance helps against some damage types, yet 215 hit points can still disappear quickly under focused fire. Pair them with Janissaries or other frontline troops if the player needs a screen, and preserve artillery to break structures rather than asking Nizams to do every job.
Keep formation control in late-game fights
As an Industrial Age shipment replacement, Nizams are costly and arrive only after the Mosque improvement is researched. Their stance flexibility is most valuable in a mixed army with artillery and cavalry nearby; use it to protect the Ottoman line rather than treating the unit as a complete army. If the Home City deck depends on Janissary deliveries, account for the replacement before sending New Order Infantry.
Industrial Ottoman infantry and Sürat Assault
The Nizam Fusilier is an Ottoman heavy-infantry unit whose listed Industrial Age access and stance rules distinguish it from the standard early roster. Its 20-damage ranged attack operates at 2–12 range, while the hand attack deals 15 base damage and gains a 3× bonus against Cavalry and 2.25× against Shock troops. Sürat Assault changes the unit’s combat behavior, so check the stance or ability tooltip before judging its ranged profile. The 215 hit points give it staying power, but 4.25 speed makes it a formation unit rather than a pursuer. Keep Nizams with the army and switch to the appropriate attack when cavalry reaches the line.
Late-game production and cost
Barracks, Forts, Galleons and American Citadels are the listed access points, with availability marked Industrial Age in the profile. At 60 Food and 70 Coin, one population and a 50-second train time, Nizams are not a rapid emergency reinforcement. Establish the production route before committing to a large queue and maintain a balanced economy for replacements. Their anti-cavalry hand bonuses make them useful as a defensive line protecting artillery or ranged troops, while the ranged attack supports general formation fire. Do not assume every Nizam has the same stance values across patches or modes; check the current unit card and use the edition label when comparing older balance guides.
Age access and anti-cavalry role by version
Nizam Fusilier is an Ottoman Heavy Infantry unit whose Age access and cost have changed substantially. Its current entry is Industrial Age with a limit of 20, 60 Food and 70 Coin cost, and 50-second training time. Before update 13.27885 it was available in the Commerce Age with no listed limit, cost 90 Food and 25 Coin, and trained in 34 seconds; the limit was 15 before update 13.38085. The current unit has 215 hit points, compared with 210 before update 13.58326. Its hand attack currently has a 3.0× Cavalry bonus and 2.25× against Shock Troops; those were 2.0× and 1.5× before update 13.27885, then 2.5× and 1.8× before update 13.38085. The present 25 siege damage was 20 before update 5208. Because it is now a later-Age limited unit, older early-game Nizam strategies do not describe its current availability.