Nootka War Chief
Nootka War Chief is a Nootka alliance hero who can claim Treasures and build Trading Posts. Its area melee attacks and map-control abilities make it useful beyond a standard frontline unit.
Recorded values
- Available
- Commerce Age · Trading Post or Tambo on a Nootka settlement; Native Embassy; Hero
- Training
- 10 sec · 30 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 400 hit points · 40% ranged resistance · 5.0 speed · 12 line of sight
- Siege attack
- 60 base damage · range 6 · attack interval 3.0
- Hand attack
- 24 base damage · attack interval 1.5 · area of effect 4 · bonus damage: 2.0x vs. Cavalry; 1.5x vs. Shock troops
- Swashbuckler attack
- 36 base damage · attack interval 2.0 · area of effect 2 · bonus damage: 2.0x vs. Guardian; 2.0x vs. Cavalry; 1.5x vs. Shock troops
- Ability
- Claims treasures; Builds Trading Posts
Role, availability & values
The War Chief is accessed through a Nootka settlement or Native Embassy. Its recorded profile includes 40% ranged resistance, a wide-area hand attack and a stronger Swashbuckler attack. It can perform Explorer-style map tasks while contributing to combat.
Matchup & timing
Use it to secure a safe Treasure or Trading Post site, then keep it with troops that can protect its approach. Its construction ability makes it valuable on the map, so avoid trading the hero away in an unsupported fight.
Role and recruitment
The Nootka War Chief is a Commerce Age heavy infantry native warrior, recruited by a hero after researching Loyal Nootka War Chief at a Nootka settlement. It costs 200 Food and 100 Wood, trains in only 10 seconds and is limited to one per Nootka settlement. Its current profile has 400 hit points, 40% ranged resistance, speed 5.0 and line of sight 12. It is not technically a Hero, despite being called by the Explorer or another hero and using several hero-like abilities. It can claim Treasures, build Trading Posts and see stealth, which makes it useful for exploration as well as combat. It consumes resources and has a strict settlement cap, so its value comes from a powerful specialized unit rather than mass production.
Attacks and combat statistics
The normal hand attack deals 24 damage every 1.5 seconds, with a 2× multiplier against cavalry and 1.5× against shock troops. It has an area effect of 4, allowing it to hit nearby targets. The siege attack deals 60 damage at range 6 every three seconds, making the War Chief a serious threat to Outposts, military buildings and Town Centers. Its charged Swashbuckler attack deals 36 damage every two seconds, has an area effect of 2 and doubles damage against Treasure Guardians and cavalry while applying the 1.5× shock troop bonus. The ability recharges in 90 seconds. These attacks are all melee or siege-range options; the unit has no ranged weapon and can be damaged while closing against ranged infantry.
Special abilities and hero support
The War Chief can recruit a guardian through its hero-style Recruit Guardian ability, use Swashbuckler Attack and regenerate health. The Explorer, War Chief or Monk that calls it can use the unit to help clear Treasures and scout, but the limited number of War Chiefs makes it costly to lose one carelessly. The Treasure Guardian bonus on Swashbuckler makes the charged strike especially useful when a guarded reward is worth claiming. Regeneration helps it recover between fights, but it does not restore health safely while enemy ranged units continue firing. Keep the calling hero close enough to support the unit and return to a safe area after a battle.
Strengths and counters
The War Chief excels against cavalry, shock troops and buildings. Its 40% ranged resistance and 400 hit points let it approach defenses more safely than many melee units, while the siege attack can break an exposed Outpost or production building. It is weak against light infantry, counter-skirmishers and artillery. Skirmishers can deal damage at range while avoiding the War Chief’s attack, and artillery can punish its slow approach. Protect it with ranged infantry or cavalry that can remove those counters. Do not send it alone through a defended base simply because it has high health; concentrated fire still overwhelms a single capped unit.
Fast retraining and building pressure
The 10-second train time allows a hero to replace a lost War Chief quickly if the settlement remains controlled and the player can pay the 200 Food and 100 Wood. This makes it possible to renew pressure after a failed raid, especially when infantry train-time improvements apply. Use that fast replacement to threaten buildings, not to feed the unit repeatedly into the same counter. An exposed Town Center or Outpost is a favorable target; a fortified base with Skirmishers and artillery is not. Keep the Nootka site safe so the short queue remains available, and use the War Chief’s high siege damage to force the opponent to defend important structures.
Civilization-specific synergies
Some civilizations can greatly improve the War Chief through bonuses that affect native warriors, hand infantry or healing. Spanish Unction can raise its damage, especially when combined with applicable infantry cards. Japanese players can benefit from The Shogunate, Onin War and Daimyo support. Lakota players can use Community Plaza ceremonies to increase siege output, with the source describing a large bonus under a full Charging Ceremony. These are civilization-specific combinations and do not describe the base unit. The strength of each interaction depends on cards, technologies and the game version, so do not apply the highest synergy figure to every Nootka War Chief.
Native upgrades and version notes
Nootka Warrior Societies upgrades the unit to Elite in the Fortress Age; the current listed cost is 100 Wood and 75 Coin and it adds 25% hit points and damage. Champion Nootka requires the prior upgrade and costs 400 Wood and 300 Coin, granting 35% more hit points and damage. Legendary Native Warriors in the Imperial Age costs 1,500 Food and 1,500 Wood and gives 50% more hit points and damage. Earlier versions had higher upgrade costs and shorter lists of abilities or different training time. The current Definitive Edition profile lists a 10-second train time and 30 XP for training or defeat; earlier versions showed 20 seconds and 20 XP.
Practical engagement plan
Use the War Chief as a mobile siege threat and treasure helper. Scout with the Explorer, clear guardians with the Swashbuckler attack, and claim valuable rewards only when the surrounding army can protect the hero and unit. In battles, send it after enemy cavalry or shock troops while allied ranged units remove Skirmishers and artillery. When no favorable target is present, attack a building that forces the opponent to respond. Its speed and regeneration help it reposition, but it is not a replacement for an army: its one-per-settlement limit and melee-only attacks reward deliberate timing.
Production access matters
The player needs a Nootka settlement and the Loyal Nootka War Chief technology before the hero can call this unit. A Trading Post or Tambo investment therefore unlocks both the research and recruitment path. If the site is contested, protect the builders and research structure first. A Treasure that provides a War Chief is an exception tied to that map or scenario and does not grant ordinary access elsewhere.
Building and exploration utility
The War Chief can claim Treasures and construct Trading Posts, so it can contribute to map control between battles. Use its 12 line of sight to accompany an Explorer or scout a route, and rely on the Explorer to handle the settlement’s research and calling requirements. The War Chief sees stealth in the current profile, which can reveal hidden units nearby. These abilities make it more versatile than a simple heavy infantry unit, but its 40% ranged resistance is not a substitute for vision or a supporting army.
Commit only to favorable targets
Its area hand attack and charged strike punish cavalry and shock troops, while the siege attack threatens structures. Keep light infantry and artillery away with allied counters, then use regeneration to recover after the fight.
Ability timing
Save Swashbuckler Attack for a cluster of cavalry, shock troops or Treasure Guardians. The 90-second cooldown makes it a once-per-engagement tool in many fights, and it should not be wasted on a low-value target. Use the normal area attack to hold the line between charges.
Protect the settlement
The one-unit cap makes the Nootka site important. Keep its Trading Post or Tambo safe so a lost War Chief can be called again.
Choose the right role
Its high siege and resistances support a decisive push, but it remains a melee unit. Avoid counters and use allied ranged fire.
Recruitment summary
Research Loyal Nootka War Chief, keep the settlement under control and call the unit when its anti-cavalry or siege role is needed.
Survive the approach
Use its ranged resistance to close carefully, but retreat from massed Skirmishers or artillery.
Normal strike, Swashbuckler and cooldown
The War Chief’s normal hand attack deals 24 damage every 1.5 seconds in an area of four; before resistance, its multipliers raise that to 48 against Cavalry and 36 against Shock Troops. Swashbuckler Attack deals 36 every two seconds in an area of two, reaching 72 against a Guardian or Cavalry and 54 against Shock Troops. It recharges in 90 seconds, so save it for a clustered, valuable engagement instead of spending it on one weak target. The larger normal-attack area can keep several nearby enemies under pressure, while Swashbuckler trades some area coverage for a heavier strike and its Guardian bonus. Its separate siege attack is 60 damage at range six every three seconds, giving the War Chief a building-pressure option when the melee army has cleared nearby counters. These are nominal values before enemy resistance and upgrades.
Alliance hero and map construction
The Nootka War Chief is a hero available through a Nootka settlement or Native Embassy. He can claim Treasures and build Trading Posts, giving him both combat and early map-control functions. His 400 hit points and 40% ranged resistance let him explore alongside an army, while area hand attacks and the stronger Swashbuckler profile can punish close groups. Scout before building a post and keep nearby troops ready if the settlement is contested. The War Chief’s construction value makes him more useful alive than in an unsupported frontline trade.
Treasure and formation use
A Nootka alliance costs 200 Food and 100 Wood in the recorded profile, and the hero takes 10 seconds to train. Use the hero to scout a route, defeat only manageable guardians and establish a Trading Post where the alliance can be defended. His area attacks are strongest when enemies are clustered, but concentrated damage can still overwhelm the hero. Pair him with the player’s main units and retreat when the opponent brings a larger force. The Nootka roster and access depend on the map, so confirm the settlement before committing resources.