Pirate
Pirate is infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Commerce Age; obtained through Tavern (Europeans), Monastery (Asians), Lombard (Italians), Battleship (with the "Brethren of the Coast" card).
Recorded values
- Cost
- 110 Coin
- Available
- Commerce Age · Tavern (Europeans) ; Monastery (Asians) ; Lombard (Italians) ; Battleship (with the "Brethren of the Coast" card)
- Training
- 35 sec · 4 population · 22 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 185 hit points · 0% hand resistance · 20% ranged resistance · 6.25 speed · 12 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 16 damage · 1.5 attack interval
- Ranged attack
- 15 damage · 6-20 range · 2.5 attack interval · bonuses: 0.5x vs. AbstractPikeman
- Siege attack
- 32 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval · bonuses: 1.5x vs. Ship
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Tavern (Europeans), Monastery (Asians), Lombard (Italians), or Battleship (with the "Brethren of the Coast" card). It has 185 hit points and 20% ranged resistance. It moves at 6.25 speed and uses 4 population. Training costs 110 Coin; it takes 35 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 16 damage. Ranged attack deals 15 damage. Siege attack deals 32 damage. Ranged attack bonuses: 0.5× against AbstractPikeman*. Siege attack bonuses: 1.5× against Ship.
Matchup & timing
Siege attack is especially effective against Ship (1.5×). Its reduced multipliers against AbstractPikeman (0.5×) make it less suitable for those targets. Reserve the siege attack for Ship. Keep a frontline between this unit and threats that can reach it safely.
Commerce Age outlaw shock troop
The Pirate is a Commerce Age Outlaw and Shock troop available in the maps Amazonia, Caribbean, Hispaniola, New England, Orinoco, Patagonia and Saguenay. It costs 110 Coin, takes 35 seconds to train and uses four population. Its current profile has 185 hit points, 20% ranged resistance and speed 6.25. The hand attack deals 16 damage, while the 32-point siege attack deals 1.5× against Ships. With the Letter of Marque card, the Pirate also gains a ranged attack of 15 damage at range 6–20 every 2.5 seconds, dealing half damage to Pikemen. This flexible outlaw is mobile and can threaten units or coastal targets, but its high population cost limits how many can fit into a standard army.
Targets and counters
Pirates are effective against Light Infantry, counter-skirmishers and Artillery, which makes them useful for a raid or for reaching enemy guns. Heavy Infantry, Light Ranged Cavalry and Ranged Shock troops are listed counters. Use the Pirate's speed to choose an approach and strike exposed targets, rather than charging into a prepared Infantry line. The siege attack can threaten Ships, but it is not a substitute for a proper Warship when the enemy controls the water. Its 20% ranged resistance helps during the approach, but the unit has no hand resistance in the current profile and can be punished when caught in melee.
Population and resource commitment
A Pirate costs Coin but uses four population, making it an option when Coin is plentiful and Food is the more immediate limit. The Theaters Home City Card can reduce Outlaw population use by two, which makes a Pirate force much easier to fit into a full army. Without that card, a group of Pirates can displace several standard units from the population cap. Compare that trade before training a large number: the unit's speed and anti-Light Infantry role are useful, but it should complement an army rather than crowd out the frontline and anti-Cavalry support.
Map access and civilization routes
Taverns can train Pirates for Europeans, Monasteries for Asian civilizations and Lombards for Italians when the local outlaw pool includes them. The seven listed maps determine ordinary availability. Before Definitive Edition, the Spanish could train Pirates as Buccaneers from Galleons and Saloons on any map with the Spanish Gold card; that unrestricted route no longer describes the current standard profile. Lakota can receive Pirates through Outlaw Band and Bandit Gang shipments when the random outlaw pool includes them. Argentina and Maya revolutions can use those cards as well.
Haiti and the Buccaneer conversion
Revolting to Haiti changes the Pirate's role. Haitian Town Centers and Taverns begin spawning Pirates, and the Letter of Marque card upgrades them to Buccaneers with a ranged attack and stronger treasure interaction. Buccaneers gain a 3.0× bonus against Treasure Guardians and can collect treasures and enemy resource crates, improving the value of raids. The card also allows Haitian Battleships to train Pirates through Brethren of the Coast. Privateers generate a Coin trickle under Letter of Marque, tying the Pirate force to the naval fleet. This is a revolution-specific system and should not be applied to ordinary Pirates in a standard civilization.
Stats and patch history
Pirates were reworked in Definitive Edition update 13.27885: the current unit has 185 hit points, 110 Coin cost, 6.25 speed, four population and 16 hand damage, compared with a lower-health, slower, six-population profile before the update. Ranged resistance was added and the Shock troop classifications were updated. Update 23511 added the Outlaw tag, while update 14.43676 introduced the 0.5× ranged multiplier against Pikemen and update 15.30007 changed ranged attack reload. These changes affect how an older guide's build time, durability and role should be interpreted.
Letter of Marque changes the mission
The ranged attack shown in the Pirate profile requires the Letter of Marque Home City Card. Without that card, the standard Pirate fights with its hand and siege attacks. Under Haiti, the card upgrades Pirates to Buccaneers, adds ranged fire and gives them a much stronger role in treasure hunting. Buccaneers can collect treasures and enemy resource crates, and the card grants a 3.0× multiplier against Treasure Guardians. These changes reward sending them after guarded treasure sites or raiding exposed crates, but they depend on the Haitian revolution and card. An ordinary Pirate should not be assumed to have the Buccaneer's ranged attack or treasure ability.
Use the unit's speed for early pressure
Speed 6.25 allows Pirates to approach a weak flank and reach Artillery or Light Infantry before a slower force can reinforce them. Their early Commerce Age map access can create pressure before the opponent fields a complete army. Keep the group small enough to avoid an excessive population commitment, pick a target, and retreat when Heavy Infantry or ranged Cavalry arrives. If Theaters is available, the two-population reduction changes how many Pirates can fit into the army, but it does not reduce the 110-Coin training cost. A quick raid can be valuable; a prolonged battle against a counter usually is not.
Outlaw upgrades and old profiles
Compunction, Folk Heroes and Wild West allow the Pirate to receive Industrial and Imperial outlaw upgrades, with listed increases of 30% and 50% to hit points and damage. Availability depends on the civilization. The Pirate's Definitive Edition profile changed substantially in update 13.27885: it now has more hit points, higher speed and hand damage, lower population use, and ranged resistance, while its Coin cost and training time also changed. It later gained the Outlaw tag in update 23511. Use the 185-health, four-population profile for current planning rather than older values such as 175 health and six population.
Choose a recruitment route
Ordinary Pirate access depends on the map's outlaw roster and the correct production building. The Spanish Gold route from the original game allowed Spanish Pirates, called Buccaneers, to be trained from Galleons and Saloons regardless of map; it is a version-specific historical route. In Definitive Edition, Haiti provides the most reliable Pirate production through its Town Centers and Tavern after the revolution, and Brethren of the Coast adds Battleship training. These special routes make the Pirate a civilization or revolution plan in some matches rather than a unit every player can freely queue.
Retreat before counters arrive
Pirates are best used for a short strike on Light Infantry, artillery or exposed shoreline targets. Once Heavy Infantry or ranged Cavalry reaches them, withdraw and preserve the high-population Outlaw.
Outlaw Shock Infantry and population cost
The Pirate is a Shock Infantry outlaw available through applicable Saloon or outlaw options. It was reworked from an anti-Cavalry heavy infantry role to a shock-troop unit resembling the Coyote Runner, so use the correct version when comparing older guides. Pirates cost Coin and use four population in the documented profile; the Theaters Home City Card reduces that space to two. They can be attractive when Coin is plentiful and Food is needed for other production, but the high population cost limits how many can join a balanced army.
Choose targets and check the upgrade age
Use Pirates to engage targets suited to their Shock Infantry profile and protect them from units that counter melee raiders. The unit receives Industrial and Imperial Age upgrades in the documented roster, so early Pirates may lose value against a fully upgraded late-game army. Check the Saloon’s build limit and card access before planning mass production. A small group can complement ranged troops; an army made only of Pirates can be kited or countered and may leave too little population for siege and support.