Qizilbash
Qizilbash is Heavy cavalry in Age of Empires III, available from the Commerce Age; obtained through Trading Post or Tambo on a Sufi Mosque holy site, Native Embassy.
Recorded values
- Available
- Commerce Age · Trading Post or Tambo on a Sufi Mosque holy site; Native Embassy
- Training
- 38 sec · 20 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 230 hit points · 20% ranged resistance · 6.75 speed · 15 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 18 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 2.0x vs. Infantry
- Ranged attack
- 12.5 damage · 4-12 range · 1.5 attack interval
- Siege attack
- 10 damage · 6 range · 1.5 attack interval
- Trample attack
- 12 damage · 3.75 range · 2.0 attack interval · bonuses: Same as hand attack
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Trading Post or Tambo on a Sufi Mosque holy site or Native Embassy. It has 230 hit points and 20% ranged resistance. It moves at 6.75 speed. Training costs 120 Food and 75 Wood; it takes 38 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 18 damage. Ranged attack deals 12.5 damage. Siege attack deals 10 damage. Trample attack deals 12 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 2.0× against Infantry.
Matchup & timing
Qizilbash are Commerce Age heavy cavalry from a Sufi Mosque settlement or Native Embassy, costing 120 Food and 75 Wood and taking 38 seconds to train. Their 18-damage hand attack deals 2× against Infantry, while a short ranged attack gives them a way to contribute before closing. At 230 hit points and 20% ranged resistance they are less durable than the later Jat Lancer, but their earlier access and mixed-resource price can support a timely flank. Use the hand bonus against exposed Infantry, then pull back from anti-cavalry; do not confuse the ranged component with the unit’s main damage source.
Commerce Age native cavalry profile
The Qizilbash is a Commerce Age ranged Heavy Cavalry Native Warrior in Definitive Edition. It costs 120 Food and 75 Wood, takes 38 seconds to train and is capped at twelve per Sufi Mosque. The unit has 230 hit points, 20% ranged resistance, speed 6.75 and line of sight 15. It carries both a bow and a lance: the bow attack deals 12.5 damage at range 4–12 every 1.5 seconds, while the lance deals 18 damage at a reach of 3.75 and also fires every 1.5 seconds. The lance has a 2.0× bonus against Infantry; the bow does not. The trample attack deals 12 damage with a radius of three, and the siege attack deals 10.
Ranged harassment and lance charge
The Qizilbash can fire at a slow target while moving, then automatically use its longer-reach lance when an enemy comes close. This gives it a hit-and-run pattern: send a ranged volley, retreat or circle, and let the lance engage when the target is within 3.75 range. Its 6.75 speed is slower than many ranged Cavalry units and its bow has less range, so it cannot safely kite every opponent. The lance's 2.0× Infantry multiplier makes the unit particularly dangerous when it reaches Skirmishers and foot archers, which often lack bonuses against Heavy Cavalry. Keep the approach clear of Heavy Infantry and Light Ranged Cavalry, which are effective counters.
Economy and raiding role
The Qizilbash costs both Food and Wood, an unusual resource mix for a mounted native warrior. This can be convenient when Coin is reserved for age advancement, but it competes with Houses, buildings and other Wood-intensive units. Its bow deals no reduced damage to Villagers, unlike many Light Cavalry attacks, so the unit can raid settlements without the usual penalty. The 12-unit cap per Sufi Mosque limits the size of a single force, but a small raiding group can still threaten exposed workers and then support the army against Infantry. Pairing Qizilbash with Oprichniks is one way to create pressure on more than one location, while the main force keeps the enemy occupied.
Access and the Sufi settlement
A Trading Post or Tambo built on a Sufi Mosque unlocks Qizilbash production, and Native Embassies can also provide a route where available. The Sufi Mosque is distinct from the Bhakti Temple: since update 13.12327, Qizilbash replaced the War Elephant at the Sufi site, while the War Elephant is trained at the Bhakti Temple. Securing the settlement matters because the twelve-unit cap and ability to replenish the force depend on access to the site. Before committing Food and Wood, confirm that the map includes a Sufi Mosque and that its Trading Post or Tambo can be defended.
Upgrade progression
Sufi Discipline Training costs 100 Wood and 75 Coin in the Fortress Age and improves Qizilbash to Disciplined with +25% hit points and damage. Sufi Honor Training costs 400 Wood and 300 Coin in the Industrial Age, requires Discipline Training and upgrades the unit to Honored with +35% hit points and damage. Legendary Native Warriors or Exalted Natives in the Imperial Age costs 1,500 Food and 1,500 Wood and raises the unit to Exalted with +50% hit points and damage. Research location varies by civilization: European civilizations and Mexicans use the Capitol, the United States uses the State Capitol, and Asian and Native American civilizations use the Town Center; African native warriors upgrade automatically for free.
When to choose it over other cavalry
The Qizilbash fills a flexible role rather than replacing a standard heavy cavalry unit. Its ranged attack can pressure Infantry before a charge, and its lance is efficient once it reaches them, but the bow's damage is low and its range is short. Hussars have stronger hand Cavalry damage against artillery, while ranged Cavalry can usually kite from farther away. Choose Qizilbash when the map access is available and the opponent relies on Infantry or exposed Villagers. If the enemy has heavy anti-Cavalry Infantry or Light Ranged Cavalry, invest in another unit to protect the Qizilbash or use the native force only as a support element.
Use its lance range deliberately
The lance reaches 3.75, longer than a typical hand attack, and automatically takes over when an enemy is close enough. This allows the unit to punish Infantry without committing as deeply as ordinary hand Cavalry. Keep its bow attack on the move while waiting for a clear approach, then let the lance engage at the edge of its reach. Against Light Infantry, the 2.0× melee multiplier makes a successful close especially valuable. Against Heavy Infantry or Light Ranged Cavalry, avoid a direct approach and let another unit screen the Qizilbash. Its modest 230 hit points do not support a prolonged fight against its counters.
Choose the right resource balance
Food and Wood costs can fit an economy that is producing other Coin-heavy mercenaries or saving Coin for an age-up. The 75 Wood price still competes with Houses, Trading Posts and siege support, so the Qizilbash is not a free economic substitute for ordinary Cavalry. Its Commerce Age availability is an advantage when the Sufi Mosque is secured early, but the unit cap and 38-second queue limit immediate massing. Start with a small group, use it to contest Infantry and workers, and expand only if the opponent's composition continues to reward the unit.
Protect the native production site
A Sufi Mosque's twelve-unit limit applies per site, so protecting the Trading Post or Tambo there preserves both existing access and future replacements. If the site falls, the cavalry group becomes a finite resource unless another valid route is available. Keep the force near supporting units rather than sending all twelve across the map at once. A Qizilbash that survives can continue to shift between ranged harassment and lance attacks; a destroyed capped force may take too long to rebuild during an active push.
Protect the bow cavalry from direct counters
Qizilbash are most effective when they can decide when the lance engages. Use their bow to pressure a slower target, then pull back from Heavy Infantry or Light Ranged Cavalry that can punish the advance. If the Sufi site's twelve-unit cap is already filled, preserving the group matters more than taking a risky fight.
Keep the capped group available
A full twelve-unit group is a useful reserve against Infantry, but it is tied to the Sufi Mosque's production access. Avoid risking all of it in a fight where Heavy Infantry or Light Ranged Cavalry can counter the charge.
Commerce Age mounted archer with a short-range profile
The Qizilbash is Heavy Cavalry available from the Commerce Age that uses a bow for ranged combat. It has a shorter range than most mounted archers, no additional damage bonus in the documented profile, and moves more slowly than other ranged Cavalry. Its moderate durability is paired with a higher Food and Wood cost, so it is not simply an early Dragoon. Use it to add mobile ranged pressure when the Ottoman army can support its resource mix.
Choose targets that fit its mobility
Qizilbash can reposition around a fight but should not trade into faster mounted archers or dedicated anti-Cavalry troops. Protect it from light infantry and artillery, and use the army’s frontline to prevent melee units from closing. Since the unit’s range and bonuses differ from standard ranged Cavalry, check its actual attack modes and upgrade path for the current version. Build it when its particular availability and resource cost fit the plan, not just because it is mounted.