Rajput
Rajput is Indians Heavy infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Commerce Age; obtained through Indian Barracks, Fort, Agra Fort, Galleon, American Citadel.
Recorded values
- Available
- Commerce Age · Indian Barracks; Fort; Agra Fort; Galleon; American Citadel
- Training
- 30 sec · 1 population · 13 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 150 hit points · 20% hand resistance · 5.5 speed · 12 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 12 damage · 1.25 attack interval · bonuses: 3.0x vs. Cavalry; 2.25x vs. Shock troops
- Siege attack
- 35 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Indian Barracks, Fort, Agra Fort, Galleon, or American Citadel. It has 150 hit points. It moves at 5.5 speed and uses 1 population. Training costs 90 Food and 35 Wood; it takes 30 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 12 damage. Siege attack deals 35 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 3.0× against Cavalry and 2.25× against Shock troops.
Matchup & timing
Send Rajputs into contact with Cavalry when the army needs a dedicated melee answer; their hand attack has 3× against Cavalry and 2.25× against Shock troops. Their 35 siege damage also threatens buildings, but only after the frontline is controlled. Keep them with supporting infantry so they do not chase ranged units away from the target they counter.
Cavalry counter and building pressure
The Rajput is a Commerce Age Indian heavy infantry unit trained at the Indian Barracks. It costs 90 Food and 35 Wood, takes 30 seconds and occupies one population. Its base profile is 150 hit points, 20% hand resistance, speed 5.5 and line of sight 12. The 12-damage hand attack fires every 1.25 seconds and deals three times damage to Cavalry and 2.25 times to Shock Troops. Its 35-damage siege attack fires every three seconds at range 6, giving it a secondary role against buildings. The unit is available from the Indian Barracks, Fort, Agra Fort, Galleon or American Citadel. Its one-population cost helps it fill a formation, but as hand infantry it must close before dealing damage. The Rajput’s primary purpose is to counter Cavalry at close range. Use it to protect ranged units from cavalry that dives into the line, or to intercept a mounted raider before it reaches villagers. The 5.5 speed is high for heavy infantry and can support limited raids, but the unit has no ranged attack. Sepoys generally offer more hit points, reach and flexibility for a higher resource commitment, so a Rajput is most valuable when its faster movement, low population use or melee bonuses answer a specific need. Do not send it alone across open ground toward ranged units: closing safely is the main condition for getting value from its attack. Its 35 siege damage is useful when the army has already secured a position. A group of Rajputs can add pressure to a building after the cavalry threat is removed, but a three-second attack cycle is slower than dedicated siege. Keep them with units that can protect the approach, and switch targets if Heavy Infantry or ranged counters engage. In a base defense, they can protect the Barracks and villagers from cavalry; in an advance, they can screen fragile artillery or ranged infantry from mounted counters. The Dravidian Martial Arts Home City Card increases the Rajput’s hand attack by 20%, reinforcing the unit’s close-combat specialization. Consider that card when the plan includes enough Rajputs to benefit or when the opponent relies on cavalry. The Indians can also train a single Mansabdar Rajput from the Charminar Gate. That version has 300 hit points, the same core attack values and an inspiration effect for nearby Rajputs; it has a separate cost and should not be confused with the ordinary 150-hit-point unit. The current Definitive Edition profile differs from older values: the ordinary Rajput’s Food cost decreased to 90, speed rose to 5.5, hand damage changed to 12 and its siege damage to 35. The attack interval is 1.25 seconds, while older versions listed different damage and a slower rate. The role remains consistent across versions: a fast-moving melee infantry answer to cavalry that can assist with siege once the field is secure.
Comparing the regular and Mansabdar forms
The ordinary Rajput and Mansabdar Rajput share the same 12 hand damage, 1.25-second attack interval and 35 siege damage, but the Mansabdar has 300 hit points and inspires nearby Rajputs. It is limited to one and comes from the Charminar Gate, so treat it as a supporting leader rather than a substitute for a complete unit queue. If the opponent has a large cavalry force, several ordinary Rajputs can provide the population-efficient screening line while the Mansabdar improves nearby troops. If the opponent is instead using ranged infantry, the Rajput’s lack of a ranged attack means it needs Sepoys or other ranged units to soften the approach. Its high cavalry multiplier is strongest after contact; force the enemy to commit into a defended position or use terrain to shorten the distance. When that contact is unavailable, spend resources on ranged units or economy instead of marching Rajputs through exposed fire.
Keep the melee unit in the right matchup
Because Rajputs must enter hand range, they benefit from a formation that blocks enemy ranged troops while leaving a path to the cavalry they are meant to counter. Use their speed to reposition around the edge of an engagement, and avoid sending them through a line of Heavy Infantry that can trade efficiently against them. Their siege attack becomes useful after the cavalry threat is removed or when a defender has been forced away from a building. If no cavalry is present, the Sepoy’s ranged profile may provide more immediate value; Rajputs are most efficient when their bonus damage and one-population cost are both being used.
Indian anti-cavalry infantry
The Rajput is Indian Heavy infantry available from the Commerce Age. Its 12-damage hand attack gains a 3× bonus against Cavalry and 2.25× against Shock troops, giving it a clear defensive job beside ranged units or artillery. At 5.5 speed and 150 hit points, it can move with the army and respond to a mounted attack, but it still needs to close into melee range. Keep it screened from ranged fire and use its bonus against the units it is meant to stop.
Resource mix and production access
Indian Barracks, Forts, Agra Forts, Galleons and American Citadels are listed production routes. Each Rajput costs 90 Food and 35 Wood, uses one population and trains in 30 seconds. The 35-damage siege attack can contribute against an exposed structure after the frontline is secure. Maintain Wood for buildings and Food for the unit queue, and produce Rajputs when scouting shows Cavalry or Shock troops rather than relying on them as a universal infantry line.