Renegado
Renegado is ranged infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Commerce Age; Fortress Age (Native Americans); obtained through Tavern (Europeans), Native Embassy (Native Americans), Monastery (Asians), Lombard (Italians).
Recorded values
- Cost
- 110 Coin
- Available
- Commerce Age; Fortress Age (Native Americans) · Tavern (Europeans) ; Native Embassy (Native Americans) ; Monastery (Asians) ; Lombard (Italians)
- Training
- 40 sec · 4 population · 22 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 110 hit points · 30% ranged resistance · 4.0 speed · 22 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 12 damage · 2.0 attack interval · bonuses: 2.0x vs. Light ranged cavalry; 2.0x vs. Ranged shock trooper; 2.0x vs. Heavy infantry; 0.75x vs. Cavalry; 0.75x vs. Shock troops
- Ranged attack
- 20 damage · 2-18 range · 2.0 attack interval · bonuses: 2.5x vs. Light ranged cavalry; 2.5x vs. Ranged shock trooper; 2.0x vs. Heavy infantry; 0.6x vs. Cavalry; 0.6x vs. Shock troops
- Siege attack
- 24 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Tavern (Europeans), Native Embassy (Native Americans), Monastery (Asians), or Lombard (Italians). It has 110 hit points and 30% ranged resistance. It moves at 4.0 speed and uses 4 population. Training costs 110 Coin; it takes 40 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 12 damage. Ranged attack deals 20 damage. Siege attack deals 24 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 2.0× against Light ranged cavalry, 2.0× against Ranged shock trooper, 2.0× against Heavy infantry, 0.75× against Cavalry, and 0.75× against Shock troops. Ranged attack bonuses: 2.5× against Light ranged cavalry, 2.5× against Ranged shock trooper, 2.0× against Heavy infantry, 0.6× against Cavalry, and 0.6× against Shock troops*.
Matchup & timing
Renegados combine a 20-damage, two-second ranged attack with 24 siege damage, making them useful against infantry and exposed buildings when the outlaw investment is supported. Their 2.5× ranged bonuses reward focus fire on Light ranged cavalry or Ranged shock troops; keep them screened from Cavalry and Shock troops that receive reduced damage.
Rifle outlaw combat profile
The Renegado is a Commerce Age Outlaw trained by eligible European civilizations at a Tavern, Asian civilizations at a Monastery, and Italians at a Lombard. Native American civilizations need Gun Running and can then train Renegados at a Native Embassy regardless of map. The unit costs 110 Coin, takes 40 seconds to train and uses four population. It has 110 hit points, 30 percent ranged resistance, speed 4 and sight 22. Its rifle deals 20 damage at a variable range of two to 18 every two seconds. It deals 2.5 times damage against Light Ranged Cavalry and Ranged Shock troops, twice against Heavy Infantry, and reduced damage against Cavalry and Shock troops. The short-range end makes it dangerous when enemies close, while the maximum range lets it punish exposed targets. Its high population cost and low health make it a specialist rather than an efficient mass unit.
Ranged cadence and target classes
The Renegado fires every two seconds in its current profile, faster than earlier versions that fired every three seconds. Its attack multiplier is highest against Light Ranged Cavalry and Ranged Shock troops, and it also has a strong bonus against Heavy Infantry. This gives it a role similar to a specialized rifleman that can punish enemy ranged Cavalry and heavy foot units from a distance. Its base health is only 110, however, so a few concentrated volleys can remove it. Keep Renegados behind a frontline and focus fire rather than allowing them to exchange shots with a larger army. Their hand attack deals 12 damage every two seconds with bonuses against Light Ranged Cavalry, Ranged Shock troops and Heavy Infantry; it is a fallback if the enemy reaches them, not the intended attack. Their siege attack deals 24 damage at range six, useful after defenders are cleared.
Map access and outlaw alternatives
The Renegado is available on a defined group of maps, including Alaska, Andes, Baja California, Bayou, California, Carolina, Colorado, Dakota, Great Lakes, Great Plains, New England, Rockies and Texas. Native American civilizations bypass that map dependence after researching Gun Running at the Native Embassy. Argentina’s Outlaw Band and Maya’s Bandit Gang shipments can include Renegados in a random outlaw pool, and Haiti can use Brethren of the Coast to train the unit from an available Tavern. The Home City option is a pool rather than a guaranteed Renegado delivery. Compare that uncertainty with training at a secured site or choosing a standard Skirmisher. Outlaws are strongest in the Commerce Age and can fall behind as standard units receive upgrades, especially because the Renegado’s four-population cost remains expensive for its health.
Improving an expensive specialist
The Renegado can benefit from outlaw and Infantry improvements available to its civilization. Compunction, Folk Heroes or Wild West supports later-age hit point and damage upgrades for eligible factions. Cavalry or Infantry improvements should not be applied indiscriminately: its current tags identify it as Light Infantry, Rifle Infantry and Outlaw, which determines which bonuses and counters interact with it. Its 30 percent ranged resistance helps against ordinary ranged attacks, but Heavy Infantry and Cavalry can pressure its low hit points if they get close. Theaters or equivalent population reductions can lower its cost where available, improving the efficiency of a shipment or trained group. Even with bonuses, a composition based entirely on Renegados ties up substantial population. Use a limited number to answer the enemy’s specific unit types and fill the remaining army with more efficient general-purpose units.
Version changes and practical deployment
The Renegado’s current unit role reflects several major balance updates. Its Coin cost was 90 before update 23511 and became 110, while population fell from six to five and later to four. The ranged attack fell from 40 to 18 before update 50830, then rose to 20; the current attack interval is two seconds rather than three. Its ranged resistance was 25 percent before update 13.27885 and is now 30 percent. These changes make older descriptions of an extremely powerful, expensive single shot outdated. In current play, the Renegado relies on repeated rifle fire and its class multipliers. It is useful when it can remain at range and focus the right target; it is inefficient when forced into a direct exchange with a stronger frontline.
Population reductions and outlaw economy
The Renegado’s four-population cost is a major part of its strategic profile. The Theaters card or equivalent population effects can reduce that burden, but the unit still costs Coin and has only 110 hit points. Its 110 Coin price is higher than its pre-update 23511 cost of 90, while population fell from six to four across balance changes. Compare the cost of a small Renegado group with standard Skirmishers, which usually offer more efficient long-term production and upgrades. Renegados can be worthwhile when their high multipliers answer enemy ranged Cavalry or Heavy Infantry at the right time, but should not be massed without considering the population they displace.
Gun Running and Native American access
Native American civilizations cannot use the ordinary map-based Tavern access to train Renegados until they research Gun Running at a Native Embassy. After that technology, they can train Renegados, Pistoleros and Comancheros regardless of map. This makes the Embassy a production and technology commitment, but removes some of the map dependence that affects European Outlaws. A forward Embassy can shorten the distance between the training queue and the battlefield, while a protected central Embassy is safer for long-term production. The unit is available from the Fortress Age for Native Americans in the current profile, whereas other eligible civilizations can train it in the Commerce Age. Account for that age difference when comparing rush timing.
Ranged positioning and upgrade decisions
The attack’s range varies from two to 18, so the Renegado can fight at distance but can also lose its advantage when opponents close. Use the 22 sight to detect threats, keep the unit behind a screen and avoid ordering it into melee unless the hand multiplier is likely to matter. Since update 23511 it fires every two seconds rather than every three, but this still requires time to complete several shots. Outlaw improvements can raise its later-age hit points and damage, and class upgrades may support its Light Infantry or Rifle Infantry role depending on the civilization. Those upgrades do not change its population cost or base health. Keep the group small and focused on target classes that justify the investment.
Home City cards and random outlaw shipments
Outlaw Band and Bandit Gang are random pools that may include Renegados for Argentina and Maya, while Native American access comes from Gun Running rather than the standard European map-based Tavern route. Brethren of the Coast can enable Haiti Battleships to train the unit from an eligible Tavern. Because a random shipment is not a guaranteed Renegado group, do not make the whole strategy depend on receiving one. The fixed Home City cards that affect native warriors or Outlaws may improve a trained force, but their faction and revolution restrictions must be checked. If the objective is a reliable anti-Heavy Infantry army, standard Skirmishers may be easier to scale; choose Renegados when the timing, target classes or shipment pool gives them a clear advantage.
When to field a small Renegado contingent
A limited Renegado group can cover a particular matchup without consuming the entire army’s population. It can target enemy ranged Cavalry, Ranged Shock troops or Heavy Infantry, then fall back behind ordinary Skirmishers and Musketeers. This approach preserves its high damage multipliers while reducing the risk that four-population units are lost to a single counter. If the opponent is not fielding those classes, use the Coin and population elsewhere. Outlaw access, Gun Running and Tavern map availability all affect whether the contingent can arrive on time.
A clear role for the rifle line
The Renegado should be assigned a narrow target role: focus Light Ranged Cavalry, Ranged Shock troops or Heavy Infantry, and keep it screened from units that benefit against Light Infantry. Its 18 maximum range and 22 sight offer warning and a long firing lane, while its two-second attack cycle rewards steady positioning. Avoid sending it forward to siege unless the defenders have already retreated; its 24 siege damage is not worth exposing a low-health, four-population unit to a Town Center.
Choosing between Tavern and Embassy production
European, Asian and Italian access uses different Outlaw buildings, while Native American access requires Gun Running at a Native Embassy. That distinction can determine the unit’s age timing and whether a map’s outlaw pool matters. Native American players can use the technology to unlock Renegados on any map, but pay the research and building commitment first. Other factions should confirm that the map includes the Renegado and that their Tavern or Monastery is positioned safely. The unit’s 40-second train time makes a forward site useful for reinforcement, but only if it survives.
Rifle outlaw with a population trade-off
Renegados are rifle-armed outlaws that cost Coin and occupy four population in the documented profile; Theaters or an equivalent card reduces the space to two. They have fewer hit points than a Skirmisher but attack faster. This makes them a way to spend excess Coin for ranged pressure, but their population cost can crowd out artillery and supporting units. Check the Saloon or applicable card limit before planning a large group.
Strong early, fragile late
Like many outlaws, Renegados are strongest in the Commerce Age and become less reliable as upgraded standard units arrive. Their faster attack can create a useful early timing, but low durability makes them poor targets for direct fire. Keep them behind a front line, focus on infantry their rifle profile counters, and withdraw from Cavalry or artillery. Research the relevant outlaw upgrades only when the force is large enough to benefit; otherwise, use Coin for a standard unit line that can be reinforced more easily.
Gun-running requirement and current rifle role
Renegado is a Mexican Outlaw rifle unit. Under the Native Americans option, access requires the Gun Running technology; the page’s listed Mexican access is separate. It currently costs 110 Coin, has 30% ranged resistance and uses four population. Its ranged attack deals 20 damage at a 2-second interval, with 2.5× against Light Ranged Cavalry and Ranged Shock Troops and 2.0× against Heavy Infantry. Before update 23511 the cost was 90 Coin, population was six, and the rifle dealt 40 damage at a 3-second interval; before update 50830 it dealt 18 damage. Its Cavalry and Shock Troop modifiers are now 0.6×, and its anti-ranged bonuses are 2.5× rather than 2.0× before update 13.58326. These changes reshaped it from a slower, high-damage, high-population rifleman into a faster-firing unit with a lower per-shot value.