Revolutionary Sharpshooter
Revolutionary Sharpshooter is USR (revolutionary) ranged infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Revolution; obtained through Fort, American Citadel.
Recorded values
- Available
- Revolution · Fort; American Citadel
- Training
- 30 sec · 1 population · 12 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 140 hit points · 50% ranged resistance · 5.0 speed · 28 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 10 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 3.0x vs. Heavy infantry; 3.0x vs. Light ranged cavalry; 3.0x vs. Ranged shock trooper; 0.75x vs. Cavalry; 0.75x vs. Shock troops
- Ranged attack
- 30 damage · 2-24 range · 4.5 attack interval · bonuses: 3.75x vs. Light ranged cavalry; 3.75x vs. Ranged shock trooper; 3.0x vs. Heavy infantry; 0.6x vs. Cavalry; 0.6x vs. Shock troops
- Siege attack
- 15 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Fort or American Citadel. It has 140 hit points and 50% ranged resistance. It moves at 5.0 speed and uses 1 population. Training costs 40 Food and 75 Coin; it takes 30 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 10 damage. Ranged attack deals 30 damage. Siege attack deals 15 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 3.0× against Heavy infantry, 3.0× against Light ranged cavalry, 3.0× against Ranged shock trooper, 0.75× against Cavalry, and 0.75× against Shock troops. Ranged attack bonuses: 3.75× against Light ranged cavalry, 3.75× against Ranged shock trooper, 3.0× against Heavy infantry, 0.6× against Cavalry, and 0.6× against Shock troops.
Matchup & timing
Hand attack is especially effective against Heavy infantry (3×), Light ranged cavalry (3×), Ranged shock trooper (3×). Ranged attack is especially effective against Light ranged cavalry (3.75×), Ranged shock trooper (3.75×), Heavy infantry (3×). Its reduced multipliers against Cavalry (0.75×), Shock troops (0.75×), Cavalry (0.6×), Shock troops (0.6×) make it less suitable for those targets. Use ranged fire to focus Light ranged cavalry, Ranged shock trooper, and Heavy infantry before they can close; hold the melee attack for Heavy infantry, Light ranged cavalry, and Ranged shock trooper when they enter contact. Keep a frontline between this unit and threats that can reach it safely.
Statistics, availability and combat role
The Revolutionary Sharpshooter is a United States revolutionary ranged gunpowder infantry unit in Definitive Edition. The Morgan’s Continental Sharpshooters Home City Card causes every existing Fort and every Fort built afterward to spawn four of them. The unit costs 40 Food and 75 Coin when trained, takes 30 seconds, uses one population and can be produced at a Fort or American Citadel. Its profile is 140 hit points, 50% ranged resistance, speed 5.0 and line of sight 28. Those defenses are modest for a frontline unit, but its long view and firing range let it engage before many opponents can return fire. Its ranged attack deals 30 damage every 4.5 seconds at range 2–24. The current multipliers are 3.0 against Heavy Infantry, 3.75 against Light Ranged Cavalry and ranged Shock Troops, and 0.6 against Cavalry and Shock Troops. It deals 0.75 against Artillery. In hand combat it deals 10 damage every 1.5 seconds, with a 3.0 multiplier against Heavy Infantry, Light Ranged Cavalry and ranged Shock Troops, but only 0.75 against Cavalry and Shock Troops. Its siege attack is 15 damage at range 6 every three seconds. This profile makes the unit a specialist against infantry and ranged raiders, not a general-purpose answer to heavy cavalry or artillery. The long range rewards controlled movement. Fire at approaching infantry, then move the line back while reloading so enemy melee units must spend time closing the gap. Keep a screen between the Sharpshooters and heavy cavalry, and use Gatling Guns, Halberdiers or other suitable support to punish units that reach the line. The 50% ranged resistance helps against small arms but does not make the unit durable under concentrated fire. Artillery is especially dangerous because the Sharpshooter has limited health and deals reduced damage to artillery; split the formation and use dedicated anti-artillery units instead of standing in a cannon’s firing lane. Production is linked to Forts rather than a normal Barracks mass-production loop. The card’s four-unit spawns make Fort placement and survival important, while United States revolutions can provide an infinite Fort shipment. Each Fort can also spawn a Gatling Gun for the United States, allowing a player to build a forward position with both long-range infantry and artillery support. This takes time and resources, so it is a later-game plan rather than a reason to neglect the initial economy. Do not assume that one card instantly creates a large army: the four-unit reward is tied to each Fort, and the number of useful Forts depends on the available map and build limit. The Arsenal technology Counter Infantry Rifling improves the unit’s anti-infantry contribution. Research it when the enemy relies on Heavy Infantry and the Sharpshooters will be able to fire safely. For structure damage, the siege attack can contribute after defenders are cleared, but its low siege value and exposed position make it inefficient as the principal building attacker. A Falconet, Gatling Gun or other siege unit can take that job while the Sharpshooters protect the firing line from infantry. Name and balance history matter when consulting older guides. The unit was called Volunteer before update 23511. Its movement speed was 4.75 before an update, and older versions used lower ranged multipliers against Light Ranged Cavalry and ranged Shock Troops. The current profile uses speed 5.0, a 3.75 ranged multiplier against those two classes and 0.6 against Cavalry and Shock Troops. Its type classification also changed over updates, including light infantry and rifle infantry tags. Use the current Definitive Edition values for present play and treat Volunteer references as the same revolutionary unit under its former name.
Build a firing line around the Fort network
A practical United States plan is to keep the first Fort close enough to the army that its four Sharpshooters can join the defense, then add later Forts where they protect a route or control an approach. Forts cost resources and take time to establish, so build them when the economy and map position support the commitment. The unit’s 24 range and 28 line of sight make it useful for spotting and pressuring a target before the rest of the force reaches it. Keep the Sharpshooters behind a durable screen, focus their volleys on one heavy infantry or ranged cavalry target, and move between shots if enemy cavalry is closing. Avoid attacking buildings while enemy defenders remain nearby: the 15 siege damage every three seconds is low, and the firing line loses its strongest contribution while stationary. The Gatling Gun spawned through the United States Fort interaction covers a different role and should be protected from cavalry as well.
USR ranged specialist and attack bonuses
The Revolutionary Sharpshooter is a United States Revolutionary ranged-infantry unit with 30 base ranged damage and a long 2–24 attack range. Its strongest bonuses target Light ranged cavalry, Ranged shock troopers and Heavy infantry, while the profile reduces damage against Cavalry and Shock troops. A four-and-a-half-second attack interval makes each volley deliberate, so focus fire and maintain range rather than treating it like rapid skirmisher fire. The unit’s 140 hit points and 50% ranged resistance help it trade with enemy ranged troops, but a one-population cost does not remove the need to protect it from melee contact.
Fort production and revolutionary timing
Forts and the American Citadel are the listed production routes after the Revolution. At 40 Food and 75 Coin, one population and a 30-second train time, Sharpshooters can reinforce steadily if the new economy sustains both resources. Their 15-damage siege attack can contribute against a structure, but it is secondary to their ranged anti-infantry role. Add frontline troops that can stop cavalry and keep the Sharpshooters firing from behind them. Before revolting, consider whether the new roster, worker economy and production buildings can support a ranged army; do not commit to a Revolution solely because its most visible unit has a long attack range.