Revolutionary
Revolutionary is Europeans, Inca, Mexicans Heavy infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Revolution; obtained through Town Center, Manor House.
Recorded values
- Cost
- 100 Food
- Available
- Revolution · Town Center; Manor House
- Training
- 30 sec · 1 population · 10 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 200 hit points · 30% hand resistance · 4.5 speed · 18 line of sight
- Ranged attack
- 24 base damage · range 12 · attack interval 3.0 · bonus damage: 2.0x vs. Cavalry; 1.6x vs. Shock troops
- Siege attack
- 20 base damage · range 6 · attack interval 3.0
- Hand attack
- 12 base damage · attack interval 1.5 · bonus damage: Same as ranged attack
- Grenade attack
- 19 base damage · range 12-14 · attack interval 3.0 · area of effect 2 · bonus damage: 0.5x vs. Light infantry; 0.5x vs. Artillery · requires Peruvian Guard card
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Town Center or Manor House. It has 200 hit points. It moves at 4.5 speed and uses 1 population. Training costs 100 Food; it takes 30 seconds to train. Attack profile: Ranged attack: 24 damage at range 12; every 3.0 seconds. Siege attack: 20 damage at range 6; every 3.0 seconds. Hand attack: 12 damage; every 1.5 seconds. Grenade attack: 19 damage at range 12-14; every 3.0 seconds; area of effect 2.
Matchup & timing
Use Revolutionaries as the frontline only after checking the selected nation’s version-specific profile and the state of the converted economy. The standard ranged attack has bonuses against Cavalry and Shock troops, while nation cards can alter the unit or grant special attacks such as the Peruvian Guard grenade. Support the converted force with siege and the income the revolution still permits.
What the revolution changes
The Revolutionary, called Colonial Militia before Definitive Edition, becomes available through a Revolution rather than a normal military production plan. When a civilization revolts, its Settlers leave their resource tasks and transform into Revolutionaries; Settler Wagons become two Revolutionaries each. Town Centers then train the unit, and British Manor Houses can also train it. The standard unit costs 100 Food, takes 30 seconds, uses one population and has 200 hit points, 30 percent hand resistance, speed 4.5 and sight 18. Its ranged attack deals 24 damage at range 12 every three seconds, with a 2 times multiplier against Cavalry and 1.6 times against Shock troops in current data. The melee attack is 12 every 1.5 seconds and shares those multipliers; siege attack is 20 at range 6. Revolutionaries are consequently general-purpose gunpowder Infantry with a strong anti-Cavalry profile, but the mass conversion removes the ordinary worker economy. Food-only training makes replacements accessible, yet a player must first arrange the resources and income that remain after the workers stop gathering. Factories and Trading Posts can sustain the post-revolution economy where available, but prepare these before the transition.
Combat strengths, counters and timing
The ranged Cavalry multiplier is a central advantage: Revolutionaries can damage Cavalry before contact and their bayonet attack preserves pressure at close range. Their 30 percent hand resistance helps against melee exchanges, but the unit is not a complete army by itself. Skirmishers and artillery can kill Revolutionaries efficiently, while Light Infantry can exploit the unit mass and attack it at range. Escort the militia with Cavalry or artillery when pushing through a defended area; those units can reach enemy ranged counters and siege positions. The timing of revolt matters because it permanently changes the workers, shipment behavior and available structures for that match. Before committing, spend or ship what is needed from the old economy, establish passive resource income, and preserve enough Food to produce reinforcements. The player can still win through a Trade Monopoly in suitable modes, but the plan must account for the smaller replacement economy. Current speed is 4.5; it was 5.0 before patch 15.59076. Experience train and kill bounties are currently 10, versus 12 before Definitive Edition. Separate these version values when comparing old build orders.
Nation-specific replacements and cards
Not every revolution fields the standard Revolutionary. Barbary States, Canada, Finland, Gran Colombia, Mexico and South Africa do not have this unit in the current list. Other paths replace or modify it: Brazil creates Voluntarios da Patria, Egypt uses Khevite Fusiliers, Haiti uses Maroons, Hungary uses Grenzers, Romania uses Dorobants, and Peru can unlock Peruvian Legions through Peruvian Guard. These variants change costs, hit points, speed, attacks or abilities and should be read under their own entries. For example, Peruvian Guard adds a grenade attack with 19 siege damage, range up to 14, area 2 and reduced damage against Light Infantry and Artillery. Some variants are automatically spawned rather than trained from the Town Center. Do not apply the base 100 Food cost, 30-second training time or 24 ranged damage to a unique replacement without checking its data. In Definitive Edition the United States revolution can ship Knowlton Rangers through Knowlton's Continental Rangers, changing the Spy rather than the Revolutionary roster. The original name Colonial Militia belongs to older releases and campaign text.
Prepare the economy before converting workers
A revolution changes the worker pool at once, so its success depends on preparation. Complete any resource-intensive construction and research that cannot be performed after the change, and send important Home City deliveries while those cards remain available. Establish or upgrade Factories and secure Trade Route income if the selected civilization can use them; these sources continue generating resources after ordinary Settlers disappear. Save enough Food to train Revolutionaries and enough Wood and Coin for supporting units, since the militia itself costs only Food but a complete army does not. Home City shipments are also valuable before the revolt if they provide artillery, wagons or economic infrastructure that the revolutionary deck cannot easily replace. Once the transition begins, all workers stop gathering and become military units, so the opening army may be large while future income falls sharply. Use the army quickly to secure resources and deny the opponent time to attack the exposed economy.
Revolution-specific statistics must stay separate
Several named revolutions alter the standard unit. Brazil produces Voluntarios da Patria in automatic batches, with lower hit points and attack, while Egypt changes the unit into Khevite Fusiliers with mode-dependent counter bonuses. Haiti and Hungary use Maroons and Grenzers, and Romania fields Dorobants. Peru can use Peruvian Guard to add a grenade throw; its current values are 19 damage at a maximum range of 14 with an area of two, 12 minimum range and reduced damage against Light Infantry and Artillery. Historical patch notes have changed these effects, including the grenade range and area. Use the matching revolution page for exact current values. The base Revolutionary is 24 ranged damage, range 12, three-second fire and two times damage against Cavalry; those values do not automatically apply to a replacement. Some nations lack the unit entirely. This distinction prevents a shared icon or family name from obscuring the actual roster.
Support the militia against its counters
The mass conversion can overwhelm an opponent that lacks an answer, but a large militia clump is also an attractive target. Skirmishers inflict strong ranged damage, artillery can hit packed formations, and defensive structures can slow the push while the old economy is gone. Use Cavalry to chase or disrupt ranged counters and artillery to remove buildings or entrenched Infantry. Spread units enough to reduce area damage, but maintain a formation that can protect artillery and support wounded groups. Keep the Town Center or Manor House safe if it is needed for replacement training, and place a rally point where new Revolutionaries can join without crossing enemy fire. If the first attack fails, use passive income and remaining Home City shipments to rebuild a mixed force rather than repeatedly spending every resource on militia.
How civilization and age affect availability
Revolutionaries appear through colonial revolts associated with The WarChiefs and later Definitive Edition revolutions. The standard militia roster is absent for several nations, and some revolutions replace it with a unique unit. Mexicans can revolt beginning in the Commerce Age, but their Revolutionary statistics change with the selected Age; early forms carry health, damage and speed penalties relative to the standard profile. Brazil uses automatic Town Center batches of Voluntarios da Patria rather than an ordinary queue. Other replacements include Khevite Fusiliers, Maroons, Grenzers, Peruvian Legions and Dorobants. These rules mean that the word revolution does not guarantee every villager becomes the same 200 hit point unit. Read the target nation, age and Home City cards before forecasting the converted army. Standard training lists Town Centers and British Manor Houses, while specific replacements may spawn automatically or use separate Home City shipments.
Resource recovery after the revolt
After converting the Settlers, the player needs a different way to replace losses and fund support troops. Factories, upgraded Trading Posts, Trade Routes, treasures and ally deliveries can provide income where the mode permits them. A revolution can still issue Home City shipments, but the remaining deck and nation-specific cards determine what is available. Keep a resource reserve before clicking the revolt and do not queue so many Revolutionaries that there is no Wood or Coin for artillery, walls and production buildings. A surviving army should capture mines, hunts or trade sites quickly, while Cavalry patrols protect the new economy. The one-population cost and Food-only price make the militia easy to replenish relative to Coin-heavy mercenaries, yet every replacement spends Food that might be needed to restart civilian production in a revolution with Citizen access. Plan whether the match will end with the initial attack or transition into a slower post-revolt economy.
A commit point in the match
The revolt is a one-way strategic transition for the worker pool. Scout the opponent and secure an army advantage before converting, then move quickly to exploit the temporary numbers. If the enemy can hold behind Skirmishers and artillery, delay the decision until passive income and support units are ready. A successful revolution depends on its follow-up economy as much as its first militia wave.
Do not confuse militia with normal Musketeers
The Revolutionary shares a general-purpose gunpowder Infantry role with Musketeers, but its Food-only cost, revolt access, population and ranged anti-Cavalry multiplier are specific to the revolution system. It is not available from ordinary Barracks before the transition, and the worker conversion changes the entire economy. Compare it with the selected nation variant rather than using a standard Musketeer build order.
A unit tied to the political transition
Revolutionaries are military units associated with a Revolution, and their exact form depends on the civilization and destination nation. They should not be confused with every worker converted during a revolt: the transformation, unit name and resulting economy differ by path. Check the civilization’s Revolution entry to see whether Settlers remain, become troops or are replaced by another worker type. The unit’s role also depends on the nation that fields it, so use that profile for its cost, attack, training source and upgrades rather than applying one generic Revolutionary statistic to every revolt.
Plan the first force and its replacements
A revolutionary army may create an immediate timing, but its long-term strength depends on how the new nation replaces losses. Preserve enough resources and production access to reinforce the unit type, leave population for cards and supporting troops, and identify the counters before fighting. Infantry can pressure a position but may still need help against artillery, cavalry or fortified buildings. If the chosen path offers a return to the original civilization, compare the new unit’s remaining value and the restored economy before changing back. A Revolution is most effective when its units serve a concrete objective rather than simply increasing the army count.
Civilization upgrades can change the base profile
The standard 200-hit-point profile is not the only possible one. Spanish Revolutionaries can receive the 25% hit-point increase from Corselet, but also take its 15% speed penalty; Mexican Revolutionaries can gain 15% hit points and damage from Second Guarantee, which also increases their training time by 30%. Flint Lock adds 10% hit points to eligible Gunpowder Troopers, while Paper Cartridge improves their damage; these effects depend on the civilization, building access and any card requirements. Military Drummers and other movement technologies can also change speed. Check the selected Revolution and its technology tree before combining bonuses, and do not transfer a civilization-specific effect to the standard unit everywhere.
Cards and special access are not universal
Revolutionary cards and variants depend on the nation. The shared 16 Revolutionaries shipment is listed for Argentina, Chile, Indonesia, Revolutionary France and Rio Grande; Liberation March has separate Mexican and Spanish Revolution access. Dutch Belgian Revolution can convert Pikemen, Halberdiers and Ruyters into Revolutionaries, while Italian Risorgimento provides Redshirts through its own technology. These options do not make the standard Town Center queue identical for every nation. Check the revolt path and card deck before relying on a shipment or conversion, then leave population for the actual delivery.