Royal Dragoon
Royal Dragoon is ranged cavalry in Age of Empires III, available from the Fortress Age; obtained through Trading Post or Tambo on a House of Bourbon palace, Native Embassy.
Recorded values
- Available
- Fortress Age · Trading Post or Tambo on a House of Bourbon palace; Native Embassy
- Training
- 40 sec · 20 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 190 hit points · 20% ranged resistance · 7.0 speed · 20 line of sight
- Ranged attack
- 18 base damage · range 2-17 · attack interval 2.5 · bonus damage: 2.5x vs. Heavy cavalry; 2.0x vs. Artillery; 1.9x vs. Hand shock trooper; 0.5x vs. Villager
- Siege attack
- 6.5 base damage · range 6 · attack interval 1.5
- Hand attack
- 22 base damage · attack interval 1.5 · bonus damage: 1.5x vs. Artillery; 1.34x vs. Heavy cavalry; 1.2x vs. Hand shock trooper
- Trample attack
- 14.67 base damage · attack interval 2.0 · area of effect 3 · bonus damage: Same as hand
- Stampede attack
- 5 base damage · attack interval 1.5 · area of effect 2 · bonus damage: 0.75x vs. Heavy infantry; 0.75x vs. Light cavalry; 0.25x vs. Building; 0.0x vs. Huntable; 0.0x Tree
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Trading Post or Tambo on a House of Bourbon palace or Native Embassy. It has 190 hit points and 20% ranged resistance. It moves at 7.0 speed. Training costs 100 Food and 100 Coin; it takes 40 seconds to train. Attack profile: Ranged attack: 18 damage at range 2-17; every 2.5 seconds. Siege attack: 6.5 damage at range 6; every 1.5 seconds. Hand attack: 22 damage; every 1.5 seconds. Trample attack: 14.67 damage; every 2.0 seconds; area of effect 3. Stampede attack: 5 damage; every 1.5 seconds; area of effect 2.
Matchup & timing
Use the unit’s 7.0-speed movement to choose the approach, threaten an exposed flank, and pull away before anti-cavalry forces can surround it. Its listed attack bonus makes Artillery, Heavy cavalry, and Hand shock trooper priority targets. Keep a clear retreat route and bring it back to the main army when the opponent protects the economy.
Role and base profile
The Royal Dragoon is a ranged cavalry native warrior introduced in Knights of the Mediterranean, recruited from a Trading Post or Tambo built on a House of Bourbon palace. The current listed cost is 100 Food and 100 Coin, with a 40-second train time and a cap of 10 per palace, increased to 20 by the Ancien Régime Home City card. It has 190 hit points, 20% ranged resistance, speed 7.0 and line of sight 20. Its combination of ranged fire and strong melee makes it a specialized counter-cavalry unit rather than a direct replacement for the ordinary Dragoon.
Ranged and melee attacks
The ranged attack deals 18 damage every 2.5 seconds at a range of 2–17. It has a 2.5× multiplier against heavy cavalry, 2× against artillery and 1.9× against hand shock troops, but only 0.5× against Villagers. The hand attack deals 22 damage every 1.5 seconds, with bonuses against artillery, heavy cavalry and hand shock troops. Compared with the standard Dragoon, the Royal Dragoon has lower ranged damage and attack multipliers against some targets, but a stronger melee strike and a longer firing range. Its ranged resistance helps against foot archers and Skirmishers, while its cavalry class remains vulnerable to dedicated anti-cavalry units.
Comparison with the standard Dragoon
The standard Dragoon costs 90 Food and 90 Coin, trains in 38 seconds, has 200 hit points and moves at 7.25 speed in the cited comparison. Its ranged attack deals 22 damage every three seconds, with a 3× heavy-cavalry and 2.25× shock-troop multiplier; its line of sight is 15. The Royal Dragoon costs 20 more total resources, has 10 fewer hit points and is slightly slower, but reaches farther, sees farther and fires faster. It also has substantially more hand attack and can use Stampede. These are different tradeoffs, so the Royal variant is most valuable when its melee strength, resistance and range address the opponent’s composition.
Stampede and Trample stances
Royal Dragoons can use Trample and Stampede attacks. Trample deals area damage around the unit and uses its hand-attack matchup profile. Stampede creates a wider area effect but reduces speed and damage output and increases the harm the unit receives. These modes can punish tightly packed enemies, but leaving the stance active during movement or under counterfire can expose the cavalry. Use ordinary ranged attacks while approaching, then activate an area attack when multiple targets are in reach. Return to a safer stance or disengage once the formation spreads or anti-cavalry arrives.
Matchups and army support
Royal Dragoons are effective against heavy cavalry, hand shock troops and artillery. Their ranged resistance and longer range let them trade more comfortably with light infantry than an ordinary cavalry unit, but they remain vulnerable to massed Skirmishers and archers over time. Combine them with hand cavalry or infantry that can engage foot ranged units while the Royal Dragoons focus cavalry and guns. Avoid fighting War Wagons or other specialized counter-cavalry without support. Their settlement cap and high total cost make them a targeted addition, not an army to mass blindly.
Recruitment, limit and upgrades
To access the unit, establish a House of Bourbon palace and the associated Trading Post or Tambo. The standard cap is 10 per palace; Ancien Régime increases it to 20. This is a map-dependent force, so scouting for the palace and protecting the recruitment site is part of the strategy. Royal Dragoons use the native warrior upgrade system and benefit from applicable attack, hit point and speed improvements. Their value rises when upgrades reinforce the role they already serve; do not spend heavily on them if the opponent’s army is primarily ranged infantry with strong anti-cavalry support.
Revolutionary France variant
Revolutionary France can field the Horse Carabinier through the Napoleonic Era card in the relevant ruleset. The variant shares the Royal Dragoon’s broad profile and access route, including Food and Coin cost, hit points and attack structure, but its appearance and eligibility are tied to the Revolution. Do not treat it as a standard French Stable unit or assume it is present in every match. Check the card and game update, since the cited content was added in a later Definitive Edition update.
When to build them
Use Royal Dragoons when the House of Bourbon settlement is available and the opponent has valuable heavy cavalry, artillery or shock troops. Their strongest value comes from countering those targets while surviving ranged fire better than ordinary cavalry. If the opponent switches to massed light infantry, add a unit that can answer it instead of relying on Royal Dragoons alone. Keep the recruitment site safe and make use of their range before entering melee; their premium price is justified by a specific combat job.
Attack mode and damage decisions
The Royal Dragoon has several ways to engage, but each carries a tradeoff. Its ranged attack is the safest default against heavy cavalry and artillery, using the unit’s 17-range profile to fire before the opponent closes. The hand attack is more powerful against nearby guns and selected shock units, but requires the cavalry to enter danger. Trample deals area damage and can help when enemies cluster around the formation. Stampede has a larger area effect but reduces speed and damage and increases incoming damage; activate it only when the formation can finish the engagement quickly. If the enemy disperses or brings anti-cavalry, disengage rather than staying in a vulnerable stance.
Target selection and support
Prioritize artillery, heavy cavalry and hand shock troops, where the Royal Dragoon’s bonuses matter. The low Villager multiplier means it is inefficient as a raiding unit compared with cavalry designed to attack workers. Its 20% ranged resistance helps it approach ranged infantry, but it does not make the unit invulnerable to concentrated Skirmisher fire. A partner unit should pressure light infantry while Royal Dragoons occupy enemy cavalry or reach artillery. Keep a route open for retreat and avoid fighting under Town Center or Outpost fire when the target can be reached from another angle.
Bourbon palace access and map planning
The House of Bourbon palace and its Trading Post or Tambo are prerequisites for recruitment. The player must scout for the palace site, claim it and defend the connected production point. This map dependency is part of the unit’s cost: a player may spend time and resources on a central settlement that the opponent can contest. The 10-unit cap per palace limits a single site, while Ancien Régime raises the cap. Decide whether the additional capacity is worth a Home City card slot and whether the map has enough safe sites before relying on Royal Dragoons as the core of the army.
Royal Dragoon versus ordinary Dragoon
Choose the ordinary Dragoon for lower cost, quicker training and stronger listed ranged multipliers against heavy cavalry and shock troops. Choose the Royal Dragoon when its 17 range, 20 line of sight, 22 hand attack, 20% ranged resistance or area-attack stances answer a particular matchup. The Royal version is not a straight upgrade: it has less health, slower movement and lower ranged damage in the cited comparison, with a higher total resource cost. Its role is a specialist royal native warrior whose melee strength can punish threats that would trade favorably with a standard Dragoon.
Production decision
Do not train them merely because the palace is available; queue them when their cavalry and artillery counters have a clear target.
Keep the force sustainable
Preserve the palace site and leave Food and Coin for replacements, since the native cap limits how quickly losses can be restored.
Final matchup check
Use the longer range to open against cavalry, then close only when the target or army position justifies it.
Role summary
Treat it as a capped Bourbon counter unit with distinct ranged and melee strengths.
Counter role
Its heavy-cavalry bonus rewards focused fire.
House of Bourbon access and cost
The Royal Dragoon is a Fortress Age ranged Cavalry warrior associated with the House of Bourbon. It costs 100 Food and 100 Coin, takes 40 seconds to train and has a limit of ten per House of Bourbon palace. It can be trained at a Trading Post or Tambo built on that palace, or at a Native Embassy where available. The unit has 190 hit points, 20% ranged resistance, speed 7 and sight 20. These figures make it a mobile support Cavalry unit rather than a conventional high-health frontliner. The palace-based cap ties the size of the force to the alliance location: expanding the force requires access to the relevant settlement, while losing control or leaving the alliance unsupported can constrain replacements. Include the resource and population commitment in the army plan before relying on a large group.
Ranged counter unit with a useful charge
Its ranged attack deals 18 damage at range 2–17 every 2.5 seconds, with 2.5× damage against Heavy Cavalry, 2× against Artillery and 1.9× against Hand Shock troops. It is therefore well suited to firing into expensive Cavalry or exposed guns while staying at distance. At close range, the 22-damage hand attack also has bonuses against Artillery, Heavy Cavalry and Hand Shock troops; the unit has Trample and Stampede attacks for situations where it can break through a formation. Do not treat the ranged bonuses as a reason to fight under enemy anti-Cavalry fire: Royal Dragoons still have a limited train cap and a meaningful Coin cost. Keep them behind a screen, focus their volleys on the units they counter, and use their speed to disengage when the opponent brings dedicated ranged Cavalry counters or a larger Cavalry force.