Seminole Sharktooth Bowman
Seminole Sharktooth Bowman is ranged infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Commerce Age; obtained through Trading Post or Tambo on a Seminole settlement, Native Embassy.
Recorded values
- Available
- Commerce Age · Trading Post or Tambo on a Seminole settlement; Native Embassy
- Training
- 30 sec · 10 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 115 hit points · 20% ranged resistance · 4.5 speed · 18 line of sight
- Ranged attack
- 16 base damage · range 16 · attack interval 1.5-1.0 · bonus damage: 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
- 10 base damage · range 10 · attack interval 3.0
- Hand attack
- 8 base damage · attack interval 1.5 · bonus damage: 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
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Trading Post or Tambo on a Seminole settlement or Native Embassy. It has 115 hit points and 20% ranged resistance. It moves at 4.5 speed. Training costs 50 Food and 50 Wood; it takes 30 seconds to train. Attack profile: Ranged attack: 16 damage at range 16; every 1.5 seconds-1.0. Siege attack: 10 damage at range 10; every 3.0 seconds. Hand attack: 8 damage; every 1.5 seconds.
Matchup & timing
Keep this ranged unit behind a screen and let it fire before melee troops can reach it. Its listed attack reaches 16 range and is especially useful against Light ranged cavalry, Ranged shock trooper, and Heavy infantry. If Light ranged cavalry, Ranged shock trooper, and Heavy infantry close in, use the hand-attack bonus while the rest of the formation protects the line.
High damage ranged archer
The Seminole Sharktooth Bowman is a Commerce Age ranged Native warrior trained at a Trading Post or Tambo on a Seminole settlement. It costs 50 Food and 50 Wood, trains in 30 seconds and has a limit of 16 per settlement in Definitive Edition. Before that edition it cost 75 Food and 25 Wood, trained in 20 seconds and had a limit of 15. The Bowman has 115 hit points, 20 percent ranged resistance, speed 4.5 and sight 18. Its ranged attack deals 16 damage with a variable firing interval of 1.5 to 1.0 seconds depending on distance, at range up to 16. It gains 2.5 times damage against Light Ranged Cavalry and Ranged Shock troops, and twice damage against Heavy Infantry, while dealing reduced damage against Cavalry and Shock troops. It uses no population as a Native warrior, which is useful near the population cap, but its low hit points make it vulnerable if an enemy closes. Keep it at range and focus fire on the classes it counters.
Firing rate and siege use
The Sharktooth Bowman fires faster at close range than at maximum range in the current profile. This makes its positioning unusual: it wants to remain far enough away to avoid melee, but moving too far back reduces firing speed. A protected middle distance can balance damage output and safety. The unit also has a 10-damage siege attack at range 10 every three seconds, better reach than many ordinary foot archers. Seminole Guerilla Wars improves its effectiveness against buildings, particularly Outposts and Town Centers, while its higher ranged resistance and longer siege reach can make it more useful than a basic Pikeman for sustained structure pressure. It still has only 115 hit points, so use a frontline and avoid siege when enemy Cavalry is nearby. Native warrior population-free status does not remove the Food-Wood cost or local limit.
Seminole upgrades and Home City access
Seminole Invincibles grants health regeneration while the Bowmen are idle, supporting recovery between engagements rather than during constant movement. Seminole Guerilla Wars strengthens their siege role. Native Warrior Societies upgrades them to Elite, Champion Seminole advances them further, and Legendary Native Warriors or Exalted Natives supplies the final native rank where available. The United States has a separate mercenary route: Seminole Scouts ships 12 Sharktooth Bowmen and enables Stealth, and the card can be sent repeatedly for a total of 48 units according to the source. These mercenary units are not included in the Seminole settlement training limit and are not selected together with locally trained natives. This shipment adds strategic access on maps without a Seminole settlement, but the unit remains fragile and needs support.
Recruitment, population and map access
The Seminole Sharktooth Bowman is recruited at a Trading Post or Tambo built on a Seminole settlement. It is a Commerce Age Native warrior, costs 50 Food and 50 Wood, takes 30 seconds to train and is limited to 16 per settlement in Definitive Edition. It consumes no population, which makes it an attractive addition when the army is near the population cap, but the settlement limit and resource cost still restrict mass production. Before Definitive Edition, it cost 75 Food and 25 Wood, took 20 seconds and had a limit of 15. Its access therefore depends on map geography and control of a native site, rather than simply having enough resources. The United States has a separate Home City route through Seminole Scouts, which sends 12 mercenary-version Bowmen and grants Stealth; that card can be sent twice and twice more in the Imperial Age for 48 total. The shipment version does not count against the local settlement limit and is not selected with locally trained native Bowmen. When comparing the two routes, account for the guaranteed shipment timing versus the flexibility of continuous local training.
Range management and target priorities
The Bowman has 115 hit points, 20 percent ranged resistance, speed 4.5 and sight 18. Its 16-damage ranged shot reaches 16 range and its firing interval varies from 1.5 to 1.0 seconds; since update 13.18214, the shorter the range, the slower the rate of fire. That unusual relationship rewards a protected position where it can remain reasonably close without entering melee. It deals 2.5 times damage against Light Ranged Cavalry and Ranged Shock troops, twice damage against Heavy Infantry, and only 0.6 times damage against Cavalry and Shock troops in the current profile. Its eight-damage hand attack also has multipliers against the first three classes, but melee contact is dangerous because its health is low. Focus fire on the unit types its arrows are designed to punish, and use a screen to keep Cavalry away. Do not chase a retreating target until the formation can remain protected; walking forward sacrifices range and exposes the Bowmen to a charge. Their range and high class bonuses can quickly turn a favorable firing lane into a decisive exchange.
Siege, upgrades and sustainability
The unit’s siege attack deals 10 damage at range 10 every three seconds. Seminole Guerilla Wars improves its building pressure, and the longer siege range plus its ranged resistance can let it work on Outposts or Town Centers from a safer position than a melee siege unit. This is a specialized use, not a reason to leave the Bowmen without protection: their 115 hit points are still vulnerable to cavalry, artillery and focused fire. Seminole Invincibles grants health regeneration while idle, letting survivors recover between battles if they can be kept out of combat. Native Warrior Societies and Champion upgrades improve native ranks, while Legendary Native Warriors or Exalted Natives can provide a further late-game upgrade through the appropriate civilization building. These improvements help preserve its value, but they do not change the importance of its short firing range and low health. Its attack was adjusted in update 13.58326, and its range, sight, cost, training time and settlement limit changed in Definitive Edition. Use current values for present-day planning and treat the earlier profile as version history.
Native warrior and mercenary versions
The native and United States mercenary forms share the same basic combat profile, including the 16-damage ranged shot, the 10-damage siege attack and the Seminole Invincibles regeneration interaction. Their strategic access is different. A native Bowman is trained at a Seminole settlement and contributes to that settlement’s limit; a mercenary Bowman arrives through a Home City shipment and does not use that limit. The Seminole Scouts card also unlocks Stealth for its shipment units, enabling a concealed approach or ambush if the enemy lacks detection. The card’s total of 48 across repeated shipments gives the United States a map-independent source of a native-themed archer force, but a shipment is a timed investment and cannot replace replenishment at a secured settlement. Keep both versions behind a frontline and assign them to targets their bonuses favor. Their population-free native status can relieve population pressure, while the mercenary shipment offers a way to access their traits on a map without Seminole territory.
Protection and formation choices
Although it is classified as ranged infantry and a Native warrior, the Bowman is not a durable frontline archer. Its speed of 4.5 helps it maintain a firing position, but does not guarantee an escape from dedicated Cavalry. Put a sturdier unit between it and the enemy, use terrain to limit approach angles and keep enough room to retreat without passing through the opposing army. Its sight of 18 exceeds its 16 attack range, so it can provide warning as the formation moves, although scouting ahead alone is risky because of its low health. The unit is best used in groups large enough to focus fire on a priority target; isolated Bowmen do not make efficient use of their class multipliers. Against Light Ranged Cavalry and Ranged Shock troops, concentrate shots to remove the threat quickly. Against Cavalry or Shock troops, avoid a stationary exchange because its ranged damage is reduced. Native population-free status makes the Bowmen useful in a full army, but the player must still budget Food and Wood and preserve the settlement access that allows replacements.
Why firing distance matters
The Bowman's short reach relative to some archers creates a tradeoff: closing the distance shortens its firing interval, but also gives Cavalry and melee Infantry less time to be intercepted. Keep a screen close enough to respond, then allow the Bowmen to fire from a protected middle distance. Their 18 sight can reveal approaching units before they enter the 16 range attack envelope, giving the player a moment to reposition. If a target moves away, preserve formation instead of chasing it with the entire group. Seminole Guerilla Wars is most valuable when the Bowmen can remain stationary and protected while sieging; moving them into a Town Center's fire to gain a few extra shots usually wastes their health. Use the unit’s bonuses to win a ranged exchange, then convert that advantage into safe siege pressure.
Fast-firing Native ranged infantry
Seminole Sharktooth Bowmen deal damage in a role similar to Crossbowmen, but their faster firing cadence changes how they trade against infantry. Their value comes from sustained ranged pressure rather than a heavy front line, so keep them behind units that can stop cavalry and melee attackers. The bowmen can punish exposed infantry and support a push, but should not be sent alone against buildings or a protected army.
Seminole upgrades change siege and survivability
Seminole improvements can broaden the unit’s role. Guerilla Wars increases its ability to damage buildings, making the bowmen more dangerous against Outposts and Town Centers than a typical light infantry group; use that siege opportunity only when the position is safe. The Seminole Invincibles upgrade allows idle units to regenerate health, rewarding pauses between engagements. Researching these improvements costs time and resources, so choose them when the settlement and army can be protected long enough to benefit.
Seminole allied ranged infantry
The Seminole Sharktooth Bowman is ranged infantry available from a Seminole settlement through a Trading Post or Tambo, or from a Native Embassy when that roster is accessible. It has 115 hit points, speed 4.5 and 20% ranged resistance. Its ranged attack deals 16 damage at a range of 16, giving it useful reach for supporting an allied force. The unit’s settlement access ties its recruitment to map control and the selected alliance rather than to an ordinary civilization Barracks.
Cost and battlefield assignment
Each Bowman costs 50 Food and 50 Wood, uses one population and takes 30 seconds to train. It also has a 10-damage siege attack at range 10, which can contribute against buildings when the area is secure. Keep the Bowmen behind units that can absorb charges and use their range to focus targets from a protected position. Their moderate hit points and resistance help them survive some ranged fire, but they are not a replacement for dedicated siege or frontline troops. Check the local settlement and game version for the exact alliance roster before planning sustained production.