Shock infantry
Shock Infantry is an Age of Empires III unit class divided into Hand Shock Infantry and Ranged Shock Infantry. These units occupy cavalry-like battlefield roles while using infantry classifications, so their tags determine which bonuses and counters apply.
Class & version names
Anti-cavalry effects also receive bonuses against Shock Infantry. Hand Shock Infantry are generally countered by Heavy Infantry and Light Ranged Cavalry, while Ranged Shock Infantry are vulnerable to Light Infantry. Individual units may carry additional tags that change the matchup, so check the unit panel rather than relying on the broad class label alone.
Counters & matchups
Identify whether the target is Hand or Ranged Shock Infantry before choosing a counter. A unit with Shock Infantry and another tag may be affected by multiple bonuses. The Definitive Edition distinguishes Shock Infantry from its modern Light Infantry group, while earlier terminology can differ; use the active version’s displayed classifications when reading attack multipliers.
Tags explain why shock units receive different counters
The class name groups units by their battlefield role, but damage is resolved through their tags. Anti-cavalry attacks can receive a bonus against Shock Infantry, while the hand or ranged subtype changes which infantry counters are effective. Some individual units also have another class tag that creates additional interactions. When a unit seems to take unexpected bonus damage, inspect its classifications and the attacker’s displayed multipliers. Version terminology matters because older labels do not always map one-to-one to current Definitive Edition tags.