Sowar
The Sowar is Indian hand Cavalry that rides a camel and specializes in attacking Infantry and Artillery. It is a mobile counterpart to the Sepoy frontline, rather than a dedicated counter to enemy Cavalry.
Recorded values
- Available
- Commerce Age · Caravanserai; Fort; Agra Fort (once upgraded to Delhi Gate) ; Galleon
- Training
- 35 sec · 2 population · 16 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 225 hit points · 30% ranged resistance · 7.5 speed · 20 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 20 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 2.0x vs. Infantry; 0.5x vs. Heavy infantry
- Siege attack
- 15 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
- Trample attack
- 11 damage · 2.0 attack interval · bonuses: Same as hand attack
Role & counters
Sowars deal bonus damage to Infantry and Artillery but do not receive a mounted-unit bonus. Their trample attack spreads damage across a group; Heavy Infantry, ranged Cavalry and ranged Shock units are effective answers. Caravanserai is the Indian production building for cavalry.
When to field it
Use them to reach enemy Skirmishers or siege pieces and support Sepoys from a flank. Avoid charging into Heavy Infantry or a prepared ranged Cavalry screen. Pull them away once the target is protected by anti-cavalry.
Current statistics and training
The Sowar is a Commerce Age Indian camel cavalry unit in The Asian Dynasties. It costs 80 food and 80 coin, takes 35 seconds to train, and uses two population. Its base profile has 225 hit points, 30% ranged resistance, speed 7.5, and line of sight 20. The hand attack deals 20 damage every 1.5 seconds, with a 2.0 multiplier against infantry and a 0.5 multiplier against heavy infantry. Its trample attack deals 11 damage in an area of 3 every 2 seconds and uses the same multipliers. The unit's siege attack deals 15 damage at range 6 every 3 seconds. The high movement speed is central to its use: it can reinforce a fight or leave a poor matchup faster than most cavalry. It can be trained at a Caravanserai or Galleon, and at the Agra Fort after the Delhi Gate upgrade.
Matchups and economic role
Sowars are intended to run down light infantry, including archers and Skirmishers, and can also pressure artillery. Their multiplier against infantry makes them more effective in those matchups than their base damage alone suggests. Heavy infantry receives only half damage, and other cavalry can also trade favorably against their comparatively modest base attack. Avoid charging Sowars into Pikemen or a heavy infantry mass. Use speed to select fights, protect the unit with ranged support against anti-cavalry troops, and withdraw before a favorable raid turns into an unfavorable stand-up battle. Their mixed food-and-coin price is manageable early, but a large force competes with age advancement and other Indian units for coin. Home City cards that increase their base attack or bonus against light infantry can turn them into a more cost-effective Commerce Age counter, so their usefulness depends on the deck and timing as well as the raw unit profile.
Mansabdar Sowar aura
The Mansabdar Sowar is a stronger, limited version recruited from the Charminar Gate or sent with the Sowar Regiment Home City shipment. It costs 160 food and 160 coin, takes 35 seconds to train, and has a limit of one. At 450 hit points it has twice the base health of a regular Sowar, while its ordinary attack profile remains the same. Its passive Imperial Service aura reaches a radius of 24 and increases the hit points and damage of nearby Sowars by 10%. This makes the Mansabdar most effective with a group rather than alone: keep it close enough to support the cavalry mass while avoiding exposure to heavy infantry. It costs twice as much as a standard Sowar, so the aura and extra durability should be used to preserve the surrounding group through a decisive engagement.
Upgrade path and civilization access
Disciplined Sowar is the Fortress Age upgrade, costing 200 wood and 100 coin for 20% more hit points and damage. Honored Sowar follows in the Industrial Age for 600 wood and 600 coin and adds 30%, requiring Disciplined Sowar first. Exalted Sowar is the Imperial Age step, costs 1,500 wood and 1,500 coin, and adds 50% after Honored. The same line improves both ordinary and Mansabdar Sowars. The unit's camel appearance and lance-cavalry classification do not make it equivalent to a European Hussar: its specific infantry multiplier and lower damage against heavy infantry define a different counter role. Build the upgrade chain when the strategy depends on a persistent light-infantry counter; otherwise, use its speed and low-population footprint for targeted raids and reserve resources for a broader army.
Version and support context
The Sowar is unique to the Indian civilization and was introduced in The Asian Dynasties. Definitive Edition adjusted its attack multipliers: the current infantry bonus is 2.0 rather than the older 1.5, while the heavy-infantry penalty is 0.5 rather than 0.67. The Mansabdar's population use also changed from four to two in an earlier update. These are version-sensitive details; older guides may understate the Sowar's current bonus against ordinary infantry or overstate the Mansabdar's population burden. Its movement, resistance, and target-specific multipliers together explain why it excels at catching ranged infantry but should avoid heavy infantry and cavalry engagements.
Mansabdar and card timing
A Mansabdar Sowar's aura is most efficient after the player has enough ordinary Sowars to benefit from it. Its 10% bonus applies within 24 range and affects both health and damage, so keep the leader centrally positioned without exposing it ahead of the group. The Sowar Regiment shipment can provide access to this unit, while the Charminar Gate is the direct Wonder route. Before investing in repeated upgrades, check whether the opponent is actually relying on light infantry: Sowars have a sharply reduced multiplier against heavy infantry and do not win by raw base damage against other cavalry. In a favorable matchup, speed and the aura let the group strike, disengage, and return with fewer losses.
When to commit the cavalry
A Sowar's 30% ranged resistance supports a charge through arrows, but it does not protect against hand damage or negate the heavy-infantry penalty. Use the camel cavalry to flank or pursue ranged targets, not to trade head-on with pikemen.
Fast Indian melee cavalry against infantry
The Sowar is Indian Heavy Cavalry suited to attacking Infantry. The documented profile costs 80 Food and 80 Coin, takes 35 seconds to train, uses two population, has 225 hit points and moves at speed 7.5. Its attack bonuses favor Infantry, while its low multiplier against Heavy Infantry means it should not be mistaken for a dedicated answer to every infantry unit. Use its speed to strike vulnerable ranged troops and withdraw from anti-Cavalry screens.
Support the cavalry with ranged counters
Sowars can punish exposed Skirmishers and artillery, but they are vulnerable to units designed to stop Cavalry. Keep them with ranged infantry that can weaken Pikemen or Musketeers, and avoid a direct charge into a prepared line. Their mixed Food-and-Coin cost competes with Indian units and technologies, so maintain an economy that can replace losses. Use the documented profile for the relevant version and account for cards or upgrades that change the final statistics.