Swiss Pikeman
Swiss Pikeman is Heavy infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Fortress Age; obtained through Tavern (Europeans), Monastery (Asians), Saloon (Americans), Palace (Africans), Lombard (Italians), Barracks (Swedes with the "Contract Swiss Pikemen" Home City Card), Galleon (Swedes with the "Contract Swiss Pikemen" Home City Card).
Recorded values
- Cost
- 160 Coin
- Available
- Fortress Age · Tavern (Europeans) ; Monastery (Asians) ; Saloon (Americans) ; Palace (Africans) ; Lombard (Italians) ; Barracks (Swedes with the "Contract Swiss Pikemen" Home City Card) ; Galleon (Swedes with the "Contract Swiss Pikemen" Home City Card)
- Training
- 36 sec · 2 population · 16 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 325 hit points · 30% hand resistance · 5.0 speed · 12 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 22 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 5.0x vs. Cavalry; 3.5x vs. Shock troops
- Siege attack
- 64 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Tavern (Europeans), Monastery (Asians), Saloon (Americans), Palace (Africans), Lombard (Italians), Barracks (Swedes with the "Contract Swiss Pikemen" Home City Card), or Galleon (Swedes with the "Contract Swiss Pikemen" Home City Card). It has 325 hit points. It moves at 5.0 speed and uses 2 population. Training costs 160 Coin; it takes 36 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 22 damage. Siege attack deals 64 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 5.0× against Cavalry and 3.5× against Shock troops.
Matchup & timing
Bring Swiss Pikemen against concentrated Cavalry: their 325 hit points, 30% hand resistance and 5× Cavalry multiplier make them a durable screen. Their 64 siege damage is a major bonus during a protected push. They remain vulnerable to anti-mercenary tools such as Spies and Ninjas, so scout for those counters before committing the expensive group.
Mercenary profile and anti-cavalry damage
Swiss Pikemen are Fortress Age Mercenary Heavy Infantry. Each costs 160 Coin, takes 36 seconds to train and uses two population. Their 325 hit points, 30% hand resistance and speed 5.0 make them unusually sturdy and mobile for Pike Infantry. The hand attack deals 22 damage every 1.5 seconds, with a 5.0× multiplier against Cavalry and 3.5× against Shock troops. The 64-point siege attack lets them damage buildings after a fight. This gives the unit two clear jobs: stop mounted forces and threaten structures when the field is safe. The strong health and damage can tempt a player to use them as a general frontline, but they are still Infantry and remain vulnerable to Artillery.
When to use the unit
The Swiss Pikeman is most useful when the opponent relies on Cavalry or Shock troops and the player needs a durable answer that can also push buildings. Their speed 5.0 helps them keep pace with many armies, and the high cavalry multiplier punishes a charge that reaches the line. Send them with ranged Infantry or other units that can handle enemy Artillery, because the Pikemen cannot safely cross open ground under cannon fire. They can also take advantage of a cleared battlefield to use their 64 siege attack on defensive structures. A 160-Coin mercenary is a substantial purchase, so recruit them for a matchup or a planned push instead of assuming they are a cost-efficient substitute for standard Pike Infantry in every fight.
Spy and Ninja counterplay
Swiss Pikemen are powerful against ordinary military classes, but Spy and Ninja units are dangerous because they receive bonuses against Mercenaries. The Pikeman's high hit points do not negate that class interaction. If the opponent can field either specialist, keep the Swiss force near supporting units that can reveal or attack them, and do not leave a small group isolated. This is particularly relevant when the Pikemen are advancing toward a base: a player who spends heavily on mercenaries may give the opponent an incentive to answer with anti-mercenary units. Use the Pikemen's anti-Cavalry role while screening the approach, then protect them from specialist counters as well as the normal Artillery threat.
Where mercenary access comes from
European civilizations can usually recruit Swiss Pikemen from a Tavern, Asian civilizations from a Monastery, Americans from a Saloon, and African civilizations from a Palace. Italians use a Lombard. Their Fortress Age mercenary availability can depend on the map's roster and access to the relevant building. Swedes with Contract Swiss Pikemen can train them from Barracks, Taverns, Blockhouses and Galleons, while the card also ships twelve Pikemen. Germans can gain a Galleon production route through Adler von Lübeck if the unit is available in the Tavern. These civilization-specific routes can change how quickly a mercenary force is assembled, but the base 160-Coin profile and two-population use remain central to planning.
Dutch Waardgelders variation
The Dutch Waardgelders Home City Card changes Swiss Pikemen into a Dutch-specific unit and opens training at Barracks and Taverns from the Commerce Age. Their cost becomes 155 Coin, but hidden effects reduce hit points and damage by 20% until the Fortress Age and lower speed to 4.75. The hit point and damage penalty was 10% before patch 15.59076. This early access therefore comes with a weaker temporary profile; do not compare a Commerce Age Waardgelder directly with a standard Fortress Age Swiss Pikeman. Once the Fortress Age is reached, the temporary penalties end, and the unit can serve as a stronger pike force while continuing to benefit from the card's broader recruitment options.
Campaign use and upgrades
Swiss Pikemen also appear in campaign scenarios; in Into the Caves, three are provided at the start to help defend the colony. In standard play, they can receive the usual mercenary and Infantry improvements available to the civilization. Their role remains easiest to understand through the base profile: high health, hand resistance, fast movement for Infantry and a very large bonus against Cavalry. Use upgrades to extend a force that is already doing useful work, but do not let them obscure their weaknesses. Artillery can remove them efficiently, and Spy or Ninja units can exploit the Mercenary classification. A mixed army that gives them ranged support and counters for guns makes better use of their expensive recruitment than an unsupported mass.
Building pressure after winning the field
The 64-point siege attack gives Swiss Pikemen a useful follow-up task once enemy Cavalry has been driven away. They can threaten an exposed Outpost or wall while ranged allies keep defenders at a distance. Do not use that siege damage as a reason to attack a fortified position without support: Artillery and defensive fire can remove the mercenaries before they reach the structure. Their strongest push comes after the opponent's mobile army has been forced to retreat.
Population efficiency and support
Two population per Swiss Pikeman is moderate for a mercenary with 325 hit points, but an army made entirely of them still lacks ranged pressure and protection from Artillery. Combine a limited number with ranged Infantry and an answer to enemy guns. This lets the Pikemen hold off Cavalry while other units attack the targets they handle poorly. Their high health can absorb damage for the formation, but avoid using them as expendable units because replacing each one requires Coin and a lengthy mercenary queue.
Send the mercenaries where their bonus applies
Swiss Pikemen earn their cost when they intercept Cavalry or Shock troops and survive long enough to use their siege damage. They are not a replacement for every infantry type: keep ranged units nearby to attack Artillery and other threats that can exploit the mercenaries' slow approach. A small protected group can guard a vulnerable flank, escort siege weapons or take a building after the enemy's mobile force has been pushed away. Their Home City card routes can make them available earlier for the Dutch or allow Swedes to produce them from several buildings and Galleons, but the base Fortress Age profile remains a Coin-heavy commitment.
Version notes for the Dutch card
The Waardgelders card's hidden penalties have changed over the game's patch history. Current notes list a 20% reduction to hit points and damage before the Fortress Age, while older versions applied a 10% reduction before patch 15.59076. Its speed penalty to 4.75 is also specific to the early-age Dutch variant. When consulting older strategies, distinguish Waardgelders from standard Swiss Pikemen: the standard mercenary is a Fortress Age unit with 325 hit points, while the Dutch card opens a modified version from the Commerce Age.
Durable mercenary anti-Cavalry infantry
Swiss Pikemen are Heavy Infantry with high hit points and strong multipliers against Cavalry. Their siege attack is also substantial, and they move quickly for a foot unit. This combination makes them useful both as a mounted-unit counter and as a threat to exposed buildings. They can add a durable front line to an army that otherwise relies on ranged mercenaries.
Keep ranged counters away
Swiss Pikemen still have to reach their targets, so light infantry and artillery can punish them before they connect. Use a screen or terrain to approach, then let their Cavalry bonuses and siege attack do the work. Mercenary access, cost and population vary by source; confirm the available camp and limit before building a large group. Do not send them alone into a Skirmisher mass.