Thuggee
Thuggee is ranged infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Commerce Age; obtained through Tavern (Europeans), Monastery (Asians), Lombard (Italians), Marathan Catamaran (Marathan).
Recorded values
- Cost
- 150 Coin
- Available
- Commerce Age · Tavern (Europeans) ; Monastery (Asians) ; Lombard (Italians) ; Marathan Catamaran (Marathan)
- Training
- 50 sec · 6 population · 30 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 210 hit points · 30% ranged resistance · 4.0 speed · 22 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 15 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 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
- Ranged attack
- 45 damage · 18 range · 3.0 attack interval · bonuses: 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
- 30 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Tavern (Europeans), Monastery (Asians), Lombard (Italians), or Marathan Catamaran (Marathan). It has 210 hit points and 30% ranged resistance. It moves at 4.0 speed and uses 6 population. Training costs 150 Coin; it takes 50 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 15 damage. Ranged attack deals 45 damage. Siege attack deals 30 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 2.0× against Light ranged cavalry, 2.0× against Ranged shock trooper, 2.0× against Heavy infantry, 0.75× against Cavalry, and 0.75× against Shock troops*. Ranged attack bonuses: 2.5× against Light ranged cavalry, 2.5× against Ranged shock trooper, 2.0× against Heavy infantry, 0.6× against Cavalry, and 0.6× against Shock troops*.
Matchup & timing
Treat Thuggees as a premium ranged specialist: each uses six population, but fires 45 damage at range 18 and gains strong multipliers against ranged infantry classes. Keep them behind a frontline and direct volleys at Heavy Infantry or ranged specialists. Their melee attack also counters Cavalry that closes, but their cost makes trading them casually a poor exchange.
Role and profile
The Thuggee is an Indian outlaw and high-damage ranged mercenary available on selected Asian maps, including Bengal, Ceylon, Deccan, Fertile Crescent and Punjab. The current profile costs 150 Coin, takes 50 seconds to train and occupies six population. It has 210 hit points, 30% ranged resistance, speed 4.0 and line of sight 22. Its ranged attack deals 45 damage every three seconds at range 18, while its hand attack deals 15 damage and its siege attack 30. These unusually high ranged values make the unit dangerous against infantry, but its six-population cost sharply reduces the total army size. Treat it as a premium specialist rather than a replacement for ordinary Skirmishers.
Damage bonuses and counters
The Thuggee’s ranged attack has a 2.5× multiplier against light ranged cavalry and ranged shock troops, 2× against heavy infantry, and only 0.6× against cavalry and shock troops in the current profile. Its hand attack has 2× bonuses against the light ranged cavalry, ranged shock and heavy infantry classes, with reduced damage against cavalry and shock troops. This makes it excellent at striking heavy infantry and selected ranged cavalry from long range, but vulnerable to heavy cavalry, hand shock troops, counter-skirmishers and artillery. Maintain its 18 range and use a screen; if cavalry closes the gap, retreat rather than relying on its modest hand attack.
Variant names and access
The source distinguishes Repentant Thuggee and Marathan Thuggee as Indian rifle-wielding mercenary units that share a general combat role and are stronger versions of the Renegado. The Marathan version can be trained from a Marathan Catamaran under the applicable rules. Europeans can recruit outlaw units from a Tavern, Asian civilizations from a Monastery, Italians from a Lombard, and availability may be affected by map and mercenary pool. Do not assume that every civilization can train a Thuggee from a standard military building. The current unit classifications identify it as light infantry, gunpowder and rifle infantry; it also has outlaw classification in later updates.
Population and economic tradeoff
Six population is the unit’s largest limitation. A single Thuggee can deliver strong ranged damage, but several consume the room needed for frontline units, cavalry counters and artillery. Its Coin-only price may fit an economy with abundant Coin, yet the population cost remains even when the resource is available. Compare the damage contribution with a larger group of regular units before committing to a mercenary shipment. The long training time also means the unit is not a quick replacement after losses. Keep population space open before training and avoid losing it to a counter-skirmisher force.
Upgrade cards and age scaling
Thuggees can gain hit points and damage through the unit’s faction-eligible outlaw upgrade path. Compunction for Asians, Folk Heroes for Europeans, Nomadic Bandits for Africans or Wild West for Americans each provides a 20% improvement under the listed rules and also affects training time for specified groups. In the Industrial Age these upgrades give a further 30% hit points and damage, and in the Imperial Age another 50% when the relevant technology is researched. Additional improvements can increase attack, range, line of sight, speed or reduce cost, but most are civilization-specific. Check the card’s exact unit class and faction restrictions before building a deck around a Thuggee.
Team shipments and revolutions
The Indian TEAM Recruit Maratha +10 Thuggee card ships four Marathan Catamarans carrying ten Thuggees for the team, divided between the boats as specified by the shipment. This is a substantial reinforcement, but the six-population requirement still applies to the receiving armies. Lakota can receive Thuggees through Outlaw Band or Bandit Gang random outlaw shipments, while Argentina and the Maya revolution can also access them through their respective outlaw cards. These are special shipment pools and do not make the unit part of every civilization’s standard roster.
Using the long-range rifle
Keep Thuggees behind the main formation and focus volleys on heavy infantry or the ranged cavalry classes covered by their bonuses. Their 22 line of sight can help spot enemy movement, but their speed 4.0 is too low to scout safely alone. Let cavalry or durable infantry screen them and use their range to fire before the opponent reaches melee. If the enemy switches to heavy cavalry or counter-skirmishers, move the Thuggees to safety and invest in a counter rather than exchanging the six-population unit inefficiently.
Patch history and current values
The Thuggee’s classification and balance have changed in Definitive Edition updates. Current damage is 45 at range 18, and the current profile uses a 0.6 cavalry multiplier; earlier versions used lower ranged multipliers and different shock-troop values. The unit became classified as light infantry after update 13.9057 and gained rifle infantry and outlaw classifications after update 23511. Older guides may also refer to its original 150 Coin cost and older technology values. Use the current in-game profile when calculating exact damage in a live match.
When to choose them
Choose Thuggees when the map supports recruitment, the opponent has heavy infantry or favorable ranged targets, and the economy can afford both Coin and population. They are a poor choice when heavy cavalry or counter-skirmishers dominate the field, or when a small army needs multiple frontline units more than one powerful shooter. Their value depends on maintaining distance and protecting the mercenary investment.
Reading the attack profile
The unit’s ranged attack is its primary contribution: 45 base damage at range 18, repeated every three seconds. Its multipliers make target choice matter more than raw damage suggests. Against heavy infantry the multiplier is 2.0, so a volley deals 90 before armor and other modifiers; against light ranged cavalry and ranged shock troops it is 2.5, or 112.5 before mitigation. The same rifle is deliberately inefficient against cavalry at a 0.6 multiplier. Its hand attack is only 15 damage every 1.5 seconds, so do not treat the Thuggee as a melee replacement when an enemy closes. The 30 damage siege attack can help finish exposed buildings, but six population and the unit’s specialist role make prolonged structure attacks an expensive use of its time.
Age upgrades and civilization modifiers
Compunction is the Asian upgrade named for this unit and raises its hit points and damage by 20%; the general Industrial Age and Imperial Age outlaw upgrade paths can also improve it. The standard age steps described for the unit are +30% hit points and damage in the Industrial Age and +50% in the Imperial Age. Other civilizations can improve outlaws through their own cards or technologies, but those effects are not all available to an Indian player and should not be assumed to stack in every deck. Check the civilization and the current version before comparing a Thuggee’s final damage with another unit. Cards such as Paper Cartridge, Smokeless Powder or civilization-specific outlaw improvements may add further attack or survivability where their prerequisites and card access allow.
Recruitment routes and map limits
The Thuggee is not a universal Indian barracks unit. The Asian Dynasties map pool lists Bengal, Ceylon, Deccan, Fertile Crescent and Punjab as recruitment maps. The available building depends on the player’s civilization: Europeans use the Tavern, Asian civilizations the Monastery, Italians the Lombard and Marathans their Catamaran. The Indian team shipment sends Marathan Catamarans carrying ten Thuggees across the team, distributed among the ships, and can create a sudden force without ordinary training. Lakota, Argentina and the Maya revolution obtain them only through the relevant random outlaw shipment cards. Treat those as contingent access, not a dependable core roster.
Army composition and practical trade-offs
A Thuggee works best as the expensive ranged element of a mixed force. Pair it with frontline infantry that can absorb fire and anti-cavalry units that discourage a charge; then let the riflemen focus on the targets their multipliers reward. The six-population requirement sharply limits how many can join a normal army, while the 150 Coin cost and 50-second training time make losses slow to replace. A handful can punish infantry-heavy compositions, but a whole army of them can be overwhelmed by cavalry, artillery or counter-skirmishers. Compare their cost and population to several conventional units before committing, and use the high line of sight to support a protected firing line rather than sending them out alone.
Combat profile and target selection
Thuggees are mercenary ranged infantry with a long, deliberate firing cycle. Their 45-damage ranged attack has an 18-range reach and carries strong bonuses against Light ranged cavalry, Ranged shock troopers and Heavy infantry; the profile also penalizes attacks against Cavalry and Shock troops. The 15-damage hand attack is not a reason to use them as ordinary melee troops, although its own bonuses can make close contact useful against the listed classes when retreat is impossible. Their 210 hit points and 30% ranged resistance provide some staying power, but six population and a Coin-only cost of 150 make each one a meaningful investment. Focus fire on valid targets and keep the group behind a screen that can stop fast melee units.
Recruitment, timing and force composition
Access depends on the civilization and map rules: European Taverns, Asian Monasteries, the Italian Lombard and the Marathan Catamaran can provide the unit in their respective contexts. That broad availability does not mean every civilization can field Thuggees from the same building or at the same time; check the displayed source and age before planning around them. Their 50-second training time makes an existing mercenary site valuable for reinforcement, but slow production and Coin demand argue against treating them as disposable frontline troops. Add units that can intercept Cavalry, protect against artillery and pressure structures, since the Thuggee’s listed siege attack is only 30. They are most useful when the opponent’s composition supplies the targets their rifle is specialized to punish.