Tribal Horseman
Tribal Horseman is Heavy Cavalry available through Barbary Pirates and Moroccan content from the Commerce Age. Its mobility and hand attack support raids and flanking, while access varies among production buildings and map systems.
Recorded values
- Available
- Commerce Age · Stable; Galleon; Native Embassy (Unknown); Watch Tower (Unknown)
- Training
- 25 sec · 1 population · 15 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 210 hit points · 20% ranged resistance · 6.75 speed · 17 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 28 damage · 1.5 attack interval
- Siege attack
- 15 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
- Trample attack
- 14 damage · 2.0 attack interval
Role, availability & values
It can be produced at a Stable or Galleon and is also listed through a Native Embassy or Watch Tower under some access rules. The unit has 210 hit points, moves at 6.75 speed and has 20% ranged resistance. It uses one population, costs 65 Food and 65 Coin, and takes 25 seconds; attacks deal 28 hand, 15 siege and 14 trample damage.
Matchup & timing
Use Tribal Horsemen to pressure exposed targets or support a flank, then withdraw when anti-cavalry units can surround them. Confirm how the selected faction gains access and avoid assuming all listed buildings are available on every map.
Statistics and historical-battle role
In the current Definitive Edition profile, a Tribal Horseman costs 65 food and 65 coin, takes 25 seconds to train, uses one population, and has 210 hit points with 20% ranged resistance. It moves at speed 6.75 and has line of sight 17. Its hand attack deals 28 damage every 1.5 seconds; its trample attack deals 14 damage in an area of 3 every 2 seconds. Its siege attack is 15 damage at range 6 every 3 seconds. In the Historical Battles, the Barbary Pirates and Moroccans use the unit as an inexpensive replacement for the Hussar. It is a light, cheap cavalry option rather than a premium frontline unit: it can pressure ranged archaic infantry such as Crossbowmen and catch artillery while it is limbered, but heavy infantry and stronger cavalry defeat it in direct fights.
Access on the Unknown map
The unit also appears on the random Unknown map through its native-warrior role. There it can be trained from a Native Embassy or Watch Tower, has a limit of ten, and does not consume population. The Moroccan Allegiance technology at a Native Embassy unlocks training from additional military buildings, including Stables, War Academies, War Camps, and Commanderies. In that setup the Tribal Horseman benefits from Home City Cards and technologies that improve native warriors. This is a different access rule from the Historical Battles, where it is simply the scenario's cavalry replacement and uses population. When consulting unit data, keep these modes separate: the same name can have a native warrior tag and zero-population cap on Unknown, while the scripted battle version has the ordinary one-population cost.
Strengths, weaknesses, and tactical use
Its best targets are ranged archaic infantry and exposed artillery. Use its speed to approach from a flank or punish a battery after the enemy's anti-cavalry screen has moved away. It can also damage ordinary buildings, but fortified Outposts and Forts take much longer and should be left to dedicated siege units. Avoid heavy infantry, light ranged cavalry, ranged shock troops, and Ninja in the Unknown setup; these classes can stop the low-cost horseman efficiently. If stronger cavalry is available, the Tribal Horseman is usually a support or raiding choice rather than the main force. Its low population cost on Unknown is useful for filling the army cap, but its capped production and modest health still constrain how many can be massed.
Upgrade sequence
Veteran Tribal Horsemen costs 200 wood and 200 coin in the Fortress Age and grants 20% more hit points and damage. Guard Tribal Horsemen is a Moroccan Industrial Age upgrade costing 1,000 wood and 1,000 coin, adding 30% after the Veteran step. On Unknown, Berber Warrior Societies grants Veteran Tribal Horsemen, Champion Berbers grants the Guard version after the first technology, and Legendary Native Warriors increases native warrior hit points and damage by 50%. African civilizations receive native warrior improvements automatically and without cost; other factions research the appropriate native upgrade at their Capitol, State Capitol, or Town Center. These upgrade routes differ between campaign battles and the Unknown map and should not be conflated.
Civilization and version scope
The Tribal Horseman is specific to Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition and its historical battle scenarios. It is used by the Barbary Pirates and Moroccans and can also appear as an editable scenario unit. The Moroccan and Unknown-map access conditions depend on the scenario or map setup, not on a general Stable roster available to every civilization. Its current one-population cost, 210 hit points, and 28 hand damage form the baseline for the historical-battle version; technologies and the native warrior classification can change the practical profile on Unknown.
Choosing between scenario and native-warrior rules
Historical Battles use a fixed army and scripted objectives, so the Tribal Horseman's one-population cost and 210 hit points are the relevant values there. On Unknown, the unit's native warrior tag changes the composition rules: it uses no population, can be limited to ten at a settlement, and can receive native-specific Home City Cards and technology bonuses. The Moroccan Allegiance research is the gate for production from regular military buildings; without it, the Watch Tower or Native Embassy is the access point. This distinction matters when comparing screenshots or build orders because two forces with the same number of Tribal Horsemen may have spent very different population and resources. Use the scenario version to raid Crossbowmen and limbered artillery, but do not mistake its low cost for a good exchange against Halberdiers or heavier cavalry.
Improvement costs and siege utility
The Veteran upgrade in the Fortress Age costs 200 wood and 200 coin for 20% more health and damage; Moroccan Guard Tribal Horsemen later cost 1,000 wood and 1,000 coin for another 30%. Their 15-damage siege attack is useful against ordinary buildings, but Forts and Fortified Outposts remain poor targets for this light cavalry.
Native warrior limit
On Unknown, the ten-unit settlement cap is independent of the normal population limit; keeping the Native Embassy or Watch Tower intact is therefore necessary for continued production.
Native cavalry from Trading Posts and the Unknown map
The Tribal Horseman is a Native warrior that can also appear on the random Unknown map. In the documented Unknown-map option, it can be trained from a Watch Tower or Native Embassy with a limit of ten and uses no population. Its Native warrior tag means Home City Cards and technologies that affect Native warriors can also improve it. Access depends on the map and the corresponding alliance rather than a standard civilization Stable.
Use the limit and upgrade path deliberately
A ten-unit cap makes Tribal Horsemen a limited reinforcement source, so combine them with ordinary production instead of planning an unlimited cavalry queue. Protect the Watch Tower, Trading Post or Embassy that grants access, and check the selected card set for relevant Native improvements. Their role is most useful when the map provides a safe route to train them and the army has other units to handle anti-Cavalry counters. If the structure is lost, reassess the composition before committing to a fight.