Urumi Swordsman
Urumi Swordsman is Indians infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Fortress Age.
Recorded values
- Available
- Fortress Age
- Training
- 45 sec · 2 population
- Durability & mobility
- 260 hit points · 30% ranged resistance · 4.5 speed · 16 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 1.0 attack interval · bonuses: 2.0x vs. Light ranged cavalry; 2.0x vs. Ranged shock trooper; 1.75x vs. Heavy infantry; 0.6x vs. Cavalry; 0.75x vs. Shock troops
- Siege attack
- 28 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
Role, availability & values
It has 260 hit points and 30% ranged resistance. It moves at 4.5 speed and uses 2 population. Training costs 160 Food and 60 Coin; it takes 45 seconds to train. Attack profile: Siege attack deals 28 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 2.0× against Light ranged cavalry, 2.0× against Ranged shock trooper, 1.75× against Heavy infantry, 0.6× against Cavalry, and 0.75× against Shock troops.
Matchup & timing
Hand attack is especially effective against Light ranged cavalry (2×), Ranged shock trooper (2×), Heavy infantry (1.75×). Its reduced multipliers against Cavalry (0.6×), Shock troops (0.75×) make it less suitable for those targets. Hold the melee attack for Light ranged cavalry, Ranged shock trooper, and Heavy infantry when they enter contact. Keep a frontline between this unit and threats that can reach it safely.
Home City access and profile
The Urumi Swordsman is an Indian infantry unit introduced in The Asian Dynasties and available only through Home City shipments. It is not trained at an ordinary Barracks. A standard Urumi shipment costs 160 Food and 60 Coin, arrives as a limited group, and uses two population per unit. Each Urumi has 260 hit points, 30 percent ranged resistance, speed 4.5, and line of sight 16. Its sword whip attack deals 17 damage at range 2 every second and affects a small area around the target. It also has 28 siege damage at range 6. The unit's area melee attack and high attack rate are designed to punish groups of Heavy infantry, Light ranged cavalry, and Ranged shock troops. Since it must be shipped and has a significant population cost, include it when the opponent's army makes the matchup valuable.
Area attack and target bonuses
The Urumi's attack is not a conventional single target sword strike: the flexible sword whip hits a small area, allowing one attack to damage multiple nearby units. Its current profile has a 1.75 multiplier against Heavy infantry, two times against Light ranged cavalry and Ranged shock troops, and reduced damage against Cavalry and Shock troops. This makes it especially effective when enemy infantry are packed together or when a light cavalry group approaches. Heavy cavalry remains a serious counter, so the Urumi should be mixed with anti-cavalry units such as Sepoys or Howdahs. Its 30 percent ranged resistance and speed 4.5 help it survive some ranged attacks, but it still has to close to range two. Keep it behind the main line until a safe opening appears.
Healing and shipment timing
Urumi Swordsmen regenerate health after remaining idle for 3.5 seconds, at 0.25 percent of their hit points per second. Pull a damaged unit back after a fight and let it recover instead of losing it to a low value chase. The Home City includes an Industrial Age card that can ship Urumi repeatedly, making a larger army possible later in the match. The Sacred Field system can also support the economy needed to send more units. Because the shipment is the primary recruitment route, it should be timed before a major engagement or defensive crisis rather than used only after the army has already lost the frontline. The shipment's cost and population commitment compete with Sepoys, Howdahs, and other support units, so plan the force as a composition.
Mansabdar and unit tags
The Mansabdar Urumi is a separate Home City shipment unit available through the Charminar Gate and inspires nearby Urumi Swordsmen. It has its own higher cost and statistics, and should not be treated as an ordinary Urumi with a different name. The standard Urumi has a Hand skirmisher tag in later updates but is not classified as Light infantry. Class tags can affect counter bonuses and technologies, so rely on the current unit profile rather than its visual weapon. Updates changed its multiplier against Ranged shock troops and Cavalry, which explains why older advice can describe a different matchup. In the current game, use the listed 0.6 Cavalry multiplier and avoid letting Heavy cavalry engage the unit directly.
Practical composition
Urumi are strongest when another unit holds Heavy cavalry away and the Urumi can reach the enemy's infantry mass. Pair them with Sepoys or Howdahs, then use the Urumi to sweep through Heavy infantry or punish Light ranged cavalry. Their two population cost limits the number that fit into a full army, while their shipment only arrives when a Home City card is available. Do not spend a shipment on them if the opponent has shifted heavily to cavalry counters. Against buildings, their siege attack contributes but should not replace dedicated artillery. Keep the Urumi close enough to join the fight but not so far forward that enemy ranged units focus them before the sword whip connects.
Area damage timing
The Urumi's small area attack rewards waiting until enemy units are close enough to be hit together. Let allied Sepoys hold a target in place, then move the Urumi into range two so the sword whip can damage the cluster. If units are spread out, use a different unit to engage and save the shipment for a better opportunity. Their damage against Heavy infantry is high, but Heavy cavalry can still overwhelm them. Keep Howdahs or another anti-cavalry line close and retreat the Urumi as soon as that screen is broken. Their regeneration can restore survivors between engagements, so withdraw early rather than waiting until every unit is nearly dead.
Home City card commitment
The Urumi arrives through a Home City card and cannot be queued from a normal military building. This makes the reinforcement timing predictable to the opponent and ties the number of units to the selected shipment. Keep the card ready for a battle where the Heavy infantry bonus matters, and consider the later infinite shipment when planning a long match. If the first group survives, use the same units as the core of the next attack and allow their health regeneration to restore them. Avoid spending multiple shipments while the enemy is massing Heavy cavalry; add the appropriate counter before investing further in Urumi.
Facing ranged fire
The Urumi's 30 percent ranged resistance helps on the approach, but it remains vulnerable to concentrated fire. Approach behind Sepoys, then enter melee only when the screen is engaged and the heavy infantry target cannot retreat.
Shipment efficiency
When the opponent clusters Heavy infantry, the Urumi's area attack can damage several targets with each swing. Focus the group on one side of the formation rather than splitting it across the entire battlefield.
Area ranged attack from a hand-infantry unit
The Urumi Swordsman is Indian hand infantry whose whip-like attack deals ranged area damage at a high rate of fire. The documented Fortress Age profile costs 160 Food and 60 Coin, takes 45 seconds to train, has 260 hit points, 30% ranged resistance, speed 4.5 and uses two population. Its attack bonuses target Heavy Infantry, light Cavalry and ranged Shock troops, making it a powerful counter-specialist despite its melee classification.
Heavy Cavalry is the main danger
Urumi can withstand ranged infantry better than many melee units because of their ranged resistance, but Heavy Cavalry can punish them before their area attack has enough time to work. Keep anti-Cavalry units in front and engage clustered targets where the splash damage matters. Their two-population cost and Fortress Age access make timing important; do not spend on a large Urumi group if the opponent is already massing Heavy Cavalry. Add siege or artillery separately for buildings.