Wokou Monk
Wokou Monk is ranged infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Commerce Age; obtained through Tavern (Europeans), Monastery (Asians), Lombard (Italians), Wokou Junk.
Recorded values
- Cost
- 120 Coin
- Available
- Commerce Age · Tavern (Europeans) ; Monastery (Asians) ; Lombard (Italians) ; Wokou Junk
- Training
- 33 sec · 3 population · 24 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 120 hit points · 30% ranged resistance · 4.0 speed · 20 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 6 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 2.0x vs. Light ranged cavalry; 2.0x vs. Ranged shock trooper; 1.5x vs. Villager; 1.25x vs. Heavy infantry; 0.75x vs. Cavalry; 0.75x vs. Shock troops
- Ranged attack
- 20 damage · 18 range · 3.0 attack interval · bonuses: 2.5x vs. Light ranged cavalry; 2.5x vs. Ranged shock trooper; 1.5x vs. Villager; 1.25x vs. Heavy infantry; 0.6x vs. Cavalry; 0.6x vs. Shock troops
- Siege attack
- 13 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Tavern (Europeans), Monastery (Asians), Lombard (Italians), or Wokou Junk. It has 120 hit points and 30% ranged resistance. It moves at 4.0 speed and uses 3 population. Training costs 120 Coin; it takes 33 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 6 damage. Ranged attack deals 20 damage. Siege attack deals 13 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 2.0× against Light ranged cavalry, 2.0× against Ranged shock trooper, 1.5× against Villager, 1.25× 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, 1.5× against Villager, 1.25× against Heavy infantry, 0.6× against Cavalry, and 0.6× against Shock troops*.
Matchup & timing
Hand attack is especially effective against Light ranged cavalry (2×), Ranged shock trooper (2×), Villager (1.5×), Heavy infantry (1.25×). Ranged attack is especially effective against Light ranged cavalry (2.5×), Ranged shock trooper (2.5×), Villager (1.5×), Heavy infantry (1.25×). Its reduced multipliers against Cavalry (0.75×), Shock troops (0.75×), Cavalry (0.6×), Shock troops (0.6×) make it less suitable for those targets. Use ranged fire to focus Light ranged cavalry, Ranged shock trooper, Villager, and Heavy infantry before they can close; hold the melee attack for Light ranged cavalry, Ranged shock trooper, Villager, and Heavy infantry when they enter contact. Keep a frontline between this unit and threats that can reach it safely.
Definitive Edition profile
The Wokou Monk is a Commerce Age Chinese outlaw introduced with The Asian Dynasties. The current profile costs 120 Coin, trains in 33 seconds and uses three population. It has 120 hit points, 30% ranged resistance, speed 4.0 and line of sight 20. Its ranged attack deals 20 damage at range 18, firing every three seconds; its hand attack deals 6 damage at a 1.5-second rate, and its siege attack deals 13. The comparatively long range lets it contribute before ordinary melee infantry can reach the target, but its slower firing cycle and high population use make every lost Monk expensive. It is an archer-style support outlaw, not a durable frontliner.
Read the target multipliers carefully
The Monk's ranged attack is tailored to several mobile or infantry classes. It deals 2.5× damage to Light Ranged Cavalry and Ranged Shock Troopers, 1.25× to Heavy Infantry, and 1.5× to Villagers; it deals only 0.6× to Cavalry and Shock troops. The hand attack follows the same broad distinction but has different multipliers: 2.0× against Light Ranged Cavalry and Ranged Shock Troopers, 1.25× against Heavy Infantry, 1.5× against Villagers, and 0.75× against Cavalry and Shock troops. Several values changed in Definitive Edition patches: older profiles show lower base ranged damage and different multipliers. Use the current values for contemporary play, and treat legacy guides as potentially out of date.
A niche raider, not a default archer line
The Wokou Monk resembles a Yumi Archer in its ranged role, but the 120 Coin price and three population create a much heavier commitment. Its 1.5× multiplier against Villagers offers a specialized raid option if workers are exposed and the army can protect the approach. It is less attractive as the core of a standard ranged army: its damage is modest against general Cavalry and Shock troops, and its build cost leaves fewer population slots for the rest of the composition. Use it when the map or shipment provides access and the enemy matchup rewards its listed bonuses. If those conditions are absent, the Chinese player's regular unit combinations usually make better use of resources.
Recruitment and map availability
The outlaw can appear on Central Asia, Central Plain, Kamchatka, Korea, Manchuria, Mongolia, Parallel Rivers, Silk Road and Yellow River. Europeans can recruit it from a Tavern, Asian civilizations from a Monastery, Italians from a Lombard, and the Wokou Junk also provides a route. A map's random outlaw roster determines whether ordinary recruitment is available, so do not assume that every Chinese match can train the unit. Lakota can receive Wokou Monks through Outlaw Band and Bandit Gang Home City Cards when the random outlaw shipment includes them. Argentina and Maya revolutions can also access them through their respective outlaw cards.
Counters, upgrades and practical protection
Heavy Cavalry and hand Shock Troops are direct threats because the Monk has low hand damage and reduced multipliers against those classes. Counter-skirmishers and Artillery can also remove it at range. Keep the unit behind a frontline and use its 18 range to focus Light Ranged Cavalry, Ranged Shock Troopers or exposed Villagers. Atonement, Folk Heroes and Wild West are the listed civilization-family technologies that allow Industrial Age and Imperial Age upgrades, granting 30% and 50% increases to hit points and damage respectively. General infantry health and attack technologies can improve it as well, but an upgrade does not change its costly population profile or make it safe to leave unsupported.
Patch history and class labels
The Monk's tags have expanded over time. It gained Light Infantry classification in update 13.9057, Archaic Infantry in update 13.4412, and Foot Archer and Outlaw tags in update 23511. Those labels affect how newer game systems and bonuses interact with it, so a strategy written for the original Asian Dynasties version may not describe its current classification. Its anti-Light Ranged Cavalry and anti-Ranged Shock Trooper multipliers were strengthened in later updates, while its Villager and Heavy Infantry multipliers were reduced from earlier values. These changes explain why older descriptions may emphasize worker harassment or broad infantry damage more strongly than a current profile supports.
How the range affects an engagement
An 18-range attack lets Wokou Monks begin shooting before most infantry can answer at close range. Use that reach to focus units that have already been held by a frontline, rather than walking the Monks forward alone. Their three-second ranged reload means an interrupted volley is a meaningful loss of damage, so avoid repeatedly retargeting and split the group only when several priority targets are exposed. The Monk's 30% ranged resistance helps against ordinary ranged exchanges, but it does not cover hand attacks or make the unit safe from Cavalry. The listed 0.6× ranged damage against Cavalry and Shock troops is another reason to use a screen and preserve distance instead of expecting the Monks to win a direct fight.
When the investment is justified
A Wokou Monk purchase is easiest to justify when its targets are visible and the map offers an affordable recruitment route. Against an opponent leaning on Light Ranged Cavalry or ranged shock units, the 2.5× ranged multiplier gives the Monk a defined job. If the opponent is instead using Heavy Cavalry, hand Shock troops or Artillery, the same Coin and population could be spent on units that engage those threats more directly. A raid on Villagers can be useful when the enemy economy is exposed, but the 1.5× multiplier is not enough to ignore escorts or Town Center fire. Keep a small number protected and choose a decisive window; a large force ties up three population per Monk and 120 Coin apiece.
Classifications and army slot tradeoffs
The Wokou Monk's current classification includes Infantry, Light Infantry, Ranged Infantry, Archer, Foot Archer, Archaic Infantry and Outlaw. The tags were added over several Definitive Edition updates, which means some cards and technologies can interact with it differently now than in the original The Asian Dynasties ruleset. Its profile is therefore best understood through both its tags and its target multipliers. Even with 30% ranged resistance, it remains a three-population archer with 120 hit points and speed 4.0. If the army already has enough anti-cavalry and anti-infantry fire, another Monk may contribute less than a faster unit, a durable screen or artillery. Recruit it for the match-up it counters, not simply because an outlaw pool makes it available.
Yumi-like archer with a Villager harassment niche
The Wokou Monk has statistics similar to a Yumi Archer but costs more Coin and population, making it an inefficient general replacement in many armies. Its niche is harassment: the Monk’s bonus against Villagers can make it dangerous to exposed workers. Use it when the target is available and the route is safe, then withdraw before defensive fire eliminates the group.
Compare the cost with ordinary Japanese ranged units
Because Wokou Monks use more population and Coin, they can crowd out more flexible units such as Yumi Archers, Ashigaru Musketeers or artillery. Their Villager bonus is valuable only if the player can reach the economy without losing the unit. Check the mercenary or outlaw access and limits for the chosen map, and avoid building a main army around a specialist with few favorable targets.
Attack modifiers and target selection
Wokou Monk is an Outlaw Archer with a useful distinction between its hand and ranged matchups. Both profiles now have 2.0× against Light Ranged Cavalry and Ranged Shock Troops; the ranged profile deals 2.5× against those classes, versus 2.0× before update 13.58326. Its ranged damage is currently 20, compared with 13 before update 13.27885. The unit currently has a 1.5× modifier against Villagers and 1.25× against Heavy Infantry; older versions had 2.5× and 2.0× respectively. Current Cavalry and Shock Troop modifiers are 0.6× at range, down from 0.75× before update 13.58326. The profile supports attacking eligible ranged Cavalry and Shock Troops, but lowered Villager and Heavy Infantry modifiers mean it should not be treated as a universal raider or skirmisher.