Wokou Pirate
Wokou Pirate is infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Commerce Age; obtained through Tavern (Europeans), Monastery (Asians), Lombard (Italians), Wokou Junk.
Recorded values
- Cost
- 100 Coin
- Available
- Commerce Age · Tavern (Europeans) ; Monastery (Asians) ; Lombard (Italians) ; Wokou Junk
- Training
- 32 sec · 4 population · 20 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 145 hit points · 0% hand resistance · 20% ranged resistance · 6.5 speed · 12 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 20 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 1.5x vs. Villager; 1.0x vs. Cavalry; 1.0x vs. Shock troops
- Siege attack
- 38 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 145 hit points and 20% ranged resistance. It moves at 6.5 speed and uses 4 population. Training costs 100 Coin; it takes 32 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 20 damage. Siege attack deals 38 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 1.5× against Villager, 1.0× against Cavalry, and 1.0× against Shock troops.
Matchup & timing
Hand attack is especially effective against Villager (1.5×). Hold the melee attack for Villager when they enter contact. Keep a frontline between this unit and threats that can reach it safely.
Outlaw profile and map availability
The Wokou Pirate is a Commerce Age East Asian outlaw hand shock trooper from The Asian Dynasties. It is available on Borneo, Indochina, Indonesia and Malaysia, and can be hired at Taverns for Europeans, Monasteries for Asians, Lombards for Italians or a Wokou Junk. It costs 100 Coin, takes 32 seconds to train and uses four population. The current profile gives it 145 hit points, speed 6.5, line of sight 12 and 20% ranged resistance. Its outlaw tag makes access and upgrades map-dependent; a player cannot assume it appears in every random-map pool.
Villager raiding role
The Pirate carries a 1.5× hand-attack multiplier against Villagers, making it a specialist raider rather than a Heavy Cavalry substitute. Its current multipliers against Cavalry and shock troops are 1.0×, so it lacks the strong counter bonus that older profiles may show. Speed 6.5 helps it reach exposed workers and retreat, but four population per unit makes a large raid expensive. Use a small group to pressure a distant economy while the main force occupies the opponent. Avoid fighting a supported military army where the Pirate’s Villager bonus contributes nothing.
Recruitment and outlaw upgrades
Wokou Pirates can be hired through the map’s outlaw building pool or produced from a Wokou Junk. The available route depends on the chosen map and civilization. Compunction, Folk Heroes or Wild West can upgrade outlaws in the Industrial and Imperial Ages, and the Definitive Edition gives outlaws an Imperial upgrade path through the relevant technology. Lakota can receive Pirates from Outlaw Band or Bandit Gang card pools, while Argentina and Maya revolutions can also ship them as random outlaws. These shipments are finite groups unless a card explicitly unlocks production.
Balance changes and historical guides
The Wokou Pirate has changed substantially since earlier Asian Dynasties versions. Before update 13.27885 it cost 115 Coin, trained in 33 seconds, had 165 hit points, speed 5.0 and 30% hand resistance. Its Villager multiplier was 2.0×, with 3.0× against Cavalry and 2.5× against shock troops. The newer profile reduces those combat bonuses, removes hand resistance and adds 20% ranged resistance. Older strategies that describe it as a durable heavy counter unit therefore do not reflect the current version; use its Villager raid bonus and speed as the main reasons to hire it.
Protect the investment
At four population and 100 Coin, the Pirate competes with ordinary military production and other outlaws. Keep it out of hand-to-hand combat against trained counters and retreat once defenders arrive. Its value lies in forcing the opponent to protect Settlers or split troops away from the front. If the opponent has secured its economy, stop replacing Pirates and use the same population on a unit that can contribute to the main battle.
Map-specific outlaw pools
Wokou Pirates are tied to Borneo, Indochina, Indonesia and Malaysia, where the map’s outlaw selection can include them. Their production building may be a Tavern, Monastery, Lombard or Wokou Junk depending on civilization and map. The Wokou Junk route is especially useful on water maps, but it does not remove the Coin or population cost. Before choosing a deck built around Pirates, verify that the selected map and faction can actually recruit them.
Use the Villager bonus selectively
The current 1.5× multiplier against Villagers supports short raids on an exposed economy. Enter when workers are away from garrison protection, attack a small target group and withdraw as military defenders arrive. The Pirate has no current bonus against Cavalry or shock troops, so it should not stay to fight a patrol. A few Pirates can force the opponent to divert units from the front, but a large four-population investment may be inefficient if the enemy has already secured its settlement.
Upgrade value in a longer game
Outlaw upgrades through Compunction, Folk Heroes or Wild West can improve Wokou Pirates in later ages. The Definitive Edition also allows an Imperial outlaw upgrade through the appropriate technology. These upgrades can keep the unit relevant beyond its early raiding window, but they do not restore the old 3.0× Cavalry bonus or its former hand resistance. Evaluate the current profile and enemy army before spending on upgrades; if the unit no longer has access to Villagers or useful soft targets, its population may be better used elsewhere.
Outlaw access through cards
Lakota can receive Wokou Pirates from Outlaw Band and Bandit Gang shipment pools, and Argentina or Maya revolutions can include them through their corresponding outlaw cards. A random outlaw pool does not guarantee a specific unit in every shipment. Use these cards when the broader outlaw delivery is useful, and do not plan an exact Pirate count unless the card explicitly promises that number. These faction routes supplement the map’s normal hiring pool rather than creating a universal Pirate production building.
A timed raid rather than a frontline unit
The Pirate’s 6.5 speed and Villager multiplier reward a quick attack on exposed workers, but its four population makes repeated losses expensive. Enter when the defender is elsewhere, take a short trade and withdraw once Cavalry or Infantry responds. Use its ranged resistance against occasional volleys, but do not mistake 20% resistance for protection against melee counters. If the opponent is prepared, preserve the unit for a later opening instead of forcing a fight with no civilian targets.
Avoid obsolete counter values
Older versions gave the Pirate stronger bonuses against Cavalry and shock troops. The current unit is primarily a Villager raider; use its present multiplier profile rather than historical patch values.
Rotate between raids and engagements
The Pirate's very high speed is most valuable when it creates a safe approach and exit. Move around the edge of a force, focus one exposed target, and disengage when cavalry or ranged infantry can surround the group. The unit can also contribute in a straight fight, but its resistance and durability do not make it a substitute for a protected frontline. Its pop reduction from the Wokou Ronin card makes a larger force easier to fit under the population cap; it does not remove the cost of maintaining the expensive Coin-based mercenary.
Outlaw shock infantry that raids Villagers
The Wokou Pirate is an outlaw Shock Infantry unit armed with a sword, similar in broad role to the Pirate. Its unique bonus against Villagers makes it useful for early economic raids. It is weaker than Heavy Cavalry, so use its mobility to reach an exposed resource line rather than engaging a prepared cavalry force. Outlaw access and population costs depend on the relevant Saloon or card.
Exploit an early window, then reassess
Wokou Pirates are strongest early, before upgraded units and defensive coverage make Villager raids difficult. A small group can force workers to garrison and interrupt gathering, but prolonged fighting near a Town Center risks losing the unit. Keep a retreat route, avoid anti-Cavalry troops and use ordinary production for the army’s other roles. As the match advances, check whether the Villager bonus still justifies their population and resource cost.