Yörük
Yörük is Ottomans economic unit in Age of Empires III, available from the Exploration Age; obtained through Town Center. Its listed ability is Gathers resources; Builds buildings; Claims treasures.
Recorded values
- Cost
- 100 Food
- Available
- Exploration Age · Town Center
- Training
- 48 sec · 1 population · 10 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 150 hit points · 20% hand resistance · 4.0 speed · 14 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 10 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 5.0x vs. Llama, 16
- Ranged attack
- 3 damage · 2-12 range · 3.0 attack interval · bonuses: 4.0x vs. Huntable; 2.0x vs. Pet; 2.0x vs. Artillery; 0.5x vs. Villager
- Siege attack
- 5 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval · bonuses: 3.0x vs. Resource enclosure
- Ability
- Gathers resources; Builds buildings; Claims treasures
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Town Center. It has 150 hit points. It moves at 4.0 speed and uses 1 population. Training costs 100 Food; it takes 48 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 10 damage. Ranged attack deals 3 damage. Siege attack deals 5 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 5.0× against Llama, 16. Ranged attack bonuses: 4.0× against Huntable, 2.0× against Pet, 2.0× against Artillery, and 0.5× against Villager. Siege attack bonuses: 3.0× against Resource enclosure*. Special ability or role: Gathers resources; Builds buildings; Claims treasures.
Matchup & timing
Ottoman Yörük production takes 48 seconds at the Town Center and competes with the worker stream that keeps Food gathering. Check the queue and population before expecting reinforcements; an idle or blocked Town Center delays both economic growth and the army. Keep Yörük on safe gathering assignments, since their villager attacks are specialized and weak against other Villagers.
Ottoman automatic villager production
The Yörük is the Ottoman economic unit in Definitive Edition, replacing the manually trained Settler. A Town Center produces them automatically and for free; the 100-Food line in some stat tables is not a purchase cost. The base training interval is 48 seconds and the initial villager limit is 25. Mosque technologies improve the economy by changing the Yörük’s production and capacity, so research is part of the Ottoman worker plan rather than an optional military upgrade. More Town Centers can add production, but their construction cost and the time needed to build them still matter. Keep the Town Center queue running and protect the Yörüks as they emerge; a free worker still represents lost future gathering if killed. The unit has 150 hit points, 20% hand resistance, speed 4 and one population. It can gather, build structures and claim Treasures, making it a full economic worker despite the automatic production system. The Yörük is exclusive to the Ottomans and should not be described as a generic Settler variant available to other civilizations.
Economic pacing and worker protection
Ottoman economy planning differs from civilizations that spend Food to queue each worker: resources can be directed into units and technologies while the Town Center generates Yörüks over time. That advantage depends on preserving the Town Center and researching the Mosque improvements that raise the worker stream and limit. If the opponent pressures the base, keep workers building or gathering behind defenses and use the Town Center to shelter them. Additional Town Centers increase the number of production points, but only after paying for the buildings and securing their sites. The Yörük can claim Treasures and build structures, but diverting a worker from a gathering task still has an opportunity cost. Its combat attacks are minor utility; the low-damage ranged profile and bonuses against animals do not make it a military unit. Track your worker limit and income before committing to a new Town Center, and balance expansion with the units needed to defend it. The specific automatic worker mechanic belongs to Definitive Edition from the update that introduced the Yörük; older original-game guides discuss a different Ottoman economy and should not be used for the present production timing.
The automatic worker queue is a strategic system
Unlike a typical Villager trained by spending Food, the Yörük arrives automatically from the Ottoman Town Center. Its listed Food cost is not paid when the worker spawns. This frees resources for other uses but makes worker growth slower at the base 48-second interval until Ottoman Mosque technologies improve the system. The initial limit is 25; research and additional Town Centers can change the economy’s capacity and pace. Protect the Town Center, maintain worker safety and research the Mosque upgrades when their economic return justifies the cost. A second Town Center increases the flow only after the building has been paid for and defended. The Yörük gathers resources, builds structures and claims Treasures, so it remains the backbone of the Ottoman economy despite its different production rule. Do not compare Ottoman worker counts to a civilization with manually queued Settlers without considering this automatic cadence and its upgrades.
Worker limit and Town Center planning
Before building another Town Center, check whether the Ottoman worker limit and Mosque research support the added production. Town Centers take resources and defense; without room for more Yörüks, a second one may not improve the economy as quickly as expected.
Avoiding an idle worker stream
The Town Center’s automatic queue should continue while Ottoman resources are committed elsewhere. Idle production delays the economy even when no Food is spent on each worker. Watch the worker cap, complete Mosque research when practical and add another Town Center only when the defense and limit support it.
Ottoman worker with automatic production
The Yörük is the Ottoman Settler variant. It is otherwise similar to a European Settler but is produced automatically and for free under the Ottoman Town Center rules. The documented profile builds Town Centers 50% more slowly. This gives the Ottoman economy a steady worker stream without manually paying the ordinary Settler cost, while making Town Center expansion slower.
Population and revolution conditions matter
Automatic Yörük production still depends on available population and a functioning Town Center, so housing remains essential. If the Ottomans revolt, the Yörük rules and Town Center ability can change; do not carry the standard Ottoman worker assumptions into the revolutionary nation. Protect the Town Center and keep military production active, since free workers do not prevent raids or replace a trained army.