Lancer (Age of Empires III)

This article is about the Spanish and Knights of St. John unique unit. For other units called Lancer, see Lancer.

Lancer
Unit information
Introduced in	Age of Empires III
Type	Cavalry Heavy cavalry Hand cavalry Lancer
Civilization(s)	Spanish Knights of St. John (Act I: Blood)
Age	Fortress Age
Training
Trained at	Stable Fort Galleon Steamer (Gran Colombia)
Population	2
Food	110
Coin	90
Train time	40 seconds
Statistics
Hit points	350
Resistance	30% Ranged
Speed	6.5
Line of Sight	15
XP train bounty	20
XP kill bounty	20
Hand attack
Damage	20 Hand
Bonus damage	×3.0 vs. Infantry
Rate of Fire	1.5
Siege attack
Damage	20 Siege
Range	6
Rate of Fire	3.0
Trample attack
Damage	13 Hand
Bonus damage	×3.0 vs. Infantry
Area	3
Rate of Fire	2.0

“	Heavy cavalry armed with a lance for killing infantry.	”
—In-game description

The Lancer is a melee heavy cavalry in Age of Empires III that is unique to the Spanish and can be trained at Stable, Fort, and Galleon once the Fortress Age is reached.

Lancers are also available to the Knights of St. John in the Act I: Blood campaign.

Overview

Unlike most cavalry which are weak against melee infantry units, the Lancer has a large bonus against infantry (double the damage of a Hussar). It is somewhat at a disadvantage when fighting other cavalry or enemy villagers due to its reduced base attack and speed. In rare cases, it can pick off Settlers who stray too far off from the Town Center, as well as quickly kill most explorers due to their classification as infantry. The main advantage of the Lancer appears to be its higher durability and the possibility of getting a Royal Guard upgrade in the late game, unlike the Spanish Hussar.

The "Unction" card, ten Missionaries, the "Caballeros" Home City Card, Stable upgrades and all Spanish cavalry cards (+30% attack and hit points) stack to allow the Lancer to quickly kill infantry units. The numbers do not take into account minor civilization bonuses. Lancers are capable of using trample mode when all upgrades and shipments have been sent and when backed by Missionaries using Unction. It's better to only activate the mode on a handful of units rather than en masse. The Unction Lancer, however, can be beaten by ranged cavalry such as the Keshik or Dragoon. Though Lancers beat the Ashigaru Musketeer in combat, it is not cost effective to get into an extended confrontation with them due to the inability of the unit to ultimately come out ahead (due to cost and population effectiveness). Hit and run raids on masses of Ashigaru or other anti-cavalry infantry are best.

When fully upgraded, and accompanied by ten Missionaries with Unction, the Lancer will possess 71 attack and 4x multipliers against infantry. The Tokala Soldier, when fully upgraded, with an aura from the Lakota War Chief and full Community Plaza doing a War Ceremony, will possess 96 attack and 2.5x multiplier against infantry. This means the Lancer is stronger than the Tokala Soldier against infantry units, but the Tokala Soldier has 2x multipliers against artillery, which means the Tokala Soldier is more versatile than the Lancer. Also, Tokala Soldier gain a speed advantage from cards or the War Chief, so they can flee from battle effectively.

Upgrades

The Lancer starts at the Veteran level, but without the increased hit points and attack.

Age	Upgrade	Cost	Effect
	Garrochistas	850 wood 850 coin	Upgrades Lancers to Garrochista Lancers (+40% hit points and attack, and +0.25 speed)
	Imperial Garrochistas	1,500 wood 1,500 coin	Upgrades Garrochista Lancers to Imperial Garrochistas (+50% hit points and attack); requires Garrochistas

Civilization differences

• The Knights of St. John cannot upgrade their Lancers.

Revolutionary

• The Germans and Italians can get Lancers upon revolting to Argentina through the "7 Lancers" Home City Card.

Consulate Garrochista

Garrochista
Unit information
Introduced in	Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties
Type	Cavalry Heavy cavalry Hand cavalry Lancer Consulate unit
Civilization(s)	Japanese Maltese Mexicans
Age	Fortress Age
Required Home City Card	"Spanish Tongue" (Maltese) "Spanish Sympathizers" (Mexicans)
Training
Banner army	Spanish Expeditionary Army (Japanese)
Trained at	Consulate (Japanese) Fort (Maltese and Mexicans) Commandery (Maltese)
Population	2
Food	110
Coin	90
Train time	40 seconds
Statistics
Hit points	350
Resistance	30% Ranged
Speed	6.5
Line of Sight	15
XP train bounty	20
XP kill bounty	20
Hand attack
Damage	20 Hand
Bonus damage	×3.0 vs. Infantry
Rate of Fire	1.5
Siege attack
Damage	20 Siege
Range	6
Rate of Fire	3.0
Trample attack
Damage	13 Hand
Bonus damage	×3.0 vs. Infantry
Area	3
Rate of Fire	2.0

“	Heavy cavalry armed with a lance for killing infantry.	”
—In-game description

The Garrochista is a counterpart of the Lancer, which starts with +10% hit points and attack.

Upgrades

The Garrochista is automatically upgraded in the Industrial Age and Imperial Age:

• +30% hit points and attack, +0.25 speed
• +50% hit points and attack

Civilization differences

• The Japanese can get Garrochistas by allying with the Spanish at the Consulate which provides the Spanish Expeditionary Army and Spanish Brigade that includes 7 and 15 Garrochistas, and through the "Intervention" Home City Card, which ships 4 Garrochistas if Spanish allies are picked.
• The Maltese can train Garrochistas named Order Lancers at the Commandery through the "Spanish Tongue" Home City Card, which ships 9 Order Lancers, and allows them to be trained at Commanderies and Forts. These Order Lancers have 22 XP train and kill bounty, 120 food, 100 coin cost and 44 seconds train time.
• The Mexicans can get Garrochistas through the "Spanish Sympathizers" Home City Card, which ships 15 Garrochistas, and allows them to be trained at Forts.

Further statistics

Unit strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs.	Infantry, artillery
Weak vs.	Heavy infantry, light ranged cavalry, ranged shock infantry
Improvements
Hit points	Cavalry Cuirass (+10%) Comanche Horse Breeding (+10%) Cree Tanning (+5%) Navajo Weaving (+5%) Tar Kilns (+5%)
Attack	Yoga (+5%) Pillage (+25% siege attack multiplier vs. buildings) Wind Horses (-10% Rate of Fire)
Resistance	Sudanese Quilted Armor (+10% hand resistance) Pancerni (+10% ranged resistance)
Line of Sight	Town Watch (+3)
Speed	Apache Endurance (+5%) Comanche Mustangs (+5%) Wind Horses (+0.5)
Train time	Cheyenne Horse Trading (-40%) Mass Cavalry (-35%) Quechuan Diet (-15%) Immigrants (-10%) Shaman Drums (-10%)
Cost	Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10% coin cost) Golden Liberty (-5% coin cost)
Other	Spanish Brigade (ships 15 Consulate Garrochistas) Meritocracy (-20% upgrade cost)
Penalties	High Crusade (-5% hit points; Knights of St. John only)

Home City Cards

Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Lancer

Some cards are highlighted with:
Green	TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team
Purple	Shipment that can be sent an INFINITE number of times
Blue	Shipment that arrives fast (5 seconds)

• Definitive Edition
• The Asian Dynasties

All

Card	Description	Age
Cavalry Combat	Cavalry get +15% hit points and attack
Caballeros	Lancers get +1 hand attack range and +1.0 hand attack multiplier against infantry
Liberation March	Infantry, cavalry, and shock infantry get +5% speed and -35% train time

• "Cavalry Combat" is available to the Italians, Mexicans, and Spanish.
• "Caballeros" and "Liberation March" are available to the Mexicans and Spanish.

Europeans

Card	Description	Age
7 Lancers	Ships 7 Lancers

• "7 Lancers" is available to the Spanish, and also Germans and Italians upon revolting to Argentina.

French

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Hand Cavalry Attack	Hand cavalry and hand shock infantry get +15% attack

Germans

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Cavalry Attack	Heavy cavalry, light ranged cavalry, and shock infantry get +10% attack; Germans-only heavy cavalry, light cavalry, and shock infantry get +15% attack instead
Spanish Riding School	Cavalry get +10% speed; +4 Uhlans

• "TEAM Cavalry Attack" does not stack with the Italian "TEAM Cavalry Attack" card.

Indians

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics	All units get +5% hit points and attack

Italians

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Cavalry Attack	Heavy cavalry, light ranged cavalry, and shock infantry get +10% attack; Italians-only heavy cavalry, light cavalry, and shock infantry get +15% attack instead
Schiavoni Swords	Infantry and cavalry get +15% hand attack

• "TEAM Cavalry Attack" does not stack with the German "TEAM Cavalry Attack" card.

Japanese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Sengoku	Unit upgrades cost -20%
Bakufu	Daimyo and Shogun Tokugawa get +5% speed, +10 Line of Sight and train units 15% faster; land military unit train time -20%, artillery and banner army train time -10% instead
Good Faith Agreements	Consulate units' train time -50%; Consulate technologies' cost -40% (-300 export for Brigades) and research time -50% (except Brigades)
Intervention	The Consulate ally sends a shipment of their units

• "Intervention" ships 4 Garrochistas (if Spanish allies are picked).

Lakota

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Mustangs	Cavalry and shock infantry cost -10%

Maltese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Knights of the Round Table	Ships 1 Hospitaller for each Town Center owned by the player; all units get +2% hit points
Auberges	Commanderies support 10 population; Order Units get -10% resources cost (rounded to 5, 10, or 15 less resources) and -10% train and kill bounty
Squires	Military buildings train and research work 80% faster, except Forts which train and research work 260% faster
Spanish Tongue	Ships 9 Order Lancers and 1 Commandery Wagon; Commandery build limit +1; Commanderies can now train Order Lancers; costs 1,000 wood

Mexicans

Card	Description	Age
Plan of Casa Mata	[Plan] Turns all Dragoons into Chinacos; hand cavalry get +5% speed; costs 250 food, 250 wood
TEAM Mariachi	For the next 30 seconds, military buildings work 400% faster and units get +10% speed
Spanish Sympathizers	Ships 15 Consulate Garrochistas and allows them to be trained at Forts; costs 1,000 food, 1,000 wood
Colegio de San Nicolás	Ships 500 XP; units get +4 and buildings (except Walls) get +8 Line of Sight; sees what enemies can see for 20 seconds
National Servant	All units get +10% hit points; Padre healing 200% faster

• "Colegio de San Nicolás" is available upon selecting the Michoacán Federal State.
• "National Servant" is available upon selecting the Estado de México Federal State.

Russians

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Kamchatka Expeditions	Cavalry and shock infantry get +10% hit points and +4 Line of Sight

Spanish

Card	Description	Age
Hand Cavalry Attack	Hand cavalry get +15% attack
Hand Cavalry Hitpoints	Hand cavalry get +15% hit points
4 Lancers	Ships 4 Lancers
5 Lancers	Ships 5 Lancers
8 Lancers	Ships 8 Lancers
TEAM Spanish Inquisition	Ships 1 Inquisitor; all units get +10 Line of Sight
Blandengues	Hand cavalry cost -20%
Junín Hussars	Hand cavalry and hand shock infantry get +5% speed and -30% train time

• "Blandengues" is available upon revolting to Argentina.
• "Junín Hussars" is available upon revolting to Peru.

French

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Hand Cavalry Attack	Heavy cavalry and Coyote Runners get +15% attack		10

Germans

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Cavalry Attack	Heavy cavalry, light ranged cavalry, and shock infantry get +15% attack		10

Indians

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics	All units get +5% hit points and attack		25

Japanese

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Cheaper Unit Upgrades	Unit upgrades cost -20%		1
Good Faith Agreements	Consulate units' train time -50%; Consulate technologies' cost -40% (-400 export for Brigades) and research time -50% (except Brigades)		1

Russians

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Cavalry Scouts	Cavalry and shock infantry get +10% hit points and +4 Line of Sight		1

Spanish

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Hand Cavalry Attack	Hussars and Lancers get +15% attack		10
Hand Cavalry Hitpoints	Hussars and Lancers get +15% hit points		10
Cavalry Combat	Hand cavalry get +15% hit points and attack		25
Caballeros	Lancers get +1.0 hand attack multiplier against infantry		10
4 Lancers	Ships 4 Lancers		1
5 Lancers	Ships 5 Lancers		10
7 Lancers	Ships 7 Lancers		10
8 Lancers	Ships 8 Lancers		25
TEAM Inquisition	All units get +10 Line of Sight		10

Changelog

Knights of the Mediterranean

• With update 14.43676, the Lancer's portrait was updated to align with his in-game appearance.

Trivia

• Due to a bug, upgrading the Lancer to Garrochista Lancers and Imperial Garrochistas did not change their model, while the Consulate Garrochistas change their model as they get auto-upgraded. This has been fixed in the Definitive Edition.
• Royal Guard and Consulate Lancers are named after a type of lance used by Spanish knights in the 15th century, the garrocha, with the user being called a garrochista.
  • The most famous garrochistas in Spanish history were the Lancers of Jerez who fought at the Battle of Bailén (1808) and were made of volunteer bull herders. This is a possible reason for the name being used in the Imperial Age, which roughly corresponds with the 19th century. The unit's model resembles a cavalryman from the Italian Wars (1494-1559), however.
• The in-game Lancer carries an Adarga, an apple-shaped leather shield originally from Fes, Morocco that was used by light cavalry in Muslim Spain before it was adopted by the Christians. The same shield is used by the Berber Genitour in Age of Empires II HD: The African Kingdoms and by the Zenata Rider in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition - The African Royals. The Adarga's unusual shape was designed to deflect arrows and javelins more than stop them.
• Previously, the unit's icon showed the Lancer armed with a cavalry sword like the Hussar, not a lance. This was corrected in update 14.43676.

History

“

Lancers were about the only cavalry that ranks of musketeers with bayonets couldn't drop. Their lances gave them better range than bayonets though they were already an archaic weapon. Though it never vanished entirely from battlefields, the Polish were responsible for the lance's rise to prominence in the nineteenth century. Lances were wooden shafts that varied from nine feet to over 15 feet long. They carried swallow-tailed banners just under the metal tips. Some Cossacks carried lances, and many dragoon regiments were armed with both lances and carbines.

”

Gallery

An in-game Lancer

The Veteran Lancer model

The Garrochista Lancer model

Other side of the Lancer Garrochista model

An in-game Veteran Lancer in the Definitive Edition

An in-game Garrochista Lancer in the Definitive Edition