Units

22:29 Every Civilization 3 unit has three numbers, attack, defense and movement, plus a shield cost, the advance that allows it and, for most later units, the strategic resources it needs; its hit points come from its experience, not its type: conscripts have 2, regulars 3, veterans 4 and elites 5, per the Complete manual (p. 107) and the official Civilization III FAQ. Firaxis's own Civilization 4 comparison counted 46 units in the base game. The tables below give every standard unit; each civilization's special unit is on Unique Units, and how the numbers fight is on Combat.

Quick facts

Sources: Civilization III Complete manual, pp. 57, 100 and 107; Prima's Official Strategy Guide, pp. 149-163; Civilization IV compare features.

Which numbers to trust

Civ 3's unit numbers differ between its sources, so this page names them. The tables use Prima's Official Strategy Guide (2001), which describes the shipped base game; where the official site, civ3.com, printed a different value for a standard unit on its civilization profiles, that value comes first and Prima's follows. The 2001 manual was printed before release, and its chart differs on several units (listed after each table). The Complete manual has no unit chart, and no source read gives a full table of Conquests unit values; the in-game Civilopedia does.

Ground units

Source: Prima's Official Strategy Guide, pp. 149-150 (Table 8-1), 2001; Scout, Army and Leader from the Civilization III manual (2001), pp. 201-205; civ3.com values from its Germans and Spanish profiles. The 2001 manual differs on the Rifleman (3/6/1) and the Cavalry (60 shields, 6/2/3).

Naval units

Source: Prima's Official Strategy Guide, pp. 158-159 (Table 8-2), 2001; the Caravel's civ3.com value from its Portuguese profile. The 2001 manual (pp. 203-205) differs on the Privateer (60, 2/1/4), Carrier (160, 2/8/5), Submarine (8/6/3), AEGIS Cruiser (120, 12/12/5), Nuclear Submarine (160, 8/6/4) and Transport (1/4/5).

Early ships can sink at sea. A Galley has a 50% chance of being lost when it ends its move in a Sea or Ocean square, and a Caravel is safe in Sea but founders half the time in Ocean, per the Complete manual (p. 93); the Great Lighthouse makes Galleys safe in Sea squares. Submarines travel hidden, and some ships such as the AEGIS Cruiser can spot them up to two squares away (p. 102).

Air units and missiles

Source: Prima's Official Strategy Guide, p. 163 (Table 8-3), 2001; the Jet Fighter's civ3.com value from its Americans profile, which compares it with the F-15. The 2001 manual (p. 205) gives the Cruise Missile 50 shields and bombard 20, range 3, rate 5, the Stealth Fighter 4/4, and the Stealth Bomber 2/1.

Air units do not move square by square: they fly missions from a city or a Carrier, and each mission takes one turn. Bombing, recon, re-base, air superiority (fighters only), airdrop (Helicopters) and, after Smart Weapons, precision bombing by Stealth units are the missions the Complete manual lists (p. 103). Missiles are destroyed when they attack.

Units added by the expansions

Play the World gave every civilization two new units: Medieval Infantry (40 shields, 4/2/1, Feudalism, Iron) and the Guerilla (90 shields, 6/6/1, Replaceable Parts), and the Swordsman now upgrades to Medieval Infantry, per the Play the World manual (pp. 24 and 49). GameSpot's review (Nov 9, 2002) saw them as an upgrade path for players missing strategic resources. It also added eight unique units with its eight civilizations.

Conquests added more units and abilities. The publisher's feature list names the Trebuchet, "to batter down the enemy's walls", and the Sumerian Enkidu Warrior; two new Great Wonders make free units, the Statue of Zeus an Ancient Cavalry (3/2/2 with an extra hit point) and the Knights Templar a Crusader (5/3/1), per Firaxis. The Complete manual (pp. 105 and 111) adds Stealth Attack (choosing your target in a stack) and Enslavement, by which the Mayan Javelin Thrower, the English Man-o-War and the Privateer turn beaten units into Workers or other units.

Strategic resources

6:56 Many units need a strategic resource connected to the city that builds them (by road, for example), as GameSpot's preview of Oct 18, 2001 explained: Horses and Iron for Knights, Saltpeter for Musketmen, Oil and Rubber for Tanks, Aluminum and Uranium for nuclear weapons. Some resources appear on the map only once an advance is known (Oil with Refining, Rubber with Replaceable Parts, Coal with Steam Power, Aluminum with Rocketry, Uranium with Fission), per the Complete manual (pp. 127-128). Soren Johnson later wrote that random resource placement could leave one AI holding a continent's only Iron, and that complaints of "being unable to field armies" were common (Game Developer, Mar 16, 2010). Trading for them is on Resources and Trade.

Upgrading units

9:24 Obsolete units can be upgraded for gold in any city that has Barracks and can build the newer unit: press U, or Shift-U to upgrade every unit of that type, per the Complete manual (p. 100). Leonardo's Workshop halves the cost. Prima's table of upgrades (pp. 176-177) lists the paths, for example Spearman to Pikeman with Feudalism, Pikeman to Musketman with Gunpowder, Musketman to Rifleman with Nationalism, Rifleman to Infantry with Replaceable Parts, and Knight to Cavalry with Military Tradition; Prima advises upgrading city defenders first.

Capture, zones of control and support

1:44:28 Defenseless units are captured, not killed. Any military unit that enters a square holding only a Settler, Worker or artillery piece takes it, and a captured Settler becomes two Workers; you can capture artillery only if you already know how to build it, per the Complete manual (pp. 58 and 105).

Zones of control no longer block movement. In Civ 3 only some fast or ranged units exert one, and instead of stopping enemies they take a free attack on enemy units passing next to them (Complete manual, p. 64; Prima, p. 178).

8:47 Units have no home city. A free number of units is allowed by your government and the number and size of your cities, and every unit beyond it, Settlers included, is paid in gold from the treasury rather than in shields or food, per the Complete manual (p. 57). See Governments.

4:41 The draft turns citizens into soldiers. After Nationalism, Republic and Democracy may draft one citizen per city each turn and Despotism, Monarchy and Communism two, per the official Civilization III FAQ (Prima says three for Communism); drafted units are conscripts, and each draft makes a citizen unhappy for 20 turns. For how to use all this in a war, see the War Guide.

Frequently asked questions

How many units are in Civ 3? Firaxis's own comparison page counted 46 units in the Civilization 3 base game; Play the World added Medieval Infantry and the Guerilla plus eight unique units, and Conquests added units such as the Trebuchet.

What are the Cavalry's stats in Civ 3? In Civilization 3 the Cavalry has attack 6, defense 3 and movement 3, costs 80 shields and needs Military Tradition, Horses and Saltpeter, per Prima's guide (p. 150); the 2001 manual printed 60 shields and defense 2.

What is the best defensive unit in Civ 3? On land, Mech Infantry has the highest defense in Civilization 3 at 20 (12/20/3, 110 shields, Computers), per Prima's guide; before it come the Infantry (12), the Rifleman (6) and the Musketman (4).

How do you upgrade units in Civ 3? Move the unit into a city with Barracks that can build the newer unit and press U (Shift-U upgrades every unit of that type), paying gold; Leonardo's Workshop halves the cost, per the Civilization 3 Complete manual (pp. 100 and 132).

Why can't I build Swordsmen or Knights in Civ 3? Many Civilization 3 units need a strategic resource connected to the city, Iron for Swordsmen and Horses and Iron for Knights; without it the unit is not offered, per the Complete manual and Prima's unit table.

Do veteran units attack harder in Civ 3? No. In Civilization 3 experience adds hit points (veteran 4, elite 5) but does not change attack or defense, per Prima's guide (p. 174).

Sources

• Sid Meier's Civilization III Complete manual, Atari and Firaxis Games, 2005
• Civilization III manual, First Edition, Infogrames and Firaxis Games, Sep 2001
• Civilization III: Play the World manual, Infogrames and Firaxis Games, 2002
• Sid Meier's Civilization III: Prima's Official Strategy Guide, Prima Games, 2001
• Civilization III FAQ: Combat (archived), Infogrames and Firaxis Games, Mar 2002
• Civ of the Week: Germans (archived), Infogrames and Firaxis Games, 2001
• Civ of the Week: Americans (archived), Infogrames and Firaxis Games, Dec 2001
• Play the World profile: Spanish (archived), Infogrames and Firaxis Games, 2002
• Conquests profile: Portuguese (archived), Atari and Firaxis Games, 2003
• Civilization III: Conquests features (archived), Infogrames, May 2003
• Developer Update: The Wonders of Civ-Conquests (archived), Firaxis Games, 2003
• Civilization III: Play the World Review, GameSpot, Nov 9, 2002
• Analysis: Soren Johnson On Playing The Odds, Game Developer, Mar 16, 2010
• Civilization IV compare features (archived), 2K Games and Firaxis Games, 2005
• How To Play Your First Game Of Civ 3, Suede, Feb 12, 2020 (video)
• Civilization 3: Everything you need to know, Suede, Nov 12, 2025 (video)
• A Civilization 3 Retrospective | Prepare For Civ 7, GamerZakh, Aug 17, 2024 (video)
• The 12 most powerful techs in Civ 3, Suede, Dec 28, 2024 (video)