A unit's attack power is how much damage it can inflict upon opposing units. Units can deal additional damage to other unit types based on the armor classification system which varies from game to game. This attack bonus does not depend on the target unit's armor, but that armor still subtracts from the amount of damage the target unit receives.
Examples of such bonuses include the Halberdier and Camel (ordinary Camels and Mamelukes) line's bonus against Cavalry in Age of Empires II, as well as the Cataphract, and Jaguar Warriors bonus against infantry in Age of Empires and Age of Empires II.
Age of Empires
In Age of Empires, all units and buildings with a non-zero attack deal either normal damage (resisted by melee armor) or pierce damage (resisted by pierce armor) except the Catapult Trireme and Juggernaut, which deal damage of a special, unresisted category.
| Normal damage | Pierce damage |
|---|---|
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|
The damage formula is:
- n denotes normal attack / armor
- p denotes pierce attack / armor
- If the target belongs to the category i and the attacker has a bonus AttackBonus against i, then the bonus (minus BonusResist if the target has one) is added to the total damage.
- kelev is the elevation multiplier (applied to both cliffs and hills), equal to 2/3 if a melee unit attacks below its target, 3/2 if a ranged unit attacks above its target or 1 otherwise.
Age of Empires II
Age of Empires II reuses the attack system of its predecessor. So all units (except Fire Ships) and buildings with a nonzero attack deal either melee damage (resisted by melee armor) or pierce damage (resisted by pierce armor).
| Melee damage | Pierce damage |
|---|---|
|
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Fire Ships mainly deal pierce damage, but they also deal an extra 1 melee damage per flame (hidden). They are the only units to deal both melee and pierce damage.
The damage formula is:
Cavalier infobox (fully upgraded)
- n denotes melee attack / armor
- p denotes pierce attack / armor
- If the target belongs to the category i and the attacker has a bonus AttackBonus against i, then the bonus (minus BonusResist if the target has one) is added to the total damage.
- kelev is the elevation multiplier. It is 5/4 if a unit attacks above its target (hills and cliffs), 3/4 if a unit attacks below its target (hills only), or 1 otherwise.
The attack of almost all military units can be improved by researching certain technologies at the Blacksmith and the University. If the attack of a unit or structure is improved with technologies, the added value is separately shown in the infobox (see image).
Attack bonuses in Age of Empires II are flat additive bonus damages added against certain armor classes. Most units have an against other unit types, some even against more than one, in which case the attack bonuses may even stack. However, not every bonus attack is explicitly stated in the in-game tech tree.
- For example, an Elite Skirmisher has +4 attack against archers, +3 attack against spearmen, and +2 attack against cavalry archers, but the in-game tech tree only says that it has an attack bonus against archers.
- If the aforementioned Elite Skirmisher attacks a Cavalry Archer, the latter takes an additional 4+2=6 bonus damage, as it is considered both archer and cavalry archer (as well as cavalry, but the Elite Skirmisher has no attack bonus against cavalry).
For a more detailed explanation see here.
Trivia
- The unit with the highest base attack (200) is the Trebuchet.
- The unit with the lowest nonzero base attack (1) is the Fire Galley.
- The building with the highest base attack (120) is the Bombard Tower.
- The buildings with the lowest nonzero base attack (5) are the Watch Tower and the Town Center.
Age of Mythology
Age of Mythology uses a brand-new damage system, based around three types of damage: hack damage, pierce damage and crush damage. Generally, infantry (including Throwing Axemen), cavalry and hammer ships deal hack damage; archers, arrow ships and buildings deal pierce damage; siege weapons and siege ships deal crush damage. Myth units deal either hack or pierce damage, sometimes combined with crush damage.
The damage formula (per strike) is:
- Damage in Age of Mythology is calculated using multiplications, unlike I and II which use additions.
- h/p/c denote respectively hack / pierce / crush damage
- AttackBonus is the bonus against the category the target belongs to.
- kelev is the elevation multiplier, equal to 5/4 if a unit attacks above its target, 3/4 if a unit attacks below its target or 1 otherwise
- t is the duration of the attack animation in seconds (longer animations result in higher damage)
For units which deal several types of damage, the total damage per strike is the sum of the different damage types of the attacker.
Age of Empires III
Age of Empires III uses a damage system similar to Age of Mythology, with hack, pierce and crush damage changed to melee, ranged and siege damage respectively.
Melee infantry and cavalry units usually have both a melee attack for other units and a siege attack for buildings and ships (represented by thrown torches). Ranged infantry and cavalry units initially attack at range but switch to melee damage if their target closes up on them, while keeping a siege attack for buildings and ships (torches for most units, grenades for Grenadiers).
Siege Damage
Most artillery units only have a single siege attack for all kinds of targets. In general, cannons, including those mounted on ships, will cause exclusively siege damage as part of their normal attack.
Siege damage is distinct from range damage since it usually deals bonus damage against buildings or ships. No unit in the game has resistance to siege damage, making Artillery of most types generally powerful weapons against all units.
The damage formula is:
- m/r/s denote respectively melee / ranged / siege damage
- All possible bonus multipliers against a unit are combined. For instance, the Crossbowman has a 2× multiplier against light cavalry but a 0.75× multiplier against cavalry; as light cavalry is a subset of cavalry, light cavalry units actually take 1.5× more damage.
- It is possible to inflict less than 1 damage per hit.