Bombard Cannon

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The Bombard Cannon is a powerful Siege Weapon in Age of Empires II.

[edit] Prerequisites

Before a Bombard Cannon (or any other Gunpowder Units for that matter) can be created, one must advance to the Imperial Age and research Chemistry from the University. After these too prerequisites have been fulfilled, the Bombard Cannon becomes available to a few civilizations. It is built from the Siege Workshop for 225 Gold and 225 Wood.

[edit] Usage

The Bombard Cannon is very powerful. It out-ranges all ranged buildings including Castles and Bombard Towers. It also does not need to unpack in order to attack, giving it a mobility advantage over the Trebuchet. Groups of Bombard Cannons can effectively destroy a town in a matter of minutes, provided that they are adequately protected. Bombard Cannons are weak against most units, particularly Knights. Like most other ranged siege units, bombard cannons have friendly splash damage and must be used with caution.  

[edit] Comparison with Trebuchet

The Bombard Cannon and Trebuchet are the longest ranged and most expensive siege weapons in the game. The Bombard Cannon is more manoeuverable than the Trebuchet, as it does not require the tedious packing and unpacking that are characteristic of trebuchets. However, trebuchets are cheaper (costing 25 less Gold and Wood than Bombard Cannons) and are available for every civilization, unlike Bombard Cannons, which are only available to some civilizations that can train Gunpowder Units. Trebuchets are also more resilient, especially to ranged attackers.

Comparing their attacks, Bombard Cannons are more accurate and deal splash damage against units, but possess less range and a friendly splash are unwelcome characteristics. They deal less damage to their targets to trebuchets; however, they fire faster. Overall, bombard cannons are superior to trebuchets in terms of versatility, as they are effective against both buildings and units, but the trebuchet's greater range and durability make it better for attacking fortified bases.