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This article is about the unique units in Age of Empires II. For the armor class, see Armor class: Unique unit. For unique units in other games of the series, see Unique unit. |
A unique unit is a unit only available to a single civilization in Age of Empires II.
Overview
Each civilization in the game has one unique unit that can only be trained at the Castle in the Castle Age, but eight civilizations have access to a second unique unit that is trained at another building.
Before Age of Empires II HD: The African Kingdoms was released, a Castle was required to train the second unique unit. Since that was changed, the civilizations with two unique units gain the advantage of instant access to a unique unit once the Castle Age is reached.
There are roughly three categories of unique units: Castle units, non-Castle units and shared units. As the name suggests, a Castle unit can only be trained at a Castle, while non-Castle units are created elsewhere (Longboat, Turtle Ship, Missionary, Slinger, Imperial Camel, and Caravel).
Shared units, however, fill a different and broader niche since their nature means that they can be used by other civilizations in addition to their own by simply allying with their native factions. A team containing an Italian, Berber, or Vietnamese player will have access to the Condottieri, Genitours, or Imperial Skirmishers, respectively. Shared unique units are team bonuses.
Apart from the Imperial Camel, Condottiero, and Imperial Skirmisher, all unique units are available in the Castle Age.
All but five (Slinger, Condottiero, Imperial Camel, Missionary, Imperial Skirmisher) unique units have an Elite version that possesses overall superior statistics. The upgrade is always available in the Imperial Age.
It is worth noting that the Samurai possesses an attack bonus against all unique units (including itself) but the Imperial Camel and the Imperial Skirmisher, which are technically just unique upgrades. It is the only unit that has an attack bonus against unique units.
List of unique units
All in all, there are 40 unique units:
- 13 Archers (including 5 Cavalry Archers)
- 12 Infantry
- 8 Cavalry
- 3 Gunpowder units
- 3 Ships
- 1 Special Unit
The Age of Kings
| Civilization | Unique unit | Trained at | Description and specialties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Britons |  Longbowman
|
Castle | Archer with long range |
| Byzantines |  Cataphract
|
Castle | Anti-infantry cavalry, resistant to attack bonuses |
| Celts |  Woad Raider
|
Castle | Fast-moving, anti-building infantry |
| Chinese |  Chu Ko Nu
|
Castle | Archer that fires a volley of arrows |
| Franks |  Throwing Axeman
|
Castle | Infantry with ranged melee attack |
| Goths |  Huskarl
|
Castle / Barracks* | Anti-archer infantry |
| Japanese |  Samurai
|
Castle | Fast attacking, anti-unique unit infantry |
| Mongols |  Mangudai
|
Castle | Fast attacking, anti-siege cavalry archer |
| Persians |  War Elephant
|
Castle | Slow yet strong anti-building elephant |
| Saracens |  Mameluke
|
Castle | Anti-cavalry camel with ranged melee attack |
| Teutons |  Teutonic Knight
|
Castle | Slow, heavily armored infantry with powerful attack |
| Turks |  Janissary
|
Castle | Hand cannoneer with high attack |
| Vikings |  Berserk
|
Castle | Regenerating infantry |
 Longboat
|
Dock | Warship that fires multiple arrows |
Note: The Goths can train Huskarls at the Barracks after researching Anarchy.
The Conquerors
| Civilization | Unique unit | Trained at | Description and specialties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aztecs |  Jaguar Warrior
|
Castle | Anti-infantry infantry |
| Huns |  Tarkan
|
Castle / Stable* | Anti-building cavalry |
| Koreans |  War Wagon
|
Castle | High-armored cavalry archer |
 Turtle Ship
|
Dock | Warship with very high attack | |
| Mayans |  Plumed Archer
|
Castle | Cheap, fast moving, archer with high hit points |
| Spanish |  Conquistador
|
Castle | Mounted hand cannoneer with high damage |
 Missionary
|
Monastery | Mounted Monk |
Note: The Huns can train Tarkans at the Stable after researching Marauders.
The Forgotten
| Civilization | Unique unit | Trained at | Description and specialties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incas |  Kamayuk
|
Castle | Anti-cavalry infantry |
 Slinger
|
Archery Range | Anti-infantry archer | |
| Indians |  Elephant Archer
|
Castle | High-armored ranged elephant |
| Stable | Anti-cavalry camel; upgrade of the Heavy Camel | ||
| Italians |  Genoese Crossbowman
|
Castle | Anti-cavalry archer |
 Condottiero
|
Barracks | Anti-gunpowder infantry | |
| Magyars |  Magyar Huszar
|
Castle | Cheap anti-siege cavalry |
| Slavs |  Boyar
|
Castle | Heavily armored cavalry |
The African Kingdoms
| Civilization | Unique unit | Trained at | Description and specialties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berbers |  Camel Archer
|
Castle | Anti-cavalry archer mounted archer |
 Genitour
|
Archery Range | Anti-archer mounted skirmisher | |
| Ethiopians |  Shotel Warrior
|
Castle | Infantry with fast deployment rate |
| Malians |  Gbeto
|
Castle | Infantry with ranged melee attack |
| Portuguese |  Organ Gun
|
Castle | Light anti-personnel siege unit |
 Caravel
|
Dock | Ship that fires arrows with splash damage |
Rise of the Rajas
| Civilization | Unique unit | Trained at | Description and specialties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burmese |  Arambai
|
Castle | Cavalry archer with high attack |
| Khmer |  Ballista Elephant
|
Castle | Elephant with mounted Scorpion |
| Malay |  Karambit Warrior
|
Castle | Cheap and weak infantry that only takes half a population space |
| Vietnamese |  Rattan Archer
|
Castle | Archer with high pierce armor |
 Imperial Skirmisher
|
Archery Range | Anti-archer javelineer; upgrade of the Elite Skirmisher |
Gallery
