Two-Handed Swordsman

"Stronger than Long Swordsman. Cheap and quick to create."

- Age of Empires II description

The Two-Handed Swordsman is an infantry unit in Age of Empires II that can be trained at the Barracks once the Imperial Age is reached. It is the fourth tier upgrade of the Militia line.

Two-Handed Swordsmen are available to all civilizations except for the Persians.

Tactics
There really is not much to elaborate about the Two-Handed Swordsman as performance-wise it is very similar to its predecessor; despite the substantial improvements to stats it is not that big of a step up, and the same general strategies still apply.

Two-Handed Swordsmen are not seen very often because the Champion upgrade becomes available the moment the Two-Handed Swordsman upgrade is researched. It is mostly used in the early Imperial Age before the Champion upgrade comes in, or by the Huns, Ethiopians, Khmer, Malay, and Mayans, since Two-Handed Swordsmen is the most they can get out of the Militia line due to lacking the Champion upgrade.

The Malay case is particularly interesting as one of their unique technologies is Forced Levy which eliminates the gold cost of Militia-line units including the Two-Handed Swordsman, making a swarm of these units a viable tactic in late game 'trash wars' where they easily defeat other trash units (Halberdiers, Hussars, and Elite Skirmishers).

Civilization bonuses

 * Aztecs: Two-Handed Swordsmen are created 15% faster.
 * Burmese: Two-Handed Swordsmen have +3 attack. Researching Faith is 50% cheaper.
 * Celts: Two-Handed Swordsmen move 15% faster. Two-Handed Swordsmen can convert herdables even if enemy units are next to them.
 * Chinese: Technologies that benefit Two-Handed Swordsmen are 20% cheaper.
 * Goths: Two-Handed Swordsmen are cheaper and have +1 attack against buildings. With Perfusion researched, researching Tracking, Squires, and Arson and upgrading to Champion is 100% faster.
 * Japanese: Two-Handed Swordsmen attack faster.
 * Magyars: Forging, Iron Casting, and Blast Furnace are free.
 * Malians: Two-Handed Swordsmen have +3 pierce armor.
 * Portuguese: Two-Handed Swordsmen cost 15% less gold.
 * Slavs: Tracking is free.
 * Spanish: Blacksmith upgrades that benefit Two-Handed Swordsmen don't cost gold.
 * Vietnamese: Conscription is free.
 * Vikings: Two-Handed Swordsmen have 20% more hit points.

Team bonuses

 * A team containing Berbers: With Kasbah researched, researching Conscription is 25% faster.
 * A team containing Goths: Two-Handed Swordsmen are created and upgraded 20% faster. Researching Tracking, Squires, and Arson is 20% faster.
 * A team containing Teutons: Two-Handed Swordsmen are more resistant to conversion.

The Age of Kings

 * Two-Handed Swordsmen have 11 attack.
 * Two-Handed Swordsmen have +3 attack against buildings.
 * Two-Handed Swordsmen have 0 pierce armor.
 * Goths: Two-Handed Swordsmen are 25% cheaper.

The Conquerors

 * Two-Handed Swordsmen have +6 attack against Eagle Warriors.
 * Two-Handed Swordsmen now have 1 pierce armor.
 * Heresy introduced.
 * Goths: With patch 1.0c, Two-Handed Swordsmen are 35% cheaper. Perfusion introduced.

The Forgotten

 * Two-Handed Swordsmen now 12 attack.
 * Two-Handed Swordsmen now have +4 attack buildings.
 * Two-Handed Swordsmen now +8 attack against Eagle Warriors.

The African Kingdoms

 * Arson introduced.
 * With patch 4.8, Chieftains now affects Two-Handed Swordsmen.

Trivia

 * The Militia line is the only unit line in the game with more than three stages.
 * The Malay is the only civilization to have the Militia line (except the Champion) as trash units (once the Forced Levy is researched).

History
"As armor improved, so did weapons. The two-handed sword was an innovation that allowed a man to swing with the power of both arms, not just one. This was a long and heavy sword, and it required a strong and well-trained man. The two-handed swordsman was a formidable adversary in hand-to-hand combat. Two-handed swordsmen used no shield and relied on the power of their attack to overcome an opponent's shield and armor. Although he struck fewer times, each swing had the potential of being a mortal blow, regardless of the armor and weapons of the defender."