War Elephant

The War Elephant is a heavy cavalry unit featured in Age of Empires, Age of Empires II, Age of Mythology and the Age of Empires III: Asian Dynasties expansion.

Age of Empires


The War Elephant is an Iron Age unit, trained from the Stable. The unit is already available once Iron Age is reached without the need to research a technology, however only a certain number of civilizations have the ability to train this unit. It has the most hit points of any land unit and an attack that damages all enemies around it. The War Elephant's downside is that it is slow and therefore a great target for enemy Siege Units. Their slow speed also makes them very prone to Conversion by enemy Priests. Civilizations that have bonuses for War Elephants include the Phoenicians, Persians and the Carthaginians. Persian War Elephants are 50% faster while the Phoenicians can train them at a cheaper cost per unit. Carthaginian War Elephants are stronger than those of other civilizations. They can be upgraded to the more powerful Armored Elephant in Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome only, which requires and.

Civilization Bonuses

 * Persian war elephants are 50% faster.
 * Carthaginian war elephants have 750 hit points instead of 600.
 * Phoenician war elephants are 25% cheaper.

Tool Age

 * Leather Armor: Increases armor by 2 points.

Bronze Age

 * Scale Armor: Increases armor by 2 points.

Iron Age

 * Chain Mail: Increases armor by 2 points.

Age of Empires II
The War Elephant and its upgraded version the Elite War Elephant is a unit unique to the Persians and is effective against enemy buildings, cavalry and basically everything else. War Elephants are available in the Castle once the Castle Age is reached and can be upgraded to Elite status during the Imperial Age.

Although War Elephants are tough and durable, they move slowly and are vulnerable to units that deal damage at long range. As a cavalry unit these units are vulnerable to enemy Pikemen/Spearmen, who have an extra bonus against war elephants, though it will take a larger group to take them down. Their slow speed also makes them vulnerable to cavalry archers though it will take a while for archers to kill them. Mamelukes, with their high speed and anti-Cavalry bonus, are an effective method of fighting War Elephants. They can be easily converted by enemy monks, so they should always be deployed with an escort. War Elephants may be upgraded to an elite version that deals trample damage. This, coupled with their high durability, makes them excellent for pitched battles. It also aids them in knocking down buildings.

Age of Mythology
The War Elephant is a Heroic Age cavalry unit for the Egyptians in Age of Mythology. It can be produced at the Migdol Stronghold. It is incredibly strong and can destroy almost everything in its path. Like all cavalry they are weaker against infantry but due to their massive amount of hitpoints it will take a large group to bring one down. The War Elephant is quite slow and large so it is easy to hit with arows but it has high pierce armor allowing them to shrug those off. It also allows them to function as a siege weapon in the absence of Catapults or Siege Towers. Myth units that have special abilities such as the Cyclops are the fastest way to deal with enemy War Elephants.

History
''The Egyptian War Elephant is expensive and slow, but is mighty in combat, particualry against buildings. They can be defeated by large groups of infantry or by Camels and Prodromos.''

''The generals of ancient times, tracing back at least to Hannibal, were intrigued by the use of elephants in battle. The size and strength of these beasts were enough to shake any troops, but especially those who had never seen the animal before. In practice, elephants may have been more for show than effectiveness. Wounded elephants were difficult to control and likely to disrupt friends as much as foes. They were used as platforms for commanders and archers, adn were ideal for breaking into dense enemy formations if they could be coaxed to do so. While the Indians first introduced elephants to the Mediterranean, the Ptolemies of Egypt were the first to use the larger African elephants in warfare. Classical texts are very clear that generals knew to counter war elephants with pigs.''

Age of Empires III
Like previous installments in the Age of Empires series, the War Elephant is featured the Asian Dynasties expansion. The War Elephant is a heavy cavalry unit which is one of the main units that are available to the Indian campaign.


 * Howdahs
 * Siege Elephants
 * Mahout Lancers
 * Flail Elephant

The Mahout Lancer is also available as a native mercenary unit from the Sufi tribe.