Castle (Age of Empires II)

For the Age of Empires III building, see Castle (Age of Empires III).

The Castle is a military Building in Age of Empires II available once Castle Age is reached. It is a powerful fortification with many different functions and can accomplish the following. Being the building with the most uses and functions, the Castle is one of the most powerful buildings in the game but requires huge amounts of Stone. The best counter for Castles are siege weapons, such as rams, trebuchets, bombard cannons, or Petards. The AI usually builds a relatively high amount of Castles close to the center of the map starting from the Imperial Age at Death matches.
 * Can heal and Garrison up to 20 units simultaneously.
 * Develop the Unique Unit of a civilization.
 * Allows the player to develop the Unique Technologies of a civilization and can promote unique units to elite levels once Imperial Age is reached.
 * Allows the player to construct a Trebuchet or a Petard.
 * Can support up to 20 population.
 * Allows the player to gain control over a foreign territory.
 * Can fire four arrows within its range without garrison but a fully garrisoned castle can fire up to twenty arrows simultaneously.

Overview
''The first castles appeared in Europe in the ninth century as an improvement of the local lord's stronghold. Castles were tactically defensive but strategically offensive. Because they were so difficult to capture if adequately defended, they provided a secure base from which a mobile force of warriors could extend political control. A local lord installed himself inside with a professional force of fighing men to serve him. Castles spread across Europe in the tenth and eleventh centuries in response to weak central authority and barbarian raids from the north and east. Kings spent the rest of the Middle Ages trying to take back control of castles raised by local lords. The development of dependable mobile heavy artillery in the fifteenth century finally made castles obsolete.''

Tactics and Placement
Players should build Castle inside minor fortifications outside their settlement. Surrounding the entire base with walls along with other towers such as a Bombard Tower provides additional protection from Battering Rams and other melee units. If a river separates their base from the enemy's, players should wall up the river's shallows and build a Castle near them. Players should build Castles at major chokepoints, especially if they have researched the Murder Holes upgrade. Players should also garrison a few cavalry units to fend off Battering Ram attacks.

Civilization Bonuses

 * Chinese: The cost of technologies that benefits Castles and Castle technologies is 10%/15%/20% in Feudal/Castle/Imperial age.
 * Aztecs: Castle units are produced +15% faster.
 * Spanish: Castles are built 30% faster.
 * Byzantine Castles have 10%/20%/30%/40% more hp in Dark/Feudal/Castle/Imperial age. Town Watch (+4 LOS for buildings) is free.
 * Teutons: Imperial Age unique technology Crenellations increases the range of Castles by 3, and allows garrisoned infantry to fire arrows, allowing them to retaliate against Bombard Cannons and regular Cannon Galleons.Teutons get Murder Holes for free upon reaching the Castle Age.
 * Franks: Castles are 25% cheaper.

The Forgotten Changes



 * Castles now benefit from Chemistry.
 * Incas: 15% stone discount on buildings applies to the Castle.
 * Celts Castle age Tech Stronghold increases the fire rate of the Castle.
 * Koreans Can build Castles and other fortification structures 25% faster.
 * Persians Castle age unique technology Boiling Oil give to Castles attack bonus against rams.

Architecture
Each architectural group of civilizations has its own unique designs for its castle:
 * West European (top right) has one tower and a drawbridge.
 * Asian (down, left center of gallery) bear an uncanny resemblance to the main keep of Japan's Osaka Castle.
 * Middle-Eastern (down right of gallery) Muslim-inspired architecture with gold-brown colors (perhaps made of sandstone).
 * Central European (top center of gallery) has a blocky design with four tall towers and two shorter ones with a bridge in between, bearing a distinct (and ironic) resemblance to Rochester Castle in England.
 * Meso-American (bottom right center of gallery) resemble tall stepped piramids, with a steep staircase leading to the top.
 * Italians have the castle for their own architecture, with a mediterranean style.
 * East European castles, resembles the Malbork Castle in Poland.

Changes in The Forgotten expansion

 * Castles +1 Line of sight (due to a bug)

Trivia

 * The entrances of the West European, Italian, East European and the Meso-American Castles head to the left, the entrances of the three others to the right.
 * The castle is the most expensive building in the military sector.