Wonder (Age of Empires II)


 * For the Age of Empires variant, see Wonder (Age of Empires)
 * For the Age of Age of Empires III variant, see Wonder (Age of Empires III)
 * For the Age of Mythology variant, see Wonder (Age of Mythology)

Like its predecessors, a Wonder in the Age of Empires II is a massive structure with no attack and has a very high amount of hit points. If it is constructed and stands for two hundred years, the player who constructs it will automatically win the game. Wonders can be built in the Imperial Age and costs, and. Wonders cannot be converted by enemy Monks.

Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings is the first in the series to introduce unique Wonders to each civilization. None of the Wonders from the original Age of Empires game are featured in Age of Empires II and its two expansions because none of the original civilizations are intact (except for the Temple of Heaven which now belongs to the Chinese, and the Pyramids of Giza).

Tactics and Placement
Wonders only serve as a victory condition, and as such it must be used only in game modes that allow that kind of victory as it is the building with the highest cost (in building time and resources) in the game. When a player starts to build a Wonder, every other player in the game will receive a notification so the opponents can prepare to attack the player building a Wonder even before it is completed.

Wonders must be placed in a well defended area so it is better to first create a strong fortification composed of Castles, Walls and Towers (see Turtle) it is also viable to perform a Booming strategy before in order to reach the Imperial Age and then build the Wonder. In any case the player must be prepared to be the main focus of all its opponents and prepare to defend the Wonder. It is advised to have a huge army of anti siege units and ranged units that can aid in the defense of the wonder, and it is also advisable to have a lot of villagers building the wonder and repairing it and the fortification if necessary. In team games the support of allies while defending is highly valuable.

It is possible (but costly) to create more than one Wonder so that if one does not survive, other wonders could stand for the time required to win the game.

A Monument (An unconstructable building) can be found in the scenario editor and some campaigns. Its appearance varies being different for each civilization, much like the Wonder, and it has the same icon, although it merely functions as decorative. It has 9999 hit points, making it the strongest building in the game.

Expansion Changes
Although most of the Wonders from previously added civilizations remain untouched, Rise of the Rajas gave the Indians a new Wonder, Brihadeeswarar Temple, as well as a new and completely unique architectural style, instead of Middle Eastern architecture. In addition, Gol Gumbaz, their old Wonder, was moved to the Scenario Editor as a separate object.

Britons
Wonder: Aachen Cathedral
 * Appearances: In the last level of the Attila the Hun campaign, "Fall of Rome", Padua will build a Wonder if they are not defeated fast enough.
 * The Cathedral, which looks very similar, can be found in several campaign scenarios.

Byzantines
Wonder: Hagia Sophia
 * Appearances:
 * In the fifth scenario of the Barbarossa campaign, "Barbarossa's March", the player must station troops next to it to gain access to the Byzantines' navy.
 * In the third scenario of the Attila the Hun campaign, "The Walls of Constantinople", Constantinople has a wonder which will prompt them to tribute gold if destroyed.

Celts
Wonder: Rock of Cashel
 * Appearance: In the last scenario of the Attila the Hun campaign, "Fall of Rome", Aquileia will build a Wonder if they are not defeated fast enough.

Chinese
Wonder: Temple of Heaven
 * Appearance: In the third scenario of the Genghis Khan campaign, "Into China", Jin will build a Wonder if they are not defeated fast enough.

Franks
Wonder: Cathedral of Chartres
 * Appearances:
 * In the last scenario of the Attila the Hun campaign, "Fall of Rome", Verona will build a Wonder if they are not defeated fast enough.
 * In one of the scenarios of the Battles of The Conquerors campaign, "Agincourt", it appears as a monument.

Goths
Wonder: Mausoleum of Theoderic I
 * Appearance: None

Japanese
Wonder: Tōdai-ji
 * Appearance: None

Mongols
Wonder: Great Tent of Genghis Khan
 * Appearance: In the second scenario of the Genghis Khan campaign, "A Life of Revenge", the player must protect the Wonder near the starting point; otherwise, the player will lose.

Persians
Wonder: Taq-i Kisra Palace
 * Appearance: In the fourth scenario of the Genghis Khan campaign, "The Horde Rides West", it appears in the Kwarazm city, near where the Shah stands.

Saracens
Wonder: Great Mosque of Samarra
 * Appearance: In the final scenario of the Saladin campaign, "The Lion and the Demon", the Saracens must construct their Wonder and defend it to win.

Teutons
Wonder: Maria Laach Abbey
 * Appearances:
 * In the fifth scenario of the Saladin campaign, "Jihad!", Ascalon will build a Wonder within their walls if they are not defeated fast enough.
 * In the final scenario of the Genghis Khan campaign, "Pax Mongolia", the Hungarians will build a Wonder after an hour.
 * In the fourth scenario of the Barbarossa campaign, "The Lombard League", the player must build a wonder within one the Lombard cities of Padua, Verona or Venice.
 * In the last scenario of the Attila the Hun campaign, "Fall of Rome", Milan will build a Wonder if they are not defeated fast enough.

Turks
Wonder: Selimiye Mosque
 * Appearance: None
 * The Mosque, which looks very similar, can be found in several campaign scenarios.

Vikings
Wonder: Borgund Stave Church
 * Appearance: None

Aztecs
Wonder: Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan
 * Appearances: In the last scenario of the Montezuma campaign, "Broken Spears", it is located inside Tenochtitlan, guarded by two castles.

Huns
Wonder: Arch of Constantine (devastated and filled with the Huns' gold obtained from looting)
 * Appearance: It is buildable in the fifth and sixth scenario of the Attila the Hun campaign, "Catalunian Fields" and "Fall of Rome" respectively.

Koreans
Wonder: Hwangnyong Temple
 * Appearance: In one of the scenarios of the Battles of The Conquerors campaign, "Noryang Point", there is an optional objective to prevent the Japanese from destroying the Wonder.

Mayans
Wonder: Temple of the Great Jaguar
 * Appearance: None

Spanish
Wonder: Torre del Oro
 * Appearances:
 * In the fifth scenario of the El Cid campaign, "King of Valencia", the player must defend their ally while they are constructing a Wonder.
 * In the fourth scenario of the Montezuma campaign, "La Noche Triste", the Spanish build a Wonder within Tenochticlan and the player must destroy it to win.
 * In one of the scenarios of the Battles of The Conquerors campaign, "Lepanto", the player must build a Wonder and defend it from the Turks.

Incas
Wonder: Temple of the Sun at Macchu Picchu

Indians
Wonder: Gol Gumbaz

Italians
Wonder: Cathedral of St. Lawrence

Magyars
Wonder: Hunyad Castle

Slavs
Wonder: Kizhi Church

Portuguese
Wonder: Belém Tower

Malians
Wonder: Great Mosque of Djenné

Berbers
Wonder: Hassan Tower

Ethiopians
Wonder: Bete Medhane Alem Bedrock Church

Burmese
Wonder: Shwezigon Pagoda

Khmer
Wonder: Angkor Wat

Malay
Wonder: Sewu

Vietnamese
Wonder: Bút Tháp Temple

Unique
Dome of the Rock Pyramids of Giza
 * Appearance: In the third scenario of the Saladin campaign, "Siege of Jerusalem" and the final scenario of the Barbarossa campaign, "The Emperor Sleeping".
 * Appearance: In first scenario of the Saladin campaign, "An Arabian Knight".

Stats

 * Hit points: 4800
 * Armor/pierce armor: 3/10

Civilization bonus

 * Inca Wonders costs 15% less stone.
 * Byzantine Wonders have 40% more hit points, and receive Town Watch for free.
 * Spanish Wonders are built 30% faster.
 * Chinese technologies that benefit Wonders are 10% cheaper in Feudal Age, 15% in Castle Age, 20% in Imperial Age.
 * Malians: Wonders cost 15% less wood.

History
"One distinguishing cultural characteristic of the great Middle Age civilizations was architecture. Buildings in Japan, Scandinavia, Britain, Constantinople, and Arabia looked quite different and employed different construction techniques. In many cases, particularly noteworthy buildings stand as icons for the building civilization, marking it for all time as a culture that achieved greatness, if only temporarily. Examples of such Middle Age cultural icons are the Cathedral at Chartres, Charlemagne’s Palace, and the Hagia Sophia at Constantinople."

- Age of Empires II manual