Petard (Age of Empires II)

Petards are siege units trained at the Castle in Age of Empires II: The Conquerors. Petards are faster than most infantry and explode upon impact with their target, dealing great amounts of damage. They are most effective against buildings, other siege units, and Wonders. Petards are excellent at destroying large groups of bunched Villagers. They can be easily taken down by archers, especially cavalry archers, and Monks can convert Petards quickly.

A great use for Petards is neutralizing enemy buildings or seige units near the player's castles. They are also an excellent choice for quickly breaching walls, taking only two to destroy a stone wall (assuming they have the Siege Engineers upgrade). They are not advisable for constant production due to their relatively large expenses and their one-use nature. Unfortunately, this makes them impractical, but fun to watch.