Champion

"Stronger than Two-Handed Swordsman. Cheap and quick to create."

- Age of Empires II description

The Champion 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 final tier in the Militia line.

The Champion is available to all civilizations except for the Ethiopians, Huns, Mayans, and Persians.

Overview and Tactics
The Champion is the first and only non-unique unit infantry that provides its own melee protection: 1/1 armor. They have an attack bonus against buildings and the Eagle line, and are even more powerful when used in conjunction with Rams.

Champions are not obtained easily without significant costs. The prerequisites are many: a Barracks, all previous basic infantry upgrades and a somewhat expensive advancement to the Imperial Age. Once all the requirements have been met, the same cost that would have paid for a weak Militia now applies to the powerful Champion - they are relatively inexpensive to field and good for fast creation. With additional armor for melee combat and against ranged attacks, coupled with an attack rarely superseded by other infantry, the Champion is a good unit when complimented with other units (such as cavalry for tracking down ranged units, or siege units for faster razing) or in waves of units if the player has a massive replenishing stockpile of food and gold. The typical infantry shortcomings do exist, however, as they are still slow and are modest in terms of health, making them vulnerable to archers, heavy cavalry, and splash-damage siege weaponry.

Champions excel in two particular situations, early Imperial Age when their counters aren't present and late Imperial when gold is scarce. Champions are informally called 'trash busters' since they can easily defeat all the trash units such as Halberdiers, Elite Skirmishers, Hussars, and Genitours. A special case here is the Magyar Huszar which can be considered a trash unit once Mercenaries is researched. Elite Magyar Huszars can only be defeated by Aztecs', Japanese and Vikings' Champions.

When in a late level game with high resources (e. g. Yucatan), it is recommended to opt for a cavalry or unique unit-based army, as they generally tend to fare better and the additional cost can be shouldered by the economy.

Further Statistics
Civilization Bonuses=
 * Aztecs: Champions are created 15% faster.
 * Celts: Champions move 15% faster. Herdables cannot be stolen within a Champion's Line of Sight.
 * Chinese: Technologies that benefit Champions are 20% cheaper.
 * Goths: Champions are 35% cheaper and have +1 attack against buildings. With Perfusion researched, researching Tracking, Squires, and Arson is 100% faster.
 * Japanese: Champions attack 25% faster.
 * Magyars: Forging, Iron Casting and Blast Furnace is free.
 * Malians: Champions have +3 pierce armor.
 * Portuguese: Champions cost 15% less gold.
 * Slavs: Tracking is free.
 * Spanish: Blacksmith upgrades that benefit Champions don't cost gold.
 * Vikings: Champions have 20% more hit points.
 * -|Team Bonuses=
 * A team containing Goths: Champions are created 20% faster. Researching Tracking, Squires, and Arson is 20% faster.
 * A team containing Teutons: Champions are more resistant to conversion.
 * -|The Forgotten Changes=
 * Champions gain +1 attack against buildings.
 * Champions gain +2 attack against Eagles.

Trivia

 * The Militia line is the only unit line in the game with more than three stages.
 * Due to a minor graphical bug, the Champion may appear to be wielding two swords at once depending on the angle of unit rotation.

History
"Among the best swordsmen there were a few who, through their renown on the battlefield and in tournaments, achieved the status of champion. Such men became war leaders and rose in social standing thanks to abilities so highly regarded at the time. Lords kept champions on retainer for status and because staged fights between elite warriors were used on occasion to resolve disputes. Having a great champion in your pay or as a vassal was the Middle Age equivalent to having a good lawyer. Champions were professional warriors who might also be members of the nobility. A successful champion might gain a noble title through tournament victory, battle honors, or marriage. A minor knight in England named John Marshal was so successful in tournaments that he rose to become a high-ranking noble of great wealth thanks to prizes and successive marriages to admiring women of means."