Paladin

"Stronger than Cavalier. Fast and heavy cavalry."

- Age of Empires II description

The Paladin is a heavy cavalry unit in Age of Empires II that can be trained at the Stable once the Imperial Age is reached. Like most other cavalry, Paladins are very agile, though they cannot match the speed of Light Cavalry. They are effective for wiping out almost any unit in the game. However, they are susceptible to the weaknesses of all cavalry units, and should be used carefully to avoid mass death.

Despite lacking Bloodlines, the Franks have the strongest Paladin in the game due to their civilization bonus which grants them +20% HP. The Celts have the weakest Paladins because they lack Bloodlines and Plate Barding Armor. They are followed closely by the Byzantines who lack Blast Furnace and Bloodlines. The Teutons have the slowest Paladins because of their lack of Husbandry. The other four civilizations can fully upgrade their Paladins.

Tactics
Paladins are one of the strongest and, though not cheap, most cost-effective units, and a full team of forty can easily destroy any ill-prepared town or army. In one on one combat, Paladins can slay Halberdiers, though larger numbers of Halberdiers and Camels can defeat them. Paladins have low conversion resistance and thus are susceptible to enemy Monks. Siege weapons are ineffective against Paladins in most situations, but if cautiously used, especially Onagers can deal a great deal of damage. However, if used against ordinary infantry, archers, siege units, and unsuspecting towns, Paladins dominate the field. Still, Paladins should always be used with caution as flaws in the implementation of these units can prove very costly.

Civilization bonuses

 * Celts: Paladins can convert herdables even if enemy units are next to them.
 * Franks: Paladins have +20% HP. With Chivalry researched, researching Husbandry is 40% faster.
 * Magyars: Forging, Iron Casting, and Blast Furnace are free.
 * Spanish: Blacksmith upgrades that benefit Paladins don't cost gold.

Team bonuses

 * A team containing Berbers: With Kasbah researched, researching Conscription is 25% faster.
 * A team containing Franks: Paladins have +2 LOS.
 * A team containing Huns: Paladins are created 20% faster. Researching Bloodlines and Husbandry is 20% faster.
 * A team containing Persians: Paladins have +2 attack against archers.
 * A team containing Teutons: Paladins are more resistant to conversion.

The Conquerors

 * Heresy introduced.
 * Bloodlines introduced.

The Forgotten

 * Franks: Chivalry introduced.

Trivia

 * The Paladin's upgrade cost, at and, is the fourth most food demanding in the game (only War Elephants, Onagers, and Cataphracts need more). However, if the cost of upgrading Knights to Paladins is considered, at 1,600 food and 1,050 gold, only Mangonels and War Elephants are more expensive to upgrade.
 * The Paladin has a slower attacking speed (1.93) compared to its predecessors (1.83) for balancing purposes.
 * The Knight line is one of only four units in the game without any attack bonus (the other being the Militia, the Boyar, and the Turtle Ship).
 * With the introduction of The African Kingdoms, the Paladin became the most exclusive unit in the game, being available to only eight different civilizations. Before The African Kingdoms was released, that title was held by the Siege Onager. (The Eagle Warrior and the Battle Elephant are generally treated as Native American and Southeast Asian unique units respectively rather than regular ones, otherwise the former would have this distinction.)
 * All civilizations that have access to the Paladin are European or Middle Eastern.
 * The Magyars are the only post The Forgotten civilization to receive Paladins.

History
"The ultimate fighting knights were paladins, the cream of the cavalier class. Paladins were champions for their lords and their orders of knighthood. These men were of the highest social class and elite warriors. They often made up the personal bodyguard of a great king and were sworn to protect his life with their own."

- Age of Empires II manual