War Wagon (Age of Empires II)

"Korean unique unit. Heavily armored horse-drawn archer unit."

- Age of Empires II description

The War Wagon is the unique unit of the Koreans in Age of Empires II: The Conquerors. It is a cavalry archer with very high pierce armor and HP. It fires bolts like a Scorpion, but unlike the Scorpion, it does not deal blast damage.

War Wagons can be upgraded to Elite War Wagons in the Imperial Age.

Tactics
War Wagons are one of the strongest ranged units in the game because they possess high HP, high pierce armor, and the highest attack among all archers. This makes them usable as either ranged support, as damage soaker, or even performing both roles simultaneously. As ranged support, War Wagons can be placed behind melee units such as Halberdiers. They are strong against enemy archers and cavalry archers, though Camel Archers and Genoese Crossbowmen are exceptions.

As damage soakers, War Wagons can be placed at the front line, supported by Monks and other ranged units such as Onagers. Compared to melee units, the War Wagon's biggest advantage as front line troops is its ranged attack allow them to attack enemy troops without chasing them and breaking the line. However, War Wagons should not be used as front line troops against Halberdiers and Camels. Skirmishers also deal attack bonus against War Wagons, but unless greatly outnumbered War Wagons will come out winning. Paladins, War Elephants, and Battle Elephants can also overpower War Wagons, but should be wary of Halberdiers. Eagle Warriors and Huskarls can decimate War Wagons due to their high pierce armor, while Samurai and Kamayuks can deal heavy damage to War Wagons, though the Koreans can counter any of those with Hand Cannoneers. Onagers can do considerable damage to War Wagons, which will have trouble dodging due to their clunkiness, though Koreans can use Bombard Cannons or their own Siege Onagers to counter the enemy siege. Finally, due to lacking Heresy, War Wagons are susceptible to conversion by enemy Monks.

War Wagons work well as raiding units because they move fairly fast, have an attack bonus against buildings, can focus fire to kill a target quickly, and are resistant to arrow attacks. They are also invaluable in a defensive tactic. War Wagons' ranged attack allows them to stand behind a Wall and attack the assaulting troops safely. On certain maps with narrow paths (e.g. Black Forest), War Wagons can use their large size to clog the path and prevent enemy troops from reaching a certain location; giving enough time for the player to strengthen that place's defense. Like other archer units, War Wagons can increase a Castle's attack damage by garrisoning inside it and increasing the amount of arrows fired. A Castle fully garrisoned of War Wagons can even kill a Huskarl in just one strike.

Despite being cavalry archers, hit-and-run tactics do not work very well with War Wagons because of their large size, comparatively low speed, and high frame delay.

Further Statistics
As War Wagons are unique to the Koreans, only technologies that are available to them are shown in the following table:

Team Bonuses

 * A team containing Berbers: With Kasbah researched, War Wagons are created and upgraded 25% faster, and Conscription is researched 25% faster.
 * A team containing Britons: Researching Thumb Ring is 20% faster.
 * A team containing Huns: Researching Husbandry is 20% faster.
 * A team containing Malians: Researching Chemistry and Ballistics is 80% faster.
 * A team containing Teutons: War Wagons are more resistant to conversion.

The Conquerors

 * War Wagons train in 25 seconds.
 * War Wagons cost 80W/60G.
 * With patch 1.0c, the War Wagon cost is now 120W/60G.

The Forgotten

 * War Wagons now cost 110W/60G.
 * War Wagons now train in 21 seconds.

The African Kingdoms

 * Cavalry archer armor class added to War Wagons.

History
''The Korean kingdom of Koryo was often under attack from all sides — by China, by barbarian civilizations to the north like the Mongols, and by sea raiders. To survive, they needed a strong military. We have hints from scant records that the Koryo were innovative warriors, perhaps being the first to use rockets in combat and carriages of some type. Trains of these wagons could be arranged into temporary fortifications in open areas, providing a mobile, yet substantial, defensive position against mounted enemies. So became the war wagon, a classic chariot with scythed blades and mobile forts from which archers could fire with some protection.''