Scout Cavalry (Age of Empires II)

"Fast with extensive line of sight."

- Age of Empires II description

The Scout Cavalry is a light cavalry unit in Age of Empires II that can be trained at the Stable. In a standard game playing with a non-American civilization, the player starts off with a Scout Cavalry. It has a weak attack, but they are quick and are effective against enemy Villagers and Archers from the Feudal Age on. They have an innate resistance against conversion and a +6 attack bonus against Monks.

Scout Cavalry are available to all civilizations except for the Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans.

Tactics
Scout Cavalry are primarily used as scouting units, as they do not have an attack powerful enough to be an effective battle unit. Scout Cavalry are often used for harassing enemy Villagers during the Dark Age and the Feudal Age. Some cavalry civilizations like the Magyars, Huns, and Mongols can perform a Scout rush with Scout Cavalry. They are automatically upgraded upon researching the Feudal Age, gaining +2 attack, +2 Line of Sight, and +0.35 speed.

Civilization bonuses

 * Berbers Scout Cavalry are cheaper in the Castle/Imperial Age.
 * Burmese: Researching Faith is 50% cheaper.
 * Celts: Scout Cavalry can convert herdables even if enemy units are next to them.
 * Chinese: Technologies that benefit Scout Cavalry are 10%/15%/20% cheaper in the Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age.
 * Franks: Scout Cavalry . With Chivalry researched, researching Husbandry is 40% faster.
 * Magyars: Forging, Iron Casting, and Blast Furnace are free. Scout Cavalry are cheaper.
 * Spanish: Blacksmith upgrades that benefit Scout Cavalry don't cost gold.
 * Turks: The Light Cavalry upgrade is free.
 * Vietnamese: Conscription is free.

Team bonuses

 * A team containing Berbers: With Kasbah researched, researching Conscription is 25% faster.
 * A team containing Huns: Scout Cavalry are created and upgraded 20% faster. Researching Bloodlines and Husbandry is 20% faster.
 * A team containing Mongols: Scout Cavalry have +2 LOS.
 * A team containing Teutons: Scout Cavalry are more resistant to conversion.

The Conquerors

 * Scout Cavalry receive an attack bonus of +6 against Monks.
 * Heresy introduced.
 * Bloodlines introduced.

The Forgotten

 * Franks: Chivalry introduced.
 * Magyars: Scout Cavalry are 10% cheaper.

The African Kingdoms

 * Berbers: Initially, Scout Cavalry were 20% cheaper from the Castle Age on. With patch 4.8, that bonus was staggered to 15%/20% in the Castle/Imperial Age.
 * Franks: Scout Cavalry now benefit from the civilization bonus and have +20% HP.

Rise of the Rajas

 * Magyars: With patch 5.5, Scout Cavalry are now 15% cheaper.

Trivia

 * Once the Feudal Age is reached, the Scout Cavalry gains +0.35 speed, making it the fastest land unit in the game, even faster than its successors, the Light Cavalry and the Hussar.
 * In the Age of Kings manual, the upgrades list says that the Scout Cavalry is affected by Metallurgy. However, there is no such technology in Age of Empires II. Either it was a cut technology from alpha or beta, or the developers were careless while writing the manual, confusing it with the technology of the same name in Age of Empires.

History
''The importance of fast horse units for scouting had been learned in ancient times and carried forward into the Middle Ages. Even Middle Age armies built around heavy knights maintained a force of lightly armored scout cavalry to act as the eyes of an army on the march. Scout cavalry employed horses bred for stamina and speed. They would range far in advance and to the flanks of an army to gather information about enemy movements. Scout cavalry were less useful in battle because the men wore little armor and light weapons. They were very useful, however, once an enemy was defeated and routing. Then scout cavalry were effective in running down fleeing survivors and capturing equipment, wagons, and prisoners.''