Aura

Auras are the abilities of certain units and buildings which have an area of effect other than simply dealing area damage on their regular attacks.

Age of Empires II

Aura influences in Age of Empires II were teased with Dawn of the Dukes and introduced with Dynasties of India. All aura influences are passive - they will benefit the recipient no matter the state of the source (except when dead or garrisoned). This is not noticeable with passive buildings like Folwarks and Caravanserais to begin with, but the Centurion will benefit Militia line units even if it is attacking, moving, or standing still. Bimaristan Monks will provide aura even when converting, moving, or carrying a Relic. Stronghold Castles will provide aura even when creating units. As a rule, the buildings provide a square aura which can be seen by enabling range indicators in the settings, whereas units provide a circular invisible aura. The aura ranges mentioned in the table below are as measured from the nearest edge of the building or center of the unit.

None of the aura influences except that of the Monaspa and infantry with Coiled Serpent Array stack with self. For example, even if a Trade Cart is being influenced by three Caravanserais, the Trade Cart will neither move 33.1% faster nor regenerate 3 HP/s.

The aura range mentioned below is the radius of the circle (for units) and the number of tiles from the closest edge (for buildings):

Civilization	Source	Affects	Effects	Aura range
Poles	Folwark	Farms	8% of maximum food is automatically collected and deposited	4 [square]
Hindustanis Persians	Caravanserai	Team Trade Carts	Heals by 1 HP/s Increases movement speed by 20%	8 [square]
Celts	Castle with Stronghold	Team infantry units	Heals by 0.5 HP/s	7 [square]
Romans	(Elite) Centurion	Militia line	Movement speed increased by 10% (15%) Attack speed increased 20%	10 (12) [circle]
Georgians	Fortified Church	Villagers	Work rate increased by 10%	8 [square]
	Monaspa and Knight lines	(Elite) Monaspa	Increase attack by +1 for every seven other units nearby for a maximum of +4 attack Technicality: The Monaspa receiving the attack boost is the source of the influence for other Monaspa and Knight line units with the attack boost being +4 and the number of units needed to reach the upper limit being 28.	15 [circle]
Saracens	Monk with Bimaristan	Team non-siege land units	Heals by 1.25 HP/s	5 [circle]
Shu	Spearman line and White Feather Guard (with Coiled Serpent Array)	Each other	+0.5% HP per unit (max +15%)	15 [circle]
	Liu Bei	Team non-siege land units[Recheck?]	Heals by 0.75 HP/s	10 [circle]
Wei	Cao Cao	Team non-siege land units	Reduces reload time by 8.75%	10 [circle]
Wu	Sun Jian	Team land units[Recheck?]	Increases movement speed by 15%	10 [circle]
Scenario Editor
Tamar	Tamar	Land units	Movement speed increased by 10%	10 [circle]

Gallery

Icon used in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition to denote number of units buffed by a unit

The Centurion's information panel shows how many units are affected by its aura (17)

Aura range of the Centurion (marked in red) and the Elite Centurion (marked in yellow)

Attack range (rounded square) and influence range (bigger square, Georgians only) of a Fortified Church

The healing area outline of a Castle with Stronghold researched, bolded in this image for visibility

Age of Mythology

Units with aura abilities which are not simply melee trample attack:

• Nemean Lion ( Aphrodite): Recharging roar ability: Unleashes a deafening roar that causes 30 hack damage (×2.33 vs Myth Units) to nearby units.
• Einheri ( Heimdall): Recharging horn blast ability: Allied units within 10 range get +50% attack (gradually weakens until the effect ends). Also deals minor damage to nearby enemies.
• Fenris Wolf Brood ( Tyr): Gains attack and speed per own Fenris Wolf Brood in a radius, up to a limit.
• Rock Giant: Charged ability taunts nearby enemies to attack only it.
• Fafnir: Poisonous smog damages nearby enemies.
• General ( Chinese): Recharging battle-cry ability: Boosts nearby ally human and hero units' attacks by +50% for a short time.
• Qilin: When killed it heals all other friendly units nearby.

Buildings with aura effects:

• Ra Monument (Empowered by Pharaoh): Empowers other buildings in range with Priest-level efficiency.
• Isis Monument: Prevents enemies from invoking god powers nearby and heals nearby units when empowered.
• Set Monument: Decreases cost of units trained in nearby Barracks and Migdol Strongholds.
• Healing Spring (worshippers of Forseti only): Heals any idle friendly units within range at a rate of 2.5 HP/second (4 HP per second in the Extended Edition).
• Asgardian Hill Fort, Hill Fort, Temple with Feasts of Renown researched (worshippers of Aegir only): Heals nearby friendly units.
• Hesperides Tree (worshippers of Theia only): Heals nearby friendly myth units. In versions older than Retold: prevents enemies from invoking god powers nearby.

Age of Empires III

Unit/Building	Civilization	Effects	Aura range
Manor House	British	Heals nearby units 5 hit points per second (requires the "Florence Nightingale" Home City Card)	12 radius
Field Hospital	All	Heals nearby units 20 hit points per second	24 radius
Cathedral	Mexicans	Repairs nearby buildings 0.25% hit points per second	40 radius
Teepee	Lakota	Increases the hit points of friendly units and gathering rate of villagers around it by 10%	22 radius
		Increases the speed of friendly units around it by 10% and villagers by 7.9% (requires the Lakota Lands technology)
		Increases work rate of military buildings around it by 100% (requires the "Nomadic Expansion" Home City Card)
		Increases the range of friendly units around it by 10% and improves their Rate of Fire by 10% (requires the "Friendly Territory" Home City Card)
Tambo	Inca	Increases the hit points of friendly units around it by 10% (requires the "Quipi Kamayuks" Home City Card)	24 radius
University	Hausa	Increases building rate around it by 25% and buildings work rate by 25% (by 10% for Town Centers) (requires the "Gobarau Minaret" Home City Card)	30 radius
		Increases tree and mine gathering rate of villagers around it by 30% (requires the "Massina Madrasahs" Home City Card)	38 radius
Wall	Hausa	For every friendly military unit around, increases +3% hit points of themselves (up to +1,300%; require the "TEAM Ancient Kano Walls" Home City Card)	15 radius
	Maltese	Increases range by 5% and attack by 1.25% (up to +10%) of Sentinels around it (requires the "Wall Guns" Home City Card)	14 radius
Town Center Outpost Commandery	Maltese	Increases tree, mine, and natural food resources gathering rate of villagers around it by 20% (requires the "Wignacourt Constructions" Home City Card)	40 radius
Depot	Maltese	Improves the ranged attack Rate of Fire of friendly units (except archers and villagers) and buildings around it by 10%	16 radius
Arsenal	Italians	Increases the work rate of military buildings and Docks around it by 60% (requires the "Venetian Arsenal" Home City Card)	24 radius
Missionary	Spanish	Increases the attack of friendly units around it by 2.5% (stackable)	34 radius
Aztec War Chief	Aztecs	Doubles the experience bounty from kills made by friendly units around it Triples the experience bounty from kills made by friendly units around it (requires the Founder technology)	24 radius
Haudenosaunee War Chief	Haudenosaunee	Increases the hit points of friendly units around it by 10%	24 radius
		Increases the hit points of friendly buildings around it by 10% (requires the "High Chief" Home City Card)
Lakota War Chief	Lakota	Increases the speed of friendly units around it by 10%	24 radius
		Increases the attack and siege attack of friendly units around it by 10% (requires the "Ogle Tanka Un" Home City Card)
Inca War Chief	Inca	Increases the hit points and attack of friendly native warriors around it by 10%	24 radius
Shaolin Master	Chinese	Increases the hit points and attack of friendly Disciples around it by 10% (requires the Training Forms technology)	24 radius
Brahmin	Indians	Increases the speed of friendly elephants around it by 5% (stacks) (requires the Terror Charge technology)	24 radius
		Reduces the speed of enemy units around it by 5% (stacks) (requires the "Dukkha Suffering" Home City Card)
Sohei Archer	Japanese	Reduces the attack of enemy units around it by 5% (stacks) (requires the "Stream of Enlightenment" Home City Card)	24 radius
Daimyo Kiyomasa Daimyo Masamune Daimyo Mototada	Japanese	Increases the attack of friendly units around it by 10%	24 radius
Shogun Tokugawa	Japanese	Increases the hit points of friendly units around it by 10%	24 radius
Karni Mata	Indians	Increases the gather rate of friendly villagers around the Karni Mata by 10%	46 radius
Mansabdar units	Indians	Increases the hit points and attack of same units around them by 10%	24 radius
Sacred Field	Indians	Heal nearby units 5 hit points per second (requires the "The Mystical Syllable" Home City Card)	12 radius
Inspiring Flags: General General Militia Officer Drummer	United States Mexicans Canada House of Hanover	Increases the attack of allied units by 10% and makes them build buildings 50% faster, and makes military buildings around it train units 25% faster	14 radius (increases by 10 in every Age-up)
Bolivar	Gran Colombia Peru	Increases the hit points of friendly units around it by 5%	24 radius
Militia Officer	Canada	Increases the attack of friendly Militiamen, native warriors, and villagers around it by 10%	14 radius
Drummer	House of Hanover	Increases the speed by 10% and improves the Rate of Fire by 5.25% of friendly units around it	34 radius
		For every friendly military unit around, increases +4% speed of themselves (up to +22.23%)
Tashunke Prowler	Lakota	For every friendly Tashunke Prowler around, increases +5% hit points and +10% attack of themselves	20 radius
State Militia	United States	For every friendly State Militia around, increases +0.84% hit points of themselves (up to +16.8%)	32 radius
Emir Ras	Hausa Ethiopians	For every friendly military unit around, increases +2% hit points and +1% attack of themselves	32 radius
Berber Sultan	Berbers	For every friendly mercenary unit around, increases +6% hit points and +3% attack of itself	32 radius
		For every friendly outlaw unit around, increases +3% hit points and +1.5% attack of itself
Berber Nomad	Berbers	For every friendly Berber Nomad around, increases +5% hit points and +2.5% speed of themselves (up to +50%)	20 radius
Akan Tufohen	Akan	For every friendly native warrior unit around, increases +3% hit points and +1.5% attack of itself	32 radius
Salteador	Mexicans	For every natural resource around, increases hit points of themselves: wild elepahant and mine +1.25%, huntable animal +0.35%, tree and Berry Bush +0.3% (up to +30%; require the "Observers" Home City Card)	28 radius
		For every natural resource around, increases hit points of themselves: wild elepahant and mine +3%, huntable animal, tree, and Berry Bush +1.2% (up to +30%; require the "Observers" Home City Card)	5 radius
Pavisier Pikeman Halberdier	Italians	For every friendly Pavisier, Pikeman, and Halberdier around, increases +0.3% attack of themselves (up to +15%; require the "Roman Tactics" Home City Card); bonus increases to +0.5% attack, up to +30% in the Imperial Age	17 radius
Poruchik	Russians	For every friendly infantry unit around, increases +0.5% hit points of themselves (up to +13%; require the "Polk" Home City Card)	20 radius
Granary	Africans	Increases the natural food and tree gathering rate of villagers by 10% Attract huntable animals	17 radius
		Increases the farming food gathering rate of villagers by 10% Increases Fields building rate by 50%	20 radius
Papal Guard	Italians	Absorb 25% of the damage inflicted to nearby allies (except artillery)	12 radius
Papal Zouave
Papal Lancer
Papal Bombard		Absorb 25% of the damage inflicted to nearby allied artillery
Fort	Swedes	Doubles the experience bounty from kills made by friendly units around it (requires the "Kalmar Castle" Home City Card)	24 radius
	Mexicans	Increase the hit points and attack of friendly infantry and cavalry around it by 25% (requires the "Cinco de Mayo" Home City Card)	32 radius
Battleship	Italians	Absorb 25% of the damage inflicted to nearby allied warships (requires the "Holy League" card)	32 radius
Hospitaller	Maltese	Absorb 25% of the damage inflicted to nearby allies	12 radius
		For friendly buildings (except Walls and groves) around, increases +11.2% speed of themselves	34 radius
		For enemy buildings (except Walls and groves) around, increases +11.2% speed of themselves (require the Crusader Knights technology)
Sentinel	Maltese	For friendly buildings (except Walls and groves) around, increases +7.085% hit points and attack of themselves (+14.17% for buildings with ranged attacks)	34 radius
		For enemy buildings (except Walls and groves) around, increases +7.085% hit points and attack of themselves (+14.17% for buildings with ranged attacks; require the Crusader Knights technology)
Armored Pistoleer	All	Absorb 25% of the damage inflicted to nearby allies (except artillery)	12 radius
Trabant	House of Wettin	Absorb 25% of the damage inflicted to nearby allies (except artillery)	12 radius

• In general, combat auras in Age of Empires III affects land units, except artillery (for balance reasons).

Age of Empires IV

Main article: Aura (Age of Empires IV)

Chronicles

Aura effects are fairly common in Chronicles despite being rare in Age of Empires II.

Civilization	Source	Requires	Affects	Effects	Aura range
Generic	Hoplite	None	Hoplite line without Xyphos	0/+1 armor	2
	Elite Hoplite			+1/+1 armor
	Leviathan		warships	+15% attack speed	6
Achaemenids	Town Center	Economic Town Center	Villagers	+15% gather rate	8
		Military Town Center	military production buildings	+50% work rate
		Defensive Town Center	all units	+15% attack speed
	Spearman line	Sparabaras	all units	0/+1 armor	3
Athenians	Strategos line	None	military units	+1 attack	6
		Taxiarchs	military units	+1 attack; another +1 attack to infantry and cavalry	8
Spartans	Polemarch	None	military units	+15% attack speed	8
		Morai		+15% attack speed; +15% movement speed	12
		Ephorate	siege weapons and warships	+15% attack speed; +20 HP/min regenerate rate	12
			human military units	+15% attack speed; +50 HP/min regenerate rate
	non-allied military units	Xyphos	Hoplite and Monoreme lines	+1 attack for every 10 military units [max +3]	10

Campaign units

Source	Affects	Effects	Aura range
Mercenary Hoplite	Hoplite line Mercenary Hoplite	0/+1 armor	2
Sparabara	land units	0/+2 armor	3

Notes

• There are no aura effects which affect allies.
• In addition to (Elite) Hoplies giving each other armor, Hoplites with Xyphos have increased attack. The two auras are independent.
  • (Elite) Hoplites without Xyphos do not affect those with Xyphos, though (Elite) Hoplites with Xyphos affect those without.
• Researching Morai/Ephorate affects the Polemarch's attack speed aura by increasing its radius by +50%.
• Researching Taxiarchs increases the Strategos' aura enhancement for infantry and cavalry units, and makes their aura larger for all units.
• Xyphos:
  • The Hoplies and Monoremes receiving the attack boost are the source of the influence for non-allied military units. Combat ability 64 lets the source receive the effect instead of giving the effect; see Genie Editor for more.
  • The attack boost is +3 and the number of units needed to reach the upper limit is 30. When the number of units needed is more than one, the boost is equally divided among them. Since the attack has to be an integer, it gets incremented with every ten units. Most other auras have number of units set to one, which is why they do not stack with each other.

Gameplay elements in the Age of Empires series
Age Ability (II · M · III · IV) Architecture set (II · III) Area of Effect (Trample damage) Armor (Melee I & II · Pierce I & II · M · IV) Armor class (I - original · I - Return of Rome · II) Artificial intelligence Attack (IV) Attack ground Aura (IV) Auto Scout Building (I · II · M · III · IV · C · AoE:DS) Civilization (I · II · M · III · IV · C) Civilization bonus Cheat code (I · II · M · III · IV) Conversion Counter Diplomacy Gaia/Mother Nature Game modes Garrison Gather Point Healing Hit points Hotkey Line of Sight Mini map Mobile building Pass-through damage Player Population Range Rate of Fire Regeneration Relic (II · M · IV) Repairing Resists Resource (Renewable resource) Scenario Editor (I · II · M · III · IV) Score Signal Allies/Flare Snare Soundtrack (I · II · M · III · IV) Speed Stealth mode Taunt Technology (I · II · M · III · IV · C · Unique) Technology tree (I · II · IV · C) Terrain (AoE:DS · AoM:DS) Town Bell Trade (IV) Tribute Unit (I · II · M · III · IV · C · AoE:DS · AoM:DS) Unit formation Unit stance (III) Unit type/tag (II · M · III · IV) Upgrade (I · II · III · IV) User interface Victory Villager Priority
Genie Engine-exclusive
Frame delay · Full Tech Tree · Team bonus
Age of Empires	Ruins · Discovery
Age of Empires II	Projectile duplication
Bang Engine-exclusive
Autoqueue · Multiplier
Age of Mythology	God (Major · Minor) · God power · Settlement (Settlement Victory) · Weight class
Age of Empires III	Age-up methods (Politician/Tribal Council/Wonder/Federal State/Alliance) · Banner army · Consulate · Damage Cap · Home City · Home City Card · Inspiring Flag · Minor civilization · Promotion · Revolution · Target Lock · Trade Monopoly · Trade Route · Treasure
Age of Empires IV-exclusive
Generic	Influence · Landmark · Point of Interest · Sacred Site · Variant civilization
Civilization-unique	Bounty · Dynasty · Golden Age · Imperial Council (Vizier Point) · Commanderie
If a gameplay element has different pages across games, like civilization, the individual pages are linked in brackets.