Blacksmith (Age of Empires II)

This article is about the building in Age of Empires II. For other uses, see Blacksmith.

Blacksmith
Building information
Introduced in	Age of Empires II
Type	Research
Civilization	All civilizations
Age	Feudal Age
Use	Improves infantry, archers, cavalry, ships, and Defensive structures
Required for	Siege Workshop
Construction
Wood	150
Build time	40 seconds
Statistics
Size	3×3 tiles
Hit points	1,800 2,100 2,100
Melee armor	1 2 3
Pierce armor	8 9 10
Armor classes	Building Standard building
Line of Sight	6

“	Used to research technologies to improve armor and attack of units. Required for Siege Workshop.	”
—Age of Empires II description

The Blacksmith is a research building in Age of Empires II that becomes available once the Feudal Age is reached. The Blacksmith provides technologies to improve the attack and armor of infantry, cavalry, and archers. Defensive structures and some ships also benefit from the archers' attack upgrades. The ranged attack upgrades increase the attack, range, and Line of Sight of all relevant units and buildings. Town Centers also benefit from this upgrade line, except for the range improvements.

Tactics and placement

As a building incapable of attacking or producing units, the placement of a Blacksmith must not be given much thought. All it needs to do is research technologies and optimally stand until it is done doing so. Once all necessary technologies have been researched, the Blacksmith is a completely useless building and can freely be deleted (unless it is walling out an area of importance, in which case it should be replaced). Having a Blacksmith is prerequisite to get access to the Siege Workshop. Losing the Blacksmith does not lose the access to the Siege Workshop. In some rare cases, having two Blacksmiths can be of help if time is of essence. But generally speaking, the Blacksmith researches fast enough to make a second one redundant.

Blacksmith technologies are of key importance in any stage of the game and should be researched as soon as possible. Generally speaking, it makes more sense to upgrade the armor of melee units before their attack because that improves their fighting capabilities against ranged units as they live longer and can close the gap easier. For ranged units, it is the other way around, they should have the highest possible damage output in order to prevent melee units from reaching them at all.

Technologies

Clicking on the icon links to the corresponding page.

	➞		➞		➞
			➞		➞
			➞		➞
			➞		➞
			➞		➞
			➞		➞

Availability grid

The following table shows the availability of the technologies for every civilization. Technologies that are available to all civilizations (Scale Mail Armor, Padded Archer Armor, Forging, Iron Casting, Fletching, Bodkin Arrow) are not shown in the table. An 'X' in the last column indicates that all technologies are available: only nine civilizations have access to all Blacksmith technologies (or their effect fully covered by a civilization bonus). Shu is unique in lacking Iron Casting.

	= Available
	= Unavailable
	= Researched for free or fully covered by a civilization bonus if unavailable

Civilization										All
Armenians
Aztecs
Bengalis
Berbers										X
Bohemians
Britons										X
Bulgarians
Burgundians
Burmese
Byzantines
Celts
Chinese										X
Cumans
Dravidians
Ethiopians
Franks
Georgians
Goths
Gurjaras
Hindustanis
Huns
Inca
Italians										X
Japanese
Jurchens
Khitans										X
Khmer
Koreans
Lithuanians
Magyars
Malay
Malians
Maya
Mongols
Persians
Poles
Portuguese										X
Romans
Saracens										X
Sicilians
Slavs
Spanish										X
Tatars
Teutons
Turks										X
Vietnamese
Vikings
Shu
Wei
Wu
Civilization										All

Despite the Inca and Maya not having cavalry armor technologies, they can be considered to have full Blacksmith. This is because these civilizations have no use of these technologies.

Despite the Khitans not having Blast Furnace, it can be considered to have an even better-than-full Blacksmith. This is because their melee attack technologies' effects are doubled thanks to their civilization bonus, and they can gain +4 melee attack right in the Castle Age after Iron Casting is researched.

Further statistics

Technologies
Hit points	Masonry (+10%) Architecture (+10%)
Armor	Masonry (+1/+1, +3 building armor) Architecture (+1/+1, +3 building armor)
Conversion resistance	Devotion (+1 min, +1 max) Faith (+4 min, +4 max) Heresy (destroyed upon getting converted)
Line of Sight	Town Watch (+4) Town Patrol (+4)
Build speed	Treadmill Crane (+20%)

Civilization bonuses

• Bohemians: Blacksmiths cost -100 wood.
• Burmese: Researching Faith is 50% cheaper.
• Bulgarians: Blacksmith technologies cost -50% food.
• Byzantines: Blacksmiths have +20%/+30%/+40% hit points in the Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age. Town Watch and Town Patrol are free.
• Chinese: Technologies that benefit Blacksmiths are 5%/10%/15% cheaper in the Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age.
• Italians: Researching Masonry, Architecture and Treadmill Crane is 33% cheaper.
• Jurchens: Researching Masonry, Architecture, and Treadmill Crane costs -75% wood and is 100% faster.
• Georgians: Blacksmiths receive -20% damage (-40% instead of -25%) when fighting from higher elevation.
• Khitans: Melee attack upgrades provide double the effect.
• Khmer: Blacksmith is not needed to unlock Siege Workshop.
• Koreans: Archer armor upgrades are free.
• Magyars: Forging, Iron Casting, and Blast Furnace are free.
• Malay: Infantry armor upgrades are free.
• Malians: Blacksmiths are 15% cheaper.
• Persians: Researching Town Watch and Town Patrol is 10%/15%/20% faster in the Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age.
• Romans: Blacksmiths are built and repaired 5% faster. Infantry armor upgrades provide double the effect.
• Spanish: Blacksmiths are built 30% faster. Blacksmith technologies cost no gold. Researching technologies that benefit Blacksmiths provides 20 gold each.
• Shu: Archer armor and attack upgrades cost -25%.

Team bonuses

• Bulgarians: Blacksmiths work 80% faster.
• Georgians: Repairing Blacksmiths costs 25% fewer resources.
• Lithuanians: Researching Devotion, Faith, and Heresy is 20% faster.
• Malians: Researching Masonry, Architecture, and Treadmill Crane is 80% faster.
• Portuguese: Blacksmith technologies and technologies that benefit Blacksmiths are researched 25% faster.
• Teutons: Blacksmiths are more resistant to conversion (+3 min, +1 max cycles).

Changelog

The Age of Kings

• Blacksmiths always have 2,100 hit points.

The Conquerors

• Heresy introduced.

The Forgotten

• Blacksmith hit points staggered: 1,800/2,100/2,100 in the Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age.
• Magyars: Forging, Iron Casting, and Blast Furnace are free, but require a Blacksmith.

Rise of the Rajas

• Magyars: With patch 5.5, free Forging, Iron Casting, and Blast Furnace no longer require a Blacksmith.

Definitive Edition

• With update 42848:
  • Bulgarians Originally, the team bonus makes Blacksmiths work 50% faster. With the update, they work 80% faster.
  • Koreans: Archer Armor upgrades are free.
  • Portuguese: As a civilization bonus, technologies that benefit Blacksmiths are researched 30% faster.

Dynasties of India

• Portuguese: With update 73855, as a team bonus, technologies that benefit Blacksmiths are researched 25% faster.
• Malay: With update 81058, infantry armor upgrades are free.

The Mountain Royals

• With update 99311, Devotion was introduced.

History

“	Iron-working technology had been learned by the barbarian tribes of Europe prior to the fall of Rome and was carried forward into the Dark Ages. Iron working was done at the blacksmith, named partially for the black iron worked there and for the black soot that covered the workers each day. At the blacksmith iron was forged and hammered into tools, weapons shields, and armor. The ability to make superior weapons and armor became a highly prized and well-rewarded skill. Blacksmiths, armorers, and weapon makers moved into the rising middle class.	”
—Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings manual

Gallery

All Feudal Age Blacksmiths in The Age of Kings and The Conquerors

All Feudal Age Blacksmiths introduced in the HD Edition expansions

All Castle Age Blacksmiths in The Age of Kings and The Conquerors

All Castle Age Blacksmiths introduced in the HD expansions

All original game Feudal Age Blacksmiths introduced in the Definitive Edition

All expansion Feudal Age Blacksmiths introduced in the Definitive Edition

All original game Castle Age Blacksmiths introduced in the Definitive Edition

All expansion Castle Age Blacksmiths introduced in the Definitive Edition

Unused icon