Buildings (Age of Empires II)

This article is about the buildings in Age of Empires II. For the armor class, see Armor class: Building. For buildings in other games of the series, see Building.

The constructable buildings of Age of Empires II are best divided into the Age where they become available or by use. Some buildings are unconstructable, and are only found in the Scenario Editor or provided beforehand in a scenario, and cannot be built by the player in any regular game.

Most buildings will change design once advancing to a different age.

Constructable buildings[edit | edit source]

Constructable buildings are buildings that can be built in regular games by Villagers.

Categorization by Age[edit | edit source]

Dark Age[edit | edit source]

The following buildings are always available from the Dark Age on.

*A Town Center can only be built if the initial Town Center is destroyed or the game is started without a Town Center (e.g. Nomad). It is not possible to build a second Town Center until the Castle Age is reached.

Feudal Age[edit | edit source]

The following buildings can be built once the Feudal Age is reached.

*The Fish Trap can only be built in the water (by Fishing Ships). It is the only building that can be constructed there.

Castle Age[edit | edit source]

The following buildings can be built once the Castle Age is reached.

Imperial Age[edit | edit source]

The following buildings can be built once the Imperial Age is reached.

Categorization by use[edit | edit source]

Economic[edit | edit source]

Research[edit | edit source]

Military[edit | edit source]

Defensive structures[edit | edit source]

Miscellaneous[edit | edit source]

Comparative table[edit | edit source]

Marked with yellow background are unique buildings.

Building	A	HP	Ga	Ar	PA	LOS	Ra	At	W	S	G	CT	Sz	Ci
Town Center		2,400	15	6	8	8	6	5	275	100	0	150	4×4	All
House		900	0	3	10	2	0	0	25	0	0	25	2×2	34
Dock		1,800	10	3	10	6	0	0	150	0	0	35	3×3	All
Fish Trap		50	0	0	0	1	0	0	100	0	0	40	1×1	All
Mill		1,000	0	3	10	6	0	0	100	0	0	35	2×2	All
Farm		480	0	0	0	1	0	0	60	0	0	15	3×3	All
Market		2,100	0	3	10	6	0	0	175	0	0	60	4×4	All
Lumber Camp		1,000	0	3	10	6	0	0	100	0	0	35	2×2	All
Mining Camp		1,000	0	3	10	6	0	0	100	0	0	35	2×2	All
Barracks		2,100	10	3	10	6	0	0	175	0	0	50	3×3	All
Archery Range		2,100	10	3	10	6	0	0	175	0	0	50	3×3	All
Stable		2,100	10	3	10	6	0	0	175	0	0	50	3×3	32
Blacksmith		2,100	0	3	10	6	0	0	150	0	0	40	3×3	All
Siege Workshop		2,100	10	3	10	6	0	0	200	0	0	40	4×4	All
Monastery		2,100	10	3	10	6	0	0	175	0	0	40	3×3	All
University		2,100	0	3	10	6	0	0	200	0	0	60	4×4	All
Castle		4,800	20	8	11	11	8	11	0	650	0	200	4×4	All
Palisade Wall		250	0	2	5	2	0	0	2	0	0	6	1×1	All
Palisade Gate		400	0	2	2	6	0	0	20	0	0	30	4×1	All
Stone Wall		1,800	0	8	10	2	0	0	0	5	0	10	1×1	33
Gate		2,750	0	6	6	6	0	0	0	30	0	70	4×1	33
Fortified Wall		3,000	0	12	12	2	0	0	0	5	0	10	1×1	28
Gate (Fortified)		4,000	0	6	6	6	0	0	0	30	0	70	4×1	28
Outpost		500	0	0	0	12	0	0	25	5	0	15	1×1	All
Watch Tower		1,020	5	1	7	10	8	5	50	125	0	80	1×1	All
Guard Tower		1,500	5	2	8	10	8	7	50	125	0	80	1×1	32
Keep		2,250	5	3	9	10	8	8	50	125	0	80	1×1	22
Bombard Tower		2,220	5	3	9	10	8	120	0	125	100	80	1×1	12
Wonder		4,800	0	3	10	8	0	0	1,000	1,000	1,000	3,500	5×5	All
Harbor		2,000	10	3	10	10	7	6	150	0	0	35	3×3	1
Feitoria		5,200	0	3	10	6	0	0	0	250	250	120	5×5	1
Krepost		2,600	20	8	11		7	9	0	350	0	150	3×3	1
Average	N/A	1,997	4	3.5	8.2	6.3	1.7	5.2	122.8	79	43.5	166	2.7×2.4	N/A

Note that the table shows the values for the Imperial Age only. Some values (usually HP and armor) increase upon Age advancement for certain buildings and thus are lower in earlier Ages. The values for earlier Ages are visible in the table as mouseovers.

Unconstructable buildings[edit | edit source]

Unconstructable buildings can only be placed when a map is created in the Scenario Editor and are not available in random map games.

Technologies[edit | edit source]

Listed below are all technologies that benefit buildings. Marked with yellow background are unique technologies. This list does not contain building upgrades.

Technology	Researched at	Age	Civilization	Effect
Town Watch	Town Center	II	All	+4 LOS
Town Patrol	Town Center	III	All	+4 LOS
Treadmill Crane	University	III	20	Villagers build 20% faster
Masonry	University	III	28	Buildings +10% HP, +1/+1 armor, and +3 building armor
Architecture	University	IV	16	Buildings +10% HP, +1/+1 armor, and +3 building armor
Hoardings	Castle	IV	21	Castle HP +21%
Herbal Medicine	Monastery	III	26	Garrisoned units heal 4x faster
Heresy	Monastery	III	19	Buildings converted by enemy Monks collapse instead of changing color
Faith	Monastery	IV	28	Buildings are harder for enemy Monks to convert
Fletching	Blacksmith	II	All	Castles, towers, and Town Centers +1 range and attack
Bodkin Arrow	Blacksmith	III	All	Castles, towers, and Town Centers +1 range and attack
Bracer	Blacksmith	IV	25	Castles, towers, and Town Centers +1 range and attack
Ballistics	University	III	All	Castles, towers, and Town Centers fire more accurately at moving targets
Heated Shot	University	III	23	Towers +125% and Castles +25% attack against ships
Murder Holes	University	III	All	Eliminates minimum range of all buildings
Arrowslits	University	IV	17	Watch Towers/Guard Towers/Keeps +1/+2/+3 attack
Chemistry	University	IV	All	Castles and towers +1 attack
Conscription	Castle	IV	All	Working rate of Barracks, Archery Ranges, Stables, and Castles +33%
Kasbah	Castle	III	Berbers	Working speed of Castles increased by 25% for the entire team
Yeomen	Castle	III	Britons	Tower attack increased by +2
Stronghold	Castle	III	Celts	Castles and towers fire 25% faster
Great Wall	Castle	III	Chinese	Hit points of walls and towers increased by +30%
Perfusion	Castle	IV	Goths	Barracks work 100% faster
Yasama	Castle	III	Japanese	Towers fire two extra arrows
Hill Forts	Castle	III	Lithuanians	Town Centers +3 range
Thalassocracy	Castle	III	Malay	Turns Docks into Harbors
Tigui	Castle	III	Malians	Town Centers fire arrows even without garrisoned units
Nomads	Castle	III	Mongols	Population is retained even if Houses are destroyed
Boiling Oil	Castle	III	Persians	Castles do more damage to rams
Crenellations	Castle	IV	Teutons	Castle range increased by +3, and garrisoned infantry now fires arrows
Artillery	Castle	IV	Turks	Bombard Tower range increased by +2

Civilizations[edit | edit source]

The Byzantines, Chinese, Italians, Koreans, and Turks arguably are the civilizations with the strongest and best equipped buildings.

Civilization bonuses[edit | edit source]

The following civilizations have bonuses that specifically benefit buildings:

Britons: Town Centers cost -50% wood (starting in the Castle Age).
Byzantines: Buildings have +10%/+20%/30%/+40% HP in the Dark/Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age. Town Watch is free.
Chinese: Town Centers support 10 population and have +5 Line of Sight.
Cumans: Can build an additional Town Center in the Feudal Age. Siege Workshop available in the Feudal Age.
Franks: Castles are 25% cheaper. Horse Collar, Heavy Plow, and Crop Rotation are free.
Incas: Houses support 10 population. Buildings cost -15% stone.
Khmer: Houses can garrison Villagers.
Japanese: Mills, Lumber Camps, and Mining Camps are 50% cheaper.
Koreans: Tower upgrades are free (Bombard Tower requires Chemistry). Towers have +1/+2 range in the Castle/Imperial Age. Fortifications are built 33% faster (removed in the Definitive Edition).
Malians: Buildings cost -15% wood.
Persians: Town Centers and Docks have double HP.
Portuguese: Feitoria available in the Imperial Age.
Saracens: Markets cost -75 wood.
Spanish: Builders work 30% faster.
Teutons: Towers have double garrison capacity. Murder Holes are free. Farms are 33% cheaper. Town Centers can garrison +10 units.

Team bonuses[edit | edit source]

The following civilizations have team bonuses that specifically benefit buildings:

Chinese: Farms provide +45 food.
Cumans: Palisade Walls and Gates have +50% hit points.
Ethiopians: Towers have +3 Line of Sight.
Incas: Farms are built 100% faster.
Malay: Docks have double LOS.
Mayans: Walls are 50% cheaper.
Vikings: Docks are 15% cheaper.

Architecture sets[edit | edit source]

In the original Age of Empires II, there were four different architecture sets, each one used by either three or four of the overall 13 civilizations. Ever since, every single of the four expansions introduced at least one new set, and with the release of the Definitive Edition, there are eleven different architecture sets for 35 civilizations.

African[edit | edit source]

The Imperial Age African architecture set

The African architecture set was introduced in The African Kingdoms. It is used by the following civilizations:

The African architecture set in the Feudal Age has Central African influences. The Castle Age architecture is based on the Sudano-Sahelian architecture, with elements of Aksumite architecture in the Imperial Age.

Central Asian[edit | edit source]

The Imperial Age Central Asian architecture set

The Central Asian architecture set was introduced in the Definitive Edition. It is used by the following civilizations:

The Central Asian architecture set is based on medieval Timurid architecture as seen in the cities of Samarkand and Bukhara.

Central European[edit | edit source]

The Imperial Age Central European architecture set

The Central European architecture set was introduced in The Age of Kings. It is used by the following civilizations:

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