ā | East of the Indian subcontinent, a vibrant and learned culture flourished in the jungles and river valleys. Ascend to power, quash a treacherous rebellion, and restore the Burmese monarchy to its former glory. Assemble the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia with a legion of Battle Elephants that can demolish the most powerful of defenses. The Burmese unique unit is the Arambai, a ranged cavalry unit with a deadly but inaccurate attack. | ā |
—Description[1] |
The Burmese are a Southeast Asian civilization in Age of Empires II HD: Rise of the Rajas. They focus on Monks and Battle Elephants.
The Burmese are based on the Pagan Kingdom and the later Toungoo Empire, the latter of which is the largest empire in Southeastern Asia. They also encompass the Meitei people of Kingdom of Manipur (India), who were their historical rivals, through their Manipur Cavalry unique technology and Arambai unique unit.
Characteristics[]
Unique unit[]
- Arambai: Ranged cavalry with powerful but inaccurate attack.
Unique technologies[]
- Manipur Cavalry: Gives cavalry units +4 attack against archers.
- Howdah: Gives Battle Elephants +1/+1 armor.
Civilization bonuses[]
- Lumber Camp technologies are free.
- Battle Elephants have +1/+1 armor.
- Infantry units have +1/+2/+3 attack in the Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age.
- Monastery technologies are 50% cheaper.
Team bonus[]
- Relics are visible on the map from the game start.
Overview[]
The Burmese have very solid cavalry, with full Blacksmith and Stable upgrades and Manipur Cavalry, which gives them +4 attack against archers. Their Battle Elephants in particular are very powerful, with not only everything previously mentioned but also +1/+1 armor, which further increases by another +1/+1 with Howdah. Their Monks are also very potent, with access to every Monk technology, with a 50% discount on every one. Their infantry is also great with full upgrades and +1 attack per age starting in the Feudal Age. The Arambai can be best described as a "short-ranged" (due to not benefiting from range upgrades) with a very high attack and low accuracy, but stray shots can deal full damage that hit other units. This makes the Arambai very threatening when massed against clumped units close together. Their navy and siege weapons are average with a few missing upgrades that do not do too much harm overall. Their economy is strong, with free Lumbercamp technologies.
On the other hand, their archer units are the worst in the game, as they not only lack several key technologies, but they are the only civilization to lack Leather Archer Armor. Compounded by their lack of Arbalester, their foot archers are useless. Their Skirmishers in particular are infamously bad, to the point where the civilization is vulnerable to Crossbowmen rushes unless they invest into Manipur Cavalry quickly.
Overall, with their bonuses for both Monks and cavalry, they are very flexible in both open and closed maps, as the former have a solid early game economic and military bonuses that can allow the Burmese to push for an infantry rush and transition to their main strength with cavalry; while the latter can allow the Burmese to take full advantage of their late-game army composition Monks, Battle Elephants, and Arambai due to the closed and defensive nature of the map allowing them to effectively boom up.
Changelog[]
Rise of the Rajas[]
- With patch 5.3, Manipur Cavalry's +6 anti-building bonus damage adjusted (+6 (building)/+0 (standard building) ā +3/+3), so Architecture does not cancel the effect completely anymore.
- With patch 5.7:
- Howdah food cost increased (200 food ā 400 food) and extra pierce armor decreased (+2 ā +1).
- (Elite) Arambai attack decreased (18 (non-Elite)/20 (Elite) ā 17/19) movement speed decreased (1.35 ā 1.3).
- Elite Arambai anti-cavalry archer armor decreased (+2 ā +0).
- With Patch 5.8, (Elite) Arambai wood cost increased (50 wood ā 80 wood).
Definitive Edition[]
- Burmese Relic team bonus now properly gives line of sight to Relics. Previously it permanently revealed the Relics' starting locations.
- With update 34699, Arambai wood cost decreased (80 wood ā 75 wood).
- With update 37650, Manipur Cavalry's anti-building bonus adjusted (+3 (standard buildings)/+3 (buildings) ā +6/+0), so it does not get partially negated by Masonry.
- With update 42848, the (Elite) Arambai Rate of Fire increased (2.0 ā 2.2).
- With hotfix 43210, the Elite Arambai has a Rate of Fire decreased (2.2 ā 2.0).
Lords of the West[]
- With update 44725:
- (Elite) Arambai damage decreased (17 (non-Elite)/19 (Elite) ā 12/15). However, stray shots deal full damage to the unit they hit (instead of half).
- Arambai Rate of Fire decreased (2.2 ā 2).
Dawn of the Dukes[]
- With update 51737, Howdah extra pierce armor reverted (+1 ā +2).
- With update 56005, Manipur Cavalry reworked: it longer affects Arambai, and provides +5 attack against archers instead of +6 attack against buildings.
Dynasties of India[]
- With update 61321:
- Burmese Battle Elephants get +1/+1 armor as a new civilization bonus.
- Howdah extra pierce armor un-reverted (+2 ā +1).
- Manipur Cavalry food cost decreased (650 food ā 400 food).
- (Elite) Arambai train time decreased (21 ā 18 seconds).
- With update 73855, Arambai benefit from Parthian Tactics.
- With update 81058:
Return of Rome[]
- With update 87863, (Elite) Arambai are affected by Chemistry. Elite Arambai attack reduced (15 ā 14).
- With update 81058:
Campaign appearances[]
The Burmese have a campaign devoted to their civilization: Bayinnaung. They also appear in:
Prithviraj[]
- The Fate of India
- Buddhist Monks - Ally
- The Legend of Prithviraj
- Pagan - Enemy
Gajah Mada[]
- The Pasunda Bubat Tragedy
- Javanese Bandits - Enemy
Suryavarman I[]
- A Dangerous Mission
- Andaman Port (Andaman Port in co-op version) - Ally
- Nirvanapada
- Lavo Kingdom - Enemy
- Hariphunchai - Enemy
Bayinnaung[]
This campaign is played as the Burmese.
- The Mandalay Cobra
- Ava - Enemy
- Toungoo Camp - Ally
- The Royal Peacock
- Sokkate - Enemy
- Smim Htaw - Enemy ā potential Ally ā Enemy
- Smim Sawhtut - Neutral ā potential Ally ā Enemy
- Pegu - Ally
- The White Elephant
- Nats - Enemy
- The Old Tiger
- Mrauk U - Neutral
- Bayinnaung - Ally
In-game dialogue language[]
Burmese units speak their namesake, a Sino-Tibetan language (related to the language spoken by the Chinese and Tibetic languages) written with a script descended from Brahmic, either Kadamba or Pallava. Note that the Romanization of the Burmese Language may differ from person to person, and there is no single standard. Additionally, Farmer and Forager use the same word in-game.
- Select 1 Hou'ke? (įįÆįįŗįį²į·) ā Yes?
- Select 2 Hae (įį±į·) ā Hey/Hi
- Select 3 Athin bai (į”įįį·įŗįį²) ā Ready
- Select 4 Amein bhe pa? (į”įįįį·įŗįį±įøįį«) ā Give order
- Task 1 Hou'ke (įįÆįįŗįį²į·) ā Yes
- Task 2 Mhaan ba (įį¾įįŗįį«) ā Right / Correct
- Female Task 3 Kyunma thwarnay pe (įį»į½įįŗįįį½į¬įøįį±įį¼į®) ā I am going
- Male Task 3 Kyunnaw thwarnay parpe (įį»į½įįŗįį±į¬įŗįį½į¬įøįį±įį«įį¼į®) ā I am going
- Female Task 4 Kyunma lote maal (įį»į½įįŗįįįÆįįŗįįįŗ) ā I will do it
- Male Task 4 Kyunnaw lote lite maal (įį»į½įįŗįį±į¬įŗįįÆįįŗįįįÆįįŗįįįŗ) ā I will do it
- Build Sout lote thai thamarr (įį±į¬įįŗįįÆįįŗįį±įøįįį¬įø) ā Builder
- Chop Thit khote thamarr (įį įŗįįÆįįŗįįį¬įø) ā Lumberjack
- Farm Jhait thain thamarr (įįįįŗįįįįŗįøįįį¬įø) ā Harvester
- Fish Ngarr phan thamarr (įį«įøįįįŗįøįįį¬įø) ā Fisherman
- Forage Jhait thain thamarr (įįįįŗįįįįŗįøįįį¬įø) ā Harvester
- Hunt Mowt soe (įįÆįįįÆįø) ā Hunter
- Mine Mine tuu thamarr (įįįÆįįŗįøįį°įøįįį¬įø) ā Excavator
- Repair Pyupyin thamarr (įį¼įÆįį¼įįŗįįį¬įø) ā Repairer
- Military
- Select 1 Hou'ke? (įįÆįįŗįį²į·) ā Yes?
- Select 2 A mintaw aatine par (į”įįįį·įŗįį±į¬įŗį”įįįÆįįŗįøįį«) - By [Your] Royal orders
- Select 3 Amein bhe pa (į”įįįį·įŗįį±įøįį«) ā Give [me/us] orders
- Move 1 Narr lae par taal (įį¬įøįįįŗįį«įįįŗ) ā I understand
- Move 2 Kyunnaw thwarnay parpe (įį»į½įįŗįį±į¬įŗįį½į¬įøįį±įį«įį¼į®) ā I am going
- Move 3 Hou'ke? (įįÆįįŗįį²į·) ā Yes
- Attack 1 Tet khya! (įįįŗįį¼) ā Advance!
- Attack 2 Ngartote titemaal! (įį«įįįÆį·įįįÆįįŗįįįŗ) ā We will fight!
- Attack 3 Laatnaat yuu kya! (įįįŗįįįŗįį°įį¼) - Get your weapons! (i.e. To Arms!)
- Select 1 Hou'ke? (įįÆįįŗįį²į·) ā Yes?
- Select 2 Pyaww par (įį¼į±į¬įį«) - Say
- Select 3 A mintaw aatine par (į”įįįį·įŗįį±į¬įŗį”įįįÆįįŗįøįį«) - By [Your] Royal orders
- Select 4 Phaya Tayar Sangha (įįÆįį¬įøįįįį¬įøįįį¶įį¬) - The Buddha, (His) Teachings, and The Order of Monks
- Move 1 Khu lote litemaal (įįÆįįÆįįŗįįįÆįįŗįįįŗ) ā I'll do it now
- Move 2 Hou'ke (įįÆįįŗįį²į·) ā Yes
- Move 3 Hote pa (įįÆįįŗį) - Yes
- Move 4 Khyeth kyinn partaay (įį»įįŗįį»įįŗįøįį«įį²) - Immediately
- Select 1 Thint a thwat (įįį·įŗį”įį½įįŗ) - For you
- Select 2 Bhar lote khyin tha lell (įį¬įįÆįįŗįį»įįŗįįį²) - What do you want to do?
- Select 3 Bhar kyawwng kyut ko tarr tar lell (įį¬įį¼į±į¬įį·įŗįį»įÆįįŗįįįÆįį¬įøįį¬įį²) - Why do you impede/stop me?
- Select 4 Asin ayin kan par tae (į”į įįŗį”įįįŗįįįŗįį«įįįŗ) - [Will do] first and foremost
- Move 1 Thin pyaw tar laut par mae (įįįŗįį¼į±į¬įį¬įįÆįįŗįį«įįįŗ) - [I] will do what you said
- Move 2 Gunyuuh zwar pyint (įįÆįįŗįį°į į½į¬į”įį¼įį·įŗ) - With pride, [I will do]
- Move 3 Thin pyaw tae athine (įįįŗįį¼į±į¬įį²į·į”įįįÆįįŗįø) - As you said
- Move 4 Kyut laut ya mae (įį»įÆįįŗįįÆįįŗįįįįŗ) - I will have to do
AI player names[]
When playing a random map game against the computer, the player may encounter any of the following Burmese AI characters:
- Anawrahta (į”įį±į¬įŗįįį¬): The founder of the Pagan Empire. Considered the father of the Burmese nation, Anawrahta turned a small principality in the dry zone of Upper Burma into the first Burmese Empire that formed the basis of modern-day Burma.
- Bayinnaung (įįÆįįį·įŗįį±į¬įįŗ): Bayinnaung Kyawhtin Nawrahta was king of the Toungoo Dynasty of Burma from 1550 to 1581. During his 31-year reign, which has been called the "greatest explosion of human energy ever seen in Burma," Bayinnaung assembled the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia, which included much of modern-day Burma, Chinese Shan states, Lan Na, Lan Xang, Manipur, and Siam.
- Binnya Dala (įįį¬įøįį): A court title used at the courts of the Hanthawaddy Kingdom, Toungoo Dynasty and Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom. Possibly refers to General of Hanthawaddy defeated in the Battle of Naungyo in 1538 or Chief Minister and general of Toungoo (1559ā1573).
- Kyansittha (įį»įįŗį į įŗįį¬įø): King of Pagan dynasty of Burma from 1084 to 1112/13, and is considered one of the greatest Burmese monarchs.
- Min Bin (įįįŗįøįįįŗ): King of Arakan from 1531 to 1554, "whose reign witnessed the country's emergence as a major power". Aided by Portuguese mercenaries and their firearms, his powerful navy and army pushed the boundaries of the kingdom deep into Bengal, where coins bearing his name and styling him sultan were struck, and even interfered in the affairs of mainland Burma.
- Mingyi Nyo (įįįŗįøįį¼į®įøįįįÆ): The founder of Toungoo dynasty of Burma. Under his 45-year leadership (1485ā1530), Toungoo (Taungoo), grew from a remote backwater vassal state of Ava Kingdom to a small but stable independent kingdom.
- Minkhaung (įįį įįįŗįøįį±į«įįŗ): A Burmese royal title, and may refer to monarchs (kings Minkhaung I/Minkhaung II/Minkhaung of Mrauk-U/Minkhaung of Prome) or viceroys of Toungoo (Minkhaung I of Toungoo/Minkhaung II of Toungoo) in late AoE II era.
- Nanda (įįį¹įįįÆįįįŗ): King of Toungoo Dynasty of Burma from 1581 to 1599. He presided over the collapse of Toungoo Empire, the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia.
- Narapati (įįįįį): A Burmese royal title, and may refer to: Narapati I of Ava, King of Ava, r. 1442ā68; Narapati II of Ava, King of Ava, r. 1501ā27; Narapati of Prome, King of Prome, r. 1532ā39; Narapati III of Ava, King of Ava, r. 1545ā51; and Narapati IV of Ava, King of Ava, r. 1551ā55; in AoE II era.
- Sithu (į įįŗįį°): A Burmese royal title used in the days of Burmese monarchy and may refer to Sithu I/Sithu II/Sithu III/Sithu IV, kings of Pagan, Sithu of Pinya and Sithu Kyawhtin.
- Swasawke (į į½į¬į į±į¬įŗįį²): King of Ava from 1367 to 1400. He reestablished central authority in Upper Burma for the first time since the fall of the Pagan Empire in the 1280s. He essentially founded the Ava Kingdom that would dominate Upper Burma for the next two centuries.
- Tabinshwehti (įįįįŗįį½į¾į±įį®įø): Tabinshwehti was king of Toungoo Dynasty of Burma from 1530 to 1550, and the founder of Toungoo Empire. His military campaigns created the largest kingdom in Burma since the fall of Pagan Empire in 1287.
History[]
ā | Since prehistoric times, the fertile plains, navigable rivers, and the protection of surrounding mountains have attracted many ethnic groups to settle in the area of present-day Myanmar (Burma). Between the end of the first millennium BC and the ninth century AD, a multitude of city-states emerged as a result of intensified rice cultivation and growing Indo-Chinese trade. Similar to other early Southeast Asian polities, culture became influenced by the interaction with India. Most of the urban civilizations of Myanmar gradually converted to Buddhism and built many temples. These tall cylindrical temples, called stupas, became the prototype for later religious architecture. For example, the famous 11th century Shwezigon Pagoda was based on this design. During the Middle Ages, two states succeeded in uniting the different polities of Myanmar into one powerful empire. In 1044, Anawrahta Minsaw (1044-1077) ascended the throne of the small Pagan kingdom in Upper Myanmar. After consolidating the state's economic power through the building of extensive irrigation networks, Anawrahta conquered most of Upper and Lower Myanmar. Around 1200, the Pagan empire (1044-1297) reached its zenith: the Burmese language became the lingua franca, laws were codified, and the territory reached its largest extent. The Pagan empire had only a limited standing army in their capital, called the brave ones, but additional troops were conscripted during times of war. The main body of the army consisted of infantry. A number of war elephants, the elite unit of the army and a symbol of power, were allotted to each force. The elephants were often equipped with a Howdah, a sort of carriage, from which multiple archers could shoot. In addition, the Burmese deployed a sizable cavalry force. Soldiers fought with a variety of weapons, including swords, spears, bows, and darts. Despite its many victories in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the Pagan army was eventually defeated by the Mongols in 1285. Without powerful leadership, the empire soon disintegrated into rivaling states. By the fourteenth century, four states had filled the void of the Pagan Empire though their rule was highly contested and vassals often rebelled. While these four states waged war among each other, the small kingdom of Toungoo profited by welcoming refugees, expanding its own territory, and raiding neighboring cities. In 1510, King Mingyinyo (1485-1530) declared independence. Under his successors, King Tabinshwehti (1530-1550) and especially King Bayinnaung (1550-1581), Toungoo expanded from a regional kingdom into the largest empire of Southeast Asia, encompassing much of present-day Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos. Extensive use of firearms and the recruitment of Portuguese artillery gave the Burmese a technological advantage in battle. This explosive growth, however, left the Toungoo Empire ungovernable. Shortly after the death of Bayinnaung, different states rebelled. Instead of consolidating the kingdom's core region, Bayinnaung's son, King Nanda (1581-1599), desperately tried to hold on to the large empire. The failure of multiple campaigns against the Thai kingdom of Ayutthaya weakened Toungoo's military strength. Failed harvests due to climatic cooling weakened the imperial economy. In 1599, Toungoo's capital was besieged and burned to the ground, marking the end of the second Burmese Empire. | ā |
Trivia[]
- Before the Definitive Edition the middle of the navigation bar showed a green peafowl, which is the royal symbol of Burmese kingdoms since the 11th century.
- This symbol is also used as the civilization icon of the Burmese in the Definitive Edition.
- This symbol is also used as the coat of arms of the Konbaung dynasty (18th century).
- The Burmese user interface image is an image of the temples and pagodas in Bagan, which between the 11th to 13th centuries hosted more than 10,000 temples, pagodas, and monasteries, out of which 2,200 still exist.
- The Burmese are the only civilization that lack Leather Archer Armor at the Blacksmith.
- The following heroes available in the Scenario Editor are themed on the Burmese: Bayinnaung and Tabinshwehti.
- While they primarily represent the Pagan Kingdom and the Taungoo/Toungoo dynasty, they also draw influence from modern northeastern India, namely the state of Manipur, reflected in their use of the Arambai and the Manipur Cavalry unique technology. This is slightly ironic, as the Kingdom of Manipur often fought against the Burmese Empire. In the 18th century, Manipur horsemen often fought in Burmese armies and constituted important portions of the Burmese cavalry, although this is far after the end of the game's time period. Ironically, the Burmese technology Manipur Cavalry (when its effect was granting bonus damage against buildings) could have potentially come from the deadly raids the Manipuris made into Burmese lands in the 18th century when they ravaged much of the countryside, destroying villages and pagodas.
- The civilization name is based on Burmese įįį¬ Bama, colloquial form of the ethnic name įį¼įįŗįį¬ Mranma, of unknown origin; French linguist Michel Ferlus included this ethnonym in the South-East Asia word-family *-ra:Å "human being". However, the term later referred to all ethnic groups within the boundaries of British Burma, including those ruled by the Shan, Mon, and Rakhine kingdoms.
- Unused data (under technology 633) suggests that Burmese infantry would have had an additional +1 attack starting in the Dark Age (stacking with their current bonus for a total +4 in the Imperial Age).