Camel units

This article is about the military units riding camels. For the animal, see Camel (Gaia).

Zamburaks and Sowars, the two trainable camel units in Age of Empires III.

Camel units are mounted units riding a camel instead of a horse. They appear in every game of the Age of Empires series.

Overview

Excluding Age of Empires III (where camel units are identical to horse mounted units other than in appearance), the camel units across games can be broadly summed up as specialist anti-cavalry mounted units, with bonus attack against other mounted units but less attack overall, hit points, armor, or speed than them. Since they still have similar cost and training time to horse units, camel units should generally not be used as the backbone of an army but as auxilliary to other forces.

As camels are native to dry areas of Africa and Asia, these units are exclusive to civilizations that were historically native to or held sway over such regions. A notable exception is the Minoans.

Age of Empires

The Camel Rider in The Rise of Rome.

In Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome, one generic unit is introduced: The Camel Rider. The Camel Rider is trained at the Stable and has a +8 attack bonus against cavalry. The Palmyrans probably have the most reliable Camel Riders with +25% movement speed. The Carthaginians also have very effective Camel Riders with +15% hitpoints. Civilizations with complete upgrades for their Camel Riders include the Egyptians, Hittites, Minoans, and Persians.

Civilizations that completely lack camel units are the Choson, Greeks, Macedonians, Romans, and Yamato.

Age of Empires II

In Age of Empires II the common Camel Rider is a melee cavalry unit that is trained and upgraded at the Stable. A few civilizations have additional unique camel units that are trained in their Castle, such as the Saracens' Mameluke, which deals melee damage at a short range but uses archer armor; the Berbers' Camel Archer, a mounted archer more effective against other cavalry archers than against melee cavalry; and the Tatars' Flaming Camel, which is the only siege suicide camel unit in the series.

Camel units take no bonus damage from anti-cavalry attacks, but from anti-camel attacks. This works in their favor because the anti-camel bonus damage of other units is always lower than anti-cavalry bonus damage. However, camel units are still intended to be used mostly against other mounted units.

Note that prior to The African Kingdoms, camel units don't have their own separate armor class but share one with ships. This caused camel units to take high bonus damage from ships and defensive structures (and ships to be unexpectedly vulnerable to Pikemen attacks).

List of camel units

• Camel Rider - Heavy Camel Rider - Imperial Camel Rider (the latter Indians only)
• Mameluke - Elite Mameluke (Saracens only)
• Camel Archer - Elite Camel Archer (Berbers only)
• Flaming Camel

Camel heroes

• Babur - Imperial Camel Rider (The African Kingdoms)
• Musa ibn Nusayr - Camel Archer (The African Kingdoms)
• Saladin - Mameluke (The Forgotten)

Civilizations

All Camel units in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition

Twelve civilizations have access to camel units. All of them have access to Camel Riders, and only the Cumans lack access to Heavy Camel Riders.

Berbers

Byzantines

Chinese

Cumans

Ethiopians

Indians

Malians

Mongols

Persians

Saracens

Tatars

Turks

The Berbers, Indians, Malians, Saracens, and Tatars all boast unique technologies or bonuses advantageous for their camel units.

Civilization bonuses

• Berbers: Camels are 15/20% cheaper in the Castle/Imperial Age.
• Byzantines: Camels are 25% cheaper.
• Cumans: Camels move 10/15% faster in the Castle/Imperial Age.
• Indians: Camels have +1 pierce armor.
• Tatars: Camels deal 50% more damage when fighting on higher ground.

Team bonuses

• Huns: Camel Riders are created and upgraded 20% faster.
• Indians: Camel units have +5 attack against buildings.

Unique technologies

• Berbers:
  • Kasbah (Castle camel units created and upgraded 25% faster, for both the player and allies)
  • Maghrabi Camels (Camel units regenerate)
• Malians: Farimba (Camel Riders have +5 attack)
• Saracens: Zealotry (Camel units have +30 HP)
• Tatars: Timurid Siegecraft (Unlocks Flaming Camels)

Age of Mythology

Camelry in Age of Mythology.

In Age of Mythology, only the Egyptians have access to camel units. These units are:

• Camelry: A cavalry unit with a 1.75x damage multiplier against other cavalry units, created at the Migdol Stronghold.
• Camel Caravan: A non-combat trade unit created at the Market.

Unique upgrades and technologies

• Ra worship (+22% HP and +10% speed)
• Heavy Camelry and Champion Camelry (+10% attack, +1 LOS, +15%/20% HP)
• Desert Wind (Osiris) (+20% speed, attack, and hit points)
• Levy Migdol Soldiers and Conscript Migdol Soldiers (-20% training time)
• Valley of the Kings (Thoth) (-66% training time)

Age of Empires III

Zamburaks using their secondary melee attack against enemy Settlers.

In Age of Empires III, only the Indians have access to camel units. They are created at the Caravanserai, upgraded Agra Fort, and Charminar Gate.

• Sowar: A heavy cavalry unit that has no attack bonus against cavalry.
• Zamburak: A ranged unit with a 3.5x damage multiplier against heavy cavalry.
• Mansabdar Sowar: A stronger version of the Sowar that can be trained from the Charminar Gate or shipped from the Home City with the card "Sowar Regiment". It increases the hit points and attack of regular Sowars in a 24 radius around by 10%.
• Mansabdar Zamburak: A stronger version of the Zamburak trained at the Charminar Gate. It increases the hit points and attack of regular Zamburaks in a 24 radius around by 10%.

Unique upgrades

• Disciplined Sowar, Honored Sowar, and Exalted Sowar (increases Sowar hit points and attack by +20%/30%/50%)
• Disciplined Zamburak, Honored Zamburak, and Exalted Zamburak (increases Zamburak hit points and attack by +20%/30%/50%)

Unique Home City cards

• French: TEAM Hand Cavalry Attack (Sowars have +15% attack)
• Germans: TEAM Cavalry Attack (+15% attack)
• Indians:
  • Dravidian Martial Arts (+15% melee attack)
  • TEAM Shivaji's Tactics (+5% hit points and attack)
  • 4 Sowars (Ships 4 Sowars)
  • 6 Sowars (Ships 6 Sowars)
  • 8 Zamburaks (Ships 8 Zamburaks)
  • 9 Zamburaks (Ships 9 Zamburaks)
  • 14 Zamburaks (Ships 14 Zamburaks)
  • Sowar Regiment (Ships 1 Mansabdar Sowar and 8 Sowars)
  • Camel Attack (+30% attack)
  • Desert Terror (Sowars get +0.5x multiplier against infantry; Zamburaks get +0.5x multiplier against heavy cavalry)
  • Grazing (Camel units generate 0.05 food every second)
  • British East India Company (Sowars have +10% hit points and attack)
• Japanese: TEAM Cheaper Unit Upgrades (upgrades cost -20%)
• Portuguese: TEAM Early Dragoons (Zamburak training time -15%)
• Russians: TEAM Cavalry Scouts (+10% hit points and +4 line of sight)
• Spanish: TEAM Inquisition (+10 line of sight)