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: The Asian Dynasties.

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 most 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 auxiliary to other forces.

As camels are native to dry areas of Africa and Asia, these units are usually exclusive to civilizations that were historically native to or held sway over such regions.

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 an attack bonus against other mounted units. 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.

The civilizations that lack Camel Riders 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; 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.

List of camel units

• Camel Scout (Gurjaras only) -  Camel Rider -  Heavy Camel Rider -  Imperial Camel Rider (the latter Hindustanis only)
•  Mameluke - Elite Mameluke (Saracens only)
•  Camel Archer - Elite Camel Archer (Berbers only)
• Flaming Camel (Tatars only)

Camel heroes

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

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

Gurjaras

Hindustanis ( Indians in the HD Edition)

Malians

Mongols

Persians

Saracens

Tatars

Turks

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

Civilization bonuses

• Berbers: Camel Riders are 15/20% cheaper in the Castle/Imperial Age.
• Byzantines: Camel Riders are 25% cheaper.
• Chinese: Technologies that benefit Camel Riders are 15%/20% cheaper in the Castle/Imperial Age.
• Cumans: Camel Riders move 10/15% faster in the Castle/Imperial Age.
• Gurjaras: Camel Riders deal +50% bonus damage.
• Hindustanis: Camel Riders attack 25% faster.
• Saracens: Camel units have +10 HP.
• Tatars: Camel units deal +50% damage when fighting on higher ground (instead of +25%).

Team bonuses

• Britons: Researching Thumb Ring is 20% faster.
• Bulgarians: Blacksmith upgrades are researched 80% faster.
• Gurjaras: Camel units are created 25% faster.
• Hindustanis: Camel units have +2 attack against standard buildings.
• Huns: Camel Riders are created and upgraded 20% faster. Researching Bloodlines and Husbandry is 20% faster.
• Malians: Researching Ballistics and Chemistry is 80% faster.
• Lithuanians: Researching Faith and Heresy is 20% faster.
• Tatars: Camel Archers have +2 Line of Sight.
• Teutons: Camel units are more resistant to conversion.

Unique technologies

• Berbers:
  • Kasbah (Castle camel units created and upgraded 25% faster, for both the player and allies)
  • Maghrebi Camels (Camel units regenerate)
• Gurjaras:
  • Kshatriyas (Camel Riders cost -25% food)
  • Frontier Guards (Camel Riders have +4 melee armor)
• Malians: Farimba (Camel Riders have +5 attack)
• Saracens: Zealotry (Camel units have +20 HP)
• Tatars: Timurid Siegecraft (Unlocks Flaming Camels)

Trivia

• Before The African Kingdoms, camel units did not have their own separate armor class but shared 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).
• Flaming Camels are unique among camel units in not benefiting from cavalry armor upgrades (or any other armor upgrade).
• In the scenario Wonder of the World, the Sicilians can train Camel Riders even though they cannot otherwise. And in the scenario Reconquista, the Spanish player begins with six Heavy Camel Riders, but cannot train more.
• Since update 56005 of the Definitive Edition, the Trade Carts of the Middle Eastern civilizations, Hindustanis, Gurjaras, and Tatars are pulled by camels instead of horses, but this is a purely aesthetic difference.
• The Camel Scout is the only camel unit available before the Castle Age, when it upgrades automatically and free of charge into the Camel Rider.
• The beta sprite of the Heavy Camel Rider, reused in the beginning for the Imperial Camel Rider, has the camel wearing a caparison. Although this is not the case in the final sprites, the icon for the Heavy Camel Rider upgrade still shows a camel with a caparison, and the icon for the Imperial Camel Rider upgrade shows the camel with caparison and armor.

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, Ethiopians, and Hausa have regular access to camel units, though others can acquire them as Mercenaries or from African native settlements.

List of camel units

• Berber Camel Rider: A Berber native melee light cavalry with bonus attack against cavalry.
• Berber Salt Camel: A Berber native wagon that turns itself into a Salt Mine.
• Desert Raider: An Ethiopian and Hausa heavy cavalry outlaw that can be trained at the Watch Tower.
• Gatling Camel: A Mercenary light cavalry-artillery unit.
• Sowar: An Indian heavy cavalry unit that has no attack bonus against cavalry.
• Zamburak: An Indian ranged unit with a 3.5x damage multiplier against heavy cavalry.
• Mansabdar Sowar: An Indian 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: An Indian 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%.

Camel heroes

• Berber Sultan: A Berber native heavy cavalry Hero created after researching Berber Dynasties.
• Emir: A Hausa ranged cavalry Hero.

Upgrades

• Advancing Age (increases Emir and Berber Sultan hit points and attack by +25%/30%/40%)
• Berber Fantasia: Berber Camel Riders and Berber Sultans gain a charged Musket Attack.
• Berber Warrior Societies, Champion Berbers, and Legendary Native Warriors/Legendary Native Warriors (increases Berber Camel Rider hit points and attack by +25%/35%/50%)
• 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 (Desert Raiders and 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)

Age of Empires IV

Abbasid Dynasty Camel Archers in Age of Empires IV.

There are two camel units in Age of Empires IV, both of which are unique to the Abbasid Dynasty:

• Camel Archer: Ranged cavalry with bonus damage against Spearmen.
• Camel Rider: Heavy melee cavalry that deals bonus damage against all Cavalry.

Both types provide the Camel Unease aura, which reduces the damage of nearby cavalry by 20%.

Upgrades

• Camel Barding: +2 melee and ranged armor
• Camel Handling: +15% movement speed.
• Camel Rider Shields: Camel Rider +3 melee armor.
• Camel Support: Camels grant nearby infantry units +1 armor.