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This article is about the unit. For the technology, see Cannon Galleon (technology). |
| “ | Anti-building siege warship with long range, but cannot attack enemies at close range. | ” |
| —Age of Empires II description | ||
The Cannon Galleon is a ship in Age of Empires II that can be trained at the Dock in the Imperial Age once Chemistry is researched. Prior to update 47820, the Cannon Galleon technology must have been researched before Cannon Galleons could be trained.
In the Definitive Edition, the Armenians, Byzantines, Goths, Huns, and Romans have the Dromon instead, the comparison with which can be found here.
Availability chart[]
- ✝ means that the civilization had access to Cannon Galleons in the past, but does not currently.
Tactics[]
Cannon Galleons have an exceptionally long range and deal very large bonus damage against buildings. They can outrange Castles and Bombard Towers, so they are almost the sea-going equivalent to Bombard Cannons, only being slightly faster. They deal decent damage, but their slow Rate of Fire, slow projectile speed, and minimum range make them weak and ineffective against ships, particularly Fire Ships.
Cannon Galleons should always be deployed with an escort, most likely Fire Ships and Galleons. As they outrange Towers and Castles, Cannon Galleons should be used for safely dealing with such structures that deal bonus damage against ships.
Cannon Galleons have the same range as fully upgraded Turkish Bombard Towers, Korean Keeps, or Teutonic Castles.
Generally speaking, Cannon Galleons should be used primarily to clear the shoreline of enemy buildings, and occasionally to harass land units at range. They should not be used against enemy ships, and ships are in fact the best way to deal with them, provided sea control has not been lost completely.
Like Bombard Cannons and the Mangonel line, Cannon Galleons can attack ground and cause Friendly fire.
Spanish Cannon Galleons are significantly better than the ones of all other civilizations, because their projectiles are much faster (7 tiles/second instead of 3 tiles/s) and hit moving targets with Ballistics-like behavior. The Ballistics research is not required, however. They also fire 18% faster since update 42848.
Further statistics[]
| Unit strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Buildings |
| Weak vs. | Ships, Bombard Cannons, Monks |
| Upgrades | |
| Attack |  Siege Engineers (+20% attack against buildings)
|
| Armor |  Careening (+0/+1) Carrack (+1/+1, Portuguese only)
|
| Accuracy |  Arquebus (hit moving targets, Portuguese only)
|
| Range | Siege Engineers (+1) Artillery (+2, Turks only)
|
| Speed |  Dry Dock (+15%) Wagenburg Tactics (+15%, Bohemians only)
|
| Conversion defense |  Devotion (+1 min, +1 max) Faith (+4 min, +4 max) Heresy (die upon getting converted) First Crusade (+4 min, +4 max, Sicilians only)
|
| Creation speed |  Shipwright (+54%)
|
| Train cost | Shipwright (-20% wood)
|
| Upgrades |  Elite Cannon Galleon
|
Civilization bonuses[]
Berbers: Cannon Galleons move 10% faster.- Bohemians: Chemistry is available in the Castle Age.
- Burgundians: Cannon Galleons have +25% attack.
- Burmese: Researching Devotion and Faith is 50% cheaper.
- Celts: Cannon Galleons can convert herdable animals even if enemy units are next to them.
- Chinese: Technologies that benefit Cannon Galleons are 10%/15% cheaper in the Castle/Imperial Age.
- Georgians: Cannon Galleons receive -20% (-40% instead of -25%) damage on higher elevations.
- Hindustanis: Cannon Galleons have +1/+1 armor.
- Italians: Cannon Galleons are 20% cheaper. Researching Chemistry, Careening, Dry Dock, and Shipwright is 33% cheaper. Upgrading to Elite Cannon Galleon is 33% cheaper.
- Koreans: Cannon Galleons cost -20% wood.
- Persians: Cannon Galleons are created 20% faster. Careening is researched 15%/20% faster in the Castle/Imperial Age. Dry Dock and the upgrade to the Elite Cannon Galleon are researched 20% faster.
- Portuguese: Cannon Galleons have +10% hit points and cost -20% gold.
- Spanish: Cannon Galleons fire 18% faster, and have Ballistics-like accuracy and faster missiles. Researching technologies that benefit Cannon Galleons provides 20 gold each.
- Tatars: Cannon Galleons deal +20% damage (+50% instead of +25%) from cliffs and elevations.
- Turks: Chemistry is free. Cannon Galleons have +25% hit points. Upgrading to Elite Cannon Galleon is 50% cheaper.
- Vikings: Cannon Galleons are 20% cheaper.
Team bonuses[]
- Lithuanians: Researching Heresy, Devotion, and Faith is 20% faster.
- Malians: Researching Chemistry and Siege Engineers is 80% faster.
- Portuguese: Upgrades that benefit Cannon Galleons are researched 25% faster.
- Teutons: Cannon Galleons are more resistant to conversion.
- Turks: Cannon Galleons are created 25% faster.
Changelog[]
The Age of Kings[]
- Cannon Galleons require their own technology.
- Cannon Galleons have an accuracy of 50% and do not benefit from Siege Engineers.
- Shipwright reduces the wood cost by 20%.
- Byzantines: Can build Cannon Galleons.
- Britons: Cannot build Cannon Galleons.
- Goths: Can build Cannon Galleons.
- Turks: Cannon Galleons have +50% hit points.
The Conquerors[]
- With patch 1.0b, Shipwright also decreases train time by 35%.
- Cannon Galleons gain +40 attack vs siege weapons, and +15 attack vs infantry, archers and cavalry each.
- Heresy introduced.
- Huns: Can build Cannon Galleons.
- Spanish: Cannon Galleon's projectiles are affected by the technology Ballistics and are 4× faster.
- Turks: Artillery introduced. Cannon Galleons have +25% HP.
The Forgotten[]
- Britons: Cannon Galleon added to the technology tree.
- Huns: Cannon Galleon removed from the technology tree.
- Italians: Cannon Galleons are 15% cheaper.
- Spanish: Cannon Galleons fire with Ballistics-like accuracy (without need for the technology itself) and their cannonballs move at 7 tiles/s (~3.6× faster).
The African Kingdoms[]
- Italians: With patch 4.8, Cannon Galleons are 20% cheaper.
- Portuguese: Cannon Galleons cost -15% gold.
Definitive Edition[]
- Koreans: Initially, Cannon Galleons cost -15% wood. With update 39284, they cost -20% wood.
- Portuguese: With update 39284, Cannon Galleons cost -20% gold. With update 42848, technologies are researched 30% faster.
Lords of the West[]
- Since update 47820, Cannon Galleons no longer require their own technology to be available; they are available just by researching Chemistry.
Dawn of the Dukes[]
- With update 54480, Cannon Galleons' projectile speed is increased from 1.95 to 3.
Dynasties of India[]
- With update 61321, Cannon Galleons are resistant to armor-ignoring attacks similarly to buildings.
- With update 81058, Cannon Galleons have +15 melee attack, but -15 attack vs cavalry, archers, infantry and siege, -4 attack vs Mamelukes. Cannon Galleons have an accuracy of 100%, gain +0.25 blast radius, and attack ground ability.
Return of Rome[]
- Cannon Galleons benefit from Siege Engineers.
- Byzantines: Cannon Galleon removed from the technology tree.
- Goths: Cannon Galleon removed from the technology tree.
Victors and Vanquished[]
- With update 111772, Cannon Galleon projectile speed increased from 3 to 3.5.
Chronicles: Battle for Greece[]
- Chinese: With update 141935, the Chinese lose access to the Cannon Galleon line.
History[]
| “ | Primitive cannon were first mounted on ships in the fourteenth century. These were mounted in the stern or bow for firing forward or aft. Small weapons were mounted on the rails for use against enemy crews in close action. The first ship built specifically for carrying cannon appeared in 1406. Effectively mounting a large number of cannons on a ship took many years to work out. It required new designs to compensate for the enormous weight of the guns high on the ship's sides. Tackle had to be designed to allow the guns to be fired and reloaded safely. Safe procedures were also needed for storing and accessing powder. Useful cannon galleons did not appear until late in the Middle Ages. | ” |
| —Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings manual | ||
Trivia[]
- Cannon Galleons are the only non-unique gunpowder units that can be upgraded.
- Before the Definitive Edition, the Cannon Galleon and the Elite Cannon Galleon were the only non-unique units that shared their icon and sprite. This original appearance is retained by the Cannon Galleon while the Elite Cannon Galleon gets a new one.
Gallery[]
