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This article is about the unit. For the technology, see Cannon Galleon (technology). |
| “ | Anti-building Siege Gunpowder Warship with long range, but cannot attack enemies at close range. | ” |
| —In-game description | ||
| “ | Anti-building siege warship with long range, but cannot attack enemies at close range. | ” |
| —In-game description | ||
The Cannon Galleon is a gunpowder siege warship 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.
Since Return of Rome, there exist regional replacements for the Cannon Galleon for some civilizations in the Dromon, with the Lou Chuan being added as another regional replacement later.
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 Teuton 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 the Bombard Cannon and Mangonel lines, 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[]
| Strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Buildings |
| Weak vs. | Ships, Bombard Cannons, Monks |
| Technologies | |
|---|---|
| Attack |  Siege Engineers (+20% against All Buildings)
|
 Range
|
Siege Engineers (+1) Artillery (+2, Turks only)
|
| Accuracy | Arquebus (hit moving targets, Portuguese only)
|
| Armor |  Careening (+1  pierce) Carrack (+1  melee / +1 pierce, Portuguese only)
|
| Conversion resistance |  Devotion (+1 min, +1 max) Faith (+4 min, +4 max) Heresy (die upon getting converted) First Crusade (+4 min, +4 max, Sicilians only)
|
 Movement speed
|
 Dry Dock (+15%) Wagenburg Tactics (+15%, Bohemians only)
|
| Resource cost |  Shipwright (-20% wood)
|
| Creation speed | Shipwright (+54%)
|
| Civilization bonuses | |
|---|---|
 Hit points
|
 Portuguese (+10%) Turks (+25%)
|
 Regeneration
|
 Bengalis (15 HP/min)
|
| Attack |  Burgundians (+25%) Tatars (+20% {+50% instead of +25%} damage from higher elevations)
|
| Accuracy |  Spanish (hit moving targets, faster projectiles)
|
| Armor |  Hindustanis (+1 melee / +1 pierce)
|
| Damage resistance |  Georgians (-20% {-40% instead of -25%} damage on higher elevations)
|
 Attack speed
|
Spanish (+17.6%)
|
| Movement speed
|
 Berbers (+10%)
|
| Resource cost |  Italians (-20%) Koreans (-20% wood) Portuguese (-20% gold) Vikings (-20%)
|
| Creation speed |  Persians (+20%)
|
| Upgrading | Italians (-33% cost) Persians (+20% faster) Turks (-50% cost)
|
| Other | Italians (Chemistry costs -33%) Turks (Chemistry is free)
|
| Team bonuses | |
|---|---|
| Conversion resistance |  Teutons (+3 min, +1 max)
|
| Line of Sight |  Jurchens (+2)
|
| Creation speed | Turks (+25% faster)
|
| Upgrading | Portuguese (+25% faster)
|
| Other |  Malians (Chemistry is researched 80% faster) Portuguese (Chemistry is researched 25% faster)
|
Civilization bonuses[]
Bohemians: Chemistry is available in the Castle Age.- Burmese: Devotion and Faith are 50% cheaper.
- Celts: Cannon Galleons can convert herdable animals even if enemy units are next to them.
- Italians: Careening, Dry Dock, and Shipwright are 33% cheaper.
- Persians: Careening and Dry Dock are researched 15%/20% faster in the Castle/Imperial Age.
- Spanish: Technologies that benefit Cannon Galleons provide 20 gold each when researched.
Team bonuses[]
- Lithuanians: Devotion, Faith, and Heresy are researched 20% faster.
- Malians: Siege Engineers is researched 80% faster.
- Portuguese: Technologies that benefit Cannon Galleons are researched 25% faster.
Changelog[]
The Age of Kings[]
- Cannon Galleons require their own unlock technology.
- Cannon Galleons have an accuracy of 50%, do not have blast radius, and do not benefit from Siege Engineers.
- Cannon Galleons have 35 melee attack.
- Cannon Galleon projectiles have a speed of 1.95.
- Byzantines: Can build Cannon Galleons.
- Britons: Cannot build Cannon Galleons.
- Chinese: Can build Cannon Galleons.
- Goths: Can build Cannon Galleons.
The Conquerors[]
- Cannon Galleons gain +40 attack vs siege weapons, and +15 attack vs infantry, archers and cavalry each.
- Huns: Can build Cannon Galleons.
- Spanish: Cannon Galleon's projectiles are affected by the technology Ballistics and are 4× faster.
The Forgotten[]
- Britons: Cannon Galleon added to the technology tree.
- Huns: Cannon Galleon removed from the technology tree.
- 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).
Rise of the Rajas[]
Lords of the West[]
- With 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 Galleon projectiles have a speed of 3.
Dynasties of India[]
- With update 81058, Cannon Galleons:
- have 50 melee attack.
- lose their attack bonuses against infantry, cavalry, archers, and Mamelukes.
- have +25 attack bonus against siege weapons.
- have 100% accuracy.
- 0.25 blast radius.
- gain 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 projectiles have a speed of 3.5.
Chronicles: Battle for Greece[]
- Chinese: With update 141935, Cannon Galleon removed from the technology tree.
Chronicles: Alexander the Great[]
- With update 158041, Cannon Galleons gain the long-range warship armor class.
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 and Rocket Carts 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 received a new one.
Gallery[]
