The Castle Age is the third Age in Age of Empires II. Upon reaching this Age, more buildings become available, including the Castle. Some of these buildings are related to the choice of new and powerful units, including three new unit types: siege units, unique units, and Monks. In addition, Age-related civilization bonuses also increase in effect, reinforcing the civilizations' unique tactics. A variety of both economic and military strategies are possible during this Age. The Castle Age is preceded by the Feudal Age and followed by the Imperial Age.
Note: The list below is not cumulative, and only shows new units, buildings, and technologies that are activated when a player advances to the Castle Age.
Strategy[]

Moving to Castle Age.
The Castle Age is rather influential on the game. Compared to advancing to the Feudal Age, this Age also requires a small amount of gold. As mentioned, strategic options begin to open up and deepen with increased numbers of buildings, technologies (notably for resources), and unit types. Other options become available, such as multiple Town Centers. Therefore, reaching the Castle Age can prove to be an important point in a match either economically or militarily.
Most notable among the new military units is the Knight, a powerful cavalry unit that can be immediately trained from Stables. There are whole new classes of units which have their own buildings: for example siege units, which can be chosen to adapt to the composition of the enemy army come from a Siege Workshop; Monks, which can convert enemy units, draining the enemy's army while also forcing them to fight their former comrades, come from a Monastery; and unique units, which come from the Castle. These four units can have significant influence on Castle Age strategy.
As a result of the new choices available, the battle on the map intensifies and sieges become possible. Stone starts to become more important in constructing defensive walls and Castles, as does gold used for an increasing number of technologies, including 800 gold to age up to the Imperial Age.
Available buildings[]

The Castle Age symbol
Civilian buildings[]
Monastery - trains and upgrades Monks
University - building to research and upgrade structures and missiles
Town Center1 - trains and upgrades Villagers
- The Town Center is also a defensive structure.
Military buildings[]
Castle1 - trains and upgrades unique units and siege units
Krepost1 - trains Konniks (Bulgarians only)
Siege Workshop - trains and upgrades siege units
- The Castle and the Krepost are also defensive structures.
Defensive structures[]
Guard Tower1 - Tower that attacks enemies on sight
Fortified Wall1 - protects an area from enemy attacks
Harbor2 - creates and upgrades ships and also attacks enemy on sight (Malay only)
- The Guard Tower and the Fortified Wall have to be researched at the University (Age of Empires II)|.
- The Harbor is also a military and a civilian building. Requires Thalassocracy.
Available units[]
Civilian units[]

A civilization in the Castle Age
At the Monastery
Monk - special unit used for healing, converting enemies, and gathering Relics
Missionary - mounted special unit used for healing and converting enemies (Spanish only)
Military units[]
At the Barracks
Long Swordsman - swordsman unit
Pikeman - anti-cavalry unit
Eagle Warrior - scouting unit, also good against foot archers, siege weapons and monks (since The Forgotten)
Huskarl - Anti-archer infantry (Goths only, after researching Anarchy)
At the Archery Range
Crossbowman - archer unit
Elite Skirmisher - anti-archer javelineer
Cavalry Archer - mounted archer
Elephant Archer - Slow and heavy mounted archer (Bengalis, Dravidians, and Gurjaras only)
Slinger - anti-infantry unit (Incas only)
Genitour - mounted anti-archer javelineer (Berbers and allies only)
At the Stable
Camel Rider - anti-cavalry unit
Knight - heavy cavalry unit
Light Cavalry - light and quick scouting unit, also good against siege weapons and monks
Battle Elephant - heavy cavalry unit
Steppe Lancer - light cavalry unit with a long weapon (Cumans, Mongols, and Tatars only)
Shrivamsha Rider - light cavalry unit which can dodge projectiles (Gurjaras only)
Tarkan - anti-building cavalry (Huns only, after researching Marauders)
At the Castle
Unique unit - a special unit only one civilization can train
Petard - self-destructive anti-building and anti-siege unit
At the Siege Workshop
Battering Ram - anti-building siege unit that is almost immune to missiles
Armored Elephant - anti-building cavalry & siege unit with high pierce armor (Bengalis, Dravidians, Gurjaras, and Hindustanis only)
Mangonel - ranged siege unit with splash attack
Scorpion - ranged siege unit with pass-through attack along a line
Siege Tower - siege unit that can drop off units behind Walls
At the Dock
War Galley - basic war ship
Fire Ship - war ship with a flamethrower
Demolition Ship - self-destructive vessel
Longboat - war ship that shoots multiple arrows (Vikings only)
Turtle Ship - heavy armored ship that fires a cannon (Koreans only)
Caravel - war ship that shoots arrows with splash attack (Portuguese only)
Available technologies[]
Economic technologies[]
At the Town Center
Town Patrol - increases building LOS
Hand Cart - makes Villagers more effective
At the Mill
Heavy Plow - gives Farms extra food and farmers +1 carry capacity
At the Lumber Camp
At the Mining Camp
Stone Shaft Mining - increases stone-mining speed
Gold Shaft Mining - increases gold-mining speed
At the Market
Coinage - decreases tribute fee (since patch 5.8; moved from Feudal Age)
Banking - removes tribute fee (before patch 5.8 where it moved to the Imperial Age)
Caravan - increases the speed of trade units by 50%
At the Dock
Gillnets - increases the working rate of Fishing Ships (since The Forgotten)
At the University
Masonry - strengthens buildings
Treadmill Crane - increases construction speed of villagers
Military technologies[]
At the Barracks
Squires - increases infantry speed by 10%
Arson - gives infantry +2 attack against buildings (since The African Kingdoms)
At the Archery Range
Thumb Ring - increases archer accuracy to 100% and rate of fire (since The Conquerors)
At the Stable
At the Dock
Careening - increases ship pierce armor by 1 and Transport Ship capacity by 5
At the Blacksmith
Iron Casting - increases infantry and cavalry attack by +1
Chain Mail Armor - increases infantry armor by +1/+1
Bodkin Arrow - projectiles' range and attack increased by +1
Leather Archer Armor - increases archer armor by +1/+1
Chain Barding Armor - increases cavalry armor by +1/+1
At the University
Ballistics - increases accuracy when projectiles are fired at moving targets
Murder Holes - removes minimum range of Castles and Towers
Heated Shot - increases Castle and Tower attack against ships
At the Castle
Unique technology1 - special technology that only one civilization can research
- Not all unique technologies are military technologies.
Religious technologies[]
At the Monastery
Redemption - Monks can convert siege units and most buildings
Fervor - increases Monk speed
Sanctity - increases Monk HP
Atonement - Monks can convert other Monks
Heresy - converted units die instead of taking the enemy's color
Herbal Medicine - garrisoned units heal faster
Civilization bonuses[]
- Bengalis: Spawn 2 villagers from every Town Center when they reach the Castle Age.
- Burgundians: Imperial Age economic technologies are available in the Castle Age. Castle Age economic technologies are available in the Feudal Age.
- Dravidians: Receive 200 wood when they reach the Castle Age.
- Ethiopians: Receive 100 food and 100 gold when they reach the Castle Age.
- Italians: Advancing to the Castle Age is 15% cheaper, 680 food, 170 gold insteaad of 800 food, 200 gold.
- Khmer: No buildings are required to advance to the Castle Age.
- Malay: Advancing to the Castle Age is 66% faster, 96 seconds instead of 160 seconds.
- Persians: Advancing to the Castle Age is 10% faster.
History[]
“ | Castles began appearing across the landscape of Europe in the ninth century as local lords sought to solidify their power. Castles protected them from neighbors and provided a safe haven from which mounted warriors could ride out and control the nearby country. Typical of the Castle Age was the conquest of Wales by Edward I of England. By placing a series of massive castles at strategic points throughout Wales, Edward accomplished his conquest with a minimum of fighting. The castles were impregnable to the scattered warriors of Wales. English soldiers inside could ride out at their leisure and control the conduct of trade, gathering of crops, and collection of taxes. The Castle Age witnessed a rise in population, economic growth, increased trade, the Crusades to the Holy Land, a new interest in the arts, the rise of knights, and the formation of great kingdoms. | ” |
—Age of Empires II manual |
Ages in Age of Empires II | |
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