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This article is about the unit in Age of Empires IV: The Sultans Ascend. For other uses of the name in the series, see Cataphract. |
| “ | Expensive cavalry with high damage and a powerful Trample ability that charges through enemies. | ” |
| —Age of Empires IV description | ||
The Cataphract is a unique unit of the Byzantines and Macedonian Dynasty first introduced in Age of Empires IV: The Sultans Ascend. It is the Byzantine replacement for the Knight and has more attack and health, but at a much higher cost. They can also spawn from the Palatine School. For the Macedonian Dynasty, it is only available to be trained with silver at the Palatine School, at which the elite upgrade is included for free. The Cataphract has the unique Trample ability that allows it to charge through enemy formations and deal damage, but they lack a standard single-target charge attack.
Ability[]
Trample (Active): Charge through enemy units in their path, dealing 12 damage to each one hit. The ability can be targeted to any point regardless of distance, but the damage dealing charge only starts at a distance of ~7 tiles from the destination. Once the Trample command is given, the Cataphract ignores all other commands until the charge is complete. The charge can also be stopped by bracing Spearmen and their equivalents. This ability has a 25 second cooldown after the charge completes.
Tactics[]
Cataphracts take the advantages and cost of the common Knight unit to the next level, with even higher hit points and damage. Cataphracts lose only to the Gilded Knight and War Elephant in raw stats for heavy cavalry, and even their common counters will struggle to take them down without significantly outnumbering the Cataphract. However, this power comes with a drastically increased cost, with each Cataphract costing 40 food and 50 gold more than the average Knight, an increase of more than 37% in total resources.
Instead of the standard charge, Cataphracts employ an active Trample ability, which rushes through all units between the Cataphract and their destination. While trampling, Cataphracts ignore hitboxes, allowing them to move through spaces that might otherwise be blocked by enemy units. This can allow Cataphracts to move through units trying to protect siege to attack. When upgraded, trampled enemies also take extra damage for a short duration afterward, making Trample a strong opening for the Byzantine army.
Unit comparison[]
 Knight
|
 Cataphract
|
 Riddari
| |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | 140 food, 100 gold | 180 food, 150 gold | 130 food, 110 gold |
| Training Time | 35 s | 40 s | 35 s |
| HP | 230 (Regular) 270 (Elite) |
360 (Regular) 405 (Elite) |
240 (Regular) 280 (Elite) |
| Melee attack | 24 (Regular) 29 (Elite) |
27 (Regular) 32 (Elite) |
26 (Regular) 31 (Elite) |
| Ranged attack | 15 (Regular) 18 (Elite) | ||
| Movement speed | 1.625 t/s | 1.625 t/s | 1.75 t/s |
| Attack speed | 1.5 s | 1.375 s | 1.375 s 1.75 s (Axe) |
| Abilities | Charge | Trample | Thrown Axes |
Further statistics[]
| Strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Archers, Horsemen, siege engines |
| Weak vs. | Spearmen, Crossbowman, War Elephant, Camel Riders |
| Technologies | |
|---|---|
 Hit points
|
 Biology (+25%,  Byzantines) Scale Barding (+5% per research tier, up to +30%,  Macedonian Dynasty)
|
| Attack |  Bloomery (+1, Byzantines) Decarbonization (+1, Byzantines) Damascus Steel (+1, Byzantines) Blade Inlaying (+1 per research tier, up to +6, Macedonian Dynasty)
|
| Armor |  Fitted Leatherwork (+1 melee, Byzantines) Insulated Helm (+1 melee, Byzantines) Master Smiths (+1 melee, Byzantines) Iron Undermesh (+1 ranged, Byzantines) Wedge Rivets (+1 ranged, Byzantines) Angled Surfaces (+1 ranged, Byzantines) Teardrop Shields (+1 melee/ranged, Byzantines) Scale Barding (+1 melee and ranged per research tier, up to +6/+6, Macedonian Dynasty)
|
| Creation speed |  Military Academy (+33%)
|
| Ability |  Numeri (trampled units receive +15% damage from all sources for 12 seconds, Byzantines)
|
| Aura and ability enhancements | |
|---|---|
 Regeneration
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 Triumph (+2 hp/s while active, Byzantines) Pilgrim Flask (25 hp/s for 6 seconds, requires Cistern of the First Hill, Byzantines)
|
| Attack | Triumph (+4 while active, Byzantines) Improved Torch (+25% torch attack, requires Trapezites, Byzantines)Hippodrome Horseman's Champion's Presence aura (+2 attack, requires Imperial Hippodrome, Macedonian Dynasty)Hippodrome Scout's Champion's Presence aura (+35% torch attack, requires Imperial Hippodrome, Macedonian Dynasty)
|
 Movement speed
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 Naval Deployment (+50% speed for 12 seconds after unloading from a Transport Ship) Triumph (+10% while active, Byzantines)
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| Creation speed |   Conscriptio Influence (+20% per Cistern water level, Byzantines)Cistern's Favor (+150% creation speed for 60 seconds, requires Cistern of the First Hill, Macedonian Dynasty)
|
Dialogue lines[]
- Main article: /Dialogue lines
Changelog[]
- With patch 9.1.370, the hit points of the Elite Cataphract was reduced from 425 to 405.
- With patch 11.1.1201, the speed of the Cataphract was increased from 1.5 to 1.62.
- With patch 12.2.3327, the default shield used by the Cataphract unit was switched from the Western European heater shield to the oval Byzantine skoutaria also used by the Limitanei.
Gallery[]
