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"Stronger than Knight. Fast and heavy cavalry."—Age of Empires II description
The Cavalier is a heavy cavalry unit in Age of Empires II that can be trained at the Stable once the Imperial Age is reached. The Cavalier builds on the strengths of its predecessor, the Knight, with a 20% increase in both attack and hit points.
Cavaliers are available to all civilizations except for the Aztecs, Incas, Indians, Mayans, and Saracens.
Tactics
Edit
Cavaliers are a powerful and versatile addition to almost any army composition. Their high attack and speed make them great for raiding and flanking, coupled with high hit points and damage resistance to provide a perfect meatshield for ranged units and siege on the frontline.
Also suffering from the same pitfalls as the Knight, Cavaliers are hard-countered by Halberdiers and Camel Riders, vulnerable to conversion by Monks and can be overwhelmed by massed archers (if used in small numbers).
Although some civilizations can upgrade to Paladins, the Cavalier is often a more cost effective choice; especially in 1v1 matches where the supply of gold is limited. If the player's army composition is not weighted towards heavy cavalry, Cavaliers with Bloodlines should suffice.
Further statistics Edit
| Unit strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Infantry, archers, Villagers, siege weapons, Cavalry Archers, Light Cavalry |
| Weak vs. | Boyars, Pikemen, Kamayuks, Berserks, Genoese Crossbowmen, Teutonic Knights, Mamelukes, Camel Riders, Monks, War Elephants |
| Upgrades | |
| Hit points |  Bloodlines (+20)
|
| Attack |  Forging (+1) Iron Casting (+1) Blast Furnace (+2) Farimba (+5, Malians only) Manipur Cavalry (+3 attack against buildings and standard buildings, Burmese only)
|
| Armor |  Scale Barding Armor (+1/+1) Chain Barding Armor (+1/+1) Plate Barding Armor (+1/+2)
|
| Speed |  Husbandry (+10%)
|
| Conversion defense |  Faith Heresy
|
| Creation speed |  Conscription (+33%) Chivalry (+40%, Franks only)
|
| Upgrades |  Paladin
|
Civilization bonuses Edit
- Berbers: Cavaliers are 20% cheaper.
- Burmese: Researching Faith is 50% cheaper.
- Celts: Cavaliers can convert herdables even if enemy units are next to them.
- Chinese: Technologies that benefit Cavaliers are 20% cheaper.
- Cumans: Cavaliers move 10% faster.
- Franks: Cavaliers have +20% HP. With Chivalry researched, researching Husbandry and upgrading to Paladin is 40% faster.
- Lithuanians: Cavaliers gain +1 attack for each Relic garrisoned in a Monastery (Max 5).
- Magyars: Forging, Iron Casting, and Blast Furnace are free.
- Portuguese: Cavaliers cost 15% less gold.
- Spanish: Blacksmith upgrades that benefit Cavaliers don't cost gold.
- Tatars: Cavaliers deal 50% bonus damage from elevations.
- Vietnamese: Conscription is free.
Team bonuses Edit
- A team containing Berbers: With Kasbah researched, researching Conscription is 25% faster.
- A team containing Franks: Cavaliers have +2 LOS.
- A team containing Huns: Cavaliers are created and upgraded 20% faster. Researching Bloodlines and Husbandry is 20% faster.
- A team containing Persians: Cavaliers have +2 attack against archers.
- A team containing Teutons: Cavaliers are more resistant to conversion.
- A team containing Lithuanians: Researching Heresy and Faith is 20% faster.
- A team containing Bulgarians: Researching cavalry armor and attack upgrades at the Blacksmith is 50% faster.
Changelog Edit
The Conquerors Edit
- Bloodlines introduced.
- Heresy introduced.
The Forgotten Edit
Rise of the Rajas Edit
- Initially, Manipur Cavalry gives +6 attack against buildings. With patch 5.3, the bonus is spread over the two building classes (building and standard building) equally.
Trivia Edit
- The Knight line is one of only four units in the game without any attack bonus (the other being the Militia, the Boyar, and the Turtle Ship).
- In terms of attack (19), the Malian Cavalier outclasses a Paladin and is the second strongest non-unique cavalry unit in the game (only beaten by the Elite Battle Elephant (20)) and the third strongest overall, only beaten by the War Elephant (24).
- Historically, cavalier (or chevalier) was a generic Gallo-Romance term for all knights.
- For historical accuracy's sake, the in-game Knight may be termed "Knight Bachelor" (who fights under a higher-ranking noble's banner), while the in-game Cavalier may be termed, more appropriately, "Knight Banneret" (who fights under his own banner).
- Ironically, the English term "Cavalier" is rarely used to describe the armoured knight and the term is generally remembered to describe the Royalists in the English Civil War.
- Although first available in the Imperial Age, the Cavalier's shield resembles more the Castle Age's icon and the shield of the Castle Age's Long Swordsman.
- In the Definitive Edition, the Cavalier's and Paladin's mounts possess bushy legs, possibly influenced by modern heavy-weight horses; however, even the strongest Medieval warhorses, the destriers, were drawn with short lower-leg-hair.
History Edit
"There was a hierarchy among knights based on feudal rank and fighting prowess. A lowly knight might achieve great social standing through battlefield commendation, tournament victory, or marriage. Elite knights were made members of important orders, like the Order of the Garter or of the Golden Fleece. Such elite men were known as chevaliers or cavaliers. The first cavaliers were selected for their political power and fighting prowess. As the centuries passed, the orders became more of a social elite."
Gallery Edit
The Knight line, with the Cavalier in the middle
A group of Cavaliers
Cavaliers providing a meatshield for Arbalesters
A Cavalier with its predecessor the Knight in the Definitive Edition
A couple of Cavaliers in the Definitive Edition
A render of the Cavalier model
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