Dock (Age of Empires II)

“Used to build and improve ships, deposit food from Fishing Ships, and trade with other players by sea.”

—Age of Empires II description

The Dock is an economic and military building in Age of Empires II. It builds and improves ships and can be used as a trading point when trading with Trade Cogs.

Tactics and placement Edit

Docks serve for both economy and naval warfare as they produce all kinds of vessels while also being a drop site for the Fishing Ships and Trade Cogs. They must be used depending the kind of map of the game.

When playing on maps like Archipelago and Islands it is absolutely necessary to build Docks and give them an extensive use since most of the action will occur on the seas. It is recommended to build at least one (preferably two) Docks in the Dark Age already in order to boost the economy with the production of Fishing Ships.

On maps like Coastal, Baltic, and Continental with important water bodies but where the settlements aren't separated by water, the use of Docks can make a huge difference in many situations while still be important for boosting economy early in the game, but are not always necessary. On these maps the naval units are mostly used to support the land army and for dealing with enemy buildings near the shoreline.

On maps like Rivers, Highland, or others that feature rivers and/or lakes, Docks become part of the defensive structures as the rivers and lakes represent a barrier for land troops, and in this case using the naval units becomes more helpful to aid fortifications near the shoreline and the shallows which in this kind of maps are the only narrow points usable for land troops in order to cross rivers.

Often it is useful to place towers and Castles near the Docks as these buildings will effectively protect the Docks from enemy ships. It is also recommended to place the Dock in bays or gulfs as this makes it more difficult for enemy ships to reach the Dock. Also, the Docks can be easier defended that way.

Docks may only be built in shallow water or on shallows, next to the coast.

Trade Edit

When establishing a water trade route, Trade Cogs will leave for any Dock (ally, neutral, or enemy) and will return with gold. They will always travel to the closest Dock, friend or foe alike. The amount of gold they return depends on the length of the trade route. In team games on maps like Archipelago or Islands the naval trade routes are vital. So it is important to know which Docks are better defended from enemy ships in order to protect the Trade Cogs and establish secure and continuous trade routes.

Trainable units and technologies Edit

Clicking on the icon links to the corresponding page.

Blue: Units

Green: Technologies

Purple: Unique units

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Availability grid Edit

The following table shows the availability of the units and technologies for every civilization. Unique units and units and technologies that are available to all civilizations are not shown in the table. An 'X' in the last column indicates that all units and technologies are available.

= Available

= Unavailable

Civilization												All
Aztecs
Berbers
Britons
Burmese
Byzantines												X
Celts
Chinese
Ethiopians
Franks
Goths
Huns
Incas
Indians
Italians
Japanese
Khmer
Koreans
Magyars
Malay
Malians
Mayans
Mongols
Persians
Portuguese
Saracens
Slavs
Spanish												X
Teutons
Turks
Vietnamese
Vikings
Civilization												All

Further statistics Edit

Building strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs.	Nothing
Weak vs.	Everything
Upgrades
Hit points	Masonry (+10%)  Architecture (+10%)
Armor	Masonry (+1/+1, +3 building armor)  Architecture (+1/+1, +3 building armor)
Line of Sight	Town Watch (+4)  Town Patrol (+4)
Conversion defense	Faith  Heresy
Construction speed	Treadmill Crane (+20%)
Work rate	Shipwright (+35%, only for units)
Upgrades	Docks can be upgraded to Harbors (requires Thalassocracy, Malay only)

Civilization bonuses Edit

• Burmese: Researching Faith is 50% cheaper.
• Byzantines: Docks have +10%/+20%/+30%/+40% HP in the Dark/Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age. Town Watch is free.
• Chinese: Technologies that benefit Docks are 10%/15%/20% cheaper in the Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age.
• Italians: Researching Shipwright is 50% cheaper.
• Malians: Docks are 15% cheaper.
• Persians: Docks have double hit points and work 10%/15%/20% faster in the Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age. Researching Town Watch and Town Patrol is 10%/15%/20% faster in the Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age.
• Spanish: Docks are built 30% faster.

Team bonuses Edit

• A team containing Malay: Docks have +100% Line of Sight.
• A team containing Malians: Researching Masonry, Architecture, and Treadmill Crane is 80% faster.
• A team containing Vikings: Docks are 15% cheaper.

Changelog Edit

The Age of Kings Edit

• A team containing Vikings: Docks are 25% cheaper.

The Conquerors Edit

• Heresy introduced.

The Forgotten Edit

• Trade Cogs generate +10% gold.
• Gillnets introduced.
• A team containing Vikings: Docks are now 15% cheaper.

The African Kingdoms Edit

• Trade Cogs generate +30% gold.
• Fire Galley introduced.
• Demolition Raft introduced.

History Edit

“The emergence of deep-draft merchant ships led to the construction of docks where these ships could tie up and unload. Ships of this new design could not be dragged ashore easily for unloading. Associated with docks were the shipyards where ships were built.”

Gallery Edit

Dark Age Dock

All Feudal Age Docks in The Age of Kings and The Conquerors

All Feudal Age Docks introduced in the HD expansions

All Castle Age Docks in The Age of Kings and The Conquerors

All Castle Age Docks introduced in the HD expansions

Spritesheet for the Dock. The Harbor is also included

Add a photo to this gallery