| “ | Fortification used to train your unique unit and Spearman-line. Unique building of the Sicilians. | ” |
| —In-game description | ||
The Donjon is a military building and defensive structure in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Lords of the West that is unique to the Sicilians. It can be built from the Feudal Age and replaces the tower line in the Sicilian tech tree. Like the Castle, it can be used to train Serjeants and the Spearman line, and garrison units for protection. It can be built and repaired by both Villagers and Serjeants.
Tactics and placement[]
Donjons cost 50 wood, 175 stone, significantly more than the 35 wood, 125 stone for the Watch Tower line. It has the same damage (including bonus damage types) for the main and extra projectiles as Watch Towers. However, it gains one extra arrow in each age after Feudal, firing two arrows in the Castle and three in the Imperial Age with no units garrisoned, as opposed to the Watch Tower's one. It is also larger than the Watch Tower, taking up four tiles as opposed to one. The larger size allows the Donjon to be built and repaired faster in some scenarios, since more units can work on it at the same time. However, the larger size also allows more melee units to attack simultaneously compared to a Watch Tower. The Donjon can garrison ten units as opposed to five for the Watch Tower, increasing its damage output if garrisoned by Villagers or archers. They can garrison more units than Towers, but the number of maximum extra arrows Donjons can get from garrisoned units in Feudal Age is 4 (the same as Towers). Like towers, they heal garrisoned units at 6 HP per minute, or 36 after Herbal Medicine.
Unlike the Watch Tower line, which must be upgraded in the Castle Age and Imperial Age at the University to Guard Towers and Keeps, respectively, the Donjon instantly gains more hit points for free upon advancing to the next age, going from 1,250 hit points in the Feudal Age to 1,500 in the Castle Age and then 2,250 in the Imperial Age. Also, unlike towers, Donjons receive +1/+1 armor upon reaching the next age (towers receive additional armor with the Guard Tower and Keep upgrades). The Donjon receives +3 attack from Arrowslits, the same as a Keep, and benefits from Chemistry and Heated Shot. Also, the limit of additional arrows from garrisoned archers or Villagers raises to a total of 7 extra arrows (plus main projectile), and in the Imperial Age to a total of 11 extra arrows (plus main projectile). Most dramatically, Hoardings increase the hit points of a Donjon by 44%, while having no effect on the Watch Tower-line.
Like the tower line, it does not count as a Feudal or Castle Age building for the requirement of two Feudal Age buildings to advance to the Castle Age or two Castle Age buildings to advance to the Imperial Age.
Unlike the tower line, and like the Barracks, Donjons also unlock Archery Ranges and Stables.
Unlike Towers, Donjons are also able to train the Sicilian unique unit the Serjeant, which is an infantry unit that can build Donjons, as well as the Spearman-line, which is a cheap counter to enemy cavalry. One possible strategy involving Donjons and Serjeants consists of accumulating stone in the Dark and Feudal Age, then take some Villagers for creating the first Donjon near an opponent. Train Serjeants, that will continue the job of creating more Donjons around the opponent in a similar fashion to a Tower rush (however, since Donjons are more expensive than Towers and built 25% slower by Serjeants in Feudal Age, those must be preferably placed near important resources for the opponent). A fully upgraded Keep is superior in hit points and base attack to Donjons without garrisoned units inside, but Donjons with garrisoned archers can quickly defeat a generic fully upgraded Keep (and this not taking in consideration its ability to train Serjeants and Halberdiers), as it can fire up to 11 secondary arrows (generic Keeps only fire up to 4 secondary arrows), all of which have +5 attack vs. stone defenses. Another advantage Donjons have over towers is that they do not need to be upgraded; however, the outcome in some circumstances is similar considering the higher cost of the Donjon.
Defensively speaking, Donjons should be considered as a type of tower and should be placed on choke points or behind an obstacle (like Forests, Walls or cliffs) in order to maximize their defensive capabilities. Donjons are relatively weak against tower rushes, as a single Donjon requires a large percentage of the stone bank available to the player at the start of the game. This allows the opponent to delete the initial tower and rebuild it elsewhere uncontested. The Sicilian player should place their Donjon in a wise way since the Donjon is costly. The two advantages of a Donjon against a tower rush is +400 HP (in the Feudal Age) and the ability to train Serjeants, while the damage and garrison abilities are the same as a Watch Tower (in the Feudal Age); also, the Donjon takes 10 more seconds to be constructed (90 seconds vs 80 seconds for a Watch Tower).
Conversion mechanics[]
For the purposes of conversion to and from a non-Sicilian civilization:
- Villagers converted by Sicilians can construct Donjons.
- Converted Sicilian Villagers and Serjeants cannot construct Donjons.
- Converted Donjons cannot produce Serjeants, or any other unique unit.
- Converted Donjons can still produce the Spearman line. The unit produced depend on the new owner's upgrades, similar to converted Barracks producing the Spearman line.
- Researching Guard Tower and Keep upgrades also increases the attack of secondary projectiles to their attack value, since the Watch Tower line and Donjon have the same secondary projectile.
Trainable units[]
Clicking on the icon links to the corresponding page.
- Blue: Units
- Purple: Unique units
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Serjeants and Spearman line must still be upgraded at the Castle and Barracks, respectively.
Comparison with the Watch Tower line[]
 Watch Tower line
|
 Donjon
|
Equivalent Bonus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | 35 wood, 125 stone | 50 wood, 175 stone | |
| Time | 80 seconds | 83 seconds | |
| Size | 1×1 | 2×2 | |
| Garrison | 5 | 10 |  Teutons
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 Feudal Age
| |||
| Hit points | 850 | 1,250 |  Masonry +  Great Wall
|
| Additional projectiles | Min 0; Max 4 | Min 0; Max 4 | |
| Pierce attack | 5 | 5 | |
| Attack bonus | +7 vs Ships | +7 vs Ships | |
| Armor (melee/pierce) | 1/7 | 1/7 | |
 Heated Shot effect
|
+9 vs Ships | +9 vs Ships | |
 Arrowslits effect
|
+1 | +3 | |
 Castle Age
| |||
| Upgrade cost |  100 food, 250 wood
|
None |  Koreans
|
| Hit points | 1,500 | 1,500 | |
| Additional projectiles | Min 0; Max 4 | Min 1; Max 7 |  Yasama (somewhat)
|
| Pierce attack | 7 | 5 | |
| Attack bonus | +9 vs Ships | +7 vs Ships | |
| Armor (melee/pierce) | 2/8 | 2/8 | |
| Heated Shot effect
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+11 vs Ships | +9 vs Ships | |
| Arrowslits effect
|
+2 | +3 | |
 Imperial Age
| |||
| Upgrade cost |  500 food, 350 wood
|
None | Koreans
|
| Hit points | 2,250 | 2,250 Hoardings: 3,250
|
 Architecture + Great Wall
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| Additional projectiles | Min 0; Max 4 | Min 2; Max 11 | Yasama + Teutons
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| Pierce attack | 8 | 5 | |
| Attack bonus | +10 vs Ships | +7 vs Ships | |
| Armor (melee/pierce) | 3/9 | 3/9 | |
| Heated Shot effect
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+13 vs Ships | +9 vs Ships | |
| Arrowslits effect
|
+3 | +3 | |
Common[]
- Garrison heal rate: 0.1 hit points/second
- Range: 8
- Line of Sight: 10
- Primary projectiles attack bonus: +1 vs. Camels, +2 vs. Spearmen
- Secondary projectiles attack bonus: +1 vs. Camels, +5 vs. Stone Defense
- Armor classes: Stone defense
Further statistics[]
As Donjons are unique to the Sicilians, only technologies that are available to them are shown in the following table:
| Building strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Ships, archers, weak melee units |
| Weak vs. | Siege weapons, Tarkans, Huskarls, War Elephants, Cannon Galleons |
| Technologies | |
| Hit points | Masonry (+10%) Hoardings (+44%)
|
| Attack |  Fletching (+1) Bodkin Arrow (+1) Bracer (+1) Chemistry (+1) Arrowslits (+3) Heated Shot (+125% attack against ships)
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| Range | Fletching (+1) Bodkin Arrow (+1) Bracer (+1) Murder Holes (eliminates minimum range)
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| Accuracy |  Ballistics (hit moving targets)
|
| Armor | Masonry (+1/+1, +3 building armor)
|
| Line of Sight |  Town Watch (+4) Town Patrol (+4)
|
| Conversion defense |  Devotion (+1 min, +1 max) Faith (+4 min, +4 max) First Crusade (+4 min, +4 max)
|
| Work rate |  Conscription (+33%)
|
| Other |  Herbal Medicine (garrisoned units heal faster)
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Civilization bonus[]
Sicilians: Donjons are built 50% faster.
Team bonuses[]
- Bulgarians: Blacksmith technologies that benefit Donjons are researched 80% faster.
- Georgians: Donjons cost 25% fewer resources to repair.
- Lithuanians: Devotion, Faith, and Herbal Medicine is researched 20% faster.
- Malians: University technologies that benefit Donjons are researched 80% faster.
- Portuguese: Technologies that benefit Donjons are researched 25% faster.
Changelog[]
Lords of the West[]
- Originally, Donjons cost 75 wood, 200 stone. With update 47820, they cost 75 wood, 175 stone.
- Donjon Serjeants train in 20 seconds.
Dynasties of India[]
- With update 61321, Donjon Serjeants train in 16 seconds in the Feudal Age. Starting in the Castle Age, Donjon (Elite) Serjeants train in 12 seconds, matching the train time of (Elite) Serjeants trained in Castles.
- With update 61321, Feudal Age Donjons have 1,250 hit points.
- With update 81058, Donjons benefit from Hoardings and can train the Spearman line, and also satisfy as a prerequisite for Archery Ranges and Stables.
The Mountain Royals[]
- With update 99311, Devotion was introduced.
Victors and Vanquished[]
- With update 111772, Donjon base construction time increased from 90 seconds to 125 seconds (83 seconds after civilization bonus) and cost decreased from 75 wood, 175 stone to 50 wood, 175 stone.
Trivia[]
- This building is based on the Donjon of Adrano in Sicily.
Gallery[]
