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This article is about the unit in Age of Empires II: The Conquerors. For the related unit in Age of Empires III, see Eagle Runner Knight. |
| “ | Fast infantry for scouting and raiding. Resistant to conversion. | ” |
| —Age of Empires II description | ||
The Elite Eagle Warrior is a Native American infantry unit in Age of Empires II: The Conquerors that can be trained at the Barracks once the Imperial Age is reached. The Elite Eagle Warrior is the final tier in the Eagle line. They replace the cavalry for their civilizations.
Tactics[]
Elite Eagle Warriors move quickly, have a long Line of Sight, conversion resistance, and attack bonuses against Monks, siege weapons, and mounted units. However, almost every other infantry unit deals bonus damage against Elite Eagle Warriors. Essentially, they help compensate for the Aztecs', Mayans', and Incas' lack of cavalry. If the Elite Eagle Warrior is compared to the Champion, they end up with the same attack against cavalry due to the former's attack bonus. As such, they are better against cavalry than they might first appear looking at their base stats, but are not a counter to heavy cavalry. On the other hand, using them against light cavalry is viable.
Compared to the Eagle Warrior, the Elite upgrade gives +2 attack, +2 extra damage against Monks and siege, +5 hit points, -15 seconds of creation time, +1 pierce armor, and +0.15 movement speed. The upgrade is moderately expensive, but the extra attack is very important given how low the Eagle Warrior's is, and all three civilizations will use the units to the point where they will all want to research it.
All three American civilizations have a distinctive buff for Eagle Warriors that comes from one of their unique technologies. Because of this, each of the three civilizations can use Elite Eagle Warriors differently.
The Aztec Garland Wars technology provides +4 attack, making them better raiders, striking down an enemy Villager with just three hits. Due to their weakness against other infantry, they are sometimes paired with the Aztecs' infantry destroyer, the Jaguar Warrior, or Arbalesters if Crossbowmen were used in the Castle Age. The Aztec Eagle Warriors (and other infantry) are specialized against other melee units.
The Incas have a -25% food discount, making them the cheapest. Additionally, Couriers/Fabric Shields gives extra armor (+1/+2) to the Eagle Warrior and their two unique units. As such, Inca Elite Eagle Warriors are as resistant against arrow fire as Huskarls, making them even better against archers. Inca Eagle Warriors are usually paired with both Kamayuks and Slingers to counter cavalry and infantry, respectively. The Inca Eagle Warriors are specialized against archers.
The Mayan unique technology El Dorado provides +40 hit points to the Eagle Scout line exclusively, making them more durable and therefore valuable in pitched battles. Pairing them with Plumed Archers works well since the Plumed Archer is a counter for infantry units that can put the Eagle Warrior in danger. Also, the Plumed Archer sits in a similar speed tier, meaning the two units work very well together. The Mayans have the most well-rounded Elite Eagle Warriors and are generally considered to be the best.
Comparison among civilizations[]
| Civilization |  Aztecs
|
 Incas
|
 Mayans
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | 25 food, 50 gold | 19 food, 50 gold | 25 food, 50 gold |
| Hit Points | 60 | 60 | 100 |
| Training time | 13.5 | 15 | 15 |
| Melee Attack | 9+8 | 9+4 | 9+4 |
| Armor | 0+3/4+4 | 0+4/4+6 | 0+3/4+4 |
Further statistics[]
| Unit strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Foot archers, siege weapons, Monks, Halberdiers, Heavy Camel Riders |
| Weak vs. | Heavy cavalry, heavy infantry, Gunpowder units, Slingers |
| Upgrades | |
| Hit points |  El Dorado (+40, Mayans only)
|
| Attack |  Forging (+1) Iron Casting (+1) Blast Furnace (+2) Arson (+2 attack against standard buildings) Garland Wars (+4, Aztecs only)
|
| Armor |  Scale Mail Armor (+1/+1) Chain Mail Armor (+1/+1) Plate Mail Armor (+1/+2) Fabric Shields (+1/+2, Incas only since The African Kingdoms)
|
| Speed |  Squires (+10%) Couriers (+10%, Incas only in The Forgotten)
|
| Conversion defense |  Devotion (+1 min, +1 max) Faith (+4 min, +4 max) Heresy (die upon getting converted)
|
| Regeneration |  Stronghold (30 HP/min when within 18 tiles square of a team Celts Castle)
|
| Creation speed |  Conscription (+33%)
|
Civilization bonuses[]
Team bonuses[]
Armenians: Elite Eagle Warriors have +2 Line of Sight.- Bulgarians: Researching infantry armor and attack upgrades at the Blacksmith is 80% faster.
- Goths: Elite Eagle Warriors are created 20% faster. Researching Squires and Arson is 20% faster.
- Lithuanians: Researching Heresy, Devotion and Faith is 20% faster.
- Portuguese: Upgrades that benefit Elite Eagle Warriors are researched 25% faster.
- Teutons: Elite Eagle Warriors are more resistant to conversion.
Changelog[]
The Conquerors[]
The Forgotten[]
- Elite Eagle Warriors reskinned.
- Elite Eagle Warriors have +2 attack against camel units.
- Incas: Couriers gives Elite Eagle Warriors +10% movement speed.
The African Kingdoms[]
Rise of the Rajas[]
- With patch 5.7, Elite Eagle Warriors have +3 attack against camel units.
Definitive Edition[]
- Tracking removed; all infantry receive +2 Line of Sight from the Feudal Age instead.
- Incas: Couriers renamed Fabric Shields.
- Bulgarians: Initially, the team bonus gave the Blacksmith a 50% work rate boost. With update 42848, this was changed to a 80% work rate boost.
Dynasties of India[]
- With update 81058, Elite Eagle Warriors cost 25 food, 50 gold.
- Incas: With update 81058, Elite Eagle Warriors cost -30% food.
The Mountain Royals[]
- Incas: With update 99311, they cost -25% food.
Heroes[]
There is one hero in the game with the appearance of an Elite Eagle Warrior:
History[]
| “ | The Aztecs prized fighting skills, and soldiers earned increased status in society through distinction in combat and promotion in rank. One of the higher ranks was that of Eagle Warrior. These fighters wore great colorful headdresses made of eagle feathers and costumes that enhanced their military bearing. Because they were lightly armored and unencumbered, they were able to move quickly. They were the fast, light troops of the Aztec armies, quickly pouncing on enemies. However, they proved to be at a great disadvantage in combat against Europeans wearing steel armor and using steel weapons. The best of the Eagle warriors were promoted to Elite status. These were the champions of the Eagle Warrior formations and led the attempts to disable and capture enemies. | ” |
Trivia[]
- The three Eagle units (along with Ghulam) are the only infantry units to cost more gold than food and, in terms of gold, are the most expensive infantry units in the game. In terms of food, however, they are by far the cheapest infantry in the game.
- Eagle Scouts deal bonus damage against the cheat unit Saboteur because it is in the same unit class as ships.
- There are only four infantry units that do not get an attack bonus against Eagle Warriors besides themselves, being the Kamayuk, the Militia, the Condottiero, and the Dismounted Konnik.
- Inca Elite Eagle Warriors are tied with fully-upgraded Elite Rattan Archers, Elite Huskarls, and Lithuanian Elite Skirmishers for the second most pierce armor of any foot soldier in the game (10 pierce armor), only behind the Lithuanian Imperial Skirmisher. They all effectively counter archer units.
- Mayan Elite Eagle Warriors are tied with fully-upgraded Teutonic Knights and Armenian Champions for the third highest hit points of any foot soldier in the game (100 hit points).
- With 1.3 speed (1.43 with Squires), Elite Eagle Warriors are the fastest moving infantry in the game.
- In The Forgotten, Couriers gave Eagle units +10% speed, so fully upgraded Inca Elite Eagle Warriors had a speed of 1.573, being faster than most cavalry units.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
