| “ | Stronger than Fire Ship. Spews fire at other ships. | ” |
| —Age of Empires II description | ||
The Fast Fire Ship is a naval vessel in Age of Empires II that can be trained at the Dock once the Imperial Age is reached. Like its predecessor, it is a ship with a "flamethrower" mounted on the bow. The Fast Fire Ship has an attack bonus against other ships, but it must come in very close to enemy ships in order to attack.
In comparison to its predecessor, the Fast Fire Ship deals more damage and is better armored. As the name suggests, the Fast Fire Ship is also faster than its predecessor and now able to catch up with Galleons, which is a major improvement. The attack rate, however, remains the same.
| Available | Unavailable |
|---|---|
The * indicates that the civilization can fully upgrade their Fast Fire Ships, i.e. gets Dry Dock. Faith and Heresy are not taken into account because they only contribute to their combat strength in a very situational manner.
The ^ indicates that the civilization has at least one civilization or team bonus or a unique technology that benefits the combat strength of the Fast Fire Ship.
Tactics
Ships in mid-battle.
Although the Fast Fire Ship is better on a close confrontation against a Galleon, Galleons are usually preferred for their lower cost and superior range which can increase benefits from scouting. In large-scale confrontations, a fleet of Galleons can defeat a fleet of Fast Fire Ships comfortably due to their superior range, but if properly supported by other naval vessels, a fleet of Fast Fire Ships can sink down a fleet of Galleons easily. Fast Fire Ships are also vulnerable against Demolition Ships and Turtle Ships, two other ship types that require a close range to attack.
Further statistics
| Unit strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Transport Ships, Fishing Ships, buildings in the shoreline, melee units in the shallows, Galleons, Cannon Galleons |
| Weak vs. | Demolition Ships, Turtle Ships, Longboats, towers, Castles, ranged siege units on the shoreline |
| Upgrades | |
| Range |  Greek Fire (+1, Byzantines only)
|
| Armor |  Careening (+0/+1)
|
| Speed |  Dry Dock (+15%)
|
| Conversion defense |  Faith Heresy
|
| Creation speed |  Shipwright (+54%)
|
| Train cost | Shipwright (-20%)
|
Civilization bonuses
- Aztecs: Fast Fire Ships are created 18% faster.
- Berbers: Fast Fire Ships move 10% faster.
- Byzantines: Fast Fire Ships fire 25% faster.
- Italians: Researching Careening, Dry Dock, and Shipwright is 50% cheaper.
- Persians: Fast Fire Ships are created 20% faster. Careening and Dry Dock are researched 20% faster.
- Tatars: Fast Fire Ship deal 50% bonus damage from elevations.
- Koreans: Fast Fire Ship cost 20% less wood.
Team bonuses
- A team containing Lithuanians: Researching Heresy and Faith is 20% faster.
- A team containing Teutons: Fast Fire Ships are more resistant to conversion.
Changelog
The Age of Kings
- Fast Fire Ships have 120 HP.
- Fast Fire Ships have 8 pierce armor and 6 bonus armor against anti-ship attacks.
- Shipwright reduces the wood cost by 20%.
The Conquerors
- Fast Fire Ships now have 8 pierce armor and 7 bonus armor against anti-ship attacks.
- With patch 1.0b, Shipwright also decreases train time by 35% now.
- Heresy introduced.
The Forgotten
- Fast Fire Ships now have 140 HP.
- Byzantines: Greek Fire introduced.
The African Kingdoms
- Fast Fire Ships now have 9 pierce armor and 9 bonus armor against anti-ship attacks.
- Fire Galley introduced.
- With patch 4.8, Fast Fire Ships are affected by Ballistics.
- Malians: Cannot upgrade to Fast Fire Ship.
The Rise of Rajas
- Fast Fire Ship now have 8 pierce armor again.
Definitive Edition
- Koreans: Fast Fire Ships cost 15% less wood. With update 39284, they cost 20% less wood.
- Malians: Fast Fire Ship added to their technology tree.
Trivia
- The Fire Ship is based on the Byzantine Dromon galleys and their Greek fire weapon. However, it is incorrectly depicted without oars.
- The Fire Ships are the only units in the game without an integer range.
- The Fast Fire Ship and the Fire Ship are the only units in the game to deal both melee and pierce damage.
- Fast Fire Ships deal bonus damage against the cheat unit Saboteur (since The Conquerors) because it is in the same unit class as ships.
History
| “ | The fire ship was improved over the years to increase its speed, maneuverability, and armor. Constantinople was successfully defended by its navy of fast fire ships for many centuries. | ” |
Gallery
