| “ | Mounted skirmisher. Trainable by Berbers and their allies. | ” |
| —Age of Empires II description | ||
The Genitour is the second unique unit of the Berbers in Age of Empires II HD: The African Kingdoms. It can be trained at the Archery Range once the Castle Age is reached. It is essentially a mounted Skirmisher. Since Genitours cost no gold, they are considered trash units.
Genitours can be upgraded to Elite Genitours in the Imperial Age.
The Genitour is the team bonus of the Berbers, so it is a shared unique unit, i.e. it is available to any player allied with a Berber player.
Further statistics[]
| Strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Archers, Monks, most infantry units (with hit-and-run tactics) |
| Weak vs. | Camel Riders, siege units, Huskarls, Eagle Warriors, Woad Raiders, Ghulams |
| Conditional matchups | Genoese Crossbowmen |
| Technologies | |
|---|---|
| Hit points |  Bloodlines (+20) Sipahi (+20, Turks only)
|
| Attack |  Fletching (+1) Bodkin Arrow (+1) Bracer (+1) Chemistry (+1) Atlatl (+1, Aztecs only) Recurve Bow (+1, Magyars only)
|
| Range | Fletching (+1) Bodkin Arrow (+1) Bracer (+1) Atlatl (+1, Aztecs only) Recurve Bow (+1, Magyars only) Andean Sling (eliminates minimum range, Incas only)
|
| Accuracy |  Thumb Ring (increases accuracy to 100%) Ballistics (hit moving targets)
|
| Additional projectiles | Hul'che Javelineers (1 pierce attack, Mayans only)
|
| Armor |  Padded Archer Armor (+1/+1) Leather Archer Armor (+1/+1) Ring Archer Armor (+1/+2) Silk Armor (+1/+1, Tatars only) Tower Shields (0/+2, Lithuanians only)
|
| Conversion resistance |  Devotion (+1 min, +1 max) Faith (+4 min, +4 max) Heresy (die upon getting converted) First Crusade (+4 min, +4 max, Sicilians only)
|
| Movement speed |  Husbandry (+10%)
|
| Resource cost | Kshatriyas (-25% food, Gurjaras only)
|
| Creation speed |  Conscription (+33%)
|
| Other | Aznauri Cavalry (-15% population, Georgians only)
|
| Civilization bonuses | |
|---|---|
| Hit points |  Franks (+20%) Vietnamese (+20%)
|
| Regeneration |  Georgians (15% hit points per minute)
|
| Attack |  Gurjaras (+30%/+40% bonus damage in the Castle/Imperial Age) Japanese (+2 vs archers, except skirmishers) Tatars (+20% damage {+50% instead of +25%} from elevations)
|
| Damage resistance | Georgians (-20% {-40% instead of -25%} on higher elevations) Sicilians (-33% bonus damage)
|
| Attack speed |  Dravidians (+25%) Mongols (+25%)
|
| Movement speed |  Cumans (+10%/15% in the Castle/Imperial Age)
|
| Resource cost |  Byzantines (-25%) Incas (-20%/25% food in the Castle/Imperial Age) Huns (-10%/20% in the Castle Age/Imperial Age) Koreans (-50% wood)
|
| Creation speed |  Aztecs (+11%)
|
| Other |  Celts (can convert herdable animals even if enemy units are next to them)
|
| Team bonuses | |
|---|---|
| Conversion resistance |  Teutons (+3 min, +1 max)
|
| Line of Sight | Tatars (+2)
|
| Creation speed |  Britons (+10%) Magyars (+25%)
|
Supplementary[]
Because they are a shared unique unit, Genitours from an allied player can benefit from the following bonuses:
- Civilization bonuses
Bohemians: Chemistry is available in the Castle Age.- Bulgarians: Blacksmith upgrades that benefit Genitours cost -50% food.
- Burgundians: Husbandry is 50% cheaper.
- Burmese: Researching Devotion and Faith is 50% cheaper.
- Cumans: Archery Ranges cost -75 wood.
- Chinese: Technologies that benefit Genitours are 5%/10%/15% cheaper in the Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age.
- Italians: Ballistics and Chemistry are 33% cheaper.
- Koreans: Archer Armor upgrades are free.
- Spanish: Blacksmith upgrades that benefit Genitours cost no gold. Researching technologies that benefit Genitours provides 20 gold each.
- Tatars: Thumb Ring is free.
- Turks: Chemistry is free.
- Vietnamese: Conscription is free.
- Team bonuses
- Britons: Genitours are upgraded 10% faster. Researching Thumb Ring is 10% faster.
- Bulgarians: Blacksmith technologies that benefit Genitours are researched 80% faster.
- Huns: Researching Bloodlines and Husbandry is 20% faster.
- Lithuanians: Researching Heresy, Devotion and Faith is 20% faster.
- Malians: Researching Ballistics and Chemistry is 80% faster.
- Portuguese: The Elite Genitour upgrade is researched 25% faster. All relevant upgrades are researched 25% faster.
Tactics[]
Genitours are excellent counters against any archer-using opponent. Due to their comparatively high hit points and attack bonus against all archer units, Genitours emerge victorious against almost any archer unit (except the Genoese Crossbowman) in the game. They can also be used to hit-and-run against infantry, but the regular Cavalry Archer is much better suited for that due to its higher base attack. Encounters with cavalry and siege weapons should be avoided, because the Genitours cannot make use of any of their beneficial traits against these units.
Considering that Skirmishers are very low-value units against non-archer units, have range, and that Genitours have good speed, Genitours become excellent as Monk-deterrents. Even if converted, they will not be much useful to the enemy, especially in 1vs1 against the Berbers' cavalry units.
Comparison to Skirmishers[]
Since both units are available from Castle Age and fill the same anti-archer role, it is fair to compare them. While in general similar in terms of use on the battlefield, the Genitour has advantages and drawbacks in comparison with a standard Elite Skirmisher. It is 40% faster, has significantly more hit points (+15, +20 for Elite; even more so with Bloodlines), and can hit-and-run against infantry. With the Elite upgrade, it even has +1 attack over Elite Skirmishers. On the other hand, it requires 60% more food to train, has -1 range and is vulnerable to anti-cavalry units like Camel Riders and Pikemen.
Comparison table[]
 Skirmisher line
|
 Genitour line
| |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 25 food, 35 wood | 40 food, 35 wood |
| Speed | 0.96 | 1.35 |
| Training time | 22s | 25s |
| Range | 5 | 4 |
| Attack delay | 0.52 | 0.5 |
 Castle Age
|
 Elite Skirmisher
|
Genitour
|
| Hit points | 35 | 50 |
| Pierce attack | 3 | 3 |
| Attack bonus | +4 vs Archers +3 vs Spearman +2 vs Cavalry Archer |
+4 vs Archers +3 vs Spearman |
| Accuracy | 90 | 90 |
| Armor | 0/4 | 0/4 |
| Line of Sight | 7 | 5 |
| Upgrade cost and time |
300 wood, 450 gold 50 seconds |
500 food, 450 wood 60 seconds |
 Imperial Age
|
 Imperial Skirmisher
|
Elite Genitour
|
| Hit points | 35 | 55 |
| Pierce attack | 4 | 4 |
| Attack bonus | +5 vs Archers +3 vs Spearman +4 vs Cavalry Archer |
+5 vs Archers +3 vs Spearman +2 vs Cavalry Archer |
| Accuracy | 95 | 90 |
| Armor | 0/5 | 0/4 |
| Line of Sight | 7 | 6 |
Whether or not to use Genitours depends much on the player's playing style, their civilization, and the current situation. For the Berbers, Genitours are usually preferred in the Imperial Age, because they fit in nicely with the Berber cavalry army and do not lag behind like Skirmishers do. In general, Genitours are favorable against civilizations using Cavalry Archers and, naturally, for the Turks as they lack Elite Skirmishers and have fantastic Genitours with their Sipahi technology. Genitours are a strong addition to the Japanese roster, as they have a larger-than-usual bonus attack against archers, which are a threat to any Japanese infantry army.
Comparison of bonuses and upgrades[]
| Skirmisher line
|
Genitour line
|
Common Upgrades |
|---|---|---|
 Lithuanians Skirmisher speed boost Saracens team bonus Yeomen
|
Bloodlines and Franks cavalry HP boost Husbandry and Cumans cavalry speed boost Georgians HP regeneration Gurjaras increased bonus damage Huns cavalry archer discount Japanese +2 attack vs. Archer armor class Mongols cavalry archer attack speed boost Tatars team bonus Aznauri Cavalry Recurve Bow Silk Armor Sipahi
|
Thumb Ring (equal effect) Fletching line Chemistry Ballistics Padded Archer Armor line Byzantines counter unit discount Dravidians Skirmisher attack speed boost Koreans archer units cost -50% wood and armor upgrades free Vietnamese archers HP boost Andean Sling Atlatl Hul'che Javelineers Tower Shields
|
Changelog[]
The African Kingdoms[]
- Non-Elite Genitours initially have 4 attack and 3 range. With patch 4.8, they have 3 attack and 4 range.
- Non-Elite Genitours have 3 pierce armor.
- Genitours cost 50 food, 35 wood.
- Aztecs: Initially, the civilization bonus that gives a creation speed boost to all military units does not apply to Genitours. With patch 4.8, however, this was fixed.
- Koreans: Genitours are trained at the regular cost.
Definitive Edition[]
- Genitours have +2 attack bonus against Spearmen.
- With update 35584, non-Elite Genitours have 4 pierce armor.
- 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 and all Blacksmith upgrades cost -50% food.
- Cumans: Initially, Genitours move 10% faster. With update 34055, the bonus was staggered to 10%/15% in the Castle/Imperial Age and Cumans lost access to Husbandry.
- Koreans: Genitours cost -15% wood. With update 39284, they cost -20% wood.
- Koreans: With update 42848, Archer Armor upgrades are free.
- Portuguese: With update 42848, all technologies are researched 30% faster.
- Tatars: Originally, Silk Armor only provides +1 pierce armor. With update 42848, it provides +1 melee armor as well.
Lords of the West[]
- Mayans: With update 44725, Hul'che Javelineers is introduced to replace Obsidian Arrows; Hul'che Javelineers improves Genitours by making them throw a second projectile.
- Saracens: With update 44725, Genitours no longer gain attack bonus against standard buildings.
Dynasties of India[]
- With update 61321, Genitours cost 40 food, 35 wood.
- Gurjaras: With update 66692, Genitours deal +40% bonus damage. With update 73855, the percentage is lowered to +30% in the Castle Age. With update 78174, rounding errors were resolved.
- Byzantines: With update 81058, Genitours benefit from the Skirmisher discount bonus.
- Lithuanians: With update 81058, Genitours benefit from Tower Shields.
- Magyars: With update 81058, Genitours benefit from Recurve Bow.
- Incas: With update 81058, Genitours cost -25%/30% food in the Castle/Imperial Age. The team bonus giving Genitours +2 Line of Sight is replaced.
- With update 81058, (Elite) Genitours receive a new Skirmisher armor class.
Return of Rome[]
- Chinese: With update 87863, technologies that benefit Genitours are 5%/10%/15% cheaper in the Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age.
- Koreans: With update 87863, Genitours cost -50% wood.
The Mountain Royals[]
- With update 95810, Genitours have +3 attack bonus against Spearmen.
- Incas: With update 99311, they cost -20%/-25% food in the Castle/Imperial Age.
- Persians: With update 95810, Genitours get 5 gold for each military unit killed. With update 99311, this bonus is removed.
Heroes[]
There is one hero in the game with the appearance of a Genitour:
- Tariq ibn Ziyad (only in the HD Edition)
Genitour before The African Kingdoms[]
The Genitour was an incomplete mounted archer unit found only in the Scenario Editor of Age of Empires II: The Conquerors. The unit had the sprite of the Militia as a placeholder. Although it holds a club, it actually throws spears towards the enemy very much like a Skirmisher.
It was initially planned to be the Spanish unique unit as a mounted Skirmisher, but was replaced by the Conquistador.
Despite being in the form of a Militia, the icon reveals an image of a Cavalry Archer. Furthermore, the unit also makes sound effects similar to the Cavalry Archer. The Genitour is affected by the cavalry archer upgrades.
The infantry-looking Genitour no longer appears in the Scenario Editor (since patch 5.1), but is still present in the game files with the same statistics.
With The African Kingdoms, the unit was completed and made a trainable unit.
Campaign appearances[]
- An infantry-looking Elite Genitour unit named Farrier appears in the The Dragon Spreads His Wings scenario.
- An infantry-looking Genitour unit named Sapper appears in the Arrival at Bari scenario. The player gains control over him when the player finds out that the path leading to the "weak spot" of Bari is blocked by rocks. Once the Sapper reaches the rocks, he will disappear along with the rocks, but the player's army is now able to continue their journey.
Trivia[]
- The term "Genitour" is derived from "Jinete", meaning "horseman" in Spanish, which itself is derived from "Zenata", which is a Berber tribe who first used such tactics. Jinetes were historically deployed as a kind of mounted fast-moving skirmishers, which is depicted rather accurately in the game, though the use of the term is rather odd for a civilization such as the Berbers. A more accurate iteration of the in-game name would be the original root Zenata, which is used in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition - The African Royals as the Zenata Rider; or in the name of the unit in Spanish: Escaramuzador Zenete.
- Zenata Cavalry were often employed on behalf of different rulers, in exchange for payment of various forms: "These Zanata proved the most effective soldiers in the Nasrid armies [...] In 1301 Muhammad II agreed to send a corps of Zanata to Jaime II of Aragon in exchange for galleys [...] There may have been as many as 10,000 at times, though the 600 whom Muhammad V sent to help Pedro the Cruel of Castile was probably a more typical force" (Hugh Kennedy, Muslim Spain and Portugal: A Political History of al-Andalus). This is likely the inspiration behind its availability to allied players.
- Genitours are one of only three unique trash units. The others are Imperial Skirmishers and Magyar Huszars (if Corvinian Army is researched).
- The Turks are arguably the most grateful for access to the Genitour. Their skirmishers are the worst in the game, and Sipahi puts their Genitours among the best with Gurjaras, Tatars and Vietnamese.
- The Genitour is the only shared unit that can be trained in the Castle Age, making it the earliest shared unit that is available to train.
- The changes in the Definitive Edition and Dynasties of India were made because they were underused, being vulnerable to the Spearman line without additional attack in the HD Edition, having one less armor in the Castle Age than Elite Skirmishers, and mostly, costing too much food, which is essential in early game. As a result, apart from Turks, which do not have access to it, most civilizations preferred to use Elite Skirmishers.
- Since the Genitour is a team bonus, it is lost in Full Tech Tree mode.
- Genitours are the only cavalry archers that are not affected by Parthian Tactics.
Gallery[]
Video overview[]
