This article is about the unit in Age of Empires. For the similar unit in Age of Empires II, see Fire Galley (Age of Empires II). |
“ | A fast warship with a short-ranged fire attack to defeat other ships. Superior to Triremes in one-on-one combat. Suffers additional damage from siege weapons and Catapult Triremes. | ” |
—Age of Empires description |
The Fire Galley is a short-range warship in Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome that is used by civilizations lacking the Catapult Trireme (except Choson), as well as the Greeks. It can be built at the Dock in the Iron Age once War Galley is researched.
They are the very first fire ship to appear in the Age of Empires series and are the predecessor of the same unit in Age of Empires II.
Civilizations[]
Available | Unavailable |
---|---|
- - indicates that the civilization cannot fully upgrade their Fire Galleys.
- + indicates that the civilization has at least one civilization bonus that benefits the combat strength of their Fire Galleys.
Gameplay[]
Since Fire Galleys have 24 attack (30 with Alchemy researched) and a very fast rate of fire, they can easily defeat a Trireme and any other warship in one-on-one combat. However, they take additional damage from siege weapons and catapult-mounted ships so it is advised to keep them away from the coast of an enemy settlement. Since Fire Galleys can only attack within range of 2, they are best suited in open water where they avoid challenges from siege weapons and towers located inland. Fire Galleys are also best used in small groups since only one of them is needed to take out a Trireme. Other than that, Fire Galleys dominate the sea. Carthaginian Fire Galleys possess the highest attack on the sea since they have 30 base attack (36 with Alchemy researched), making them stronger than even a Phoenician Juggernaut due to its faster firing rate.
Further statistics[]
Unit strengths and weaknesses | |
---|---|
Strong vs. | Ships |
Weak vs. | Siege units |
Upgrades | |
Attack | Alchemy (+6) |
Civilization bonuses[]
- Carthaginians: Fire Galleys have +6 attack.
- Greeks: Fire Galleys have +20% speed.
Team bonuses[]
- Palmyrans: Researching technologies that benefit Fire Galleys are 30% faster.
Changelog[]
Age of Empires[]
- Fire Galleys take 45 seconds to train.
- Greeks do not have access to the Fire Galley.
Definitive Edition[]
- Fire Galleys take 60 seconds to train.
- Greeks have access to the Fire Galley.
Return of Rome[]
- Team bonuses added:
- Carthaginians: Fire Galleys have +1 pierce armor.
- Palmyrans: Technologies benefiting Fire Galleys researched 30% faster.
- With update 99311, the Carthaginian team bonus is replaced.
History[]
“ | Because ships were built primarily of combustible materials (wood, cloth, hemp, and pitch), fire was a devastating weapon against them. Ancient mariners devised several ways to set enemy ships on fire. The simplest was to fire flaming arrows or ballista bolts on an enemy ship. Next most useful were flaming grenades, something like modern Molotov cocktails, filled with a combustible liquid like oil. Most intricate were flaming firepots suspended from the bow of a ship by a pole. When the pole was positioned over the deck of an enemy ship, the pot was dropped, shattering it and spreading burning liquid over the deck. | ” |
—The Rise of Rome manual |
Trivia[]
- The Fire Galley is based on the Byzantine Dromon galleys and their Greek fire weapon. However, this is anachronistic as Dromons were developed after the 5th century AD and the Greek fire after the 7th century AD.
- The Fire Galley was originally available only to civilizations that lack access to the Catapult Trireme (excluding the Choson), and hence was unavailable even in the Full Tech Tree. In the Definitive Edition, that's no longer the case because the user interface has more slots than in the original version. In update 38862, the Greeks now have access to the Fire Galley, making them the only civilization with access to all warships in the game.
- A Carthaginian Fire Galley with Alchemy researched gets 36 attack, the highest among warships.
Gallery[]
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Catapult Trireme |
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War Galley |
Units in Age of Empires | |
---|---|
Civilian | Villager · Trade Cart |
Other | Priest · Slinger · Artifact |
Civilian ship | Fishing Boat · Fishing Ship Trade Boat · Merchant Ship Light Transport · Heavy Transport |
Infantry | Clubman · Axeman Short Swordsman · Broad Swordsman · Long Swordsmen · Legionary Hoplite · Phalangite · Centurion |
Archer | Bowman Improved Bowman · Composite Bowman Chariot Archer Horse Archer · Heavy Horse Archer Elephant Archer |
Cavalry | Scout Chariot · Scythe Chariot Cavalry · Heavy Cavalry · Cataphract War Elephant · Armored Elephant Camel Rider |
Siege | Stone Thrower · Catapult · Heavy Catapult Ballista · Helepolis |
War Ship | Scout Ship · War Galley · Trireme Catapult Trireme · Juggernaut Fire Galley |
Scenario Editor-only units | |
Chieftain · Donkey · Explorer · General · High Priest · Horse · Mercenary (removed) · Penguin · Pharaoh · Raft · War Chest |