 |
This article is about the technology in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. For the technology in Age of Empires IV, see Gambesons (Age of Empires IV). |
Gambesons is a technology in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition introduced in update 81058 that can be researched at the Barracks. It can be researched after Supplies has been researched and the Castle Age is reached. Once researched, it increases the pierce armor of the Militia-line units by +1.
Despite lacking Gambesons, the Malians have the Militia-line with the best pierce armor, thanks to their civilization bonus giving them +1/+2/+3 pierce armor in the Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age, resulting in Malian Champions sporting 8 pierce armor.
Despite lacking both Gambesons and Plate Mail Armor, the Romans have the same amount of pierce armor (5) as the Malians in the Castle Age, thanks to their civilization bonus doubling the effect of infantry armor upgrades. In the Imperial Age, the Romans' Legionary upgrade gives 1 pierce armor, so combined with their armor bonus, they end up with +6, the same as a fully upgraded Champion.
Availability chart[]
 Available |  Unavailable
|
|---|---|
- ✝ means that the civilization had access to Gambesons in the past, but does not currently.
Civilizations bonuses[]
Dravidians: Gambesons is 50% cheaper.- Slavs: Gambesons is free.
- Spanish: Receive 20 gold after researching Gambesons.
Team bonuses[]
- Goths: Researching Gambesons is 20% faster.
- Portuguese: Researching Gambesons is 25% faster.
Changelog[]
Return of Rome[]
- With update 87863, the Britons gain access to Gambesons while the Malay lose it.
Development[]
The popularity of the Obuch paved the road for the swordsman line to be made viable. The advantages of the Obuch over the Swordsman line were:
- Armor-tearing effect (special ability) and huge attack vs buildings - offset by lower attack
- ~34% more hit points
- +1/+1 armor
The developers applied the third factor to make the swordsman-line, and to a lesser extent unique heavy infantry, more viable. They already had increased the melee armor some months after Dawn of the Dukes. It was time for a pierce armor increase, which came in the form of a technology, since otherwise it would have been very strong.
History[]
A gambeson (also aketon, padded jack, pourpoint, or arming doublet) is a padded defensive jacket, worn as armour separately, or combined with mail or plate armour. Gambesons were produced with a sewing technique called quilting. They were usually made from linen or wool; the stuffing varied, and could be for example scrap cloth or horse hair. During the 14th century, illustrations usually show buttons or laces up the front.
Trivia[]
- The Gambesons icon is a Knight's armor.
Video[]
