| “ | Malian unique infantry unit with ranged melee attack. Fast-moving. | ” |
| —Age of Empires II description | ||
The Gbeto is the unique unit of the Malians in Age of Empires II HD: The African Kingdoms. It is a light and quick infantry unit with a high long-ranged attack. Gbetos attack by throwing knife-like weapons at the target.
Gbetos can be upgraded to Elite Gbetos in the Imperial Age.
Tactics[]
Gbetos are ranged infantry units, dealing melee damage at range like the Mameluke and Throwing Axeman. They have the longest range of these units, the highest attack, and high movement speed. They are fragile by lack of any base armor and low hit points, but are capable of dealing out considerable damage readouts. Since they move quite fast, they can employ hit-and-run tactics against all other infantry apart from Elite Eagle Warriors, Woad Raiders, and Celtic Condottieri. But by using their range and high melee attack, they can defeat Eagle Warriors quickly, so in total they are effective against the entire infantry branch bar the Teutonic Knight.
Despite their good base range, Gbetos can be outranged by foot archers and are vulnerable against most ranged units due to their low HP and pierce armor. Onagers and Heavy Scorpions can be lethal for Gbetos, but with good micromanagement, they can effectively get close to the machines and destroy them. In any case it is recommended to only use a small army for that tactic, as hits taken have devastating effect. Hand Cannoneers are also quite effective against Gbetos.
Gbetos are in certain ways a better alternative to Cavalry Archers when it comes to hit-and-run attacks. First, because Gbetos deal melee damage, they can easily dispose of units with high pierce armor such as Huskarls, Elite Skirmishers, and Rams whereas Cavalry Archers will have some difficulty even when upgraded. Secondly, Gbetos do not share the former's weakness against Pikemen, and win even if the enemy gets close.
Gbetos are very versatile and can perform various roles effectively. For example, Gbetos upgraded with Arson can destroy unprotected bases quickly and retreat safely when the situation becomes disadvantageous. Gbetos also work well with cavalry units (especially Light Cavalry) because both are fast and can cover each other's weakness. Cavalry acts as meat shield and eliminates units dangerous to Gbetos (especially siege weapons and archers), while Gbetos provide additional damage from behind and protect the cavalry from Pikemen.
Comparison with other ranged melee units[]
 Throwing Axeman line
|
 Gbeto line
|
 Chakram Thrower line
| |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | 55 food, 25 gold | 50 food, 40 gold | 65 food, 30 gold |
| Training time | 13 seconds | 17 seconds | 15 seconds |
| Line of Sight | Range + 2 | Range + 1 | Range + 2 |
| Movement speed | 1 + 0.1 | 1.25 + 0.125 | 1.15 |
| Other properties | Causes 100% pass-through damage | ||
 Castle Age
|
Throwing Axeman
|
Gbeto
|
Chakram Thrower
|
| Hit points | 60 | 40 | 40 |
| Melee attack | 7 | 10 | 3 |
| Attack bonus | +1 vs shock infantry +1 vs standard building |
+1 vs shock infantry | +1 vs shock infantry +1 vs standard building |
| Range | 3+2 | 5 | 5 |
| Attack delay | 1 | 1 | 0.8 |
| Armor | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1/0 |
| Upgrade cost | 850 food, 550 gold | 900 food, 600 gold | 1,000 food, 650 gold |
| Upgrade time | 45 seconds | 45 seconds | 45 seconds |
 Imperial Age
|
 Elite Throwing Axeman
|
 Elite Gbeto
|
 Elite Chakram Thrower
|
| Hit points | 70 | 50 | 50 |
| Melee attack | 8+2 | 13 | 4 |
| Attack bonus | +2 vs shock infantry +2 vs standard building |
+2 vs shock infantry | +2 vs shock infantry +2 vs standard building +1 vs Infantry and Condottiero |
| Range | 4+2 | 6 | 6 |
| Attack delay | 0.82 | 1 | 0.8 |
| Armor | 1/0 | 0/0 | 1/0 |
Common[]
- Rate of Fire: 2
- Armor classes: infantry, unique unit
Comparison with other options[]
Castle Age[]
 Long Swordsman
|
Gbeto
|
 Crossbowman
| |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | 45 food, 20 gold | 50 food, 40 gold | 25 wood, 45 gold |
| Training time | 21 seconds | 17 seconds | 27 seconds |
| Hit Points | 60 | 40 | 35 |
| Attack | 9+2 melee | 10+2 melee | 5+2 pierce |
| Attack Bonus | +6 vs Eagle Warrior +3+2 vs Standard Building |
+1 vs Eagle Warrior 0+2 vs Standard Building |
+3 vs Spearmen |
| Range | 0 | 5 | 5+2 |
| Line of Sight | 6 | Range + 1 | Range + 2 |
| Rate of Fire | 2 | 2 | 2-0.3 |
| Attack delay | N/A | 1 | 0.35 |
| Armor | 1+2/1+4 | 0+2/0+2 | 0+2/0+2 |
| Movement Speed | 0.9 + 0.09 | 1.25 + 0.125 | 0.96 |
| Upgrade Cost | 300 food, 100 gold 750 food, 350 gold |
900 food, 600 gold | 450 food, 400 gold |
| Upgrade Time | 60 seconds 85 seconds |
45 seconds | 50 seconds |
| Attack properties | N/A | Attacks in a straight line | Can track moving targets |
Imperial Age[]
 Champion
|
Elite Gbeto
|
 Arbalester
|
 Hand Cannoneer
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | 45 food, 20 gold | 50 food, 40 gold | 25 wood, 45 gold | 45 food, 50 gold |
| Training time | 21 seconds | 17 seconds | 27 seconds | 34 seconds |
| Hit Points | 70 | 50 | 40 | 40 |
| Attack | 13+2 melee | 13+2 melee | 6+3 pierce | 17 pierce |
| Attack Bonus | +8 vs Eagle Warrior +4+2 vs Standard Building |
+2 vs Eagle Warrior 0+2 vs Standard Building |
+3 vs Spearman | +10 vs Infantry +2 vs Ram +1 vs Spearman |
| Range | 0 | 6 | 5+2 | 7 |
| Line of Sight | 7 | Range + 1 | Range + 2 | Range + 2 |
| Rate of Fire | 2 | 2 | 2-0.3 | 3.45 |
| Attack delay | N/A | 1 | 0.35 | 0.35 |
| Armor | 1+3/1+7 | 0+3/0+4 | 0+3/0+4 | 1+3/0+4 |
| Movement Speed | 0.9 + 0.09 | 1.25 + 0.124 | 0.96 | 0.96 |
| Attack properties | N/A | Attacks in a straight line | Can track moving targets | Attacks in a straight line |
Further statistics[]
As Gbetos are unique to the Malians, only technologies that are available to them are shown in the following table:
| Strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Elite Skirmishers, Pikemen, Cavalry Archers, Battering Rams, infantry, Light Cavalry |
| Weak vs. | Archers, Scorpions, Mangonels, Boyars, Teutonic Knights, Hand Cannoneers |
| Technologies | |
|---|---|
 Regeneration
|
 Stronghold (30 HP/min when within 18 tiles square of a team Celts Castle)
|
| Attack |  Forging (+1) Iron Casting (+1) Arson (+2 attack against standard buildings)
|
| Armor |  Scale Mail Armor (+1/+1) Chain Mail Armor (+1/+1) Plate Mail Armor (+1/+2)
|
| Conversion resistance |  Devotion (+1 min, +1 max) Faith (+4 min, +4 max) Heresy (die upon getting converted)
|
 Movement speed
|
 Squires (+10%)
|
| Creation speed |  Conscription (+33%) Kasbah (+25%, with a Berber ally only)
|
Team bonuses[]
Armenians: Gbetos have +2 Line of Sight.- Bulgarians: Researching Infantry armor and attack upgrades at the Blacksmith is 80% faster.
- Goths: Researching Squires and Arson is 20% faster.
- Lithuanians: Researching Heresy, Devotion, and Faith is 20% faster.
- Portuguese: Upgrades that benefit Gbetos are researched 25% faster.
- Teutons: Gbetos are more resistant to conversion.
Changelog[]
The African Kingdoms[]
- On release, Elite Gbetos had 14 attack. With patch 4.8, their attack is reduced to 13.
- Gbetos have 30 hit points.
Definitive Edition[]
- Tracking removed; all infantry now receive +2 LOS from the Feudal Age instead.
- Initially, the Gbeto had an attack delay of 1.2. With update 42848, Gbetos have an attack delay of 1.0.
Dawn of the Dukes[]
- Update 56005: Gbetos have 35 hit points.
Dynasties of India[]
- With update 81058, (Elite) Gbeto have 40 (50) hit points.
Heroes[]
There is one hero in the game with the appearance of a Gbeto:
- Yodit (only in the HD Edition)
- Mema Princess - Blood on the River Bank
Trivia[]
- The Gbeto is the second trainable female unit, after the female Villager. Gbetos use the female Villager voice lines.
- If a Gbeto is left idle, she will start throwing her kpinga vertically with one of her hands, and then catch the knife with the same hand.
- In Fon language (a language native to Benin, a small West African nation), the word gbeto means "huntress". And according to Hélène d'Almeida-Topor (a French historian specialized in Dahomey history), the Dahomey Amazons (an all-female military regiment of Dahomey Kingdom located in today's Benin) were formed from elephant huntresses.[1][2] It is unknown why they were picked as the Malian unique unit since historically, they were not part of the Mali Empire; though there remains the possibility that the in-game Malian civilization represents not just the Mali empire but also other West African peoples, including the Fon, to whom the Gbeto and Dahomey Amazon belong.
- The Gbeto is armed with a Kpinga throwing knife, which in real life is wielded by the Azande, not the Fon.
- However, in her unit icon in the Definitive Edition before update 141935, she wields single-bladed & one-edged throwing knives that appear to resemble (the unrelated) Kukris.
- A historically appropriate unique unit for the Malians would be the Mali Empire's elite cavalry corps, the Farari (sg. Farariya). Indeed, one type of farari is the namesake of Malians' unique technology Farimba ("great brave man").
- The Gbeto appears as the Dahomey Amazon in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition - The African Royals, being a mercenary ranged infantry.
- Their counterparts in Age of Empires IV are the Musofadi Warrior and Musofadi Gunner, both of which are unique to the Malians.
- The Elite Gbeto bears resemblance to the Dora Milaje troops from the Marvel franchise.
Gallery[]
Video overview[]
