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This article is about the Age of Empires IV unit. For the unit in Age of Empires II, see Ghulam (Age of Empires II). |
| “ | Tough infantry that deal two attacks in rapid succession. | ” |
| —Age of Empires IV description | ||
The Ghulam is a heavy melee infantry unit in Age of Empires IV starting in Season Five. They can be trained at the Barracks from Castle Age by the Abbasid Dynasty and the Ayyubids. They replace the Man-at-Arms and have a greater cost, increased health, lower attack and a faster attack speed with the Quick Strike ability.
The Ghulam is also available to the Byzantines as a mercenary unit, trainable after choosing the Eastern Mercenary Contract.
Ability[]
Quick Strike (passive): Although the ability is described as 'Quickly deals a second hit after finishing an attack', it can be thought of as just an enhancement that increases its attack speed to attacking every 0.813s on average (1.625 seconds for both attacks).
The Quick Strike ability is also independent of the Ghulam's charge attack. While all Men-at-Arms have a charge attack where they gain increased speed, the Ghulam uniquely gains a damage bonus from this attack, similar to heavy cavalry. Like all Ayyubid and Abbasid Dynasty infantry, they can build Mangonels and Springalds in addition to Battering Rams and Siege Towers with no research required.
Unit comparison[]
 Man-at-Arms
|
 Ghulam
| |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 100 food, 20 gold | 120 food, 30 gold |
| Hit points | 155 (Regular) 180 (Elite) |
195 (Regular) 225 (Elite) |
| Move Speed | 1.13 | 1.19 |
| Attack Speed | 1.38 | 1.13* |
| Training Time | 22.5 s | 26 s |
| Abilities | Double Strike |
Tactics[]
Although in the original patch notes the Ghulam was described as being more effective vs unarmored units and less effective vs. armored units, in reality this is rarely the case. Although it deals two less damage, its attack speed is so much greater that, for an unupgraded Ghulam, an enemy unit would need to have at least 8 melee armor for it to deal less DPS than an unupgraded Man-at-Arms, approximately breaking even at 7 armor. This armor requirement gets even higher after upgrades are added, and does not even take into account the extra charge attack bonus. Therefore, for all intents and purposes, a Ghulam can be thought of as simply an improved Man-at-Arms, in fact only losing to the fully upgraded Holy Roman Empire Man-at-Arms. Along with its increased DPS and slightly higher speed, after researching Boot Camp it becomes incredibly tanky, having almost as much health as a standard heavy cavalry. All this does come at a higher cost compared to the standard Man-at-arms. Overall, the same tactics apply when fighting with or against Ghulams as do with Men-at-Arms.
Further statistics[]
| Strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Archers, Horsemen, Spearmen |
| Weak vs. | Crossbowmen, Musofadi Warrior, Onna-Musha |
| Technologies | |
|---|---|
 Hit points
|
 Elite Army Tactics (+15%)  Boot Camp (+15%,  Abbasid Dynasty)
|
| Attack |  Bloomery (+1) Decarbonization (+1) Damascus Steel (+1) Elite Army Tactics (+15%) Sultan's Mamluks (+25% for 30 seconds after killing an enemy unit,  Ayyubids)
|
| Armor |  Fitted Leatherwork (+1 melee) Insulated Helm (+1 melee) Master Smiths (+1 melee) Iron Undermesh (+1 ranged) Wedge Rivets (+1 ranged) Angled Surfaces (+1 ranged)
|
 Movement speed
|
Sultan's Mamluks (+20% for 30 seconds after killing an enemy unit, Ayyubids)
|
| Creation speed |  Military Academy (+33%)
|
| Ability |  Infantry Support (+3/+3 armor to nearby camels, Ayyubids)
|
| Aura and ability enhancements | |
|---|---|
| Hit points
|
 Atabeg Supervision (+20%, Ayyubids)
|
| Armor |  Camel Support (+2 melee/ranged, Abbasid Dynasty)
|
| Damage resistance |  Wall Defense (-25% ranged, -50% siege)
|
| Creation speed |  Golden Age Tier 3 (+20%)
|
Mercenary Ghulams[]
The Byzantines can purchase Ghulams with Olive Oil from a Mercenary House after researching Eastern Mercenary and Veteran Contracts. Once unlocked, they can train automatically from the Golden Horn Tower. In addition to generic upgrades, they benefit from the following Byzantine unique bonuses:
| Further statistics | |
|---|---|
| Hit points
|
 Foreign Engineering Company (+15%, grants Boot Camp)
|
 Regeneration
|
 Pilgrim Flask (25 hp/s for 6 seconds, requires Cistern of the First Hill)
|
| Attack |  Improved Torch (+25% torch attack, requires Trapezites)
|
| Armor | Camel Support (+2 melee/ranged, requires Foreign Engineering Company)
|
| Movement speed
|
 Naval Deployment (+50% speed for 12 seconds after unloading from a Transport Ship)
|
| Creation speed |   Conscriptio Influence (+20% per Cistern water level) Trade Post (+50%)
|
Note: Mercenary Ghulams can build Mangonels and Springalds even without researching Siege Engineering, but require it to build Battering Rams and Siege Towers.
Dialogue lines[]
- Main article: /Dialogue lines
Changelog[]
- With update 7.0.5861, Ghulams replaced the standard Man-at-Arms previously used by the Abbasid Dynasty.
- Originally, the Elite Ghulam had 5 ranged armor. With update 12.0.1974, it has 6.
Gallery[]
