Hand Cart

Hand Cart
Availability
Introduced in	The Age of Kings
Civilization	All civilizations
Age	Castle Age
Research
Researched at	Town Center
Prerequisite(s)	Wheelbarrow
Food	300
Wood	200
Research time	55 seconds
Effect
Villagers carry 50% more and move 10% faster

Hand Cart is a technology in Age of Empires II that can be researched at the Town Center once the Castle Age is reached. Once researched, it allows Villagers to carry 50% more resources and move 10% faster.

Carry capacity comparison table

Since civilization bonuses are applied before Hand Cart, Aztec Villagers benefit even more from this technology than a generic Villager.

	Unupgraded	Wheelbarrow	Hand Cart
Villager (generic)	10	13	20
Villager (Aztecs)	13	17	26
Hunter (generic)	35	44	66
Hunter (Goths)	50	63	95

Civilization bonuses

• Burgundians: Can research Hand Cart in the Feudal Age. Hand Cart costs -50% food.
• Chinese: Hand Cart is 15%/20% cheaper in the Castle/Imperial Age.
• Persians: Researching Hand Cart is 15%/20% faster in the Castle/Imperial Age.
• Portuguese: Researching Hand Cart is 30% faster.
• Vietnamese: Hand Cart costs no wood.
• Vikings: Hand Cart is free.

Changelog

Rise of the Rajas

• Vietnamese: Hand Cart costs the regular price.

Definitive Edition

• Vietnamese: With update 35584, Hand Cart costs no wood.
• Portuguese: With update 42848, Hand Cart is researched 30% faster.

Lords of the West

• Burgundians: With update 47820, Hand Cart costs -50% food.

Trivia

• During development, Age of Mythology had a technology that was essentially a successor to its Age of Empires II counterpart, even being called Hand Cart and requiring the Wheelbarrow. However, the gathering capacity increase was given to Husbandry, Pickaxe, and Hand Axe instead.

History

“	The hand cart or simple wagon pulled by a horse or other animal was an improvement in land transport and boosted productivity. A man with a cart could carry the load of many men and more cheaply. The demand for carts was a boost to the economy itself by creating jobs for horse breeders, harness makers, cart makers, and wheelwrights.	”
—Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings game manual