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This article is about the unit in Age of Empires. For the unit in Age of Mythology, see Hoplite (Age of Mythology).

ā€œA slow and heavy infantry unit with a powerful attack.ā€
—In-game description in the Definitive Edition

The Hoplite is a heavy infantry unit in Age of Empires that can be trained at the Academy from the Bronze Age. It is the earliest and weakest of the Academy's trio of units; however, it is still one of the most powerful melee troops in Age of Empires.

Civilizations[]

Hoplites are available to all civilizations except for the Persians.

Gameplay[]

Hoplites are the earliest heavy infantry unit, and are one of the game's strongest close-range combatants; they deal even more damage than the Legionary and Cataphract, and are highly durable against melee attacks. The downsides are their lack of speed (slightly slower or faster than other infantry depending on whether the player has researched Aristocracy), and being somewhat expensive.

Heavy infantry are most effective against other melee units, particularly as a counter to expensive Cavalry. They can also break quickly through fortifications, although they need shield upgrades to withstand arrow/Ballista fire.

Like other infantry units, Hoplites struggle against archers in open terrain as, it takes them so long to reach melee range. Horse Archers and Chariot Archers in particular can run circles around them, and Ballistae can bring them down from long distances. They fare better against land Catapults than other infantry, however, as these projectiles count as melee attacks, against which Hoplite-line units are exceptionally resistant.

The biggest concern for Hoplite-line units are Priests, which can target them from long distances. After conversion, they become a potent thorn in their former owner's side. The exception is if playing as or against Macedonians, as they have high resistance to conversion and cannot field any Priests themselves. Macedonian Hoplite-line units also get a pierce armor bonus, and the Greeks' have a movement bonus, so these civilizations mitigate heavy infantry's usual weaknesses.

While Hoplite-line units are more expensive and take longer to train than other infantry, and don't benefit from Logistics, they are still easier to amass than gold-intensive Cavalry and food-intensive War Elephants. Players with a limited economy, population cap, or reinforcement urgency may be better-served by Swordsman-line units, but otherwise a set of Academies churning out heavy infantry is likely to be the best solution for melee supremacy.

Hoplites can be upgraded in the Iron Age to Phalangites by many civilizations, for a bonus to melee armor and damage. Some civilizations can further upgrade them to the Centurion, which is more durable to all damage and far more powerful, the most damaging melee unit in the game after the Fire Galley.

Further statistics[]

Unit strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs. Cavalry, infantry, buildings
Weak vs. Archers, Priests, siege weapons
Upgrades
Attack Toolworking Toolworking (+2)
Metalworkingicon Metalworking (+2)
Metallurgyicon Metallurgy (+3)
Armor Leatherarmorinfantryicon Leather Armor Infantry (+2/+0)
Scalearmorinfantryicon Scale Armor Infantry (+2/+0)
Chainmailinfantryicon Chain Mail Infantry (+2/+0)
Bronzeshieldicon Bronze Shield (+0/+1)
Ironshieldicon Iron Shield (+0/+1)
Towershieldicon Tower Shield (+0/+1)
Speed Aristocracy Aristocracy (+25%)
Upgrades Phalanxupgrade Phalangite

Civilization bonuses[]

  • Carthaginian AOE DE ROR icon Carthaginians: Hoplites have +25% hit points.
  • Greek AOE DE ROR icon Greeks: Hoplites have +30% speed and cost -20%.
  • Lac Viet AOE DE ROR icon Lac Viet: Hoplites are trained 25% faster.
  • Macedonian AOE DE ROR icon Macedonians: Hoplites have +1 pierce armor in the Bronze Age and +2 pierce armor in the Iron Age, +2 Line of Sight, and are four times more resistant to conversion.

Team bonuses[]

  • Carthaginian AOE DE ROR icon Carthaginians: Hoplites are created and upgraded 20% faster.
  • Palmyran AOE DE ROR icon Palmyrans: Upgrading Hoplites to Phalangites and researching technologies that benefit Hoplites are 30% faster.

Changelog[]

Age of Empires[]

  • Hoplites have 1.5 reload time.
  • Greeks: Hoplites have +33% speed.

Definitive Edition[]

  • Greeks: Hoplites have +30% speed and cost -20%.

Return of Rome[]

  • Upon release, Hoplites had 2.0 reload time. With update 87863, they have 1.5 reload time again.
  • Palmyrans (team bonus): Technologies benefiting Hoplites are researched 30% faster.

History[]

ā€œGreek infantry soldiers of the Classical Age were called hoplites, from the name of their large shields, called hoplons.  For battle they wore a cuirass (breastplate), helmet, and greaves.  They were armed with a long spear or pike and sword.  Hoplite armies fought each other hand-to-hand in the dense phalanx formation that faced the enemy with a bristling wall of spear points staggered at chest level.  Fighting at close range in such a formation required acommitment to training and discipline that became a way of life.  Hoplites were the best infantry units in the world for many centuries until being supplanted by the more flexible and functional Roman legionnaires.ā€
Age of Empires manual

Gallery[]

Video[]

HOPLITE_vs_EVERY_UNIT_-_Age_of_Empires-_Definitive_Edition

HOPLITE vs EVERY UNIT - Age of Empires- Definitive Edition

Aoede greek academy available
Requires
AOEDE Stable icon Stable
Stone Age Icon (DE)
ā†’
Tool Age Icon (DE)
ā†’
Bronze Age Icon (DE)
ā†’
Iron Age Icon (DE)
Hoplite ā†’ Aoede phalanx available ā†’ Centurion


Units in Age of Empires
CivilianReturnofrome female villager icon Villager Ā· Returnofrome trade cart icon Trade Cart
OtherAoE2 DE priest icon Priest Ā· Slinger-0 Slinger Ā· Returnofrome artifact icon Artifact
Civilian ship1 Fishing Boat Fishing Boat Ā· 2 Fishing Ship Fishing Ship
3 Trade Boat Trade Boat Ā· 4 Merchant Ship Merchant Ship
5 Light Transport Light Transport Ā· 6 Heavy Transport Heavy Transport
InfantryClubman Clubman Ā· AxemanAoEDE Axeman
Short Swordsman Short Swordsman Ā· Broad Swordsman Broad Swordsman Ā· AoE nuRoR Long Swordsman icon Long Swordsmen Ā· Returnofrome legionary icon Legionary
HopliteDE Hoplite Ā· AoE nuRoR Phalangite icon Phalangite Ā· Returnofrome centurion icon Centurion
ArcherBowman aoe1de Bowman
Improved Bowman22 Improved Bowman Ā· Composite Bowman Composite Bowman
Chariot Archer111 Chariot Archer
Horse Archer Horse Archer Ā· Returnofrome heavy horse archer icon Heavy Horse Archer
EAICON DE Elephant Archer
CavalryScout-0 Scout
ChariotDE Chariot Ā· ScytheDE Scythe Chariot
Cavalry111 Cavalry Ā· Returnofrome heavy cavalry icon Heavy Cavalry Ā· Returnofrome cataphract icon Cataphract
War ElephantDE War Elephant Ā· Returnofrome armored elephant icon Armored Elephant
Camel RiderDE Camel Rider
SiegeStone ThrowerDE Stone Thrower Ā· CatapultDE Catapult Ā· Returnofrome heavy catapult icon Heavy Catapult
BallistaDE Ballista Ā· Returnofrome helepolis icon Helepolis
War Ship7 Scout Ship Scout Ship Ā· 8 War Galley War Galley Ā· 9 Trireme Trireme
Catapult Trireme Catapult Trireme Ā· Returnofrome juggernaut icon Juggernaut
10 Fire Galley Fire Galley
Scenario Editor-only units
Short Swordsman Chieftain Ā· Donkey caravan aoe2DE Donkey Ā· Clubman Explorer Ā· Returnofrome heavy cavalry icon General Ā· AoE2 DE priest icon High Priest Ā· Returnofrome horse icon Horse Ā· HeavyCavalryDE Mercenary (removed) Ā· Penguin aoe2DE Penguin Ā· AoE2 DE priest icon Pharaoh Ā· 5 Light Transport Raft Ā· Returnofrome artifact icon War Chest
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