ā | Inca unique spearman with increased attack range. | ā |
—Age of Empires II description |
The Kamayuk is the first unique unit of the Incas in Age of Empires II HD: The Forgotten, the other being the Slinger. It is an anti-cavalry infantry unit that carries a very long spear.
Kamayuks can be upgraded to Elite Kamayuks in the Imperial Age.
Tactics[]
Kamayuks are most effective in large groups, as they have a range of one, enabling them to attack from behind one another. Due to this, they can engage melee units effectively, as they do not have to run around each other in order to attack. Their range allows them to attack through Walls, making them good at defending or attacking in walled areas. This also means they can be a great defense against enemy rams.
Their fast training speed and cheaper Castles for Incas means they are easy to mass.
They have a good attack bonus against mounted units. Much like Pikemen, Kamayuks get an additional attack bonus against elephant type units such as the Battle Elephant. Unlike Pikemen, Kamayuks trade decently against other infantry in large enough groups due to their higher Rate of Fire and considerably higher base attack. Additionally, their 1 range means that in large numbers they can inflict surprising casualties on enemy infantry. Still, they should be used in conjunction with Slingers, which can deal with specialized infantry like the Jaguar Warrior or Teutonic Knight, while Kamayuks can mow down hordes of cavalry while still being reasonably good against generic infantry such as Champions. Eagle Warriors can also be included to protect the Kamayuks from archers and siege weapons, which can deal heavy damage to them despite their pierce armor from Fabric Shields. Hand Cannoneers will decimate Kamayuks and can also deal with the Incas' Eagle Warriors as well. Siege units such as the Siege Onager and Heavy Scorpion will also prove highly effective against Kamayuks due to their tendency to cluster together. Lastly, Cataphracts will dominate Kamayuks due to their resistance to anti-cavalry attacks, their bonus damage against infantry, and their trample damage.
A common dilemma for Inca players is whether to use Halberdiers or Kamayuks, this will depend on resource availability. If there is gold to spend, the Kamayuk should be always the cavalry counter unit of choice, if there is not enough gold, the player can mix in some Halberdiers that are cheaper than the more expensive and effective Kamayuk.
Despite the official description stating that the unit is weak to archers, it has +1p armor and +10 hit points over Champions, and slightly more speed, which makes foot archers much less of a threat. For comparison, Elite Kamayuks with Fabric Shields have the same survivability as Obuchs (which are considered foot archer resistant) but move 11.1% faster, with all other upgrades being equal. Nonetheless, mounted archers still work against Kamayuks, despite the latter having an attack bonus against the former.
Further statistics[]
As Kamayuks are unique to the Incas, only technologies that are available to them are shown in the following table:
Unit strengths and weaknesses | |
---|---|
Strong vs. | Skirmishers, cavalry, Spearmen, Eagle Warriors |
Weak vs. | Scorpions, Mangonels, mounted archers, Hand Cannoneers, Plumed Archers, Janissaries, Slingers, Cataphracts, Teutonic Knights, Jaguar Warriors, Samurai, Mamelukes, Rattan Archers |
Upgrades | |
Attack | Forging (+1) Iron Casting (+1) Blast Furnace (+2) Arson (+2 attack against standard buildings) |
Armor | Scale Mail Armor (+1/+1) Chain Mail Armor (+1/+1) Plate Mail Armor (+1/+2) Fabric Shields (+1/+2, since The African Kingdoms) |
Speed | Squires (+10%) |
Conversion defense | Devotion (+1 min, +1 max) Faith (+4 min, +4 max) Heresy (die upon getting converted) |
Creation speed | Conscription (+33%) Kasbah (+25%, with a Berber ally only) |
Regeneration | Stronghold (30 HP/min when within 18 tiles square of a team Celts Castle) |
Upgrades | Elite Kamayuk |
Civilization bonuses[]
Team bonuses[]
- Armenians: Kamayuks have +2 Line of Sight.
- Bulgarians: Researching upgrades at the Blacksmith is 80% faster.
- Goths: Researching Squires and Arson is 20% faster.
- Lithuanians: Researching Devotion, Faith, and Heresy is 20% faster.
- Portuguese: Upgrades that benefit Kamayuks are researched 25% faster.
- Teutons: Kamayuks are more resistant to conversion.
Changelog[]
The Forgotten[]
- Kamayuks move at a speed of 0.95.
- Kamayuks cost 60 food, 30 gold.
- Couriers gives +10% movement speed to Kamayuks.
- The upgrade to the Elite Kamayuks costs 1,000 food, 600 gold.
- Non-Elite Kamayuks have 60 HP and 0 melee armor.
The African Kingdoms[]
- Couriers now gives +1/+2 armor instead of +10% movement speed.
- Kamayuks reskinned.
- The upgrade to the Elite Kamayuk now costs 900 food, 500 gold.
- Arson introduced.
- (Elite) Kamayuks have +4 (+6) attack against camel units.
- With patch 4.8, Kamayuks now move at a speed of 1.
- With patch 4.8, Kamayuks gain a +20 attack bonus against elephant type units.
Rise of the Rajas[]
- With patch 5.7, (Elite) Kamayuks now have +6 (+10) attack against camel units.
Definitive Edition[]
- Tracking removed; all infantry now receive +2 Line of Sight from the Feudal Age instead.
- Couriers renamed Fabric Shields.
Dawn of the Dukes[]
- With update 56005, Non-Elite Kamayuks have 70 hit points and 1 melee armor.
Dynasties of India[]
- With update 81058, Kamayuks cost -25%/-30% food in the Castle/Imperial Age.
- With update 81058, Kamayuks' base cost is 65 food, 30 gold.
The Mountain Royals[]
- With update 99311, Kamayuks' base cost is 60 food, 30 gold.
- With update 99311, they have a discount of -20%/-25% food in the Castle/Imperial Age.
Heroes[]
There is one hero in the game with the appearance of a Kamayuk:
- Pachacuti (only in the HD Edition)
Trivia[]
- Kamayuks are one of only five infantry units that don't get an attack bonus against Eagle Warriors, the other being the Condottiero, the Militia, the Dismounted Konnik, and other Eagles.
- The Kamayuk, Gbeto, Throwing Axeman and Chakram Thrower are the only infantry units who deal melee damage at range.
History[]
In an Inca army, a Kamayuk was an officer in charge of lesser soldiers such as slingers or archers. Lesser Kamayuks blew conch shell trumpets or beat drums, and had designations before their titles, such as Choru or Pachac. The highest-ranking Kamayuks were simply called Kamayuks.