Age of Empires Series Wiki
Advertisement
Age of Empires Series Wiki
Info icon
This article is about the unit in Age of Empires IV. For the unit in Age of Empires III, see Landsknecht (Age of Empires III).

Brave unarmored infantry with an enormous two-handed sword, effective in mixed armies.
Age of Empires IV description

The Landsknecht is a light melee infantry unit in Age of Empires IV available to the Holy Roman Empire. It can be trained at the Barracks starting in the Castle Age. Its weapon is the massive Zweihander sword. The Order of the Dragon have access to the Gilded Landsknecht.

Tactics[]

The Landsknecht is best described as a 'glass cannon' unit, having low armor and hit points, but a high attack. Although they are decent in small-scale melee battles, they work best when engaging large armies. Their Area of Effect damage will shred almost any units they can engage in melee combat when fighting in tightly packed formations; even Knights are vulnerable. For this reason, when engaging Landsknechts, it is wise to keep armies in staggered formation. They can also easily be picked off by ranged units, especially archers and Mangonels, as they try to close the distance.

For this reason, Landsknechts are best used with mixed armies. When combined with Men-at-Arms, for example, they are difficult to target individually, and an opponent can end up wasting Archer arrows on the Men-at-Arms, or Crossbow bolts on the Landsknechts. The Horseman-Landsknecht combo is also one of the most effective late-game compositions. Horseman cover Landsknechts' weaknesses to siege and archers, while Landsknechts will cut down spears in a matter of seconds. They are also effective as ambush troops, hiding in stealth forests, then charging the enemy to cause havoc.

Further statistics[]

Strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs. Tightly packed melee units
Weak vs. Archers, Mangonels
Technologies
Attack AoE4 Bloomery Bloomery (+1)
AoE4 Decarbonization Decarbonization (+1)
AoE4 DamascusSteel Damascus Steel (+1)
AoE4 EliteArmyTactics Elite Army Tactics (+20%)
Armor AoE4 FittedLeatherwork Fitted Leatherwork (+1 melee)
AoE4 InsulatedHelm Insulated Helm (+1 melee)
AoE4 MasterSmiths Master Smiths (+1 melee)
AoE4 EliteArmyTactics Elite Army Tactics (+4 melee)
AoE4 IronUndermesh Iron Undermesh (+1 ranged)
AoE4 WedgeRivets Wedge Rivets (+1 ranged)
AoE4 AngledSurfaces Angled Surfaces (+1 ranged)
Creation speed AoE4 MilitaryAcademy Military Academy (+33%)
Ability AoE4 SiegeEngineering Siege Engineering (Can build Battering Rams and Siege Towers)
Aura and ability enhancements
Attack AoE4 Inspired Inspiration Bonus (+15%)
Armor AoE4 Inspired Inspiration Bonus (+1 melee/ranged)
Damage resistance AoE4 WallDefense Wall Defense (-25% ranged, -50% siege)
Civilization bonuses
AoE2DE icon Movement Speed Movement speed HRE AoE4 Holy Roman Empire (+10%)
Creation speed AoE4 BurgravePalace Burgrave Palace (+400%)

Mercenary Landsknecht[]

The Byzantines can purchase Landsknechts with Olive Oil from a Mercenary House after researching Western 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:

Aura and ability enhancements
AoE2DE icon HP Regen Regeneration AoE4 PilgrimFlask Pilgrim Flask (25 hp/s for 6 seconds, requires Cistern of the First Hill)
Attack AoE4 ImprovedTorch Improved Torch (+25% torch attack, requires Trapezites)
Armor AoE4 CamelSupportEnhancement Camel Support (+2 melee/ranged, requires Foreign Engineering Company)
AoE2DE icon Movement Speed Movement speed AoE4 SpeedEnhancement Naval Deployment (+50% speed for 12 seconds after unloading from a Transport Ship)
AoE4 ForeignEngineeringCompany Foreign Engineering Company (+10%)
Creation speed AoE4 InfluenceBuff AoE4 Conscriptio Conscriptio Influence (+20% per Cistern water level)
AoE4 TradePost Trade Post (+50%)

Note: Building the Foreign Engineering Company still grants +10% speed from the former Marching Drills technology, despite it not being available to the Holy Roman Empire as of update 10.0.576.

Dialogue lines[]

Main article: /Dialogue lines

Changelog[]

  • Originally, the elite upgrade took 90 seconds. With update 8324, it takes 60 seconds.
  • With Season Two Update 17718, all melee units now attack siege engines with their melee attack, instead of their torch attack.
  • Originally, all infantry had a minimum charge attack trigger distance of 2 tiles, and a duration of 5 seconds. With update 24916, this was changed to a 1 tile minimum distance and a 7 second duration.
  • With patch 8.2.218, Landsknecht hit points increased from 80/95 to 85/100.
  • Originally, Elite Landsknecht melee attack dealt 20 damage. With update 12.0.1974, it deals 21 damage.

Gallery[]

Units in Age of Empires IV
Common/Generic
Miscellaneous AoE4 GenericVillager Villager · AoE4 Trader Trader · AoE4 FishingBoat Fishing Boat · AoE4 TradeShip Trade Ship · AoE4 TransportShip Transport Ship · AoE4 Monk Monk/Imam/Shaman · AoE4 Leader Monarch
Melee infantry AoE4 Spearman Spearman · AoE4 ManAtArms Man-at-Arms
Ranged infantry AoE4 Archer Archer · AoE4 Crossbowman Crossbowman · AoE4 Handcannoneer Handcannoneer
Melee cavalry AoE4 Scout Scout · AoE4 Horseman Horseman · AoE4 Knight Lancer/Knight
Siege AoE4 SiegeTower Siege Tower · AoE4 BatteringRam Battering Ram · AoE4 Springald Springald · AoE4 Mangonel Mangonel · AoE4 CounterweightTrebuchet Counterweight Trebuchet · AoE4 Bombard Bombard · AoE4 Ribauldequin Ribauldequin · AoE4 Culverin Culverin
Military ship AoE4 ArcherShip Archer ship: Dhow, Galley, Hunting Canoe, Junk, Light Junk, Lodya Galley
AoE4 SpringaldShip Springald ship: Baghlah, Hulk, Lodya Attack Ship, War Canoe, War Cog, War Junk
AoE4 IncendiaryShip Incendiary ship: Demolition Ship, Explosive Dhow, Explosive Junk, Lodya Demolition Ship
AoE4 Warship Warship: Baochuan, Carrack, Xebec
Cheat AoE4 PhotonMan Photon Man
Unique
Abbasid Dynasty AoE4 Abbasid Dynasty AoE4 CamelRider Camel Rider · AoE4 CamelArcher Camel Archer · AoE4 Ghulam Ghulam
Ayyubids AoE4 Ayyubids AoE4 Atabeg Atabeg · AoE4 BedouinSkirmisher Bedouin Skirmisher · AoE4 BedouinSwordsman Bedouin Swordsman · AoE4 CamelLancer Camel Lancer · AoE4 Dervish Dervish · AoE4 DesertRaider Desert Raider · AoE4 Ghulam Ghulam · AoE4 TowerOfTheSultan Tower of the Sultan
Byzantines AoE4 Byzantines AoE4 Cataphract Cataphract · AoE4 VarangianGuard Varangian Guard · AoE4 Cheirosiphon Cheirosiphon · AoE4 Limitanei Limitanei · AoE4 Dromon Dromon
Chinese AoE4 Chinese AoE4 ImperialOfficial Imperial Official · AoE4 ZhugeNu Zhuge Nu · AoE4 PalaceGuard Palace Guard · AoE4 NestOfBees Nest of Bees · AoE4 FireLancer Fire Lancer · AoE4 Grenadier Grenadier
Delhi Sultanate AoE4 Delhi Sultanate AoE4 Monk Scholar · AoE4 WarElephant War Elephant · AoE4 TowerElephant Tower Elephant · AoE4 SultansEliteTowerElephant Sultan's Elite Tower Elephant · AoE4 GhaziRaider Ghazi Raider
English AoE4 English AoE4 Longbowman Longbowman · AoE4 King King · AoE4 WynguardRanger Wynguard Ranger · AoE4 WynguardFootman Wynguard Footman
French AoE4 French AoE4 RoyalKnight Royal Knight · AoE4 Arbaletrier Arbalétrier · AoE4 Galleass Galleass · AoE4 Cannon Cannon
HRE AoE4 Holy Roman Empire AoE4 Monk Prelate · AoE4 Landsknecht Landsknecht
Japanese AoE4 Japanese AoE4 Warship Atakebune · AoE4 BuddhistMonk Buddhist Monk · AoE4 KatanaBannerman Katana Bannerman · AoE4 MountedSamurai Mounted Samurai · AoE4 OnnaBugeisha Onna-Bugeisha · AoE4 OnnaMusha Onna-Musha · AoE4 Ozutsu Ozutsu · AoE4 Samurai Samurai · AoE4 Shinobi Shinobi · AoE4 ShintoPriest Shinto Priest · AoE4 TreasureCaravan Treasure Caravan · AoE4 UmaBannerman Uma Bannerman · AoE4 YumiAshigaru Yumi Ashigaru · AoE4 YumiBannerman Yumi Bannerman
Jeanne d Arc AoE4 Jeanne d'Arc AoE4 JeannesChampion Jeanne's Champion · AoE4 JeannesRider Jeanne's Rider · AoE4 RoyalKnight Royal Knight · AoE4 Arbaletrier Arbalétrier · AoE4 Galleass Galleass · AoE4 Cannon Cannon · Jeanne d'Arc [AoE4 JdA Peasant Peasant · AoE4 JdA WomanAtArms Woman-at-Arms · AoE4 JdA Hunter Hunter · AoE4 JdA Knight Knight · AoE4 JdA MountedArcher Mounted Archer · AoE4 JdA BlastCannon Blast Cannon · AoE4 JdA Markswoman Markswoman]
Malians AoE4 Malians AoE4 Donso Donso · AoE4 MusofadiWarrior Musofadi Warrior · AoE4 JavelinThrower Javelin Thrower · AoE4 WarriorScout Warrior Scout · AoE4 Sofa Sofa · AoE4 FreebornWarrior Freeborn Warrior · AoE4 Cattle Cattle · AoE4 MusofadiGunner Musofadi Gunner
Mongols AoE4 Mongols AoE4 Khan Khan · AoE4 Mangudai Mangudai · AoE4 TurkicHorseArcher Khan's Hunter · AoE4 TractionTrebuchet Traction Trebuchet · AoE4 HuihuiPao Huihui Pao · AoE4 Keshik Keshik
Order of the Dragon AoE4 Order of the Dragon AoE4 GildedSpearman Gilded Spearman · AoE4 GildedManAtArms Gilded Man-at-Arms · AoE4 GildedLandsknecht Gilded Landsknecht · AoE4 GildedArcher Gilded Archer · AoE4 GildedCrossbowman Gilded Crossbowman · AoE4 DragonHandcannoneer Gilded Handcannoneer · AoE4 GildedHorseman Gilded Horseman · AoE4 GildedKnight Gilded Knight · AoE4 GenericVillager Gilded Villager · AoE4 Monk Prelate
Ottomans AoE4 Ottomans AoE4 Mehter Mehter · AoE4 Sipahi Sipahi · AoE4 HorseArcher Cavalry Archer · AoE4 Janissary Janissary · AoE4 GreatBombard Great Bombard · AoE4 GrandGalley Grand Galley
Rus AoE4 Rus AoE4 FishingBoat Lodya Fishing Boat · AoE4 WarriorMonk Warrior Monk · AoE4 HorseArcher Horse Archer · AoE4 Streltsy Streltsy · AoE4 Militia Militia
Zhu Xis Legacy AoE4 Zhu Xi's Legacy AoE4 ImperialOfficial Imperial Official · AoE4 ZhugeNu Zhuge Nu · AoE4 PalaceGuard Palace Guard · AoE4 NestOfBees Nest of Bees · AoE4 Grenadier Grenadier · AoE4 ImperialGuard Imperial Guard · AoE4 YuanRaider Yuan Raider · AoE4 ShaolinMonk Shaolin Monk
Advertisement