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This article is about the unit in Age of Empires II. For the unit in Age of Mythology, see Longboat (Age of Mythology). |
| “ | Viking unique Warship that fires multiple arrows. | ” |
| —In-game description | ||
| “ | Viking unique ship that fires multiple arrows. | ” |
| —In-game description | ||
| “ | Viking unique unit. Fires multiple arrows. | ” |
| —In-game description | ||
The Longboat is the second unique unit of the Vikings in Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. It can be trained at the Dock once the Castle Age is reached. It is a warship that fires multiple arrows.
Longboats can be upgraded to Elite Longboats in the Imperial Age.
Tactics[]
The Longboat, like the Chu Ko Nu and the Kipchak, fires multiple arrows with each attack: both Elite and non-Elite Longboats fire four arrows per attack. Much like the Chu Ko Nu and the Kipchak, only the first arrow does full damage and benefits from archery upgrades, while the rest only do 1 damage. Unlike the Chu Ko Nu, but like the Kipchak, the Longboat fires all its arrows at the same time and not in quick succession. Due to how armor and damage work in Age of Empires II, this translates to an additional 1 damage per arrow hit. Longboats defeat War Galleys in one-on-one combat; Elite Longboats defeat Galleons (just barely, though) as well. They are best used against multiple enemy ships. They build significantly quicker than most other warships, making spamming them an effective tactic against other navies. By quickly building a force of Longboats once the Vikings hit Castle Age, the player can overwhelm and destroy the enemy's navy and potentially prevent the enemy from getting back onto the water, avoiding a war of attrition altogether.
The Longboat has the ability to stack very easily, which makes it very easy to micro-manage, even against Fire Ships, which counter its equivalent the Galley line. However, this is a double-edged sword, since their stacking potential is easily exploited by units with area of attack like Mangonels and Bombard Cannons (if used properly), Caravels, and Turtle Ships. While Demolition Ships are threatening in theory too, they get kited before they reach the Longboat. The Longboat (just like the Galley line) is painfully ineffective vs. Turtle Ships and Thirisadai (in equal numbers) because of their high ship armor. The Thirisidai also possesses a similar attack mechanic like the Longboat.
Since the Longboat can shoot multiple arrows, a group of them can rain a shower of arrows on to the target, so Longboats can be used for shore bombardment, and are better used in large groups. Longboats are also excellent escorts for other ships like the Transport Ship and Cannon Galleons. As the Vikings lack Fire Ships, their navy should be built around Longboats, as they are easily massed, have good movement speed, and a decent attack.
Since the Longboat does not require any upgrade and is created much faster, it is the go-to choice in early Castle Age. A very popular strategy is back-dock into Fast Castle Longboats, which shows the power of Viking economy and the unique unit beautifully. However, a common mistake that inexperienced players make is thinking that a small number of Longboats can easily defeat a large number of War Galleys. Trying to take a fight against a superior number of War Galleys with Longboats will generally end in disaster, so a Viking player needs to either match or exceed the enemy's number in ships before engaging them. Thanks to Longboats having superior movement speed over War Galleys, this allows them to dictate fights by choosing when to engage or disengage, with War Galleys unable to catch or escape from them.
Since the Elite Longboat upgrade is much more expensive than the Galleon upgrade and also costs gold, getting the power spike becomes tougher. This is compounded by needing Bogsveigar to improve their damage, and by individual Longboats being more expensive, too. This makes Galleons more cost-efficient while Longboats more population-efficient. Except for the meager 5 hit points, the Longboat is statistically superior to the Galley line.
Comparison table[]
 Longboat line
|
 Galley line
| |
|---|---|---|
| Creation time | 25 | 36 |
| Movement speed | 1.54 | 1.43 |
| Other | Fires 3 additional projectiles dealing minimum damage +1 attack with Bogsveigar |
|
 Castle Age
|
Longboat
|
 War Galley
|
| Research cost and time |
none | 230 food, 100 gold 50 seconds |
| Cost | 85 wood, 43 gold | 77 wood, 26 gold |
| Hit points | 130 | 135 |
| Attack vs ships | 9 | 9 |
| Attack vs buildings | 7 | 7 |
 Imperial Age
|
 Elite Longboat
|
 Galleon
|
| Research cost and time |
750 food, 475 gold 60 seconds |
400 food, 315 wood 65 seconds |
| Cost | 80 wood, 40 gold | 72 wood, 24 gold |
| Hit points | 160 | 165 |
| Attack vs ships | 10 | 11 |
| Attack vs buildings | 7 | 8 |
Common[]
- Pierce attack: 7, 8 (Elite)
- Attack vs ships: 9, 11 (Elite)
- Attack vs buildings: 7, 8 (Elite)
- Attack vs rams: 4
- Melee armor: 0
- Pierce armor: 6, 8 (Elite)
- Ship armor: 0
- Range: 6, 7 (Elite)
- Attack speed: 3
Further statistics[]
As Longboats are unique to the Vikings, only technologies that are available to them are shown in the following table:
| Strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Transport Ships, Fishing Ships, buildings, land units in the shoreline and shallows, Turtle Ships (hit-and-run only), Cannon Galleons, Thirisadai (equal resources only) |
| Weak vs. | Fire Ships (only in small groups), Demolition Ships, Samurai (in the shallows), towers, Castles, ranged siege units on the shoreline, Caravels (in large fleet battles) |
| Technologies | |
|---|---|
| Attack |  Fletching (+1) Bodkin Arrow (+1) Bracer (+1) Chemistry (+1) Bogsveigar (+1)
|
 Range
|
Fletching (+1) Bodkin Arrow (+1) Bracer (+1)
|
| Accuracy |  Ballistics (hit moving targets)
|
| Armor |  Careening (+1  pierce)
|
| Conversion resistance |  Devotion (+1 min, +1 max) Faith (+4 min, +4 max) Heresy (die upon getting converted)
|
 Movement speed
|
 Dry Dock (+15%)
|
| Civilization bonuses | |
|---|---|
| Resource cost |  Vikings (-15%/-20% in the Castle/Imperial Age)
|
| Team bonuses | |
|---|---|
| Conversion resistance |  Teutons (+3 min, +1 max)
|
| Upgrading |  Portuguese (+25% faster)
|
Team bonuses[]
Bulgarians: Fletching, Bodkin Arrow, and Bracer are researched 80% faster.- Lithuanians: Devotion, Faith, and Heresy are researched 20% faster.
- Malians: Ballistics and Chemistry are researched 80% faster.
- Portuguese: Technologies that benefit Longboats are researched 25% faster.
Changelog[]
The Age of Kings[]
- Longboats cost 100 wood, 50 gold (base), train in 41 seconds, require a Castle, and are 20% cheaper.
- Elite Longboats have 11 attack vs. Ships and 8 vs. Buildings.
The Conquerors[]
- Longboats train in 25 seconds and are 15%/20% cheaper in the Castle/Imperial Age.
The Forgotten[]
The African Kingdoms[]
Dynasties of India[]
- With update 81058,
- Bogsveigar introduced. It gives (Elite) Longboats +1 pierce attack.
- Elite Longboats have 10 attack vs. Ships and 7 vs. Buildings.
Chronicles: Alexander the Great[]
- With update 158041, (Elite) Longboats gain the long-range warship armor class.
Heroes[]
There are two heroes in the game with the appearance of a Longboat:
History[]
| “ | The Viking raiders of the ninth through eleventh centuries were especially terrifying because they could strike anywhere along the seacoast and even upriver. They had this capability thanks to their longboats. These ships were long, narrow, and of shallow draft, but were surprisingly seaworthy. They used oars and a single square sail for propulsion. Longboats could be taken into very shallow water and beached. Only a coast with high bluffs or rocky shoreline was safe from them. | ” |
Trivia[]
- The historically correct term for this type of vessel should be "longship". A longboat is an unrelated type of ship's boat that was invented around the 16th century.
- With a speed of 1.77 when Dry Dock is researched, the Longboat is the fastest unique unit of the game.
- The Longboat has three secondary projectiles which have only +1 attack vs. ships, +1 vs. Fishing Ships, and +1 vs. camel units. These attack bonuses do not matter because they are doing the minimum 1 damage anyway to all units they hit (secondary projectiles do not benefit from hill/cliff bonuses either).
- The Longboat shares its projectile with the old Siege Tower, Harbor, and Canoe.
- In The Age of Kings, the Longboat was the only unique unit produced in a building other than the Castle, the only secondary unique unit available to the same civilization, and the only warship with a sail design not tied to the architecture set.
- During development, the Longboat was the first unique unit available to the Vikings, with the Berserk being introduced later. It also was originally intended to be garrisonable like a Transport Ship.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
