 |
This article is about the unit in Age of Empires II: The Conquerors. For the unit in Age of Empires III, see Missionary (Age of Empires III). |
| “ | Spanish unique mounted monk. Converts enemy units and heals friendly units. Cannot collect Relics. | ” |
| —Age of Empires II description | ||
The Missionary is the second unique unit of the Spanish in Age of Empires II: The Conquerors. It is a mounted Monk that can be trained at the Monastery.
Unlike most unique units, Missionaries do not have an Elite version.
Tactics[]
The Missionary functions like a fast Monk with 2 less range. As such, it is capable of healing units as well as converting enemy units. However, like non-standard Monks, the Missionary cannot pick up Relics. Before the Definitive Edition, it only healed at half the speed of a Monk (1 HP per 0.8s instead of 0.4s) and was unaffected by Husbandry. Before The Forgotten, it was even unaffected by Bloodlines, and all Monks (except those with Relics) were unaffected by Fervor. Hence, it has received a lot of buffs (3 bug fixes; 3 intended buffs; 1 general buff to secondary unique units) to make the unit more appealing.
It can move quite fast, making it capable of fleeing from almost all enemy units but cavalry. Including several of these in a force of Knights can considerably improve chances of winning a drawn-out battle. They are affected by all Monastery technologies and Inquisition. However, despite their advantages in movement speed, which is one of the major Monk disadvantages, the Missionary only has 7 range compared to the 9 of a Monk. As of update 81058, Inquisition increases Missionary's range by 1 to a total of 8, thus making Missionaries even more competitive.
Both the Monk and the Missionary have the same cost, making the choice between them mostly a matter of tactical utility. The Missionary generally outperforms the Monk in most ways greatly improving the Monk's defensive abilities both for army support with healing friendly forces to actively converting enemies and fleeing from counterattacks. With Bloodlines the Missionary will also have more hit points than the Monk, but its Cavalry Armor class makes it vulnerable to the Spearman line and camel units. The Missionary fares much more poorly on the offensive, lacking range, so for situations where they are already protected, the regular Monk performs better.
For the Spanish, the Missionary gives the Spanish far more tactical flexibility for their Monks, especially while on the offense and during the late game when the Relics have already been collected.
Units comparison[]
| Units |  Monk
|
 Missionary
|
|---|---|---|
| HP | 30 | 30 |
| Range Conversion | 9 vs units | 7 vs units |
| Speed | 0.7 | 1.1 |
| Special | Can pickup Relics | Take anti-cavalry attacks |
Further statistics[]
As Missionaries are unique to the Spanish, only technologies that are available to them are shown in the following table:
| Unit strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Slow non-ranged units especially elephants, Knights |
| Weak vs. | Archers, Eagle Warriors, Light Cavalry, Camel Riders, Halberdiers, Genoese Crossbowmen, towers, Castles |
| Upgrades | |
| Hit points |  Sanctity (+15) Bloodlines (+20)
|
| Conversion range |  Block Printing (+3) Inquisition (+1)
|
| Speed |  Fervor (+15%) Husbandry (+10%)
|
| Conversion |  Redemption (convert buildings and siege weapons) Atonement (convert Monks) Illumination (regain faith 87.5% faster) Theocracy (only one Missionary/Monk rests after conversion) Inquisition (Missionaries convert faster)
|
| Conversion defense |  Devotion (+1 min, +1 max) Faith (+4 min, +4 max) Heresy (die upon getting converted)
|
Civilization bonus[]
Team bonuses[]
Byzantines: Missionaries heal 100% faster.- Huns: Researching Bloodlines and Husbandry is 20% faster.
- Lithuanians: Monastery technologies are researched 20% faster. Missionaries are trained 20% faster.
- Portuguese: Upgrades that benefit Missionaries are researched 25% faster.
- Teutons: Missionaries are more resistant to conversion.
Changelog[]
The Conquerors[]
- Missionaries require a Castle.
- Missionaries heal at half the rate of Monks.
- Missionaries do not benefit from Bloodlines, Fervor, or Husbandry.
The Forgotten[]
- Inquisition introduced. It makes conversions by Missionaries happen faster.
- Missionaries benefit from Bloodlines and Fervor.
The African Kingdoms[]
- Missionaries no longer require a Castle.
Definitive Edition[]
- Missionaries heal as quickly as Monks.
- Missionaries benefit from Husbandry.
Dynasties of India[]
- With update 81058, researching Inquisition increases Missionaries' range by 1.
Trivia[]
- The Missionary is the only unique unit trained at the Monastery.
- Unlike the Monk, the Missionary's name is historically accurate, because the definition of Missionary is "a person sent on a religious mission, especially one sent to promote Christianity in a foreign country", and Missionaries' main purpose in this game is to convert units.
- The achievement "Unexpected" can be unlocked by converting 100 units using Spanish Missionaries. This is a reference to the "The Spanish Inquisition" series of sketches from Monty Python.
- Though there are no heroes which have the appearance of a Missionary, Jadwiga mechanically functions as one, while Tamar is also similar, but lacks the ability to convert.
History[]
| “ | As Europeans gradually came to understand that Columbus had opened the door to two complete continents, they awoke to the desirability of converting the potentially immense native population to Christianity. The Spanish, Portuguese, and other European nations sent monks called missionaries into the New World to bring about conversion and salvation. To be a missionary required great faith, a strong constitution, and great zeal. They often were required to plunge into the wilderness amongst peoples of radically different cultures and beliefs. Many missionaries suffered despair, torture, and death at the hands of natives who resisted the message being brought to them or identified the monks with the disease and conquest that accompanied them. | ” |
| —The Conquerors manual | ||
Gallery[]
