The Mongols are an offensive civilization that focuses on its ranged units and emphasizes guerilla tactics. They have many bonuses that allow them to move fast and hit very hard when used effectively.
Strengths[]
The Mongols are a strong early game civilization due to their hunting bonus, and their team bonus makes Dark Age scouting far more effective for everyone on their team.
Their Cavalry Archers have a faster attack speed, making them excel at raiding enemy towns or picking off enemy units from a distance. Their unique unit, the Mangudai, is a Cavalry Archer with a bonus against siege weapons. Mangudai are an immensely powerful unique unit due to their fast speed and high damage output. Their Light Cavalry and Steppe Lancers have extra hit points and Line of Sight, making them very effective as scouts and raiders early in the game, though they lack Plate Barding Armor later. They have access to all siege weapons except for the Bombard Cannon, and their unique technology improves the movement speed of their siege weapons greatly, helping them overcome their main weakness of slow speed. Their early-game economy is among the best in the game with 40% faster gathering hunters, giving them a massive boost through the Dark and Feudal Ages.
Weaknesses[]
One of the main weaknesses of the Mongols is their mediocre mid-game. They have no economic bonuses apart from their faster hunters, and their most powerful options are not available until the Imperial Age. Apart from their Mangudai, Cavalry Archers, Steppe Lancers, Hussars, and siege, their technology tree is underwhelming. Despite having access to all the infantry upgrades at the Blacksmith, the Mongols lack Halberdiers and Gambesons, making their infantry options questionable at best. Their lack of Ring Archer Armor and Plate Barding Armor causes their Hussars and Mangudai to be more vulnerable than they might otherwise be. This, combined with their lack of Paladins, means that their late-game heavy cavalry is very much below par. Their defensive tree also lacks several important options, most notably the Bombard Tower, and their Monastery is the worst in the game, lacking five crucial technologies. They are also bad at trash wars, with none of their trash options being fully upgradeable and their missing economic technologies in the Imperial Age making it harder to keep affording trash units than for other civilizations, with the lack of Guilds also making it more costly to keep exchanging food and wood for gold.
Strategy[]
One of the most common tactics used by Mongol players in the early game is a Feudal Age Scout Cavalry rush. Mongols have exceptionally good Scout Cavalry, as they have extra hit points once they are upgraded to Light Cavalry and have better Line of Sight. The Mongol early game economy is also excellent, since they collect their hunt at a faster speed than other civilizations, so luring Boars early and gathering Deer is very important for a Mongol Scout Flush. Luring Deer and/or laming is also a viable strategy for the more experienced player. Mongols are also able to perform a Fast Castle, though their mid-game options are limited. The extra Line of Sight of their Scout Cavalry also allows for the Mongols and their allies to explore faster.
Mongols are at their weakest moment in the Castle Age. At this stage, they effectively have no economic bonus, and while they have usable Crossbowmen and Knights, these options are limited in long-term potential. Light Cavalry are generally too expensive to create while producing Villagers from multiple Town Centers,Their best plan is to use Steppe Lancers for early pressure or use their strong Cavalry Archers to hit and run.
Once the player builds a Castle, they should start to mass Mangudai, as they are the main core of the late-game Mongol army. Mangudai are more expensive than normal Cavalry Archers, but also perform a lot better than Cavalry Archers, as they have more hit points, attack, firing rate (after Thumb Ring is researched), and an attack bonus against siege units. Mongols also have access to all siege weapons except Bombard Cannons, and Drill allows their siege to move a lot faster than normal, so their siege weapons are significantly more flexible to maneuver. Hussars should be used on the front line, as they greatly support the otherwise costly Mongol options.
The Mongols' navy only lacks Dry Dock and Elite Cannon Galleons, so in water maps, they are viable, but they do not have any bonuses, and it is preferable that they stay dry.
Strategy changes in The Forgotten[]
Mongols' new unique tech Nomads is very helpful when an opponent destroys a Mongol town, as it allows their houses to support population even if they are destroyed, reducing wood spent to replenish losses. On closed maps like Black Forest houses can sometimes work as a makeshift defense, as nothing is lost if they get destroyed.
Also, the Mangudai is somewhat less powerful than in the previous versions, as Mangudai used to have 0 frame delay. Non-elite Mangudai are now even better than ordinary Cavalry Archers, as their delay time (the time between the start of the shooting animation and the actual shoot of the arrow) has been reduced from 10 to 5, making them stronger at hit-and-run tactics. The loss of Elite Cannon Galleons also hurts their navy a bit.
Strategy changes in The African Kingdoms[]
The introduction of the Siege Tower in the game improves significantly the siege capabilities of all civilizations but in the particular case of the Mongols this unit also benefits from the Drill technology making this unit more effective in its use as its purpose is to transport foot soldiers to the other side of an enemy wall. Additionally, the Mangudai's attack bonus is reverted to its pre-The Forgotten version, restoring their usefulness against siege units.
Strategy changes in the Definitive Edition[]
The Nomads technology no longer allows house foundations to increase population by being destroyed, so now they have to build houses completely again.
In update 35584, the Mongols' hunting work bonus was reduced to 40%, making their early game slightly weaker. To compensate for the nerf, the Mongols were given the Steppe Lancer and Elite Steppe Lancer to add more diversity to their mid-game cavalry. In addition, their additional HP bonus for the Scout Cavalry line also applies to their Steppe Lancers, which make them an interesting option for fast raids on masses of cluttered units, and a viable alternative to the Knight line or the Scout line (the latter if gold is available).
In update 37650, the Mongols lose access to the Supplies technology, which is meant to balance out their strong early-game hunting work bonus and adding a counterplay to the Mongols' late-game army composition of Mangudai, Hussars, and siege.
Update 47820 slightly nerfed the speed of Mangudai, making it harder for them to kite enemies.
Alliances[]
The Mongol Scout Cavalry Line of Sight bonus helps everyone except for the American civilizations and the Gurjaras in the Dark Age. Players can scout a much larger area of the map in the same amount of time and may thus get an edge over the other team in terms of resource locations, map layout and position of enemy bases. The bonus can also help with a Scout Cavalry rush, since it helps detect defending troops faster, but it is almost useless later. The Mongols are best as a flank player that goes into aggressive Scout Cavalry or Crossbowmen, and later Mangudai supported by siege units.
Cumans: The Mongols can take advantage of Cuman Mercenaries, especially as they often create a lot of Castles to train Mangudai. In exchange, the Cumans gain +2 Line of Sight on their Scout Cavalry. Later on, the Cuman Paladin can act as a buffer for the Mangudai.
Berbers: Genitours pair better with the Mongol cavalry army than Skirmishers and benefit from the fast-firing bonus of the Mongols; the Kasbah technology helps to train Mangudais faster, and the Mongol team bonus is also useful for the cheaper Berber Light Cavalry.
Britons: Their team bonus helps to produce Archery Range units faster, including Cavalry Archers.- Bulgarians: Their Hussars with Stirrups attack faster, and the Mongol Line of Sight may help them. The Mongols will be able to research Blacksmith technologies for their cavalry and Cavalry Archers faster.
- Georgians: Their cavalry regenerate hit points, making the Mongol team bonus quite useful for them, especially when performing a Scout rush in the Feudal Age; Georgians may also cover the weak defenses of the Mongols.
- Gurjaras: Despite the Mongol team bonus not helping them to explore the map, it does help once they reach the Feudal Age and the player tries to perform a Scout rush. The Gurjaras give all their cavalry increased bonus attack, making their Scout Cavalry line extremely powerful against Monks. The Mongols will be able to train their Camel Riders faster.
- Hindustanis: In exchange for Hussars with extra Line of Sight, Hindustani allies grant Mongol Hussars and Camel Riders some anti-building bonus. Additionally, the Hindustanis' Imperial Camel pairs well with the Mangudai.
- Huns: Mongols benefit from the Huns' faster Stables bonus, which are helpful for massing Light Cavalry. The Huns also complement the Mongol army with their heavy cavalry and cheaper Cavalry Archers.
- Khitans: The Khitan bonus does not help the Mongols much, but the Khitans benefit a lot from the Mongol team bonus, allowing their fast-produced, regenerating Light Cavalry to get better Line of Sight.
- Khmer and Romans: The fast-moving fully upgraded Scorpions of the Mongols will get better range.
- Lithuanians: They are one of the two civilizations with access to Winged Hussars, which benefit from the Mongol team bonus.
- Magyars: The Magyars and Mongols have a great synergy. The Magyar team bonus reduces the time required for training Cavalry Archers and Mangudais, and the Mongols add more Line of Sight to the cheaper Scout Cavalry line of the Magyars.
- Poles: Both allies bring a strong bonus for their Scout Cavalry line, the Poles having +1 anti-archer attack, and the Mongols having +2 Line of Sight. The Poles also have Winged Hussars instead of regular Hussars.
- Tatars: The Tatars gain a boost to the Line of Sight of their Scout Cavalry, and the Mongols get the same on their Cavalry Archers.
- Turks: Despite the Mongols not gaining anything from the Turkish team bonus, the Mongol team bonus helps the Turk Light Cavalry line, which upgrades for free and has +1 pierce armor.
- Wei: The Mongols already have the Mangudai as a response to siege weapons. With the Wei team bonus, all their cavalry will have better attack against them.
Compared advantages and disadvantages[]
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Advantages vs other civilizations[]
- The Mangudai, being a Cavalry Archer with an attack bonus vs Siege, counters all types of siege units, even the siege from prominent siege civilizations (like the Celts, the Khmer, the Koreans, and the Ethiopians). Their combination of fast movement and high range damage output makes them dangerous to face and allows them to choose their fights well.
- Being a civilization with good early game and able to raid with the use of Scout Cavalry and Cavalry Archers, they can defeat civilizations that fare otherwise in open maps like Arabia, especially if starting at Dark and Feudal Age.
- As they have speed boosted siege units through Drill, they can pose a significant threat to civilizations that rely on archers and infantry, especially when combined with their Mangudai that can kill any stragglers that survive against the siege.
- As their Light Cavalry and Hussar gets noticeable more HP, Mongols have an advantage at trash wars, especially against civilizations that lacks the Halberdier upgrade or more buffs for the Pikemen. The Line of Sight of the Light Cavalry also makes them an excellent counterpick against Lithuanians, since they can find the Relics on the map faster; the unit also has an attack bonus against Monks, so they can prevent them from taking the relics.
Disadvantages vs other civilizations[]
- Due to their slow mid-game, they are vulnerable to pressure from civilizations that can pressure them during the mid-game effectively.
- Civilizations with good Onagers may counter the Mongol Cavalry Archers if they forgot to micro them. As the Mongol siege line relies on movement speed, but not on range, increased attack, or more resistance, other prominent siege civilizations can counter their Siege Workshop units if they make use of Onagers, rams, and Bombard Cannons.
- Apart from their siege and Cavalry Archers, the Mongol tech tree is limited. Their archers are held back by a lack of Ring Archer Armor, their infantry is held back by a lack of Halberdiers, and their cavalry is held back by a lack of Plate Barding Armor. These missing upgrades, combined with missing Crop Rotation, Two-Man Saw, and Guilds, also make the Mongols weak in a trash war scenario.
Situational advantages[]
- As their hunters work faster, they have an advantage in maps with more huntable animals than average, these include, Scandinavia, Yucatan, Black Forest, Valley, and others, especially maps in which players can find more than 2 Boars or their equivalent near their initial Town Center.
- In Budapest map as every player have two starting bases (2 town centers double villagers and 2 scouts) they also get an advantage as of course they get 2 Scout Cavalry with enhanced LOS enabling for them and their allies to explore the map astonishingly fast.
- In the Capture the Relic Game mode, as their Light Cavalry have more LOS, they can prevent enemy Monks from getting the Relic.
