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This article is about the unit in Age of Empires II. For the armor class, see Armor class: Monk. For the similar unit in other games of the series, see Monk.

ā€œConverts enemy units to your civilization. Heals friendly units (except ships and siege weapons). Can collect Relics and bring them to Monasteries.ā€
Age of Empires II description

The Monk is a special unit in Age of Empires II that can be trained at the Monastery. Lacking any means to attack, Monks are one of only two units able to convert others' units to the player's side, the other being the Spanish Missionary. They also heal allied units and the player's own units, except for ships and non-organic siege weapons. Initially weak, Monks can be powered up quite a bit by researching all technologies in the Monastery.

Among all civilizations, the Aztecs have the strongest Monks in late game, having access to all religious technologies and receiving an extra 5 hit points for each one researched. If every technology is researched, Aztec Monks have 100 hit points - more than twice as much as a regular Monk with Sanctity. Bengalis also have good Monks, especially against Villagers, against whom they have 40% more survival than post-Imperial Aztec Monks. The Spanish Missionary also becomes very beefy on account of benefiting from Bloodlines, which is a cheap and commonly researched technology.

The Bohemians, Saracens, and Spanish also have unique technologies that benefit their Monks. Burmese, Byzantine, Lithuanian, and Teuton Monks are also fairly effective, benefiting from both Monastery upgrades and team bonuses.

Monks are a versatile unit that play a number of important roles from the Castle Age onward, including the collection of Relics, harassing opposing resource nodes, disrupting opponents lines, dissuading aggression by Knights and other expensive melee units, and healing injured friendly units.

Ability[]

Relics[]

Main article: Relic (Age of Empires II)

The first and sometimes only role they serve is to collect Relics. Every Relic inside a player's Monastery generates a continuous trickle of gold over time, roughly equivalent to one gold miner without mining upgrades. Monks (and Warrior Priests) are the only units that can collect Relics, and it is generally worth creating Monks for this purpose alone. Monks carrying a Relic lose 2 Line of Sight and cannot heal or convert units, but they can drop the carried Relic to regain those abilities.

The ability to pick up Relics is only available for regular Monks, Warrior Priests and Scenario Editor Priests. All other Monk variations, like Missionaries and Hero Monks[note 1] cannot pick up Relics.

Conversion[]

Main article: Conversion#Age of Empires II
Monks convert aoe2de

Four Monks converting a War Elephant.

The second and arguably most important purpose Monks serve is to convert enemy units. Depending on the level of play, opinions can differ widely about the use and strength of conversion in the game. However, converting a unit reduces the enemy's numbers while simultaneously increasing the player's own army. In the Castle Age, Monks can be effective in backing up rushes with the ability to outrange almost every single unit. If a Monk is able to convert even just one Knight or other pricey unit, said conversion can completely make up for the Monk's cost even if the Monk dies soon after the conversion.

Civilizations with good Monks can even perform a Monk rush. This can be effective, because the attacked player most likely does not have any anti-conversion technologies researched and the Monks are affordable due to the high amount of gold being freely available in the Castle Age. Monk rushes are usually backed up with Mangonels and/or Scorpions for a Monk-Siege push (commonly abbreviated as "Smush"), a combination that pairs well (as Mangonels help Monks against archers and buildings and Monks cover against Knights) and can be very difficult to stop.

Redemption is generally considered the most important technology, as it allows for conversion of Mangonels and Scorpions, which otherwise can kill Monks. Sanctity is just as impactful, as it allows Monks to survive one Mangonel shot, as well as surviving for generally significantly longer for a relatively low cost. Atonement is incredibly useful when an opponent is making Monks but otherwise useless, and Fervor is a decent buff but not too impactful.

In the Imperial Age, Block Printing becomes available, allowing Monks to outrange almost every unit in the game, especially Onagers who would otherwise kill them in one hit even with Sanctity. Theocracy helps when using groups of Monks by significantly reducing micromanagement required, and Illumination gives a sizable boost to faith regeneration for its cost.

As player armies get much bigger in the Imperial Age, Monk become harder to use and relatively weaker. Almost all infantry and cavalry units are able to kill them in three hits, archers normally only need five. Siege units also make short work of Monks. That is a huge problem for players relying on Monks. Another problem is that conversion requires a high amount of micromanagement due to the fact that Monks do not convert on their own and cannot be instructed to do so (there is no aggressive stance function for Monks, and attack move only leads them to healing injured friendly units on the path, ignoring enemy units and buildings). That means that the player always has to be present and execute the conversion manually. In later stages of the game, when the battle is larger and taking place on multiple locations, it is almost impossible to handle aggressive Monks adequately. If there is just one main battlefield, it can still work, however, if the player concentrates on converting key units such as Paladins, War Elephants, or Boyars and guards the Monks well.

Healing[]

Aoe2de monk healing

A Monk healing a Tarkan.

Monks are able to heal friendly units. While this is useful during downtime from conversions, taking full advantage of this can be difficult, as Monks move slower than any unit they can heal and the healing range is limiting, putting them in possible danger of enemy ranged units. They also cannot heal while moving, which further compounds with their slow speed and limited opportunities to heal. Creating Monks purely for healing is not recommended unless the game is slower paced (for example a free-for-all or a campaign scenario), as apart from the previously mentioned hindrances Monks are usually unable to heal fast enough for their investment to pay off in a straight engagement.

The healing speed of Monks or Missionaries healing one target is given by hit points per minute. This means that for a single unit, the first Monk heals it at 150 hp/min, while subsequent Monks heal it at half the speed. The number is double for allies of Byzantines. This means that players should ensure that there is only one Monk healing each injured unit, unless there are more Monks than injured units. Monks by default seek out units to heal which are not being healed by other Monks, but this means that Monks will stand idle if there are more Monks than injured units.

Monks are not able to heal themselves, meaning that another Monk must be present to heal them. The only exception to this is if a Monk is a hero unit, in which case it will inherently have the health regeneration ability that all heroes possess. Alternatively, they can still be healed by being garrisoned in a building like all other units, though naturally that also prevents them from healing other units and is much slower.

The Byzantines and Teutons have the best healers in the game, as they have a faster healing rate and a longer healing range respectively. Spanish Missionaries are also among the best, thanks to their speed, allowing them to keep up with armies.

Further statistics[]

Unit strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs. Slow and/or expensive non-ranged units (such as Battle Elephants or Knights), Onagers (with Redemption and Sanctity/Block Printing)
Weak vs. Eagle Warriors, Light Cavalry, archers, siege weapons (without Redemption), Heroes
Upgrades
Hit points SanctityDE Sanctity (+15, +20 for the Aztecs)
RedemptionDE Redemption (+5, only for the Aztecs)
AtonementDE Atonement (+5, only for the Aztecs)
HerbalDE Herbal Medicine (+5, only for the Aztecs)
HeresyDE Heresy (+5, only for the Aztecs)
FervorDE Fervor (+5, only for the Aztecs)
Devotion icon AoE2DE Devotion (+5, only for the Aztecs)
FaithDE Faith (+5, only for the Aztecs)
IlluminationDE Illumination (+5, only for the Aztecs)
BlockPrintingDE Block Printing (+5, only for the Aztecs)
TheocracyDE Theocracy (+5, only for the Aztecs)
Range BlockPrintingDE Block Printing (+3)
Conversion RedemptionDE Redemption (convert siege weapons and most buildings)
AtonementDE Atonement (convert Monks)
IlluminationDE Illumination (regain faith faster)
TheocracyDE Theocracy (only one Monk rests after conversion)
UniqueTechCastle-DE Inquisition (Monks convert faster, Spanish only)
Conversion resistance Devotion icon AoE2DE Devotion (+1 min, +1 max)
FaithDE Faith (+4 min, +4 max)
HeresyDE Heresy (die upon getting converted)
UniqueTechCastle-DE First Crusade (+4 min, +4 max, Sicilians only)
Movement speed FervorDE Fervor (+15%)
Resource cost UniqueTechImperialDE Hussite Reforms (gold cost replaced with food, Bohemians only)
Other UniqueTechImperialDE Mahayana (Monks take -10% population space, Bengalis only)
UniqueTechCastle-DE Bimaristan (Monks automatically heal multiple nearby units, Saracens only)

Civilization bonuses[]

  • CivIcon-Aztecs Aztecs: Monks gain 5 HP for every researched Monastery technology.
  • CivIcon-Bengalis Bengalis: Monks have +3/+3 armor.
  • CivIcon-Burmese Burmese: Technologies that benefit Monks are 50% cheaper.
  • CivIcon-Celts Celts: Monks can convert herdable animals even if enemy units are next to them.
  • CivIcon-Chinese Chinese: Technologies that benefit Monks are 10%/15% cheaper in the Castle/Imperial Age.
  • CivIcon-Georgians Georgians: Monks receive -20% damage (-40% instead of -25%) when fighting from higher elevation.
  • CivIcon-Portuguese Portuguese: Monks are 20% cheaper.
  • CivIcon-Spanish Spanish: Researching technologies that benefit Monks provides 20 gold each.
  • CivIcon-Slavs Slavs: Monks move 20% faster.
  • CivIcon-Teutons Teutons: Monks have double range for healing.

Team bonuses[]

  • CivIcon-Byzantines Byzantines: Monks heal 100% faster.
  • CivIcon-Lithuanians Lithuanians: Monks train 20% faster. All monastery technologies are researched 20% faster.
  • CivIcon-Portuguese Portuguese: Upgrades that benefit Monks are researched 25% faster.
  • CivIcon-Teutons Teutons: Monks are more resistant to conversion.

Upgradability chart[]

The following table shows the availability of the technologies for Monks every civilization. An 'X' in the last column indicates that all technologies are available. Herbal Medicine, Devotion, Faith, and Heresy are not counted, since they do not benefit Monks specifically.

Available
Unavailable
Fully covered by civilization bonus if unavailable
Civilization RedemptionDE AtonementDE SanctityDE Fervor IlluminationDE BlockPrintingDE Theocracy Total Direct Monk bonus/technology
CivIcon-Armenians Armenians 7
CivIcon-Aztecs Aztecs 7 +5 HP for every Monastery technology
CivIcon-Bengalis Bengalis 7 +3/+3 armor
UniqueTechImperialDE Mahayana - Monks take up -10% population space
CivIcon-Berbers Berbers 5
CivIcon-Bohemians Bohemians 7 UniqueTechImperialDE Hussite Reforms - Monks cost food instead of gold
CivIcon-Britons Britons 5
CivIcon-Bulgarians Bulgarians 4
CivIcon-Burgundians Burgundians 6
CivIcon-Burmese Burmese 7 -50% cheaper upgrades
CivIcon-Byzantines Byzantines 7 Monks heal 100% faster
CivIcon-Celts Celts 2
CivIcon-Chinese Chinese 6
CivIcon-Cumans Cumans 3
CivIcon-Dravidians Dravidians 4
CivIcon-Ethiopians Ethiopians 5
CivIcon-Franks Franks 5
CivIcon-Georgians Georgians 5
CivIcon-Goths Goths 4
CivIcon-Gurjaras Gurjaras 6
CivIcon-Hindustanis Hindustanis 6
CivIcon-Huns Huns 4
CivIcon-Incas Incas 5
CivIcon-Italians Italians 7
CivIcon-Japanese Japanese 7
CivIcon-Khmer Khmer 5
CivIcon-Koreans Koreans 4
CivIcon-Lithuanians Lithuanians 7 Monks are created 20% faster
CivIcon-Magyars Magyars 5
CivIcon-Malay Malay 5
CivIcon-Malians Malians 6
CivIcon-Mayans Mayans 5
CivIcon-Mongols Mongols 2
CivIcon-Persians Persians 3
CivIcon-Poles Poles 5
CivIcon-Portuguese Portuguese 6 Monks cost -20%
CivIcon-Romans Romans 5
CivIcon-Saracens Saracens 7 UniqueTechCastle-DE Bimaristan - Monks automatically heal multiple nearby units.
CivIcon-Sicilians Sicilians 3
CivIcon-Slavs Slavs 7 Monks move 20% faster, but do not have Fervor
CivIcon-Spanish Spanish 7 UniqueTechCastle-DE Inquisition - Monks convert faster
CivIcon-Tatars Tatars 4
CivIcon-Teutons Teutons 7 Monks resist conversion, have 2x healing range
CivIcon-Turks Turks 5
CivIcon-Vietnamese Vietnamese 5
CivIcon-Vikings Vikings 3

Changelog[]

AoE2-DLCicon-0 The Age of Kings[]

  • Fervor affects all Monks properly.
  • CivIcon-Byzantines Byzantines: Monks heal 200% faster (team bonus).

AoE2-DLCicon-1 The Conquerors[]

  • Armor class: Monk introduced. Monks carrying Relics are not affected by anti-Monk damage.
  • Fervor only affects Monks carrying Relics.
  • Heresy introduced.
  • Theocracy introduced.
  • CivIcon-Aztecs Aztecs: Monks are created 17.6% faster as part of faster military creation bonus.
  • CivIcon-Byzantines Byzantines: Monks heal 50% faster (team bonus).

AoE2-DLCicon-2 The Forgotten[]

AoE2-DLCicon-4 Rise of the Rajas[]

  • CivIcon-Aztecs Aztecs: Monks lose the faster creation bonus as they are not considered military.

AoEIIDE icon Definitive Edition[]

AoE2Icon-LordsWest Lords of the West[]

Dawn of the Dukes icon Dawn of the Dukes[]

AoE2Icon-DynastiesIndia Dynasties of India[]

AoE2Icon-ReturnRome Return of Rome[]

  • Sanctity cost increased from 120 gold to 175 gold.
  • Slavs: With update 87863, Monks move +20% faster, but they lose access to Fervor.

AoE2Icon-MountainRoyals The Mountain Royals[]

  • Monks functionality:
    • Conversion attempts will now take 1 second to disrupt the current task of a Villager, instead of instantly inducing fleeing behavior.
    • Monks will no longer retain conversion cycle charges when switching between buildings and units.
  • CivIcon-Saracens Saracens: With update 95810, Bimaristan introduced.
  • With update 99311, conversion mechanics are overhauled. See changelog here.

Heroes[]

There are five heroes in the game with the appearance of a regular Monk:

History[]

ā€œReligion was a powerful force during the Middle Ages, whether it was Roman Catholicism of the West, Islam in the Middle East, or Buddhism in Asia. The missionaries and teachers of religion were mainly monks, men who took vows of poverty and who dedicated their lives to spreading their message. Middle Age conflicts often derived from religious differences and were led or supported by contingents of monks on each side. The Crusades, for example, were multiple attempts by European Christians to wrest control of the Holy Land from the hands of Islamic Arabs. Large numbers of monks accompanied the Christian crusading armies.ā€
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings manual

Trivia[]

  • The Monk is one of only two units in the game to cost only gold, the other being the Missionary.
  • The Monk is one of only four land units to have more than a single design, the others being the Villager, the Flemish Militia, and the Trade Cart.
    • The fifth design document of Ensemble Studios (dated 17 July 1998) envisioned Monks with four different skins depending of their religion: bald in a brown robe for Christian civilizations, white hat and robe for Muslims, bald in white robe for Buddhists, and Deer mask in brown robe for pagans. Despite several fan mods changing the Middle Eastern Monk's skin to the Imam's and the East Asian Monk's to Chand Bardai's, no similar feature has ever been officially released.
    • Since the HD Edition, there is an unused South East Asian Monk icon, possibly an unused icon for Chand Bardai or Bui Bi. Additionally, an unused Middle Eastern Monk icon exists in the Definitive Edition, possibly intended as the Imam's icon.
    • Like Ensemble Studios, Forgotten Empires too made multiple regional Monk models and conceptualized regional Monastery models for the Definitive Edition, but these were not implemented into the game, thus becoming cut content. The only remnant of these unimplemented designs is an unused icon for the African Monk in the game files of the Definitive Edition.[1]
  • Monks (and Missionaries) can also repair the player's own Farms and Fish Traps (but not allies'). It still costs the same amount of wood to repair the same amount of damage for each, but Monks can repair from their healing range. One Monk can repair a Farm several times faster than one Villager, but a Villager will repair a Fish Trap near the shore much faster than a Monk. Monks do not start repairing the player's Farms or Fish Traps automatically, unlike healing nearby allied units.
  • When using the Select All Military hotkey, the Monk gets selected, while a Monk with a Relic does not.
  • Monks cannot convert some units and buildings.
    • Monks cannot convert Kings, Queens, Crusader Knights, and Hero units. These units have a Hero flag which protects them from conversions.
    • Monks cannot convert certain buildings even with Redemption: Town Center, Castle, Krepost, Monastery, Fortified Church, and Wonder, because they are also protected by a Hero flag.
    • Some special types of buildings are naturally protected from conversion (due to having the unit class). These buildings are of the type Walls (Palisade, Stone, Fortified or City), Gates (Palisade, Stone, Fortified or City), and Farms (Fish Traps included), where the last type cannot even be targeted by Monks.
      • Farms and Fish Traps not being worked by any other unit can instead be taken over by the player's Villagers and Fishing Boats respectively by simply assigning one such unit to work on them.
    • Buildings which cannot be built in regular games also follow the same rules. Hero buildings like Fortified Tower, The Tower of Flies, The Accursed Tower, Dome of the Rock, Sanchi Stupa, etc. Usually special buildings (except of type Walls or Gates) can be converted, like Fortress and Poenari Castle since conversion immunity was de-hardcoded.
    • Even though they cannot convert Monasteries, they can still convert any Cathedral, Mosque, and Shrine in scenarios with Redemption researched.
  • Since update 107882, the "flemish reformation" cheat code turns all of the player's Villagers into Monks.

Gallery[]

Notes[]

  1. ā†‘ Since the Definitive Edition; previously, picking up Relics with Hero Monks would revert them to regular Monks

References[]

  1. ā†‘ Interview documentary by Noclip on YouTube
Units in Age of Empires II
CivilianMaleVillDE Villager Ā· Tradecart aoe2DE Trade Cart Ā· FishingShipDE Fishing Ship Ā· Trade cog aoe2DE Trade Cog Ā· King eu aoe2DE King
ReligiousMonk aoe2DE Monk
InfantryMilitiaDE Militia Ā· Manatarms aoe2DE Man-at-Arms Ā· Longswordsman aoe2DE Long Swordsman Ā· Twohanded aoe2DE Two-Handed Swordsman Ā· Champion aoe2DE Champion
Spearman aoe2DE Spearman Ā· Aoe2-infantry-2-pikeman Pikeman Ā· Halberdier aoe2DE Halberdier
Eaglescout aoe2DE Eagle Scout Ā· Eaglewarrior aoe2DE Eagle Warrior Ā· EliteEaglewarrior aoe2DE Elite Eagle Warrior
ArcherArcher aoe2DE Archer Ā· Crossbowman aoe2DE Crossbowman Ā· Arbalester aoe2DE Arbalester
Skirmisher aoe2DE Skirmisher Ā· Elite skirmisher aoe2DE Elite Skirmisher
Hand cannoneer aoe2DE Hand Cannoneer
Cavalryarcher aoe2DE Cavalry Archer Ā· Heavycavalryarcher aoe2de Heavy Cavalry Archer
Aoe2de DOI elephant archer icon Elephant Archer Ā· ElephantArcherIcon-DE Elite Elephant Archer
CavalryScoutcavalry aoe2DE Scout Cavalry Ā· Lightcavalry aoe2DE Light Cavalry Ā· Hussar aoe2DE Hussar
Knight aoe2DE Knight Ā· Cavalier aoe2DE Cavalier Ā· Paladin aoe2DE Paladin
Camelrider aoe2DE Camel Rider Ā· Aoe2 heavycamelriderDE Heavy Camel Rider
Battle elephant aoe2DE Battle Elephant Ā· Elite battle elephant aoe2DE Elite Battle Elephant
Steppelancericon Steppe Lancer Ā· Elitesteppelancericon Elite Steppe Lancer
Xolotlicon Xolotl Warrior
AoE2DE Armored Elephant icon Armored Elephant Ā· AoE2DE Siege Elephant icon Siege Elephant
SiegeBattering ram aoe2DE Battering Ram Ā· Capped ram aoe2DE Capped Ram Ā· Siege ram aoe2DE Siege Ram
Mangonel aoe2DE Mangonel Ā· Onager aoe2DE Onager Ā· Siege onager aoe2DE Siege Onager
Scorpion aoe2DE Scorpion Ā· Heavyscorpion aoe2DE Heavy Scorpion
Bombard cannon aoe2DE Bombard Cannon
Trebuchet aoe2DE Trebuchet
Petard aoe2DE Petard
Siegetower aoe2DE Siege Tower
War shipTransportship aoe2DE Transport Ship Ā· Galley aoe2DE Galley Ā· War galley aoe2DE War Galley Ā· Galleon aoe2DE Galleon
Fire galley aoe2DE Fire Galley Ā· Fireship aoe2DE Fire Ship Ā· Fastfireship aoe2DE Fast Fire Ship
Demoraft aoe2DE Demolition Raft Ā· Demoship aoe2DE Demolition Ship Ā· Heavydemoship aoe2de Heavy Demolition Ship
Cannon galleon aoe2DE Cannon Galleon Ā· Elite cannon galleon aoe2de Elite Cannon Galleon
AoE2 Dromon Dromon
Unique
ReligiousMissionaryIcon-DE Missionary Ā· AoE2 WarriorPriest Warrior Priest
InfantryBerserkIcon-DE Berserk Ā· Aoe2de Chakram Chakram Thrower Ā· CondottieroIcon-DE Condottiero Ā· Aoe2-icon-flemish-militia Flemish Militia Ā· GbetoIcon-DE Gbeto Ā· Aoe2de Ghulam Ghulam Ā· HuskarlIcon-DE Huskarl Ā· JaguarWarriorIcon-DE Jaguar Warrior Ā· KamayukIcon-DE Kamayuk Ā· Karambitwarrioricon-DE Karambit Warrior Ā· AoE2 DE Legionary new icon Legionary Ā· Aoe2-icon--obuch Obuch Ā· SamuraiIcon-DE Samurai Ā· Aoe2-icon-serjeant Serjeant Ā· Shotelwarrioricon-DE Shotel Warrior Ā· TeutonicKnightIcon-DE Teutonic Knight Ā· ThrowingAxemanIcon-DE Throwing Axeman Ā· Aoe2de Urumi Urumi Swordsman Ā· AoE2 WarriorPriest Warrior Priest Ā· WoadRaiderIcon-DE Woad Raider
ArcherArambaiicon-DE Arambai Ā· CamelArcherIcon-DE Camel Archer Ā· ChukoNuIcon-DE Chu Ko Nu Ā· AoE2 CompositeBowman Composite Bowman Ā· ConquistadorIcon-DE Conquistador Ā· GenitourIcon-DE Genitour Ā· GenoeseCrossbowmanIcon-DE Genoese Crossbowman Ā· Imperialskirmishericon-DE Imperial Skirmisher Ā· JanissaryIcon-DE Janissary Ā· Kipchakicon Kipchak Ā· LongbowmanIcon-DE Longbowman Ā· MangudaiIcon-DE Mangudai Ā· PlumedArcherIcon-DE Plumed Archer Ā· Aoe2de ratha ranged Ranged Ratha Ā· Rattanarchericon-DE Rattan Archer Ā· SlingerIcon-DE Slinger Ā· WarWagonIcon-DE War Wagon
CavalryBallistaelephanticon-DE Ballista Elephant Ā· BoyarIcon-DE Boyar Ā· Aoe2de camel scout Camel Scout Ā· CataphractIcon-DE Cataphract Ā· Aoe2de roman unique centurion icon Centurion Ā· Aoe2-icon-coustillier Coustillier Ā· Flaming camel icon Flaming Camel Ā· ImperialCamelRiderIcon-DE Imperial Camel Rider Ā· Keshikicon Keshik Ā· Konnikicon Konnik Ā· Leitisicon Leitis Ā· MagyarHuszarIcon-DE Magyar Huszar Ā· MamelukeIcon-DE Mameluke Ā· AoE2 Monaspa Monaspa Ā· Aoe2de ratha melee Melee Ratha Ā· AoE2 Savar Savar Ā· Aoe2de shrivamsha rider Shrivamsha Rider Ā· TarkanIcon-DE Tarkan Ā· WarElephantIcon-DE War Elephant Ā· Aoe2-icon-winged-hussar Winged Hussar
SiegeAoe2-icon--houfnice Houfnice Ā· Aoe2-icon-hussite-wagon Hussite Wagon Ā· OrganGunIcon-DE Organ Gun
War shipCaravelIcon-DE Caravel Ā· LongboatIcon-DE Longboat Ā· Aoe2de Thirisadai Thirisadai Ā· TurtleShipIcon-DE Turtle Ship
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