| “ | Mobile dropsite. Used to deposit wood, stone, gold, and hunted food. | ” |
| —In-game description | ||
The Mule Cart is an economic building in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - The Mountain Royals available only to the Armenians and Georgians. It replaces the Lumber Camp and Mining Camp. It is a drop-off point for wood, gold, stone, and meat (food from hunting only, not from fishing, herdables, or any other source).
They also count towards the buildings requirement for advancing to the Feudal Age.
Special ability[]
As a building[]
The Mule Cart is considered a building which can move and not a unit. This has several quirks:
- Monks need Redemption and to stand adjacent to it to convert it.
- It does not cost population, which is especially good for the Georgians, since otherwise, they would be population capped at the start of a standard match.
- It can be built directly by Villagers where needed, instead of having to be trained at a building and then moving to the desired location.
- It cannot convert herdable animals.
- It does not react when getting attacked.
- It gets upgraded as a building.
- It has the same priority for attacks as buildings, which means that it cannot be used to tank damage.
As a pseudo-unit[]
However, these are some other features which the Mule Cart shares with units:
- It can always move at the same speed as Villagers (since it benefits from the same speed upgrades).
- It can be garrisoned in towers, Town Centers, Fortified Churches, Castles, and Transport Ships. It can also be garrisoned in similar allied buildings, like Donjons and Kreposts.
- It is selected through drag along with Villagers.
- It has a circular outline when selected.
- Its location is not visible in the fog of war.
Other quirks[]
- If a Mule Cart is assigned to a resource like a tree or mine, it moves and stands next to the resource. If the resource is depleted, it finds and moves to the next nearest tree or mine, respectively. This behavior can be overridden by tasking the Mule Cart to move to a particular spot, upon which they will move to the spot and stand still.
- If a damaged Mule Cart is garrisoned in any building, including allies', it is automatically repaired at a fixed rate of proportion to its total hit points (including effects of Masonry, etc). Before update 107882, the resource cost of repairs was deducted directly from the stockpile of the player owning the Mule Cart; since the update, repairing via garrisoning is free. The percentage of hit points repaired per minute is 24% per minute in towers and Town Centers, 48% per minute in Castles and Kreposts, and 96% per minute in Fortified Churches. The repairing rates are tripled when Herbal Medicine is researched by the player owning the building (not the Mule Cart).
Tactics and placement[]
As Mule Carts replace Mining and Lumber Camps entirely for the Georgians and Armenians, and also functions as a dropping point for meat, they give the civilizations a flexibility in collecting resources. In the first place, the player does not need to invest wood in order to keep the efficiency of wood gathering, as Mule Carts automatically move to the nearest resource within their Line of Sight, hence maintaining the shortest distance between the forests and the Mule Cart. This advantage also translates to mining resources, but to a lesser extent. In this case, Mule Carts can be reused over and over until there are no more mines left, unlike Mining Camps, which will lie useless once the gold or stone is over, and the player has to build another one for taking a new mine. Since Mule Carts are a dropping point for several resources, the player is also able to place them or move them to a spot that has easy access to several resources. This is especially useful on nomadic settings.
If Deer or similar huntable animals are near wood or gold, the advantage becomes even better, since it incentivizes Villagers to collect Deer, as they need not take long distance trips or make a Mill. This also reduces the micromanagement required to lure them.
One final advantage of the Mule Cart is that it can be relocated if the site is getting harassed or raided. This is specially useful when the woodline is towered and when normally one would not have wood to place another Lumber Camp.
However, Mule Carts are still inferior to Mining and Lumber Camps in terms of resilience, as they only have 300 hit points, 1 melee armor, and 2 pierce armor, unlike the others, which have 600/800/1,000/1,000 hit points, 0/1/2/3 melee armor, and 7/8/9/10 pierce armor, depending on the Age.
Mule Carts can be used to steal Boars from an opponent. The player should explore the surroundings of an opponent settlement in order to find the Boars, then send at least 5 Villagers and the Mule Cart near the opponent's Boar and lure it to the Mule Cart. Once the player finish taking the food, they can return the Mule Cart and the Villagers to their settlement and retask them.
Georgians[]
Start with a Mule Cart. Mule Carts receive -20% damage (-40% instead of -25%) when taking damage from lower elevation.
The player should focus more on food early, and find their Sheep and Boars as fast as possible, while possibly researching Loom earlier. Since they start with a Mule Cart, they may use it for exploring the surroundings of the Town Center, helping the Scout Cavalry. Since Mule Carts are considered buildings, the Georgians just need to build a Mill in order to cover their Aging up prerequisite for the Feudal Age. In addition, if need be, repairing Mule Carts also costs -25% resources.
Armenians[]
Mule Carts cost -25%. Mule Cart technologies are +40% effective.
The extra-effective technologies are substantial starting in the Feudal Age and especially in the late game, boosting Lumberjack and Gold Mining productivity. The other half of the bonus helps in the Dark Age, as the discount helps expanding the economy to different areas.
Armenian Mule Carts are less resilient than the Georgian version, since they lack Architecture, and are built slower, since they also lack Treadmill Crane. While cheaper at the later stages in the game, they are also created at a slower pace.
Technologies[]
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Notes[]
The ability to research technologies is transferred from the Lumber Camp and Mining Camp,
- The technologies are available only to the civilizations for whom the Mule Cart is available: the Armenians and Georgians. If a civilization which does not have access to Mule Carts otherwise converts one, it cannot research any technology in it, but can use it to drop off resources.
- Similarly, if a Mule Cart civilization converts a camp, it cannot research technologies at that building, but can use it to drop off resources.
Further statistics[]
| Technologies | |
|---|---|
 Hit points
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 Masonry (+10%) Architecture (+10%, Georgians only)
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| Armor | Masonry (+1/+1, +3 building armor) Architecture (+1/+1, +3 building armor, Georgians only)
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| Conversion resistance |  Devotion (+1 min, +1 max) Faith (+4 min, +4 max) Heresy (die upon getting converted)
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| Line of Sight |  Town Watch (+4) Town Patrol (+4)
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 Movement speed
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 Wheelbarrow (+10%) Hand Cart (+10%)
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| Creation speed |  Treadmill Crane (+20%, Georgians only)
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Civilization bonuses[]
- Armenians: Mule Carts cost -25% and Mule Cart technologies are 40% more effective.
- Georgians: Start with a Mule Cart.
Team bonuses[]
- Georgians: Repairing Mule Carts costs 25% fewer resources.
- Lithuanians: Researching Devotion, Faith, and Heresy is 20% faster.
- Malians: Researching Masonry, Architecture, and Treadmill Crane is 80% faster.
- Portuguese: Technologies that benefit Mule Carts and Mule Cart technologies are researched 25% faster.
- Teutons: Mule Carts are more resistant to conversion (+3 min, +1 max cycles).
Changelog[]
The Mountain Royals[]
- Upon release, Mule Carts cost 20 food, 100 wood. With update 99311, they cost 20 food, 80 wood.
- Originally, Mule Carts had the same priority for receiving attack as units. With update 99311, they share the priority with buildings, which is lower than those of units.
- Originally, Mule Carts could be seen in the Fog of War, just like buildings. With update 99311, they cannot, similar to units.
- Armenians: Mule Cart technologies are +25% effective. With update 99311, Mule Cart technologies are +40% effective, but they lose Two-Man Saw.
- Georgians (team bonus): Originally, repairing Mule Carts cost -50% resources. With update 99311, it costs -25% resources.
- With update 99311, Devotion was introduced.
Victors and Vanquished[]
- Repairing Mule Carts by garrisoning them inside buildings no longer costs resources.
Trivia[]
- The Mule Cart is very similar to the Norse Ox Cart from Age of Mythology and the Babylonian Ox Cart from Age of Empires Online.
- Neither civilization has Two-Man Saw.
- Neither civilization has both Gold Shaft Mining and Stone Shaft Mining.
Gallery[]
