| “ | Innovative field weapon capable of firing a barrage of rockets to damage defensive positions and clumped enemy troops. | ” |
| —Age of Empires IV description | ||
The Nest of Bees is a unique gunpowder siege engine in Age of Empires IV available to the Chinese and Zhu Xi's Legacy at the Siege Workshop starting in the Castle Age. It fires 8 rocket projectiles in a circular area with a radius of 1.25 tiles, and each projectile itself has a 1-tile-radius Area of Effect and have 30% and 60% damage reduction at increasing distances from the point of impact. The Nest of Bees replaces the Mangonel and is primarily used against large groups of enemies.
The Nest of Bees is also available to the Mongols through the Khaganate Palace landmark as a random spawn, and to the Byzantines through the Foreign Engineering Company landmark at the cost of 600 olive oil.
Unit comparison[]
 Nest of Bees
|
 Mangonel
| |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 300 wood, 300 gold | 400 wood, 200 gold |
| Attack | 6 | 10 |
| Attack bonuses | +4 vs ships +2 vs ranged units |
+30 vs buildings, ships +10 vs ranged units |
| No of projectiles | Base: 8 Additional Barrels (Chinese): 10
|
3 |
| Rate of Fire | 6.5 | Base: 6.875 |
| Range | 7.5 | 8 |
| Speed | 0.81 | 0.75 |
| Line of Sight | 14.22 | 11.56 |
Similarities[]
- Time: 40 seconds
- HP: 130
- Armor: 0
- Ranged Resistance: 80%
- Population: 3
- Minimum Range: 3
Tactics[]
Just like Mangonels, they are strong against clumped units (especially ranged units), and weak to cavalry. Because they have a smaller attack bonus vs ranged units but do more base damage overall (6 x 8 = 48 total compared to the Mangonel's 10 x 3), they are more of a generalist siege weapon and more effective vs melee units. Their additional tracking and shot spread also makes their attacks harder to avoid. However, their shorter range makes them even more vulnerable to cavalry, so they should be guarded with either Spearmen or Palace Guards.
Further statistics[]
Because the Nest of Bees is normally only available to the Chinese and Zhu Xi's Legacy, only technologies and abilities available to them are listed here:
| Technologies | |
|---|---|
 Hit points
|
 Siege Works (+20%)
|
| Additional projectiles | Additional Barrels (+2 rockets,  Chinese)
|
 Movement speed
|
 Greased Axles (+15%)
|
| Creation speed |  Military Academy (+33%)
|
| Aura and ability enhancements | |
|---|---|
 Regeneration
|
 Divine Vitality (2 hp/s out of combat,  Zhu Xi's Legacy)
|
 Range
|
 Divine Defense (+1 tile, Zhu Xi's Legacy)
|
| Civilization bonuses | |
|---|---|
| Hit points
|
Chinese (+15% in  Ming Dynasty) Chinese (+50% from Astronomical Clocktower)
|
| Attack | Zhu Xi's Legacy (+20% in Ming Dynasty)
|
| Resource cost | Zhu Xi's Legacy (-10% in  Yuan Dynasty)
|
Other civilizations[]
Byzantines[]
The Byzantines can create Mercenary Nest of Bees from the Foreign Engineering Company. It is identical in all aspects to the standard un-upgraded Nest of Bees except that it costs 600 olive oil and it can also benefit from the following Byzantine civ bonuses and abilities:
| Aura and ability enhancements | |
|---|---|
| Movement speed
|
 Naval Deployment (+50% speed for 12 seconds after unloading from a Transport Ship)
|
| Creation speed |   Conscriptio Influence (+20% per Cistern water level)
|
Mongols[]
The Khaganate Palace can spawn Nest of Bees at random. They take 50 seconds to spawn and are identical to the standard Nest of Bees with Additional Barrels researched for free. They can also benefit from the following additional Mongol unique abilities and technologies.
| Technologies | |
|---|---|
| Hit points
|
Improved Siege Works (+30%)
|
| Armor | Improved Siege Works (+15 ranged)
|
| Movement speed
|
Improved Greased Axles (+20%)
|
| Aura and ability enhancements | |
|---|---|
| Attack |  Kurultai Aura (+20%)
|
| Armor |  Defense Arrow (+2 melee and ranged for 5/10/12 seconds, depending on Whistling Arrows,  Mongols)
|
| Movement speed
|
 Maneuver Arrow (+33% for 5/10/12 seconds, depending on Whistling Arrows)
|
Changelog[]
- Originally, Nest of Bees dealt 8 damage per projectile including Chemistry (which was always applied). With update 8324, it did 10 damage per projectile (including Chemistry). With the Season Four Update 6.0.878 other civilizations that did not get free Chemistry gained access to the Nest of Bees, and these did 8 base damage per projectile. With update 12.0.1974, Chemistry no longer applies to base damage and all civilizations' Nest of Bees deal 6 damage per projectiles.
- Originally, the Nest of Bees had 0.62 movement speed, 2.5 minimum range, 240 hit points, and trained in 45 seconds. With update 8324, it has 0.94 movement speed, 3 minimum range, 200 hit points, and trains in 40 seconds. Patch 11009 reduced their movement speed down to 0.81. Season Two Update 17718 further reduced their hit points to 140 (210 Clocktower). Update 10.0.576 reduced them further to 130.
- Originally, Nest of Bees dealt no extra bonus damage. With patch 11009, they deal +4 bonus damage to ships. With update 12.0.1974, they deal +2 bonus damage against ranged units.
- Originally, Nest of Bees had 8 ranged armor. With Season Two Update 17718, they have 20 ranged armor. With patch 9.2.628. they have 30 ranged armor. With update 12.0.1974, their ranged armor was replaced with 80% ranged resistance. With patch 12.0.2246, this was increased to 85% ranged resistance.
- Originally, Nest of Bees were upgraded with Reusable Barrels. With update 7.0.5861, it is upgraded with Additional Barrels
- With patch 11.1.1201, the Nest of Bees no longer needs to pack and unpack.
- Originally, Nest of Bees had 8 maximum range. With update 12.0.1974, they had 7. With patch 12.1.2454, they have 7.5 range.
Gallery[]
