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This article is about the unit in Age of Empires II HD: The African Kingdoms. For the unit in Age of Empires III, see Organ Gun (Age of Empires III). |
| “ | Portuguese unique unit. Siege weapon that fires a volley of bullets. Very effective against large groups of units. | ” |
| —Age of Empires II description | ||
The Organ Gun is the first unique unit of the Portuguese in Age of Empires II HD: The African Kingdoms. It is a gunpowder siege weapon that fires a volley of bullets. Like all other unique gunpowder units, Organ Guns do not require Chemistry in order to be trained.
Organ Guns can be upgraded to Elite Organ Guns in the Imperial Age.
Overview and tactics
The Organ Gun is one of only two unique siege units in the game (the other being the Ballista Elephant). It fires a volley of five bullets in a spread pattern that can hit multiple enemies. It is more effective against large groups of units, because other than the one main bullet dealing the panel attack, the other four bullets deal effectively only 2 attack. Conversely, however, it is woefully ineffective against structures, in a similar vein to the Scorpion, dealing very light damage to them, even when used in large groups.
It is advised to always protect Organ Guns, because their subpar accuracy (without Arquebus) and slow Rate of Fire leaves them vulnerable, especially to melee attacks. Firing from behind allied units and buildings can prevent incoming enemies from exploiting the Organ Gun's minimum range. Halberdiers and Hand Cannoneers pair well with Organ Guns, and can effectively protect them from melee attacks. They are also vulnerable against enemy Bombard Cannons and Siege Onagers, though Elite Organ Guns can barely survive a hit from a regular Onager. Also, despite having an attack bonus against rams, they are a poor choice against them, while the Rams can deal devastating damage to an Organ Gun, if ordered to attack it.
Further statistics
As Organ Guns are unique to the Portuguese, only technologies that are available to them are shown in the following table:
| Unit strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Villagers, Skirmishers, mobs of units |
| Weak vs. | Samurai, Condottieri, cavalry, Onagers, Bombard Cannons, Huskarls |
| Upgrades | |
| Range and damage |  Siege Engineers (+1 range and +20% damage against buildings)
|
| Accuracy |  Arquebus (hit moving targets)
|
| Conversion defense |  Faith Heresy
|
| Creation speed |  Conscription (+33%)
|
| Upgrades |  Elite Organ Gun
|
Civilization bonuses
- Portuguese: Organ Guns cost 15% less gold.
Team bonuses
- A team containing Berbers: With Kasbah researched, Organ Guns are created and upgraded 25% faster, and Conscription and Arquebus are researched 25% faster.
- A team containing Malians: Researching Siege Engineers is 80% faster.
- A team containing Teutons: Organ Guns are more resistant to conversion.
- A team containing Turks: Organ Guns are created 25% faster.
Changelog
The African Kingdoms
- Organ Guns have 1 spread damage.
- Organ Guns have +1 attack against infantry.
- Turks: Organ Guns initially do not benefit from their team bonus. With patch 4.8, that was fixed and Organ Guns are created 20% faster when allied with Turks.
Rise of the Rajas
- Organ Guns no longer have an attack bonus against infantry.
- Organ Guns now have a minimum range of 1.
- With patch 5.7, Organ Guns now have 2 spread damage.
Trivia
- Of all siege units capable of attacking, the Organ Gun is the only one without an attack bonus against buildings.
History
An organ gun, most commonly known as a ribauldequin or rabauld, was a Renaissance-era volley gun with many small-caliber iron barrels set up parallel on a wooden platform, in use during the 14th and 15th centuries. When the gun fired in a volley, it created a shower of iron shot, serving mostly as an anti-personnel gun. The name "organ gun" referred to the artillery's resemblance to a pipe organ, a well-known musical instrument.
Gallery
