| “ | Powerful all-purpose cavalry. | ” |
| —Age of Empires II description | ||
The Paladin is a heavy cavalry unit in Age of Empires II that can be upgraded from the Cavalier to be trained at the Stable in the Imperial Age. Like most other cavalry, Paladins are strong and agile. They are one of the strongest and most durable units in the game, but have a high upgrade and per-unit cost.
Availability chart[]
- x means that the civilizations gets either fully upgradeable Paladins, or a missing technology is fully offset by some civilization bonus. The technologies being considered here are Blast Furnace, Plate Barding Armor, Bloodlines, and Husbandry.
- + means that the civilization gets some civilization or team bonus or a unique technology that benefits the combat strength of the Paladin.
- ✝ means that the civilization had access to Paladins in the past, but does not currently.
Tactics[]
Paladins are some of the strongest and, though not cheap, most effective units and a large group can easily destroy any ill-prepared town or army. In one-on-one combat, Paladins can slay Halberdiers, but lose in cost efficiency by a wide margin; and lose to Heavy Camel Riders in both population efficiency and cost efficiency. Paladins are susceptible to enemy Monks because of their high gold cost.
Siege weapons are ineffective against Paladins in most situations, but if cautiously used, Onagers can deal a great amount of damage. However, if used against ordinary infantry, archers, siege units, and unsuspecting towns, Paladins dominate the field. Still, Paladins should always be used with caution as flaws in the implementation of these units can prove very costly.
Paladins are significantly superior to generic Cavaliers, boasting +40 hit points, +2 melee attack (while attacking slightly slower), and +1 pierce armor. Against archers, in particular, the durability boost is very appreciated. However, the enormous upgrade cost (1,300 food, 750 gold) means that researching the upgrade is a massive investment, and should only be researched if the Paladin is going to be used as the backbone of the army.
Prominent civilizations[]
Despite lacking Bloodlines, the Franks have some of the strongest Paladins in the game due to their civilization bonus which grants them +20% HP (note that they lack Bloodlines, so they end up with +12 hit points), giving them a useful boost in their durability. They also have the most easily massed and upgraded Paladin once Chivalry is researched, which increases the work rate of Stables by 40%.
The Huns have the second fastest training and upgrading time as a result of their team bonus which makes their Stables work 20% faster, which affects them from the start of the game, while Chivalry needs a Castle and extra resources to be effective.
Despite lacking Husbandry, the Cumans have the fastest Paladin in the game, due to their civilization bonus granting them +15% movement speed, allowing them to chase down enemies and disengage from fights easily, as well as being extremely useful to raid and disrupt the enemy economy.
The Teutons also lack Husbandry, but have the Paladin best-suited for prolonged melee, thanks to their civilization bonus that provides +2 melee armor, which enables them to survive one more hit from Halberdiers and against low-attack units like Hussars. The team bonus also makes them more resistant to conversion.
The Lithuanians have the potential for the highest damage output for their Paladins by collecting four Relics, since each Relic collected increases their attack by one. However, since they lack Blast Furnace, it would be only +2 over regular civilizations, with the first two Relics negating the lack of said technology. With four Relics collected, they match Teuton Paladins, which have +2/0 armor, in a duel, while having faster movement speed. However, not collecting Relics should not be seen as a problem, since the Lithuanians have another heavy cavalry unit which excels in melee combat, while the Paladins can handle archers.
The Burgundians also lack Bloodlines, but since their upgrade is 50% cheaper, they have the fastest appearance for Paladin. Also, the Cavalier upgrade is available in the Castle Age, meaning less time to upgrade, since most players will upgrade it during the Castle Age. The Cavalier upgrade is also cheaper. And unlike the other civilizations with strong Paladins, the Burgundians can use them in 1v1 more easily. In team games, their Paladins are very powerful in the early Imperial Age, but become weaker when the opponents finish the upgrade.
Comparison table[]
The following table lists only those civilizations which have better than generic Paladins. The Magyars, and Spanish have generic Paladins. The Burgundians, Byzantines, and Celts have below average Paladins with no attribute being better than generic ones.
| Civilization |  Cumans
|
 Franks
|
 Huns
|
 Lithuanians
|
 Teutons
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hit points | 180 | 192 | 180 | ||
| Melee attack | 14+4 | 14+6 | 14+4 | ||
| Armor | 2+3/3+4 | 2+5/3+4 | |||
| Speed | 1.563 | 1.485 | 1.35 | ||
| Training time | 22.56 | 16.11 | 18.8 | 22.56 | |
| Extras | +2 LoS | Conversion resistance | |||
Further statistics[]
| Strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Infantry, foot archers, siege weapons, light cavalry |
| Weak vs. | Halberdiers, Heavy Camel Riders, Monks, Elite Battle Elephants, Boyars, Kamayuks, Berserks, Genoese Crossbowmen, Teutonic Knights, Mamelukes, War Elephants |
| Technologies | |
|---|---|
 Hit points
|
 Bloodlines (+20)
|
| Attack |  Forging (+1) Iron Casting (+1) Blast Furnace (+2)
|
| Armor |  Scale Barding Armor (+1/+1) Chain Barding Armor (+1/+1) Plate Barding Armor (+1/+2)
|
| Conversion resistance |  Devotion (+1 min, +1 max) Faith (+4 min, +4 max) Heresy (die upon getting converted)
|
 Movement speed
|
 Husbandry (+10%)
|
| Creation speed |  Conscription (+33%) Chivalry (+40%, Franks only)
|
| Civilization bonuses | |
|---|---|
| Hit points
|
Franks (+20%)
|
| Attack | Lithuanians (+1 per Relic garrisoned, max +4)
|
| Armor | Teutons (+2/0)
|
| Movement speed
|
Cumans (+15.76%)
|
| Team bonuses | |
|---|---|
| Attack |  Persians (+2 vs archers)
|
| Conversion resistance | Teutons (+3 min, +1 max)
|
| Line of Sight | Franks (+2)
|
| Creation speed | Huns (+20%)
|
Civilization bonuses[]
Burgundians: Researching Husbandry and Paladin is 50% cheaper.- Celts: Paladins can convert herdable animals even if enemy units are next to them.
- Magyars: Forging, Iron Casting, and Blast Furnace are free.
- Spanish: Blacksmith technologies that benefit Paladins cost no gold. Researching technologies that benefit Paladins provides 20 gold each.
Team bonuses[]
- Bulgarians: Researching cavalry armor and attack technologies at the Blacksmith is 80% faster.
- Huns: Researching Bloodlines, Husbandry and Paladin is 20% faster.
- Lithuanians: Researching Heresy, Devotion, and Faith is 20% faster.
- Portuguese: Technologies that benefit Paladins are researched 25% faster.
Changelog[]
The Conquerors[]
- Heresy introduced.
- Bloodlines introduced.
The Forgotten[]
Definitive Edition[]
- Lithuanians: Initially, the Relic bonus had a maximum of +5 attack and have access to Blast Furnace. With update 34055, the Relic bonus was reduced to a maximum of +4.
- Cumans: Initially, their Paladins moved 10% faster and had access to Husbandry. With update 34055, it was increased to 15.76% faster but they lost access to Husbandry.
- Teutons: With update 36906, Paladins get +2 melee armor.
- Bulgarians: Originally have access to the Paladin. With update 36906, they no longer have access.
Dawn of the Dukes[]
- Lithuanians: With update 51737, access to Blast Furnace is lost.
The Mountain Royals[]
- Persians: With update 95810, they lose access to Paladins, which are replaced by Savars.
Heroes[]
There are six heroes in the game with the appearance of a Paladin:
- Dinh Le (in the HD Edition only)
- Guy Josselyne
- Henry V
- Lancelot
- Mordred
- Richard the Lionheart
History[]
| “ | The ultimate fighting knights were paladins, the cream of the cavalier class. Paladins were champions for their lords and their orders of knighthood. These men were of the highest social class and elite warriors. They often made up the personal bodyguard of a great king and were sworn to protect his life with their own. | ” |
| —Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings manual | ||
Trivia[]
- The Paladin's upgrade cost, at 1,300 food, 750 gold, is the third most food demanding in the game (only War Elephants and Onagers need more).
- The in-game Paladin is inspired by the fictionalized Charlemagne's Twelve Peers.
- The original Latin title palatinus (palace official) evolved into the Medieval title Count Palatine. A more correct and encompassing name for these in-game heavy melee horsemen would be Allodial Knight / Allodial Chevalier (a knight / chevalier who holds his own land, instead of holding a fief granted by a higher-ranking noble; thus he owes neither rent nor service to anyone).
- Allodial Knights were present in Medieval English kingdom (including Wales, conquered and annexed since 1283), so it is historically inaccurate (though understandable from a balance perspective) that Britons lack Paladins.
- All civilizations that have access to the Paladin also have access to the Halberdier.
- The Paladin has a slower attacking speed (1.9) compared to its predecessors (1.8) due to a change in an The Age of Kings alpha, when Knights and Cavaliers had an attack speed 2. This was modified, but the attack speed of Paladins was not changed.
- Before the Definitive Edition, the Knight line was one of four units in the game without any innate attack bonus (the other being the Militia, the Boyar, and the Turtle Ship).
- At various points, the Paladin has been the most exclusive non-regional unit in the game.
- Before The African Kingdoms, that title was held by the Siege Onager. With its release, the Paladin became the most exclusive unit in the game replacing the Siege Onager, being available to only eight different civilizations.
- With update 36906, the Paladin took back the title of the most exclusive unit in the game until Lords of the West came out and restored the tie.
- After Sicilians got access to the Siege Onager, the Paladin recovered the title. With Lords of the West, the Paladin was tied with the Heavy Camel Rider as the most exclusive unit in the game, being available to only eleven civilizations.
- This changed yet again with the release of Dynasties of India, when the new Gurjaras civilization had access to the Heavy Camel Rider and not the Paladin.
- Since The Mountain Royals, the Paladin is available to only ten civilizations.
- All civilizations that have access to the Paladin have European connections. As such, Paladins are a pseudo-regional unit for European civilizations (since usually other civilizations have other regional units).
- Despite being a Central Asian civilization, the Cumans settled in Europe in the 13th century, more precisely in Hungary and Bulgaria.
- Despite having their origins in Asia, the Huns, which have Central European architecture, came to Europe as invaders, where they formed their empire.
- Before The Mountain Royals, the Persians were the only exception to this rule. With the expansion, the Persians got the Paladin upgrade replaced by the Savar, a unique upgrade of the Cavalier, because developers felt that the Paladin was too European-styled.[1]
- Before update 34055, the Lithuanian Paladin reached 23 attack with all five Relics and was able to kill all Halberdiers in three hits. Only Viking Pikemen were able to survive to the fourth hit.
- A fully upgraded Teutonic Paladin is tied with the Gurjara Heavy Camel Rider for the highest melee armor of Stable units, as well as the third highest melee armor of all cavalry (7), only behind the Elite Monaspa (8), and the Elite Boyar (11).
- In the Definitive Edition, the Cavalier's and Paladin's mounts possess bushy legs, which is a common characteristic of workhorses/draft horses. However, the strongest Medieval warhorses, the destriers, were drawn with short lower-leg-hair.
- The Last Khans was planned to be a Paladin (or more generally, a heavy cavalry-focused) expansion[Citation needed].
- With update 36906, the Bulgarians became the first civilization that lost access to the Paladin in the game. However, they still retained their heavy cavalry identity by getting Stirrups to benefit their Knight line in exchange. All along, they still have the Konnik, which is also a heavy cavalry unit.
- The Tatars were the only civilization introduced in The Last Khans that originally lacked access to the Paladin. However, they made up for that with their unique unit, the Keshik, which originally had stats rivaling the Paladin, lacking 30 hit points and 1 melee armor until update 34055. With this update, it became the only civilization in the expansion to not have focus on heavy cavalry, instead focusing on Cavalry Archers.
- The Western European civilizations have the highest percentage amount of Paladins, with only the Britons lacking access to it. Before update 36906, the Eastern European civilizations also had this title, with only the Slavs lacking it.
- Among the only three civilizations with all economic technologies available, two of them (the Burgundians and Byzantines) have access to the Paladin, while the other one (the Persians) has access to the Savar.
- The only expansions in which civilizations with access to the Paladin were introduced were The Conquerors, The Forgotten, The Last Khans, and Lords of the West.
Gallery[]
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