 |
This article is about the unit in Age of Empires II. For other uses of the term, see Pikeman. |
| “ | Anti-cavalry infantry unit. | ” |
| —In-game description | ||
| “ | Stronger than Spearman. Attack bonus vs. cavalry, especially War Elephants. | ” |
| —In-game description | ||
The Pikeman is an infantry unit in Age of Empires II that can be upgraded from the Spearman at the Barracks once the Castle Age is reached. They can be trained at the Barracks and also at Donjons by the Sicilians. They are an excellent cavalry-counter. They are weak against anything outside the cavalry section, particularly archers, but make up for it by being one of the cheapest military units in the game. Additionally, no gold is required to train them, making them trash units.
Pikemen are available to all civilizations except for the Turks and the Gurjaras.
Tactics[]
The Pikeman performs outstandingly against cavalry, doing +22 bonus damage to Knights, +18 to Camel Riders, and +47 to War Elephants. This is more than a 45% increase in attack (Spearman deal +15/+12/+30 respectively), which, when combined with a solid +10 hit points, makes their upgrade from Spearmen extremely important to get. However, they still retain the Spearman's inability to force engagements against enemy cavalry (apart from elephants). Because of this, Camel Riders are preferable for the civilizations who have access to them against Knights.
Due to their frailty, however, they should operate in groups. Pikemen are useful when attacking players who are basing their army on cavalry units or when defending against cavalry raids. They make an excellent complement for siege weapons, as they can protect them against enemy melee cavalry. Though they might lack offensive power to defeat enemy units outside of the cavalry sector, they can serve as cannon fodder since they are as cheap as a military unit can be.
Further statistics[]
| Strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Cavalry |
| Weak vs. | Archers, Scorpions, Cataphracts, infantry |
| Technologies | |
|---|---|
 Regeneration
|
 Stronghold (regenerate 30 HP/min when within 18 tiles square of a team Celts Castle)
|
| Attack |  Forging (+1, +2 for the Khitans) Iron Casting (+1, +2 for the Khitans) Blast Furnace (+2) Arson (+2 against standard buildings) Garland Wars (+4, Aztecs only) Chieftains (+5 against cavalry and +4 against camels, Vikings only)
|
| Armor |  Scale Mail Armor (+1/+1, +2/+2 for the Romans) Chain Mail Armor (+1/+1, +2/+2 for the Romans) Plate Mail Armor (+1/+2) Tower Shields (+2 pierce armor, Lithuanians only)
|
| Conversion resistance |  Devotion (+1 min, +1 max) Faith (+4 min, +4 max) Heresy (die upon getting converted) First Crusade (+4 min, +4 max, Sicilians only)
|
 Movement speed
|
 Squires (+10%)
|
| Creation speed |  Conscription (+33%) Perfusion (+100%, Goths only)
|
| Ability | Chieftains (generates gold when killing Villagers, trade units, and Monks, Vikings only) Druzhina (gives trample damage in 0.5 tiles radius, Slavs only) Wootz Steel (attack ignores armor, Dravidians only) Lamellar Armor (25% non-projectile damage reflection, Khitans only) Coiled Serpent Array (Gain +0.5% HP (max +15%) per Spearman and White Feather Guard in 15 radius, Shu only) Tuntian (Passively generate 1.2 food/min, Wei only)
|
Civilization bonuses[]
Armenians: Pikeman are available in the Feudal Age. Halberdier can be researched in the Castle Age.- Aztecs: Pikemen are created 15% faster.
- Bohemians: Pikemen deal +25% bonus damage.
- Bulgarians: Blacksmith technologies that benefit Pikemen cost -50% food.
- Burmese: Pikemen have +2/+3 attack in the Castle/Imperial Age. Researching Devotion and Faith is 50% cheaper.
- Byzantines: Pikemen are 25% cheaper.
- Celts: Pikemen move 15%/20% faster in the Castle/Imperial Age. Pikemen can convert herdable animals even if enemy units are next to them.
- Chinese: Technologies that benefit Pikemen are 5%/10%/15% cheaper in the Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age.
- Dravidians: Researching Arson and Squires and upgrading to Halberdier is 50% cheaper.
- Georgians: Pikemen receive -20% damage (-40% instead of -25%) when fighting from higher elevation.
- Goths: Pikemen are 25%/30% cheaper in the Castle/Imperial Age, and have +2/+3 in the Castle/Imperial Age attack against standard buildings.
- Inca: Pikemen cost -20%/-25% food in the Castle/Imperial Age.
- Japanese: Pikemen attack 33% faster.
- Jurchens: Pikemen receive -50% friendly fire damage.
- Khitans: Pikemen are trained 25% faster. Upgrading to Halberdier is 25% faster. Pikemen receive double the effect from melee attack upgrades.
- Koreans: Pikemen cost -50% wood.
- Lithuanians: Pikemen move 10% faster.
- Magyars: Forging, Iron Casting, and Blast Furnace are free.
- Malians: Pikemen have +2/+3 pierce armor in the Castle/Imperial Age.
- Romans: Pikemen receive double the effect from armor upgrades.
- Sicilians: Pikemen take -33% bonus damage.
- Spanish: Blacksmith technologies that benefit Pikemen cost no gold. Researching technologies that benefit Pikemen provides 20 gold each.
- Tatars: Pikemen deal +20% damage (+50% instead of +25%) from a cliff or an elevation.
- Teutons: Pikemen have +1 armor in the Castle Age and +2 armor in the Imperial Age.
- Vietnamese: Conscription is free.
- Vikings: Pikemen have +20% hit points.
Team bonuses[]
- Armenians: Pikemen have +2 Line of Sight.
- Bulgarians: Researching infantry armor and attack upgrades at the Blacksmith is 80% faster.
- Goths: Pikemen are created and upgraded 20% faster. Researching Squires and Arson is 20% faster.
- Khitans: Pikemen have +2 attack vs ranged soldiers.
- Lithuanians: Researching Heresy, Devotion and Faith is 20% faster.
- Portuguese: Upgrades that benefit Pikemen are researched 25% faster.
- Teutons: Pikemen are more resistant to conversion.
Changelog[]
The Age of Kings[]
- Pikemen deal no attack bonus against ships.
- Pikemen receive standard anti-infantry bonus damage.
- Goths: Pikemen are 15%/25% cheaper in the Castle/Imperial Age and have an extra +1 attack against standard buildings.
- Vikings: Pikemen have +15%/+20% hit points in the Castle/Imperial Age.
The Conquerors[]
- Since camels were moved to the ship armor class (from the cavalry armor class), Pikemen receive +11 attack bonus against this class. Hence, their attack bonus against camels is reduced from +22 to +11, and attack bonus against ships is increased from 0 to +11.
- Pikemen receive additional attack bonus from defensive structures and archers.
- All foot archers deal +2 attack bonus against them.
- (Heavy) Cavalry Archers and (Elite) Mangudai deal +1 attack bonus against them.
- Towers and Castles (main arrows only) deal +2 attack bonus against them.
- With patch 1.0b, all Archery Range units deal additional +1 attack bonus against them.
- With patch 1.0b, (Heavy) Cavalry Archers and (Elite) Mangudai with Parthian Tactics deal additional +4 and +2 attack bonus against them.
- Heresy introduced.
- Aztecs: Garland Wars introduced.
- Goths: With patch 1.0b, Pikemen are 35% cheaper. Perfusion introduced.
The Forgotten[]
- Pikemen have +16 attack against ships and camel units.
The African Kingdoms[]
- Arson introduced.
- Ethiopians: The Halberdier upgrade is free.
- Vikings: With patch 4.8, Chieftains affects Pikemen. It gives Pikemen +2 attack against camels.
Rise of the Rajas[]
- With patch 5.7, Pikemen deal +18 damage against camel units.
- Ethiopians: With patch 5.7, the Halberdier upgrade is no longer free.
- Vikings: With patch 5.7, Chieftains gives Pikemen an extra +4 attack against camels.
Definitive Edition[]
- Bulgarians: With update 42848, Blacksmith technologies that benefit Pikemen cost -50% food.
- Bulgarians: Initially, the team bonus gave the Blacksmith a 50% work rate boost. With update 42848, this was changed to a 80% work rate boost.
- Koreans: Pikemen cost -15% wood. With update 39284, they cost -20% wood.
- Tracking removed; all infantry receive +2 Line of Sight from the Feudal Age instead.
- Goths: With update 36202, cost bonus is 30%/35% in the Castle/Imperial Age and bonus damage against standard buildings is +2/+3 in the Castle/Imperial Age. Goths lose access to Arson.
- Teutons: With update 35584, starting in the Castle Age, Barracks units gain +1 armor. With update 36906, they receive another +1 armor in the Imperial Age.
- Lithuanians: Initially, Tower Shields granted +1 pierce armor. With update 36906, it grants +2 pierce armor.
- Portuguese: With update 42848, as a civilization bonus, technologies that benefit Pikemen are researched 30% faster.
Dawn of the Dukes[]
- Vikings: With update 56005, Pikemen have +20% hit points.
Dynasties of India[]
- Sicilians: With update 66692, Pikemen resist only 33% bonus damage.
- Portuguese: With update 73855, as a team bonus, technologies that benefit Pikemen are researched 25% faster.
- With update 81058,
Return of Rome[]
- Chinese: With update 87863, technologies that benefit Pikemen are 5%/10%/15% cheaper in the Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age.
- Koreans: With update 87863, Pikemen cost -50% wood.
The Mountain Royals[]
- Inca: With update 99311, they cost -20%/-25% food in the Castle/Imperial Age.
Chronicles: Battle for Greece[]
- Goths: With update 141935, Pikemen are 25%/30% cheaper in the Castle/Imperial Age.
History[]
| “ | The success of spearmen against cavalry led to innovation in the equipment and tactics they used. Pikemen were an innovation of towns and communities that did not have the resources to field large armies of heavy cavalry. Pikes were cheap and could be quite effective in training. One important change was the lengthening of the weapon shaft. Where the spear had been 6 to 8 feet long, the pike had a shaft up to 18 feet long. The longer weapon meant that more spear points could be extended beyond the bodies of the men in the front rank. Pikemen combined with crossbowmen or hand cannoneers to make a useful combined arms unit. The pikemen prevented cavalry from overrunning the group, while the missile troops caused casualties to the enemy at range. Working together, this combination dominated battlefields at the end of the age. As firearms improved after the Middle Ages, the pikeman component became less necessary. The bayonet made the pike component obsolete and allowed the musketeer to defend himself against cavalry. | ” |
| —Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings manual | ||
Trivia[]
- The Spearman line units are the second cheapest of all military units, tied with the Skirmisher line, costing only 60 resources and no gold, only behind the Karambit Warrior (which costs 40 resources but is not a trash unit).
- The Spearman line units are the only trash units and also only common infantry units that do not have any base pierce armor.
- Even though the Pikeman is a Castle Age unit, it loses outright to a Villager with Loom if it has no upgrades itself.
- Even though their name is Pikeman, their weapon is actually a glaive-guisarme not a pike, as evident by the weapon's broad blade and hook. Actual pikes resemble spears but are significantly longer.
- Pikemen deal bonus damage against the cheat unit Saboteur (since The Conquerors) because it is in the same armor class as ships.
- Spearmen and Pikemen use the same attack animation as Villagers in the Iron Age in Age of Empires.
- The fully upgraded Malian Pikeman can be defeated by the fully upgraded Turkish Spearman.
Gallery[]
The Spearman line, with the Pikeman in the middle. In the Definitive Edition.
The Spearman line, with the Pikeman in the middle, in the HD Edition
A group of Pikemen in the Definitive Edition
A group of Pikemen in the HD Edition
Pikemen protecting rams from enemy cavalry
Render of the Pikeman's 3D model
Chinese Pikemen in the campaign art
An artwork of a real Pikeman
Armored Pikemen from a 15c. French manuscript
Festive Pikeman skin from Carnival 2022 event
Video[]
PIKEMAN (Aztecs) vs EVERY UNIQUE UNIT (Total Resources) - AoE II- Definitive Edition
