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This article is about the unit in Age of Empires IV. For the unit in Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs, see Pilgrim (Age of Empires III). |
| “ | Travels from the Templar Headquarters to the selected Sacred Site, generating gold upon arrival. Will convert to a ship if it stops on the coast. | ” |
| —Age of Empires IV description | ||
The Pilgrim is a unique civilian unit of the Knights Templar in Age of Empires IV: Knights of Cross and Rose. It generates gold by traveling from the Templar Headquarters to nearby Sacred Sites.
Mechanic[]
Once Safe Passage is researched, Pilgrims immediately begin spawning from the Templar Headquarters, and then continue to spawn every 60 seconds. Pilgrims spawn in groups depending on their max spawn limit; 1 for Safe Passage, +1 for Sanctuary, and +1 for each additional Fortress built, to a maximum of 10. If a Fortress is built or Sanctuary is researched, the next Pilgrim will not spawn until the previous 60 seconds has elapsed.
After spawning, Pilgrims move automatically toward the Sacred Site chosen using the ability at the Templar Headquarters. If no Sacred Site has been chosen, they will travel to the closest one. Sacred Sites controlled by an enemy cannot be chosen. Pilgrims do not count toward the population limit, and they cannot be controlled. Pilgrims will try to take the most direct route to their destination, but can be diverted by building walls to funnel them in different directions. However, they cannot actually travel on top of Stone Walls*. On water or hybrid maps, Pilgrims can cross over water if necessary by boarding a boat. However, they will prioritize traveling on land. That is, on a map like Baltic#Age of Empires IV, they will not take the shortest route directly across the central sea, but will walk around the sea, resulting in a greater travel distance overall. When the Sacred Site cannot be reached without crossing over water, Pilgrims will travel to the spot on land closest to that Sacred Site, then board the boat. If Pilgrims are attacked, they will temporarily increase their speed to 0.97 tiles per second for ~3 seconds to try and outrun their attacker. The Pilgrim boat has a slightly greater speed than the land counterpart, but it does not increase its speed upon being attacked.
The amount of gold per Pilgrim depends on the distance from the Templar Headquarters to the Sacred Site. Since the Pilgrim mechanic is borrowed from the Japanese Treasure Caravan, the income formula is similar. The minimum income is 33 gold if the travel distance is zero, and the income increases by 2 gold per tile, up to a maximum of 130 gold (before bonuses) at 49 tiles (slightly over half a 1 vs 1 map edge). Because the spot where Pilgrims spawn around the Templar Headquarters is random, different Pilgrims can generate a slightly different amount of gold based on how far their individual walking distance is. The amount of gold to be generated can be seen by selecting a Pilgrim, but this value does not take into account any bonuses. The final value can only be seen above the Pilgrim once it disappears at the Sacred Site.
Tactics[]
Because the Knights Templar lack the ability to create Traders from the Market, Pilgrims serve as a replacement to generate gold over time. As a Knights Templar player, Pilgrims must be defended on the path to the Sacred Site, since they are unable to protect themselves and can easily be killed by raids. Fortresses, towers, and units should be employed to keep them safe. Fortresses are especially recommended around the target Sacred Sites to result in extra gold generation after researching Treasure Towers. If a route becomes indefensible, Pilgrims can be routed to a different Sacred Site. Claiming and holding at least one Sacred Site is also recommended, since this generates additional gold, and can contribute to a Sacred victory. Aging up with Knights Hospitaller gives Pilgrims 30% more hit points, and Republic of Genoa 30% more gold generation.
When fighting Knights Templar, identifying Pilgrim routes and defeating them denies the opponent large amounts of free gold income. While Pilgrims have no particular weaknesses, they are slow and easy to raid, especially with groups of ranged units. When attacked, Pilgrims will temporarily increase their speed, so they cannot be chased down with small groups of weak units like Scouts, as doing so will only help the enemy player. Claiming Sacred Sites early and defending them can prevent the player from completing their route. Walls can also prevent Pilgrims from progressing.
Further statistics[]
| Technologies | |
|---|---|
| Armor |  Fitted Leatherwork (+1 melee) Insulated Helm (+1 melee) Master Smiths (+1 melee) Iron Undermesh (+1 ranged) Wedge Rivets (+1 ranged) Angled Surfaces (+1 ranged)
|
| Build/Train limit |  Sanctuary (+1)
|
| Commanderie bonuses | |
|---|---|
 Hit points
|
 Knights Hospitaller (+30%)
|
 Regeneration
|
 Kingdom of Castile (+1 HP/s near Sacred Sites)
|
 Movement speed
|
Knights Hospitaller (+10%)
|
| Ability |  Republic of Genoa (+30% gold)
|
Note: The survivability of Pilgrims cannot be improved by reseraching Villager technologies such as Wheelbarrow or Textiles
Changelog[]
- With patch 13.0.4343, Pilgrims can no longer travel on top of Stone Walls.
- Originally, the speed of Pilgrim Ships was 1.5 tiles per second. With patch 13.0.4343, it was reduced to 1 tile per second.
Trivia[]
- The unit model of the Pilgrim can change genders after boarding the Pilgrim Ship and disembarking.
- Since Pilgrims cannot be controlled by the player, they do not have any dialogue lines when selected.
Gallery[]
