Shrivamsha Rider

Shrivamsha Rider
Unit information
Introduced in	Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Dynasties of India
Type	Cavalry
Civilization	Gurjaras
Age	Castle Age
Abilities	Can "dodge" five (seven for Elite) consecutive projectiles in a 15 second time frame
Training
Trained at	Stable
Food	70
Gold	20
Training time	20 seconds
Statistics
Hit points	55, 70 (Elite)
Attack	8, 11 (Elite) melee
Rate of Fire	1.75
Melee armor	0
Pierce armor	1
Armor classes	Cavalry Unique unit
Speed	1.6
Line of Sight	5, 6 (Elite)
Unit evolution
Upgrades to	Elite Shrivamsha Rider
Upgrade cost	800 food, 600 gold
Upgrade time	45 seconds

“	Gurjara unique light cavalry unit which can dodge projectiles.	”
—Age of Empires II description

The Shrivamsha Rider is one of the three unique units of the Gurjaras in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Dynasties of India. It can be trained at the Stable once the Castle Age is reached. It is a speedy cavalry unit that can "dodge" enemy projectiles, which is represented as a second, regenerating health bar which has to be depleted below a certain level before the unit itself takes damage. The second health bar regenerates even during combat, but only protects from projectile attacks - melee attacks bypass it completely. It is strong vs. archers and weak vs. Pikemen and Camel Riders.

Tactics

The Shrivamsha Rider's dodge mechanic is its main selling point. Each projectile that it avoids consumes a portion of its shield gauge (20% for non-Elite, approx. 14% for Elite); if the Shrivamsha Rider does not have a sufficient amount of its shield gauge and takes a ranged hit, the attack will damage the Shrivamsha Rider. Otherwise, no matter how strong the projectile is, the damage is outright negated. This applies to projectile attacks that deal either pierce damage or melee damage, but does not apply against non-projectile ranged attacks, like those of Kamayuks or Steppe Lancers. When faced against large numbers of ranged units, the Shrivamsha Rider's dodge mechanic can be overwhelmed by sheer volume of projectiles, but a large group of riders will still do very well against most ranged units. Chu-Ko-Nu and Kipchaks, which fire multiple projectiles, can quickly overwhelm the dodge mechanic, especially if said units are massed.

If unable to utilize its dodge mechanic, however, the Shrivamsha Rider is underwhelming due to its mediocre stats for its cost. Camel Riders are their worst enemy, and Halberdiers are very cost-effective against them, so the Shrivamsha Rider should avoid fighting these units whenever possible. They are also counted as a unique unit, so Samurai will deal bonus damage to them. They also lose cost-effectively against Knights, but the Gurjaras' Camels can make short work of them. In general, melee units should be avoided by Shrivamsha Riders due to their mediocre stats and lack of base melee armor. Thankfully, due to their high speed, they can easily outrun just about anything they do not wish to fight.

Thanks to their dodge mechanic and acceptable damage output (despite lacking Blast Furnace), Shrivamsha Riders give the Gurjaras another good raiding unit. The Shrivamshas won't need to worry that much about defensive towers, though Town Centers and Castles could overwhelm their dodge mechanic due to multiple projectiles.

The Shrivamsha Rider is the second fastest land unit (only outsped by Imperial Age Cuman Scout Cavalry), giving it a huge edge when running away from unfavourable fights, raiding, chasing fleeing Cavalry Archers, and (most notably) catching up with Trade Carts.

Further statistics

As Shrivamsha Riders are unique to the Gurjaras, only technologies that are available to them are shown in the following table:

Unit strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs.	Archers, siege weapons, Villagers, Gbetos, Throwing Axemen, Chakram Throwers, Mamelukes, Trade Carts
Weak vs.	Pikemen, Kamayuks, camel units, Samurai, most melee units
Upgrades
Hit points	Bloodlines (+20)
Attack	Forging (+1)  Iron Casting (+1)
Armor	Scale Barding Armor (+1/+1)  Chain Barding Armor (+1/+1)  Plate Barding Armor (+1/+2)
Speed	Husbandry (+10%)
Conversion defense	Heresy
Creation speed	Conscription (+33%)
Train cost	Kshatriyas (-25% food)
Upgrades	Elite Shrivamsha Rider

Comparison in the Castle Age with similar units

Unit	Gurjaras  Light Cavalry	Magyar Huszar	Shrivamsha Rider
Cost	80 food	80 food, 10 gold	70 food, 20 gold
Hit points	80	90	75
Speed	1.65	1.65	1.76
Armor	0+2/2+2	0+2/2+2	0+2/1+2
Train Time	30s	16s	20s
Line of Sight	8	5	5
Melee attack	7+2	9+2	8+2
Attack bonus	+15 vs Monks	+5 vs Siege +1 vs Ram	-
RoF	2	1.8	1.75
Other properties	Conversion resistance Doesn't take attack bonus from Samurai Food cost can be reduced by 25%	Free attack upgrades Gold cost can be eliminated	Can dodge 5 projectiles in 15 seconds Food cost can be reduced by 25%
Upgrade cost and time	500 food, 600 gold, 50s	800 food, 600 gold, 60s	800 food, 600 gold, 45s

Comparison in the Post-Imperial Age with similar units

Unit	Gurjaras  Hussar	Elite Magyar Huszar	Elite Shrivamsha Rider
Cost	60 food	80 food, 0 gold	53 food, 20 gold
Hit points	95	105	90
Speed	1.65	1.65	1.76
Armor	0+3/2+4	0+3/2+4	0+3/1+4
Train Time	30s	16s	20s
Line of Sight	10	6	6
Melee attack	7+2	10+4	11+2
Attack bonus	+18 vs Monks	+8 vs Siege +2 vs Ram	-
Attack speed	1.9	1.8	1.75
Other properties	Conversion resistance Doesn't take attack bonus from Samurai Food cost reduced by 25%	Free attack upgrades Gold cost eliminated	Can dodge 7 projectiles in 15 seconds Food cost reduced by 25%

Team bonuses

• A team containing Bulgarians: Blacksmith upgrades are researched 80% faster.
• A team containing Hindustanis: Shrivamsha Riders have +2 attack against standard buildings.
• A team containing Huns: Shrivamsha Riders are created and upgraded 20% faster. Researching Bloodlines and Husbandry is 20% faster.
• A team containing Lithuanians: Researching Heresy is 20% faster.
• A team containing Teutons: Shrivamsha Riders are more resistant to conversion.

Trivia

• With 1.76 speed when Husbandry is researched, the Shrivamsha Rider is practically the fastest (theoretically the second fastest) land unit in the game.
• The "dodge" mechanic of the Shrivamsha Rider is very similar to the "shield" mechanic of the Protoss units from Starcraft and shielded units in Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds, where the unit absorbs incoming damage with a separate health bar before it takes actual damage once the separate health bar is depleted.
• The Shrivamsha Rider's weapon is a bhuj or Indian axe-knife.
• When combining the Gurjara civilization bonus of 50% attack bonus for mounted units and the Hindustani team bonus of +2 attack bonus on Light Cavalry and Camel units, the civilization bonus is applied first, so the calculation is $(0*1.5)+2=2$[not $(0+2)*1.5=3$].

History

The special 'Shrivamsha' breed of horses was gifted by a Rajput chief to the Gurjara-Pratihara King Mihira Bhoja, and was described as being able to easily cross seas of sand.

Gallery

Many views of the unit

An official artwork featuring Urumi Swordsmen, a Shrivamsha Rider, and some Chakram Throwers

Video

ELITE SHRIVAMSHA RIDER VS EVERY UNIQUE UNIT (Total Resources)- AoE II- Definitive Edition