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This article is about the unit in Age of Empires. For the similar unit in other games of the series, see Slinger.

A skilled warrior slinging stone projectiles, which inflict extra damage on archers, walls and towers.
—In-game description in the Definitive Edition

The Slinger is a light ranged unit featured in Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome that can be trained at the Barracks once the Tool Age is reached. It hurls stones at its enemies and can be used to fight and defend a civilization against early archer attacks.

The Slinger is available to all civilizations except the Assyrians and the Hittites.

Gameplay[]

Slingers have an attack bonus of +3 against archers and also have 3 pierce armor. They have a small increased attack against walls and towers, but it is only +0.6 so not that relevant for the game. Ships, infantry (assuming the Slingers do not run for it), and cavalry can all take them out very easily. They are easily overpowered by Bronze Age units and are often obsolete by that time.

Further statistics[]

Unit strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs. Archers, towers
Weak vs. Cavalry, siege units
Upgrades
Attack Stone Mining Stone Mining (+1)
Siegecraft Siegecraft (+1)
Alchemy Alchemy (+1)
Range Stone Mining Stone Mining (+1)
Siegecraft Siegecraft (+1)
Accuracy Ballistics Ballistics (hit moving targets)
Armor Bronzeshieldicon Bronze Shield (+0/+1)
Ironshieldicon Iron Shield (+0/+1)
Towershieldicon Tower Shield (+0/+1)
Cost Logistics Logistics (-0.5 population usage)

Civilization bonuses[]

Team bonuses[]

  • Palmyrans AoE Palmyrans: Technologies which benefit Slingers are researched 30% faster.

Changelog[]

RomeIcon The Rise of Rome[]

  • Slingers are introduced, take 24 seconds to train, have 5 Line of Sight, 5 frame delay, +2 attack against all archers, and +7 vs walls and towers.
  • Slingers move at 1.2 tiles/s.
  • Slingers have 2 pierce armor.

Age of Empires Definitive Edition icon Definitive Edition[]

  • Slingers have 6 Line of Sight, 29 frame delay, and higher bonus attack (+4) against mounted archers (bonus against foot archers unchanged).
  • After update 9, Slingers take 28 seconds to train. With update 38862, they take 35 seconds to train and +3 attack vs walls and towers.

AoE2Icon-ReturnRome Return of Rome[]

  • Team bonuses added, Palmyrans: Technologies which benefit Slingers are researched 30% faster.
  • Slingers lose their attack bonus against mounted archers.
  • Slingers move at 1 tiles/s.
  • With update 93001, Slingers have +3 attack against all archers and 3 pierce armor.

History[]

Slingers were light troops who threw stones at the enemy, causing casualties and disrupting formations. A barrage of heavy stones could cause wounds and bone fractures. The stone was held in a cloth sling and swung in a vertical loop to build centrifugal force. One end of the sling was released, launching the stone. Slingers were an alternative to archers and javelin men. They threw stones of different weights, depending on the range to the target. Roman art shows slingers throwing rocks the size of grapefruit, probably at short range. Specially shaped stones could be thrown accurately to a respectable distance. The best known slinger of antiquity was David, who slew the Philistine champion Goliath in single combat with a shot to the head. A contingent of Rhodesian slingers were part of the 10,000-man mercenary force whose march home from Persia is described by Xenophon in his book Anabasis.
—The Rise of Rome manual

Trivia[]

  • The Slinger is the only unit:
    • in the entire Age of Empires series that costs stone.
    • who has its own unit class.
    • at the Barracks that does not have an upgrade.
      • However, an Elite Slinger was planned with +10 hit points, +1 range and Line of Sight, +2 pierce armor, +1 pierce attack, +3 vs Archers, but no attack vs Defensive structures.

Gallery[]

Technology tree[]

Barracks
Stone Age Icon (DE)
Tool Age Icon (DE)
Bronze Age Icon (DE)
Iron Age Icon (DE)
Aoede clubman available
Axeman
Slinger
Aoede short swordsman available
Aoede broad swordsman available
Long Swordsman
Legionary
Units in Age of Empires
CivilianReturnofrome female villager icon Villager · Returnofrome trade cart icon Trade Cart
OtherAoE2 DE priest icon Priest · Slinger-0 Slinger · Returnofrome artifact icon Artifact
Civilian ship1 Fishing Boat Fishing Boat · 2 Fishing Ship Fishing Ship
3 Trade Boat Trade Boat · 4 Merchant Ship Merchant Ship
InfantryClubman Clubman · AxemanAoEDE Axeman
Short Swordsman Short Swordsman · Broad Swordsman Broad Swordsman · AoE nuRoR Long Swordsman icon Long Swordsmen · Returnofrome legionary icon Legionary
HopliteDE Hoplite · AoE nuRoR Phalangite icon Phalangite · Returnofrome centurion icon Centurion
ArcherBowman aoe1de Bowman
Improved Bowman22 Improved Bowman · Composite Bowman Composite Bowman
Chariot Archer111 Chariot Archer
Horse Archer Horse Archer · Returnofrome heavy horse archer icon Heavy Horse Archer
EAICON DE Elephant Archer
CavalryScout-0 Scout
ChariotDE Chariot · ScytheDE Scythe Chariot
Cavalry111 Cavalry · Returnofrome heavy cavalry icon Heavy Cavalry · Returnofrome cataphract icon Cataphract
War ElephantDE War Elephant · Returnofrome armored elephant icon Armored Elephant
Camel RiderDE Camel Rider
SiegeStone ThrowerDE Stone Thrower · CatapultDE Catapult · Returnofrome heavy catapult icon Heavy Catapult
BallistaDE Ballista · Returnofrome helepolis icon Helepolis
War Ship7 Scout Ship Scout Ship · 8 War Galley War Galley · 9 Trireme Trireme
Catapult Trireme Catapult Trireme · Returnofrome juggernaut icon Juggernaut
10 Fire Galley Fire Galley
5 Light Transport Light Transport · 6 Heavy Transport Heavy Transport
Scenario Editor-only units
Short Swordsman Chieftain · Donkey caravan aoe2DE Donkey · Clubman Explorer · Returnofrome heavy cavalry icon General · AoE2 DE priest icon High Priest · Returnofrome horse icon Horse · HeavyCavalryDE Mercenary (removed) · Penguin aoe2DE Penguin · AoE2 DE priest icon Pharaoh · 5 Light Transport Raft · Returnofrome artifact icon War Chest
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