Technology (Age of Empires II)

This article is about the technologies in Age of Empires II. For technologies in other games of the series, see Technology.

Listed below are all technologies available for research in Age of Empires II.

Building technologies

Technology	Age	Building	Cost	Effect	Time
Town Watch		Town Center	75 food	Buildings +4 Line of Sight	25
Town Patrol			300 food, 100 gold		40
Treadmill Crane		University	200 wood, 50 stone	Villagers build 20% faster	20
Masonry		University	150 food, 175 wood	Buildings +10% hit points, +1/+1 armor, and +3 building armor	50
Architecture			300 food, 200 wood		70
Hoardings		Castle	400 food, 400 wood	Castle HP +21%	75
Conscription		Castle	150 food, 150 gold	Work rate of military buildings (except Siege Workshop) +33%	60

Economy technologies

Technology	Age	Building	Cost	Time	Effect
Wheelbarrow		Town Center	175 food, 50 wood	75	Villager +10% speed, +25% carrying capacity
Hand Cart			300 food, 200 wood	55	Villager +10% speed, +50% carrying capacity
Double-Bit Axe		Lumber Camp/Mule Cart	100 food, 50 wood	25	Villagers chop wood 20% faster
Bow Saw			150 food, 100 wood	50	Villagers chop wood 20% faster
Two-Man Saw			300 food, 200 wood	100	Villagers chop wood 10% faster
Horse Collar		Mill/Folwark	75 food, 75 wood	20	Farms +75 food
Heavy Plow			125 food, 125 wood	40	Farms +125 food, Villagers +1 food carry capacity
Crop Rotation			250 food, 250 wood	70	Farms +175 food
Gold Mining		Mining Camp/Mule Cart	100 food, 75 wood	30	Villagers mine gold 15% faster
Gold Shaft Mining			175 food, 75 wood	75
Stone Mining		Mining Camp/Mule Cart	100 food, 75 wood	30	Villagers mine stone 15% faster
Stone Shaft Mining			175 food, 75 wood	75
Caravan		Market	200 food, 200 gold	40	Trade Carts and Trade Cogs move 20% faster
Coinage		Market	200 food, 100 gold	70	Tribute fee 20%
Banking			300 food, 200 gold	70	Tribute fee 0%
Guilds		Market	300 food, 200 gold	50	Trading fee 15%
Gillnets		Dock	150 food, 200 wood	45	Fishing Ships work 20% faster
Domestication		Mill ( Khitans only)	50 food, 100 wood	20	Pastures provide +1 animal before they need to be rebuilt
Pastoralism			100 food, 150 wood	40	Pastures provide +2 animals before they need to be rebuilt
Transhumance			175 food, 325 wood	70	Pastures provide +3 animals before they need to be rebuilt

Monastery technologies

Technology	Age	Cost	Time	Effect
Redemption		475 gold	50	Monks can convert all siege units and most buildings
Atonement		325 gold	40	Monks can convert other Monks
Herbal Medicine		200 gold	35	Garrisoned units heal 6× faster
Heresy		1,000 gold	60	Units converted by enemy Monks die instead of joining them
Sanctity		175 gold	60	Monks +15 HP
Fervor		140 gold	50	Monks +15% speed
Devotion		100 food, 200 gold	40	Units are harder for enemy Monks to convert
Faith		550 food, 750 gold	60	Units are harder for enemy Monks to convert
Illumination		120 gold	65	Monk rejuvenation speed +87.5%
Block Printing		200 gold	55	Monks +3 conversion range
Theocracy		200 gold	75	Only one Monk must rest when several convert the same target

Military technologies

Infantry

Technology	Age	Building	Cost	Time	Effect
Arson		Barracks	75 food, 25 gold	25	Infantry +2 attack vs buildings
Gambesons		Barracks	100 food, 100 gold	25	Militia line +1 pierce armor
Squires		Barracks	100 food	40	Infantry +10% speed
Forging		Blacksmith	150 food	50	Infantry/cavalry +1 attack
Iron Casting			220 food, 120 gold	75	Infantry/cavalry +1 attack
Blast Furnace			275 food, 225 gold	100	Infantry/cavalry +2 attack
Scale Mail Armor		Blacksmith	100 food	40	Infantry +1/+1 armor
Chain Mail Armor			200 food, 100 gold	55	Infantry +1/+1 armor
Plate Mail Armor			300 food, 150 gold	70	Infantry +1/+2 armor

Missile / siege

Technology	Age	Building	Cost	Time	Effect
Thumb Ring		Archery Range	300 food, 250 wood	45	Archers fire faster and with 100% accuracy
Parthian Tactics		Archery Range	200 food, 250 gold	65	Mounted archers and Arambai +1/+2 armor and +2 attack vs Spearmen
Fletching		Blacksmith	100 food, 50 gold	30	Archers, Galleys, Castles, and Towers +1 range and attack. Town Centers +1 attack and Line of Sight.
Bodkin Arrow			200 food, 100 gold	35
Bracer			300 food, 200 gold	40
Padded Archer Armor		Blacksmith	100 food	40	Archers +1/+1 armor
Leather Archer Armor			150 food, 150 gold	55	Archers +1/+1 armor
Ring Archer Armor			250 food, 250 gold	70	Archers +1/+2 armor
Ballistics		University	300 wood, 175 gold	60	Archers, Galleys, and defensive structures fire more accurately at moving targets
Heated Shot		University	350 food, 100 gold	30	Towers +125% and Castles +25% attack against ships
Murder Holes		University	200 food, 100 stone	35	Eliminates minimum range of all buildings
Arrowslits		University	250 food, 250 wood	25	Watch Towers/Guard Towers/Keeps/Donjons +1/+2/+3/+3 attack
Chemistry		University	300 food, 200 gold	100	Missile units (including siege) +1 attack Prerequisite for Hand Cannoneer, Bombard Cannon, Cannon Galleon and Bombard Tower (technology)
Siege Engineers		University	500 food, 600 wood	45	Siege weapons +1 range (except for Rams and Armored Elephants) and +20% attack vs buildings (Petards and Flaming Camels +40%)

Cavalry

Technology	Age	Building	Cost	Time	Effect
Bloodlines		Stable	150 food, 100 gold	50	Mounted units +20 hit points
Husbandry		Stable	150 food	40	Mounted units +10% speed
Forging		Blacksmith	150 food	50	Infantry/cavalry +1 attack
Iron Casting			220 food, 120 gold	75	Infantry/cavalry +1 attack
Blast Furnace			275 food, 225 gold	100	Infantry/cavalry +2 attack
Scale Barding Armor		Blacksmith	150 food	45	Cavalry +1/+1 armor
Chain Barding Armor			250 food, 150 gold	60	Cavalry +1/+1 armor
Plate Barding Armor			350 food, 200 gold	75	Cavalry +1/+2 armor

Dock technologies

Technology	Age	Cost	Time	Effect
Careening		250 food, 150 gold	50	Ship +1 pierce armor
Dry Dock		600 food, 400 gold	60	Ship +15% speed
Shipwright		1,000 food, 300 gold	60	Ships cost -20% wood and are created +54% faster

Unique technologies

Main article: Unique technology

While all other technologies are available to multiple different or even all civilizations, unique technologies are only available to one single civilization. They were introduced in The Conquerors, where every civilization got one (two for the Goths) unique technology that was available for research at the Castle in the Imperial Age. The Forgotten gave every civilization a second unique technology (except the Goths) so that every civilization now has one in the Castle Age and one in the Imperial Age.

Miscellaneous technologies

Technology	Age	Building	Cost	Time	Effect
Loom		Town Center	50 gold	25	Villager +15 hit points, +1/+2 armor
Feudal Age		Town Center	500 food	130	Advance to Feudal Age
Castle Age			800 food, 200 gold	160	Advance to Castle Age
Imperial Age			1,000 food, 800 gold	190	Advance to Imperial Age
Treason		Castle	400 gold	1	See enemy Kings for a short time (Regicide only) Can be researched multiple times
Sappers		Castle	400 food, 200 wood	10	Villagers +15 attack vs buildings, +15 vs stone defense, +3 vs rams
Spies		Castle	200 gold per enemy Villager Min 200 gold, Max 30,000 gold	1	See enemy Line of Sight
Bombard Tower		University	800 food, 400 wood	60	Requiring Chemistry, it grants the constructing of Bombard Towers once researched

Removed technologies

Technology	Age	Building	Cost	Time	Effect	Comments
Hunting Dogs		Mill	40 food, 25 wood	15	Hunters and Fishermen work 25% faster	Available only in the Forgotten Empires mod, scrapped entirely
Tracking		Barracks	50 food	35	Increases the Line of Sight of all infantry units by +2	Made free
Supplies		Barracks	75 food, 75 gold	20	Militia line cost -15 food	Removed with update 141935; Militia line base cost lowered by -10 food
Cartography		Market	100 food, 100 gold	60	Grants the player their shared allies' Line of Sight	Made free from start of the game on standard settings and free from the construction of Market elsewhere.
Hand Cannon		Archery Range	450 food, 200 gold	50	Requiring Chemistry, it grants the training of Hand Cannoneers once researched	Made free
Cannon Galleon		Dock	400 food, 500 wood	50	Requiring Chemistry, it grants the training of Cannon Galleons once researched	Made free
Bombard Cannon		Siege Workshop	500 food, 250 gold	100	Requiring Chemistry, it grants the training of Bombard Cannons once researched	Made free

Campaign-only technologies

Technology	Age	Building	Cost	Time	Effect	Comments
Marakkalam Vessels		Dock	500 food, 400 gold	70	Ships traveling in the deep sea no longer suffer attrition	Available only in Rising Star
Commoner Promotions		Town Center	800 food, 600 gold	45	+20 population cap	Available to the Oda in Nobunaga
Battlefield Trophies		Town Center	800 food, 800 wood	60	Killing enemy units generates gold.	Available to the Takeda in Nobunaga
Kuruma Gakari		Town Center	600 food, 400 gold	60	Elite Samurai move faster	Available to the Uesugi in Nobunaga
True Pure Land		Town Center	600 food, 400 gold	90	Each Town Center (maximum 5) spawns 5 lkko Ikki. Units have more conversion resistance.	Available to the Mori in Nobunaga
Portuguese Traders		Town Center	1,000 food, 1,000 gold	60	Feitoria generate double resources	Available to the Otomo in Nobunaga
Industrious Peasants		Town Center	1,000 wood, 500 gold	90	Farmer work rate doubled	Available to the Chosokabe in Nobunaga
Trade for Supplies		Mill and Longhouse	425 gold	Instant	Exchange gold for food at an equal rate	Available to the Player in Ragnar
Dane Axes		Pagan Shrine	700 food, 500 gold, 4 stone	40	Infantry get attack bonus vs cavalry and additional gold from civilian units.
Leidangr			700 food, 200 gold, 2 stone	40	Norse Warrior gold cost is replaced by additional food cost.
River Raids			900 food, 500 gold, 8 stone	40	Norse Warriors move 30% faster.
Wolf Cloaks			900 food, 500 gold, 6 stone	40	Night attack bonus is doubled to +4 attack at night.
Bearded Axes			900 food, 500 gold, 8 stone	40	Throwing Axemen and Jarls have +1 range.
Bogsveigar			850 food, 500 gold, 8 stone	40	Archer-line and Longboats receive +1 attack.
Shield Wall			1,200 food, 500 gold, 10 stone	40	Infantry damage adjacent units.
Ulfberht Swords			1,200 food, 750 gold, 12 stone	60	Infantry have +4 attack.
Pray to Odin for Wisdom			100 gold	Instant	Infantry units auto-heal for 10 minutes through Odin's blessings.
Pray to Thor for Strength			100 gold	Instant	Infantry units receive +20 hit points for 10 minutes through Thor's blessings.
Pray to Freyr for Prosperity			100 gold	Instant	Farmers, Shepherds, and Fishermen are twice as productive for 10 minutes through Freyr's blessings.
Pray to Loki for Chance			100 gold	Instant	Raiders are more likely to find hidden caches of treasure for 10 minutes.
Hold Blót		Warrior's Hall	300 food, 300 gold	12	A sacrificial feast that gives a random chance to earn a Runestone or a bonus until the next Blót.
Challenge the Jomsvikings			None	12	Pledge to defeat the Jomsvikings, beginning their dangerous invasion.
Champions			750 food, 350 gold, 4 stone	85	Improve Norse Warrior hitpoints and attack.
Declare Victory and end the scenario.			None	Instant	Declare Victory and end the scenario.
Send Varangian Expedition		Dock	100 wood, 100 gold	70	Send a trading expedition (Trade Cog) to the East to generate gold with every trip. Price increases with every expedition sent. (by +100 wood, +100 gold)

Upgrades

Main article: Upgrade (Age of Empires II)

Availability grid

The following tables show the availability of the technologies for every civilization. Technologies that are available to all civilizations are not shown in the table. The last two columns indicate the total available research count.

	= Available
	= Unavailable
	= Unavailable, but fully covered by a civilization bonus

Economic, building, and Monastery technologies

Civilization																				C	T
Armenians																				14	30
Aztecs																				14	28
Bengalis																				16	34
Berbers																				15	34
Bohemians																				17	31
Britons																				14	33
Bulgarians																				11	28
Burgundians																				17	29
Burmese																				16	32
Byzantines																				16	32
Celts																				11	27
Chinese																				13	31
Cumans																				12	26
Dravidians																				10	27
Ethiopians																				14	31
Franks																				13	27
Georgians																				15	32
Goths																				12	25
Gurjaras																				15	29
Hindustanis																				13	27
Huns																				10	24
Inca																				15	29
Italians																				17	35
Japanese																				14	33
Jurchens																				16	34
Khitans																				11	30
Khmer																				13	28
Koreans																				13	30
Lithuanians																				18	31
Magyars																				13	31
Malay																				14	30
Malians																				17	32
Maya																				16	28
Mongols																				9	24
Persians																				13	31
Poles																				12	27
Portuguese																				16	34
Romans																				12	24
Saracens																				15	34
Shu																				12	31
Sicilians																				11	30
Slavs																				13	29
Spanish																				16	35
Tatars																				10	26
Teutons																				16	32
Turks																				14	34
Vietnamese																				13	31
Vikings																				12	28
Wei																				11	28
Wu																				15	31
Civilization																				C	T

Military and ship technologies

Civilization																							C	T
Armenians																							16	30
Aztecs																							14	28
Bengalis																							18	34
Berbers																							19	34
Bohemians																							14	31
Britons																							19	33
Bulgarians																							17	28
Burgundians																							12	29
Burmese																							16	32
Byzantines																							16	32
Celts																							16	27
Chinese																							18	31
Cumans																							14	26
Dravidians																							17	27
Ethiopians																							17	31
Franks																							14	27
Georgians																							17	32
Goths																							13	25
Gurjaras																							14	29
Hindustanis																							14	27
Huns																							14	24
Inca																							14	29
Italians																							18	35
Japanese																							19	33
Jurchens																							18	34
Khitans																							19	30
Khmer																							15	28
Koreans																							17	30
Lithuanians																							13	31
Magyars																							18	31
Malay																							16	30
Malians																							15	32
Maya																							12	28
Mongols																							15	24
Persians																							18	31
Poles																							15	27
Portuguese																							18	34
Romans																							12	24
Saracens																							19	34
Shu																							19	31
Sicilians																							19	30
Slavs																							16	29
Spanish																							19	35
Tatars																							16	26
Teutons																							16	32
Turks																							20	34
Vietnamese																							18	31
Vikings																							16	28
Wei																							17	28
Wu																							16	31
Civilization																							C	T