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This article is about the building in Age of Empires. For other uses, see Temple.

Used to train Priests and research technology that increases their powers.
—In-game description in the Definitive Edition

The Temple is a special building in Age of Empires that becomes available once the Bronze Age is reached.

Trained units can be garrisoned inside by setting the building's rally point to itself. Once a unit is ejected, it cannot be regarrisoned.

Gameplay[]

The main purpose of Temples in is to train and improve Priests, which can heal allied units and convert enemies. To build the Temple, a Market must be built beforehand, unless the match starts from the Bronze Age or later.

The Priest, and all technologies available at the Temple, rely solely on gold; no other resource is used. While many technologies are available at the Temple, nearly all of them affect only the Priest. The one exception is Zealotry (formerly Jihad), which affects Villager combat effectiveness. However, most players prefer not to research this technology, as it reduces Villagers' economic capability, and still doesn't make them a capable fighting force. Priests can only be upgraded with Temple technologies, so they receive no benefit from any Storage Pit armor upgrades.

Priests are expensive, slow, and fragile, but can switch an enemy unit's allegiance from a lengthy distance, making them a devastating counter to slow melee units such as War Elephants. Against faster troops, they need screening with buildings or units to prevent the enemy getting close before the conversion finishes. They can be somewhat useful against lone archers: the Priest will take damage, but if they are mass-healed by a group of other Priests, they should survive long enough to make the conversion. The Priest is also one of the few units in the game that can beat the range of a Stone Thrower, and these siege units' slow movement means they are unlikely to escape conversion. But this will usually be a straight trade, as Priests need to start dodging immediately after a projectile is fired to stand a chance of avoiding it; a single accurate hit is fatal.

Priests are somewhat vulnerable to the reach and power of Ballistae. They are highly vulnerable to Chariots, Chariot Archers, and ships, which have a degree of conversion resistance, and move so quickly that they can easily turn the tables on the Priest.

The Macedonians are the only faction unable to build Temples and field Priests, but also have little to fear from enemy Priests, as all their units and buildings take far longer to convert. Egyptian Priests are the deadliest in the game, as their reach can exceed even the Heavy Catapult, they can access the entire Temple tech tree, and in Return of Rome, they gain a little pierce armor.

The Temple's counterpart in Age of Empires II is the Monastery. Note, however, that Temples cannot garrison Artifacts, the closest Age of Empires equivalent to Relics. Garrisoning was not introduced to the game until Return of Rome, in which Temples can only garrison a production queue of Priests.

Trainable units[]

Stone Age*[]

Technologies[]

Age Technology Gold cost Effect
Bronze Age Icon (DE) Astrology Astrology 175 Priests convert and heal 30% faster
Mysticism Mysticism 120 Priests get +20 hit points
Polytheism Polytheism 120 Priests get +40% speed
Iron Age Icon (DE) Afterlife Afterlife 275 Priests get +3 range and Line of Sight
Monotheism Monotheism 350 Priests can convert enemy buildings and Priests
Fanaticism Fanaticism 150 Priests rejuvenate 50% faster
Enables the Legionary upgrade
Jihad Zealotry 120 Villagers get +40 hit points, +7 damage and +10% speed
Villagers carry -6 food, -8 wood, stone and gold
Medicine Medicine 150 Priests heal 33% faster
Martyrdom Sacrifice* 400 Priests can be sacrificed to instantly convert an enemy unit
RoR Theocracy Theocracy* 400 Only one Priest in group must rest after a conversion

Technology availability[]

= Available
= Unavailable
= Researched for free
Civilization Astrology Mysticism Polytheism Afterlife Monotheism Fanaticism Jihad Medicine Martyrdom RoR Theocracy All
Assyrian AOE DE ROR icon Assyrians X
Babylonian AOE DE ROR icon Babylonians X
Carthaginian AOE DE ROR icon Carthaginians
Choson AOE DE ROR icon Choson X
Egyptian AOE DE ROR icon Egyptians X
Greek AOE DE ROR icon Greeks
Hittite AOE DE ROR icon Hittites
Lac Viet AOE DE ROR icon Lac Viet
Minoan AOE DE ROR icon Minoans
Palmyran AOE DE ROR icon Palmyrans
Persian AOE DE ROR icon Persians X
Phoenician AOE DE ROR icon Phoenicians X
Roman AOE DE ROR icon Romans
Shang AOE DE ROR icon Shang X
Sumerian AOE DE ROR icon Sumerians
Yamato AOE DE ROR icon Yamato
Civilization Astrology Mysticism Polytheism Afterlife Monotheism Fanaticism Jihad Medicine Martyrdom RoR Theocracy All

Upgrades[]

Hit points Architecture aoe Architecture (+20%)
Line of Sight RoR City Watch City Watch (+3)
Writing Writing (share exploration with allies)
Build time Architecture aoe Architecture (-33%)

Civilization bonuses[]

Team bonuses[]

Changelog[]

Age of Empires[]

  • Temples have 5 Line of Sight.

Definitive Edition[]

  • Temples have 4 Line of Sight.

Return of Rome[]

Trivia[]

  • The Priest is actually available in the Stone Age (viewable through the Scenario Editor) despite the building itself not being available until the Bronze Age.

History[]

The temple was a religious center. It was often the earthly home or point of communication with a particular god or goddess. Priests or priestesses in the temple acted as the servants of the resident god or goddess and managed contact to and from the people, plus instruction, rituals, petitions, and answers to questions. The most common form of petition was the prayer. Another was the provision of gifts that supported the temple and its servants. A less common petition was the sacrifice of animals or even humans. The general belief of the time was that the more elaborate a temple, the taller it was, and the more grand, the more disposed the god or goddess would be to provide good weather, rainfall, and crop yields, while keeping away pests, disease, and human invaders.
Age of Empires manual

Tech tree[]

Blue: Units
Red: Buildings
Green: Technologies
Temple
Requires
Market AOEDE icon Market
Stone Age Icon (DE)
Tool Age Icon (DE)
Bronze Age Icon (DE)
Iron Age Icon (DE)
Priest
Aoede astrology available Aoede afterlife available Zealotry
Aoede mysticism available Aoede monotheism available Aoede medicine available
Aoede polytheism available Aoede fanaticism available Theocracy
Buildings Tree
Stone Age Icon (DE)
Stone Age
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Aoede greek barracks available
   
   
Starting
Aoede greek town center available
   
   
Aoede storage pit available
   
   
Aoede house available
   
   
Aoede granary available
   
   
Aoede dock available
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Tool Age Icon (DE)
Tool Age
   
   
Aoede stable available
   
   
   
   
   
   
Aoede archery range available
   
   
   
   
Aoede watch tower available
   
   
   
   
   
   
Aoede market available
   
   
   
   
   
   
Aoede small wall availableReturnofrome small gate available
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Aoede farm available
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Bronze Age Icon (DE)
Bronze Age
   
   
Aoede greek academy available
   
   
   
   
   
   
Aoede siege workshop available
   
   
   
   
Aoede sentry tower available
   
   
Aoede greek government center available
   
   
Aoede temple available
   
   
Aoede greek medium wall availableReturnofrome medium gate available
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Additional
Aoede greek town center available
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Iron Age Icon (DE)
Iron Age
   
   
Wonder
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Aoede greek guard tower available
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Aoede greek fortified wall availableFortified Gate
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Aoede greek ballista tower available
   
   


Gallery[]

Buildings in Age of Empires
Civilian buildings
GeneralReturnofrome stone age house icon House · AOEDE Temple icon Temple · AOEDE Government Center icon Government Center · Returnofrome greek wonder icon Wonder
EconomicAOEDE Town Center icon Town Center · AOEDE Dock icon Dock · Storage Pit icon Storage Pit · AOEDE Granary icon Granary · Market AOEDE icon Market · AOEDE Farm icon Farm
UnconstructableAqueduct aoe2DE Aqueduct · Army Tent icon nuRoR Army Tent · Barricade aoe2DE Barricade · Chain aoe2DE Chain · Amphitheatre aoe2DE Colosseum · 2de granary new icon Granary · Pyramid aoe2DE Great Pyramid · Hut small aoe2DE Hut · Returnofrome greek wonder icon Monument · Pyramid aoe2DE Pyramid · Returnofrome ruins icon Ruins · AOEDE Trade Workshop icon Trade Workshop · Yurt thatch small aoe2DE Yurt
Military buildings
ProductionAOEDE Barracks icon Barracks · AOEDE Archery Range icon Archery Range · AOEDE Stable icon Stable · AOEDE Siege Workshop icon Siege Workshop · AOEDE Academy icon Academy
TowerAOEDE Watch Tower icon Watch Tower · AOEDE Sentry Tower icon Sentry Tower · Returnofrome greek guard tower icon Guard Tower · Returnofrome greek guard tower icon Ballista Tower
WallReturnofrome small wall icon Small Wall · Returnofrome greek medium wall icon Medium Wall · Returnofrome greek fortified wall icon Fortified Wall · Small Gate (AOE RoR) icon Small Gate · Medium Gate (AOE RoR) icon Medium Gate · Fortified Gate (AOE RoR) icon Fortified Gate
UnconstructableReturnofrome greek guard tower icon Mirror Tower · Returnofrome roman guard tower icon Zenobia's Tower
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