Trash unit

Trash units are military units that do not cost any rare (or limited) resource. These units can be massed easily and often cost very little resources. For the most part, they are useful for defending a location early in the game or countering certain enemy units but can be taken out easily by counter units that cost gold. The term "trash" refers to the fact that most of these units only require the most common resources which are more easily disposed of than other resources.

When a player is using trash units, they are usually trying to overwhelm their opponents with quantity instead of quality, or using them as cannon fodder to occupy the enemy troops to give the player time to create a more powerful army. Trash armies are also essential to long games without trade and on maps where gold is limited in quantity.

The concept of trash units comes later in the game, usually in the fourth Age, because the rare resources become limiting quite late. It is also a phenomenon generally not associated with proper water maps.

Age of Empires

Units which cost neither gold nor stone are called trash units. Unlike the other games of the series, there are fewer varieties of trash units in Age of Empires, and two of them are even considered "elite" by the game (Scythe Chariot and Trireme). The complete list of trash units of Age of Empires:

• Clubman → Axeman (costs 50 food).
• Bowman (costs 40 food, 20 wood).
• Scout (costs 90 food).
• Chariot → Scythe Chariot (costs 40 food, 60 wood).
• Chariot Archer (costs 40 food, 70 wood).
• Scout Ship → War Galley → Trireme (costs 135 wood).

The Slinger is the only unit which costs stone.

Prominent civilizations

• Assyrians: +33% firing rate for the Bowman and Chariot Archer.
• Egyptians: +33% Chariot, Chariot Archer, and Scythe Chariot hit points.
• Hittites: Bowmen and Chariot Archers have +1 attack; Scout Ships and War Galleys have +2 range in the Tool Age and +3 range in the Bronze/Iron Age.

Age of Empires II

All trash units in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition

Units which do not cost gold are called trash units. There are only three main lines of trash units: Skirmishers, which have an attack bonus against Spearmen and archers; Spearmen, which have an attack bonus against cavalry; and Scout Cavalry, which have an attack bonus against Monks, and are effective against archers.

In The Forgotten, the first unique trash unit was introduced, the Magyar Huszar. It normally costs gold, but can turn into a trash unit after researching Corvinian Army. It is a variation of the Scout Cavalry line and equipped with an attack bonus against siege units.

In The African Kingdoms, another unique trash unit was introduced, the Genitour. It is a team bonus of the Berbers, hence shared unique unit. It is a mounted Skirmisher.

In Rise of the Rajas, a unique upgrade for the Elite Skirmisher was introduced, the Imperial Skirmisher, exclusive to the Vietnamese and their allies. Also in the same expansion, the Malay unique technology Forced Levy removes the gold cost from the Militia line units, turning them into trash units for them.

In the Definitive Edition, Persians have Kamandaran as their Castle Age unique technology, which changes the cost of the Archer line to only wood.

In Dawn of the Dukes, the Bohemians have trash Monks when they have Hussite Reforms researched. The Lithuanians and Poles have access to the Winged Hussar, a stronger version of the Hussar that has an attack bonus against gunpowder units.

The complete list of trash units in Age of Empires II:

• Spearman → Pikeman → Halberdier
• Archer → Crossbowman (Persians only, after researching Kamandaran in the Definitive Edition)
• Skirmisher → Elite Skirmisher → Imperial Skirmisher (the latter for the Vietnamese and their allies only)
• Scout Cavalry → Light Cavalry → Hussar / Winged Hussar (the latter for the Lithuanians and Poles only)
• Magyar Huszar → Elite Magyar Huszar (Magyars only, after researching Corvinian Army)
• Genitour → Elite Genitour (Berbers and their allies only)
• Militia → Man-at-Arms → Long Swordsman → Two-Handed Swordsman (Malay only, after researching Forced Levy)
• Monk (Bohemians only, after Hussite Reforms is researched)

Prominent civilizations

• Armenians: The Spearman line is available an Age earlier. Allied infantry have +2 Line of Sight.
• Berbers: The Scout Cavalry line is 15%/20% cheaper in the Castle/Imperial Age. Allies can access the Genitour starting in the Castle Age.
• Bohemians: The Spearman line has +25% attack bonus, and Chemistry can be researched an Age earlier. With Hussite Reforms, their Monks and Monk technologies cost food instead of gold. However, they lack Thumb Ring and some technologies for their Light Cavalry.
• Burmese: The Spearman line has +1 attack per Age starting in the Feudal Age. With Manipur Cavalry, their fully upgraded Hussars get +4 attack against archers, compensating the fact that the Burmese have some of the worst Elite Skirmishers in the game.
• Byzantines: The Spearman and Skirmisher lines are 25% cheaper, saving a total of 15 resources per unit.
• Dravidians: Skirmishers (and Genitours) attack 25% faster. Barracks technologies are 50% cheaper, thus helping with upgrading the Spearman line and researching Squires. With Wootz Steel, their Spearman and Scout Cavalry line ignore melee armor, though their Light Cavalry lack multiple technologies.
• Goths: The Spearman line is 25%/30%/35% cheaper in the Feudal/Castle/Imperial Ages and has +1 attack against buildings per Age starting in the Feudal Age, though they lack Arson. With Perfusion, Barracks work 100% faster. Allied Barracks work 20% faster. However, the Goths lack Thumb Ring, Plate Mail Armor, and Plate Barding Armor.
• Koreans: The Spearman and Skirmisher lines cost -50% wood. Archer armor technologies are free.
• Lithuanians: The Spearman and Skirmisher lines move 10% faster, as well as have +2 pierce armor with Tower Shields. They have access to Winged Hussar, replacing the generic Hussar - their Winged Hussar has +5 hit points, +1 melee armor, and +4 attack vs gunpowder units over the regular Hussar. However, their Spearman line lacks Plate Mail Armor and Blast Furnace.
• Magyars: The Magyar Huszar with Corvinian Army researched is effectively a more powerful Hussar. The Scout Cavalry line is 15% cheaper. Melee attack technologies are free as well.
• Malay: The Militia line with Forced Levy becomes a trash unit line. In addition, armor technologies are free. However, their Light Cavalry lack multiple technologies.
• Persians: Kamandaran turns Persian Crossbowmen into trash units, while remaining better than Elite Skirmishers at fighting anything but archers, though they lack Bracer.
• Spanish: They are the only civilization with fully upgraded Halberdiers, Elite Skirmishers, and Hussars. Supremacy effectively turns Villagers into military units.

Exceptional late game civilizations

There are some civilizations which can generate gold consistently in the late game. As such, the concept of trash unit does not apply strictly to them.

• Burgundians: With Burgundian Vineyards, their Farms generate gold. 34 such Farms are equivalent to a Relic.
• Portuguese: Since their units cost -20% gold, they can conserve their gold for longer, especially when other civilizations are struggling for gold. In addition, they have the Feitoria to generate any resource, including stone.
• Vietnamese: While their trash units outside of Imperial Skirmishers are weak, they can also generate gold with Paper Money.

Trivia

• Almost no trash units have base melee armor. The only two exceptions are the Winged Hussar, which is only available to two civilizations, and the Malay Long Swordsmen and Two-Handed Swordsman after researching Forced Levy.
• When allied with the Berbers, Turks actually have a quite respectable line-up, with their Hussars having more pierce armor and their complete mounted archer technology upgrade along with Sipahi affecting the Genitours, making it one of the best Genitours. But if it is a team game, it is better to trade to generate gold, and make Heavy Cavalry Archers instead.
• Allying with the Vietnamese can significantly improve the trash unit line-up of a civilization that already has bonuses or unique technologies affecting their Elite Skirmishers. This includes the Aztecs, Byzantines, Inca, Lithuanians, and Maya.
• All Eastern European civilizations have at least one very prominent trash unit.
• When allied with the Berbers and Vietnamese, the Magyars will have the most diverse trash options available on the table: Halberdiers, Imperial Skirmishers, Genitours, Hussars, and Magyar Huszars.

Age of Mythology

With Farms providing infinite food, wood often becomes the rarer resource in the late game. However, there are generally enough forests to sustain unit production to the end of the game. As in other games, gold often becomes harder to obtain in the late game, although generating gold through trade is somewhat easier due to players being able to trade with their own Town Centers. Favor can be generated in different but consistent methods according to the civilization, but is generally collected slower than other resources, making it a precious commodity.

Since there are almost no military units available in the game that cost neither gold nor favor, the concept of trash units does not really apply to Age of Mythology. One notable exception is the Dryad, available to Atlantean worshippers of Theia, which, since Retold, costs only wood. Similarly, Archaic Age Greek heroes cost only food and wood since Retold, but are limited to only one at a time, making them impossible to mass like true trash units.

Age of Empires III

As coin (akin to gold) can be infinitely generated through the Whales and the Estate, the concept of "rarer resources" is rather foreign to Age of Empires III as well. The infinite collection of this resource removes a major bottleneck to unit production. Indeed because of this, on occasion wood ends up a rarer resource than coin because it is the slow to gather and is spread out on the map and cannot be protected like the Estate in one's own base.

Age of Empires IV

Age of Empires IV follows Age of Mythology with respect to wood, gold, and food. Farms have infinite food, and there are more ways to generate passive gold income after Gold Mines have been exhausted. Most random maps spawn neutral Trade Posts, with which players can trade to generate gold. Captured Sacred Sites and Relics generate gold. In addition, most civilizations have additional unique forms of passive gold generation, like Hunting Cabins for the Rus, Farms with Enclosures for the English, or Imperial Officials for the Chinese. Stone is the most limited resource, but it is not generally used for creating units.