| “ | Powerful anti-building siege weapon with long range. Must be packed to move, unpacked to attack. Cannot attack enemies at close range. Can attack ground and destroy trees. | ” |
| —Age of Empires II description | ||
The Trebuchet is a long-range siege unit in Age of Empires II that can be trained at the Castle once the Imperial Age is reached. It is the most powerful siege weapon with the longest base range and attack of all the units in the game. Its ability to take out buildings from a distance is unparalleled.
The weapon reappears in Age of Empires IV as the Counterweight Trebuchet.
Overview
A Trebuchet attacking a Castle.
The Trebuchet is slow and defenseless against most units but excels at destroying any building within its path. Its most notable role is safely destroying enemy Castles, as the only other units that can do so are the Bombard Cannon and Cannon Galleon. Trebuchets with Siege Engineers have 17 range, a value that is only matched by Turkish Elite Cannon Galleons with Artillery. Tatar Trebuchets with Timurid Siegecraft have an even longer range of 19. Its poor mobility also makes it a relatively poor choice for destroying a player's base when compared to the much more mobile Siege Ram and Bombard Cannon. Briton Trebuchets with Warwolf can wreak havoc on enemy units, such as massed archers, due to their Area of Effect damage.
It has the highest attack of any unit in the game, allowing it to one-shot almost every unit in the game, notably enemy siege units, such as Mangonels and Trebuchets. Note, however, that rams have high enough pierce armor to shrug off a Trebuchet shot. However, due to the Trebuchet's low accuracy at range, they are very unreliable at doing so. Additionally, Trebuchets have a rate of fire of 10, five times that of most normal units, significantly decreasing their effective damage output.
The Trebuchet is unique for its pack/unpack mechanic. It can only maneuver around in its packed form, during which it cannot attack. Conversely, when unpacked, it can attack but not move. It must spend about 11.1 seconds to pack or unpack, during which it is unable to either attack or move. However, the packing/unpacking process can be canceled instantly if necessary to move to a safer location or continue attacking. When playing as the Japanese, Kataparuto gives Trebuchets a shorter pack/unpack time of only around 2.8 seconds.
It can target, attack and remove trees to allow free passage. Onagers, however, perform this task better and all the trees in the area of their splash damage are destroyed.
It is imperative to guard Trebuchets with a standing army if they are used offensively. Like all siege units, they may be repaired and the presence of some Villagers nearby may greatly prolong their combat ability. Using the "Attack Ground" option is an important skill to master when using the Trebuchet, as commanding them to directly attack a unit causes any AI target to automatically flee, and a human player will also be able to dodge if they are paying attention. However, the low accuracy makes this much less useful than for the Mangonel line or Bombard Cannons.
When facing enemy Trebuchets, Bombard Cannons work best due to their long range allowing them to take them out without having to worry about the units guarding the Trebuchet. Onagers are also viable, but their shorter range hinders them in this. Cavalry and fast infantry units (such as Woad Raiders, Ghulams, etc) work well due to their high speed and good damage, though they must watch out for any units used to defend the Trebuchets. Archer units are ineffective against Trebuchets, due to the latter's high pierce armor and hit points. Mangudai can also be used effectively to counter Trebuchets due to their attack bonus. Infantry and rams can be useful if no other units are at the player's disposal, but are less desirable due to their lack of speed. This allows the enemy to respond to the situation more effectively by simply unpacking the Trebuchets and/or retaliating with an army of their own.
Further statistics
| Unit strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Buildings, archer units |
| Weak vs. | Melee units (especially Magyar Huszars and Elite Eagle Warriors), rams, Bombard Cannons, Mangudai, Onagers |
| Technologies | |
| Attack |  Siege Engineers (+20% attack against buildings) Chemistry (+1) Warwolf (gives blast damage in a 0.5 tile radius, Britons only) Counterweights (+15% attack, Saracens only)
|
| Range | Siege Engineers (+1) Timurid Siegecraft (+2, Tatars only)
|
| Accuracy | Warwolf (increases accuracy against units to 100%, Britons only)
|
| Armor |  Ironclad (+4  melee / +0  pierce, Teutons only)
|
| Conversion resistance |  Devotion (+1 min, +1 max) Faith (+4 min, +4 max) Heresy (die upon getting converted) First Crusade (+4 min, +4 max) (Sicilians only)
|
| Attack speed | Kataparuto (+33%, Japanese only)
|
| Creation speed |  Conscription (+33%) Kasbah (+25%, Berbers and allies only)
|
| Other | Kataparuto (pack/unpack 4x faster, Japanese only)
|
Civilizations bonuses
Aztecs: Trebuchets are created 15% faster.- Burmese: Researching Devotion and Faith is 50% cheaper.
- Chinese: Technologies that benefit Trebuchets are 15% cheaper.
- Celts: Trebuchets fire 25% faster. Trebuchets can convert herdable animals even if enemy units are next to them.
- Dravidians: Trebuchets cost -33% wood.
- Georgians: Trebuchets receive -20% damage (-40% instead of -25%) when fighting from higher elevation.
- Huns: Trebuchets have +35% accuracy against units.[note 1]
- Italians: Researching Chemistry is 33% cheaper.
- Portuguese: Trebuchets cost -20% gold.
- Spanish: Researching technologies that benefit Trebuchets provides 20 gold each.
- Tatars: Trebuchets deal +20% damage (+50% instead of +25%) from cliffs and elevations.
- Turks: Chemistry is free.
- Vietnamese: Conscription is free.
Team bonuses
- Lithuanians: Researching Devotion, Faith, and Heresy is 20% faster.
- Malians: Researching Chemistry and Siege Engineers is 80% faster.
- Portuguese: Upgrades that benefit Trebuchets are researched 25% faster.
- Teutons: Trebuchets are more resistant to conversion.
Changelog
The Age of Kings
- If a Trebuchet finishes packing before its projectile lands, the projectile does 1 damage.
- If a Trebuchet is destroyed before its projectile lands, the projectile does no damage.
The Conquerors
- Heresy introduced.
- Aztecs: Trebuchets are created 18% faster.
- Japanese: Kataparuto introduced.
The Forgotten
- Trebuchets can attack trees a lot better.
- Britons: Warwolf introduced, costs 500 wood, 250 gold.
- Teutons: Ironclad introduced, costs 500 wood, 350 gold.
The African Kingdoms
Definitive Edition
- Trebuchet projectiles deal correct damage even after the Trebuchet has been packed or destroyed.
- Aztecs: With update 37650, Trebuchets are created 11% faster.
- Britons: Warwolf costs 800 wood, 400 gold.
- Portuguese: With update 39284, Trebuchets cost -20% gold.
- Portuguese: With update 42848, as a civilization bonus, technologies that benefit Trebuchets are researched 30% faster.
- Tatars: Timurid Siegecraft introduced. It gives +1 range to Trebuchets.
- Tatars: With update 36202, Timurid Siegecraft gives +2 range to Trebuchets.
Lords of the West
- Sicilians: First Crusade introduced. With update 47820, First Crusade makes Trebuchets more resistant to conversion.
Dynasties of India
- Saracens: Counterweights introduced.
- With update 61321, Trebuchets are now resistant to armor-ignoring attacks similarly to buildings.
- Portuguese: With update 73855, as a team bonus, technologies that benefit Trebuchets are researched 25% faster.
- Dravidians: With update 81058, Trebuchets cost -33% wood.
Heroes
There are three heroes in the game with the appearance of a Trebuchet. They are all owned by the Britons in the campaigns. Historically, Bad Neighbor and the basis for God's Own Sling were French.
History
| “ | The most powerful of the Middle Age nongunpowder[sic] siege engines was the trebuchet. This was a large catapult-like weapon with a long throwing arm and missile bag suspended by ropes. When released the arm swung up and the bag was brought up and forward. Centrifugal force acting on the suspended bag increased the range and height achieved by the released missile. Stones fired by the Trebuchet plunged down on their target and did great damage to the tops and roofs of walls, towers, and other structures. Trebuchets were expensive and complicated machines, requiring specialists to build and operate. They could only be moved in parts and required assembly before use. Edward I of England refused the surrender of Stirling Castle in Scotland on one occasion so that he could watch his most recently acquired Trebuchet in action. | ” |
| —The Age of Kings manual | ||
Trivia
- The Trebuchet is the only unit that, like buildings, catches fire when damaged.
- Although Trebuchets in their packed version feature an attack as shown in the infobox, giving an attack order against an enemy unit or structure will immediately cause them to unpack. This was done at the release of the Definitive Edition to make sure that the projectile deals the required damage even after getting packed or destroyed. Even before the release of the Definitive Edition, hero Trebuchets had this property.
- Before Definitive Edition, the Trebuchet's projectile only deals 1 damage (the damage stated in the packed state) if it hits its target and the Trebuchet itself is already destroyed or in its packed form. This last instance is very common with Japanese Trebuchets with Kataparuto researched, or if the cheat code "aegis" has been used which makes them instantly pack even while their projectiles are still in flight.
- At 16, Trebuchets have the longest base range of all units or buildings in the game. With Siege Engineers, they get 17 range, a value that is only matched by Turkish Elite Cannon Galleons. Tatar Trebuchets with both Siege Engineers and Timurid Siegecraft have 19 range, the longest of all non-campaign units and buildings. Also, since Line of Sight is capped at a value of 20, Trebuchets with at least Siege Engineers have the highest range reasonably possible, as having any more would require external Line of Sight on targets to attack.
- The Trebuchet has become a meme within and outside the Age of Empires II community, most likely due to its known long range, and damage, with a common catchphrase being "firing a 90 kg payload over 300 meters".
- Trebuchets are one of three military land units that do not make the usual military sound when created, the others being the Camel Rider line and the Flaming Camel.
- Despite Trebuchets being considered buildings in many ways, they do not have 80% accuracy against each other.
Gallery
Notes
- ↑ Meaning their accuracy against units is raised from 15% to 50%.
