Unit stances set the level of aggression in military unit responses to the presence of enemy buildings and units.
Age of Empires[]
Unit stance interface in Age of Empires: Definitive Edition
In-game interface seen in Return of Rome
Absent in the original Age of Empires, update 38862 for Age of Empires: Definitive Edition added the four unit stances from Age of Empires II:
- Aggressive (Default)
- Defensive
- Stand Ground
- No Attack
Return of Rome further added the Auto Scout feature for applicable units.
Age of Empires II[]
Unit stance (middle row) interface in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
First introduced to the series in Age of Empires II, unit stances are available for selection in four options. All military units created are set to be aggressive by default, while the Definitive Edition adds the option for created units to start with a defensive stance.
- Aggressive: units move without limitation and will follow enemy targets in Line of Sight (LOS) and range until they are killed.
- Defensive: units attack any unit in their range, and will follow for a certain number of tiles before returning to their original position. Units on defensive stance will retreat a few tiles if a ranged unit outside their LOS attacks them.
- Stand Ground: units do not move to attack but will attack any enemy in their range.
- No Attack: units do not automatically attack unless ordered.
- Auto Scout: Auto Scout was introduced in update 35584 and was originally only available to the first scout unit presented to the player at the beginning of a game. Since update 111772, it is available to all scout units. The scouting unit explores the entire map in a pre-determined, yet somewhat random pattern.
Most units have the Aggressive/Defensive stance by default, depending on the chosen option in the settings, but the following units always start with these stances no matter the setting chosen:
- Defensive: Battering Ram line, Mangonel line, (Elite) Organ Gun, Demolition Raft line, Armored Elephant line, Bombard Cannon, Houfnice, Siege Tower, and the scenario editor unit Flamethrower.
- No Attack: Petard and Flaming Camel.
Notably, the Scorpion line, (Elite) Ballista Elephant, and (Elite) Hussite Wagon are the only siege units to use the default stance.
Age of Mythology[]
Unit stance (bottom row) selection in Age of Mythology
Unit stances (second row) in Retold
While Age of Mythology features three stances, its main menu options allow for the setting of a default stance for newly created military units.
- Aggressive: Units will chase down and fight enemy units in Line of Sight.
- Defensive: Units will fight enemy units within Line of Sight, but will not stray far from their last commanded location.
- Stand Ground: Units will attack anything in range, but not move from their position (Added in Retold)
- Passive: Units will neither fight nor flee.
Age of Empires III[]
A part of the in-game tactics interface in Age of Empires III
- Main article: Unit stance (Age of Empires III)
In Age of Empires III, unit stances have been merged into the unit formations interface. The most similar stance to other games is Stand ground:
- Stand ground prevents the units from moving around the map, even if they're being shot at. They will continue to engage enemy units in range but will not pursue them. This formation stance is available to all cavalry and infantry units.
Before the Definitive Edition, unit stances must be enabled by a UI option called "Show advanced unit formations".
Age of Empires IV[]
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