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This article is about the unit in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Dynasties of India. For the unit in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties, see Urumi Swordsman (Age of Empires III). |
| “ | Dravidian unique infantry unit that can charge its attack. | ” |
| —Age of Empires II description | ||
The Urumi Swordsman is the first unique unit of the Dravidians in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Dynasties of India. It is an infantry unit that "charges" its attack over a period of time, dealing increased damage on its first attack against an enemy unit. The charged attacks also do trample damage, but not regular attacks.
Urumi Swordsmen can be upgraded to Elite Urumi Swordsmen in the Imperial Age.
Ability[]
Alternating between the charged (top-down) and normal (sideways) attacks
The Urumi Swordsman has an ability to charge its attack and deal Area of Effect damage with the charge attack in 0.75 tiles radius of 50% strength. The non-Elite version deals +12 attack and needs 24 seconds to recharge, while the Elite version deals +15 attack and needs 20 seconds to recharge.
While the charge attack is triggered only against units (including siege weapons and ships), the Area of Effect damage can also damage nearby buildings, in which case, the (Elite) Urumi Swordsman has only 50% of 8+1 (10+2) attack. In both cases, the attack upgrades from the Blacksmith provide the same increase in base attack.
Tactics[]
While outwardly similar to the Militia line, the Urumi Swordsman is a much more specialized unit which serves a very different role. Their greatest difference is their significantly lower pierce armor, which triples the damage taken from Elite Skirmishers. This makes them largely ineffective against Skirmishers, and more vulnerable to archers as a whole. While Militia do damage more slowly and consistently, Urumi Swordsmen deal a large portion of their damage upfront, in a powerful splash damage charge attack. However, this attack does not affect buildings, so while Militia can rapidly tear down structures, Urumis are not particularly effective in that role. In this sense, and in the same way as Shotel Warriors, Urumi Swordsmen can be seen as glass cannons; doing high amount of damage but having low durabilty overall.
Urumis are most effective in two use cases. The first is against tightly-packed groups of weak enemies, such as archers. While an insufficient group of Urumis will fail to reach them at all, if successful, their powerful charge attack can rapidly deal hundreds of hit points worth of damage, completely annihilating them in seconds. Roughly equal numbers are needed on both sides to achieve successful results.
The second use case is defensively, protecting other units, like siege, elephant units, and especially Armored Elephants. Attacking units will run around the Urumi Swordsmen to get to the weaker units, maximizing the splash damage; the charge attack deals incredible damage, massacring them and reducing the damage taken by the weaker units being defended. This is true especially against Pikemen, and Urumis are capable of defending far more effectively than any other unit in the game.
They can perform effectively in other engagements; however, their strength rapidly falls off once their charge attack is exhausted, and if outnumbered, they broadly underperform in a pitched battle. As a result, Urumi Swordsmen tend to either do extraordinarily well, or extraordinarily poorly, with very little middle ground. A difference of just a few units can mean a stunning victory or a crushing defeat, based largely on whether or not they are able to kill a significant portion of the enemy force in the first few seconds.
Wootz Steel[]
As a result of this unit's reliance on its powerful charge attack, Wootz Steel tends to benefit this unit less than other melee options. With an initial attack dealing 30 damage (plus any splash damage), an average difference of 4 damage often makes little difference. Arbalesters, for instance, will die in 2 charge attacks with or without Wootz Steel, and against Halberdiers, it will take 3 hits with or without Wootz Steel. It is only in prolonged melee engagements against particularly well-armored enemies that Wootz Steel begins to offer a true advantage (especially against Serjeants, Teutonic Knights, and Boyars), but thanks to the higher cost and lower stats of the Urumi Swordsman, after the charge attack has been exhausted, even these slightly better results are often sub-optimal, and it is often wiser to instead focus on achieving the necessary critical mass.
Counters[]
Urumi Swordsmen are predominately weak against units who can survive the powerful immediate attack. They will lose against Battle Elephants and War Elephants, both of which have high hit points and their own Area of Effect attacks. Other heavy cavalry can defeat Urumi Swordsmen if they haven't reached a critical mass, but will struggle (or even potentially lose) if there are enough Urumi Swordsmen. Konniks and Cataphracts will beat Urumi Swordsmen with equal resources even in large battles, but they require all of their associated upgrades to succeed (such as Stirrups and Logistica, respectively). Leiciai and Monaspas can do well in large battles, but both need to be boosted enough by their respective bonuses (with 4 Relics and fully massed at 29+ units, respectively).
Like all infantry, Urumi Swordsmen are weak to ranged damage, due to their slower speed, lower health, and lack of pierce armor. Unlike the Militia line, however, they have a special weakness to Skirmishers, who deal three times the damage to Urumis compared to the swordsman line, and since they automatically retreat to acquire minimum range, they tend to separate, minimizing the effect of any splash damage.
Siege can also be an effective - if risky - counter. While siege will quickly kill Urumis, Urumis will also quickly kill siege due to their high damage and slightly faster speed. Organ Guns are exceptionally deadly against groups of Urumi Swordsmen due to their low pierce armor and the former's bonus damage against infantry.
Further statistics[]
As Urumi Swordsmen are unique to the Dravidians, only technologies that are available to them are shown in the following table:
| Unit strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Infantry, Elite Skirmishers, Light Cavalry |
| Weak vs. | Archers, Scorpions, Cataphracts, War Elephants, Battle Elephants, Monks, Ballista Elephants, Organ Guns |
| Technologies | |
| Regeneration |  Stronghold (30 HP/min when within 18 tiles square of a team Celts Castle)
|
| Attack |  Forging (+1) Iron Casting (+1) Blast Furnace (+2) Arson (+2 attack against standard buildings) Wootz Steel (attack ignores armor)
|
| Armor |  Scale Mail Armor (+1  melee / +1  pierce) Chain Mail Armor (+1 melee / +1 pierce) Plate Mail Armor (+1 melee / +2 pierce)
|
| Conversion resistance |  Devotion (+1 min, +1 max) Faith (+4 min, +4 max)
|
| Movement speed |  Squires (+10%)
|
| Creation speed |  Conscription (+33%) Kasbah (+25%, with Berber allies only)
|
| Upgrade |  Elite Urumi Swordsman
|
Civilization bonuses[]
Dravidians: Researching Arson and Squires is 50% cheaper.
Team bonuses[]
- Armenians: Urumi Swordsmen have +2 Line of Sight.
- Bulgarians: Blacksmith upgrades are researched 80% faster.
- Goths: Researching Arson and Squires is 20% faster.
- Lithuanians: Researching Devotion and Faith is 20% faster.
- Portuguese: Upgrades that benefit Urumi Swordsmen are researched 25% faster.
- Teutons: Urumi Swordsmen are more resistant to conversion.
Changelog[]
Dynasties of India[]
- (Elite) Urumi Swordsmen have 8 (10) melee attack.
- Urumi Swordsmen have a movement speed of 1.05.
Chronicles: Battle for Greece[]
- With update 141935:
- (Elite) Urumi Swordsmen have 9 (11) melee attack.
- Urumi Swordsmen have a movement speed of 1.1.
Heroes[]
There is one hero in the game with the appearance of an Urumi Swordsman:
Trivia[]
- The Urumi Swordsman's shield resembles the Dravidian civilization icon.
- The Urumi Swordsman almost acts as the same unit from Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties, as both have enough strength to defeat other infantry in melee combat, including Area of Effect damage, but with the difference of the Urumi Swordsman from Age of Empires II also being able to defeat cavalry, but having low resistance, especially against pierce damage, while the one from Age of Empires III does worse against melee cavalry, but can defeat even ranged infantry and do good siege damage.
- Despite their high damage once Wootz Steel is researched, the Urumi Swordsman is one of the least used unique units in multiplayer matches, due to their low hit points and zero base pierce armor, making even Elite Skirmishers a moderately good unit do damage against them (taking 3 damage per shot) and getting low durability when fighting in enemy towns, making Dravidian Champions and Halberdiers more commonly used as the main Dravidian infantry units in the late game.
History[]
The urumi is a flexible band of steel about one inch in width, and up to 5 feet in length, that is attached to a handle. Most urumi have multiple bands attached to a single handle. Because of its flexibility, an urumi can be coiled around the waist and inconspicuously carried like a belt. If a fight breaks out, the urumi can be uncoiled and swung like a sword. It is most effective when the wielder faces multiple enemies.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
