This article is about the unit in Age of Empires. For villager units in other games of the series, see Villager. |
The Villager is an economic unit in Age of Empires that can be trained at the Town Center. Villagers are the backbone of every civilization, performing key tasks such as building construction and resource gathering.
As indispensable as Villagers are, their fighting skills are negligible. However, they can become slightly more useful in combat once Siegecraft is researched. With it, they can be used to attack walls and towers, as they will deal +2 bonus damage to them.
Tasks[]
Villagers can be assigned with different tasks which also changes their name to the corresponding job they are doing.
- Builder - builds buildings
- Hunter - kills and gathers food from animals
- Farmer - gathers food from Farm
- Fisherman - gathers food from fish near the shore
- Forager - gathers food from Berry Bushes
- Woodcutter - gathers wood from trees
- Miner - gathers gold and stone from their corresponding mines
- Repairman - repairs buildings and boats
- Villager - attacks enemies; also the default term
When attacked, Hunters and Villagers have an increased attack strength if Zealotry is researched. But as a consequence, their gathering capacity is decreased by 8 (6 for food gatherers).
Buildings[]
Villager can build the following buildings:
- House, Barracks, Granary, Storage Pit, Dock, Town Center (if the player does not have one).
- Government Center, Temple, additional Town Centers, Siege Workshop, Academy, Sentry Tower, Medium Wall.
Further statistics[]
Unit strengths and weaknesses | |
---|---|
Strong vs. | As meat shield |
Weak vs. | All |
Upgrades | |
Work rate | For wood: ![]() ![]() ![]() For gold: ![]() ![]() For stone: ![]() ![]() Construction speed: ![]() |
Carry capacity | For food: ![]() For wood: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() For gold: ![]() ![]() ![]() For stone: ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Hit points | ![]() |
Attack | ![]() ![]() |
Speed | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Civilization bonuses[]
- Assyrians: Villagers have +10% speed.
- Babylonians: Stone miners work rate +20% and carry +2 stone.
- Egyptians: Gold miners work rate +20% and carry +2 gold.
- Greeks: Villagers are created 10% faster from the Tool Age onward.
- Macedonians: Villagers have +2 Line of Sight and are four times more resistant to conversion.
- Palmyrans: Villagers cost +50% but have +1/+1 armor and work rate +25%.
- Persians: Hunters work rate +30% and carry +3 food.
- Phoenicians: Woodcutters work rate +15% and carry +2 wood.
- Shang: Villagers cost -20%.
- Sumerians: Villagers have +15 hit points.
- Yamato: Villagers have +10% speed.
Cheats[]
Entering the cheat code medusa in the chat box turns Villagers into Medusas that turn into Dark Riders when they are killed by enemy units.
Changelog[]
Definitive Edition[]
- Hunters work 5% faster than before (previously they were as slow as Foragers).
- Gold and stone miners work 15% faster (to compensate bug fixes to technologies).
- Zealotry (formerly named Jihad): Villager carry capacity penalty more consistent for different villager types; villager speed bonus to +10%.
- Siegecraft: Villager bonus attack vs walls and towers slightly reduced.
- Wheel researched slower (+15 seconds).
- Assyrian and Yamato Villagers now move 10% faster (down from 18%).
- Palmyran Villagers work 25% faster for all tasks (previously 20% for some tasks, 0% for others).
- With update 38862, Villagers move 10% faster in the Tool Age. The Wheel technology now grants a +50% speed boost (instead of +60%) to maintain the same maximum speed (the bonuses are additive and not multiplicative).
Trivia[]
- Their weapon (when fighting enemy units) looks like a bone from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age (before the Definitive Edition). When the Iron Age (Bronze Age since the Definitive Edition) is researched, this is replaced by a weapon that looks like a fork, whose animation speed seems faster (despite the attacking speed being the same).
- Their animation in the Iron Age is later used for the Spearman and Pikeman in Age of Empires II.
History[]
“ | Most people of ancient times lived out their lives working to make a living, primarily as hunters, gatherers, and fishermen originally, and later as farmers and herders. The agricultural revolution that began around 8000 BC freed more and more people from the daily pursuit of sustenance as food production became more dependable and efficient. New specialists included potters, metalworkers, builders, scribes, leather workers, woodworkers, traders, and professional soldiers. By the end of the ancient period, food production employed less than half the population within civilized culture. | ” |
—The Age of Empires manual |
Gallery[]
References[]
Buildings Tree | ||
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Units in Age of Empires | |
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Priest · Villager · Trade Boat · Merchant Ship · Fishing Boat · Fishing Ship · Light Transport · Heavy Transport | |
Infantry | Clubman · Axeman · Short Swordsman · Broad Swordsman · Long Swordsmen · Legion · Hoplite · Phalanx · Centurion |
Archer | Bowman · Improved Bowman · Composite Bowman · Chariot Archer · Elephant Archer · Horse Archer · Heavy Horse Archer |
Cavalry | Scout · Cavalry · Heavy Cavalry · Cataphract · Chariot · War Elephant |
Siege | Stone Thrower · Catapult · Heavy Catapult · Ballista · Helepolis |
Ship | Scout Ship · War Galley · Trireme · Catapult Trireme · Juggernaught |
![]() | |
Armored Elephant · Camel Rider · Fire Galley · Scythe Chariot · Slinger | |