Wagenburg Tactics

Wagenburg Tactics
Availability
Introduced in	Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Dawn of the Dukes
Civilization	Bohemians
Age	Castle Age
Research
Researched at	Castle
Food	300
Gold	300
Research time	45 seconds
Effect
Gunpowder units move 15% faster.

Wagenburg Tactics is a technology in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Dawn of the Dukes that is unique to the Bohemians. Once researched, gunpowder units (Hand Cannoneer, Bombard Cannon, Houfnice, Cannon Galleon, and Hussite Wagon) move 15% faster.

Strategy

Gunpowder units in general have a big drawback, which is their slow movement, Wagenburg Tactics makes gunpowder units overall more mobile and easy to use and micromanage, but they are still slower than cavalry or fast infantry units like the Shotel Warrior, so the player still needs support units to protect all. Bohemians can also research Chemistry in the Castle Age and get Hand Cannoneers here, thus making the technology really important, but at the same time, it is also harder to research Wagenburg Tactics because it costs both food and gold, making it a bit harder to research early. The same goes if the player also went for Hussite Wagons early in the Castle Age, as the player probably has a more fragile economy, and the extra speed is also important for Hussite Wagons.

In the Imperial Age, Wagenburg Tactics also makes the use of Houfnices more practical, with Hussite Wagons and Halberdiers, which gets 25% more damage against cavalry, the Bohemian army becomes a powerful and deadly force against most civilizations.

Team bonuses

• Portuguese: Researching Wagenburg Tactics is 25% faster.

Trivia

• Wagenburg means "Wagon Fortress" in German, and similar to the English phrase "Circling the Wagons". It is the tactic of forming a box or circle of vehicles, typically wagons, as an improvised fort or military camp, usually when under risk of imminent attack by an enemy. In Czech (the Bohemians' language) it is "vozová hradba".
• As its name implies, the "Box" Army Formation is useful at sheltering units behind Hussite Wagons (one of if not the only legitimately useful case for the unpopular army formation).
• Counter-intuitive to its name, there is no clear historical reasoning behind increased movement speed as a bonus, or a bonus to non-Hussite Wagon units.