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Celtic unique infantry unit. Fast-moving.
Age of Empires II description

The Woad Raider is the unique unit of the Celts in Age of Empires II. It is a quick infantry unit with an attack bonus against standard buildings that is produced very quickly.

Woad Raiders can be upgraded to Elite Woad Raiders in the Imperial Age.

Tactics[]

The Woad Raider is the second-fastest infantry unit in the entire game, only outsped by Elite Eagle Warriors with Squires. Because of this, they are very effective as a raiding unit. Given that the main weakness of infantry is their inability to force fights, this is a very useful trait, especially as the Celts otherwise have few good fast options. The standard variant has fairly similar stats to the Long Swordsman; the elite variant is most comparable to the Champion. Apart from speed, Woad Raiders cost more food and slightly more gold, but have more hit points and attack in both cases, though at the cost of 1 melee armor.

Due to their high attack and hit points they can hold their own against most infantry, though they pale in comparison to cavalry and stronger variants of infantry. They are also effective against siege weapons and are useful for destroying meddling Trebuchets. Unlike most heavy infantry, they have no base melee armor. They are somewhat fragile to other unique infantry, mainly Teutonic Knights, Samurai, Jaguar Warriors, Obuchs, Urumi Swordsmen and Legionaries. As infantry units, they also struggle against heavy cavalry and massed archers.

Comparison in the Castle Age with similar units[]

Two-Handed Swordsman Woad Raider Long Swordsman
Cost 50 food, 20 gold 70 food, 25 gold 50 food, 20 gold
Hit points 65 70 60
Speed 1.15 1.35 1.10
Armor 1/1 0/1 1/1
Train Time 21 seconds 10 seconds 21 seconds
Line of Sight 5 3 4
Melee attack 12 11 9
Attack bonus +8 vs Eagle Warrior
+4 vs Standard building
+2 vs Eagle Warriors
+2 vs Standard building
+6 vs Eagle Warrior
+3 vs Standard building
Attack speed 2 2 2
Upgrade Cost and Time 650 food, 350 gold
70 seconds
1,000 food, 800 gold
45 seconds
200 food, 100 gold
45 seconds

Comparison in the Imperial Age with similar units[]

Champion Elite Woad Raider Two-Handed Swordsman
Cost 50 food, 20 gold 70 food, 25 gold 50 food, 20 gold
Hit points 70 85 65
Speed 1.15 1.4 1.15
Armor 1/1 0/1 1/1
Train Time 21 seconds 10 seconds 21 seconds
Line of Sight 5 5 5
Melee attack 14 15 12
Attack bonus +8 vs Eagle Warrior
+4 vs Standard building
+3 vs Eagle Warriors
+3 vs Standard building
+8 vs Eagle Warrior
+4 vs Standard building
Attack speed 2 2 2

Further statistics[]

As Woad Raiders are unique to the Celts, only technologies that are available to them are shown in the following table:

Unit strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs. Elite Skirmishers, Halberdiers, Eagle Warriors, buildings, Light Cavalry
Weak vs. Archers, Knights, Battle Elephants, Jaguar Warriors, Cataphracts, Boyars, War Elephants, Samurai, Berserks, Teutonic Knights, Obuchs
Upgrades
Attack Forging (+1)
Iron Casting (+1)
Blast Furnace (+2)
Arson (+2 attack against standard buildings)
Armor Scale Mail Armor (+1/+1)
Chain Mail Armor (+1/+1)
Plate Mail Armor (+1/+2)
Conversion defense Devotion (+1 min, +1 max)
Faith (+4 min, +4 max)
Heresy (die upon getting converted)
Creation speed Conscription (+33%)
Kasbah (+25%, with a Berber ally only)
Regeneration Stronghold (30 HP/min when within 18 tiles square of a team Celts Castle)
Upgrades Elite Woad Raider

Civilization bonuses[]

  • Celts: Woad Raiders move 15%/20% faster in the Castle/Imperial Age . Woad Raiders can convert herdable animals even if enemy units are next to them.

Team bonuses[]

Changelog[]

The Age of Kings[]

  • Woad Raiders train in 16 seconds, move at a base speed of 1.03, and have 0 pierce armor.
  • Non-Elite Woad Raiders have 8 attack.
  • Woad Raiders cost 65 food, 25 gold.
  • Woad Raiders move 15% faster.

The Conquerors[]

  • Woad Raiders train in 10 seconds and have 1 pierce armor.
  • With patch 1.0b, Woad Raiders move at a base speed of 1.2.
  • Heresy introduced.

The African Kingdoms[]

Definitive Edition[]

Dawn of the Dukes[]

Dynasties of India[]

  • With update 81058, (Elite) Woad Raiders have hit points 70 (85) and 11 (14) base attack.

Chronicles: Battle for Greece[]

  • With update 141935:
    • Woad Raider cost increased to 70 food, 25 gold.
    • Woad Raider base movement speed reduced (1.2 → 1.17).
    • Elite Woad Raider base attack increased to 15.
    • Woad Raiders move 15%/20% faster in the Castle/Imperial Age.

Heroes[]

There is one hero in the game with the appearance of a Woad Raider:

History[]

Woad is a plant found in the British Isles from which a blue pigment can be extracted. Celtic warriors painted themselves with this pigment prior to battle to look more fearsome and unnerve their enemies. Celtic warriors had been raiding more developed areas of Britain and Europe since ancient times. The Scots, for example, were originally Irish raiders who took lands from the Picts in north Britain that became Scotland. When the English sought to conquer the Celts inhabiting Ireland, Wales, and Scotland during the Middle Ages, the Celts were at a great disadvantage against the English mounted knights. The Celts often turned to guerrilla tactics, raiding English settlements and withdrawing before English armies arrived. Raiders painted with woad devastated the borderlands. A renowned woad raider was William Wallace of Scotland who rampaged through Northern England for a decade.

Trivia[]

  • This unit is an anachronism, as the practice of using woad as face paint was done by the Picts roughly 1,000 years before the medieval period. The manual's history section calling William Wallace a renowned woad raider is also historically false, and is instead based on the character's depiction in the movie Braveheart, which released and became popular before the release of Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings.
  • The (Elite) Woad Raider is tied with the Celtic Condottiero as the second fastest infantry unit in the game, only behind an Elite Eagle Warrior with Squires.

Gallery[]

Units in Age of Empires II
Civilian Villager · Trade Cart · Fishing Ship · Trade Cog · King
Miscellaneous Transport Ship · Monk · Petard
Infantry Militia Man-at-Arms Long Swordsman Two-Handed Swordsman Champion
Spearman Pikeman Halberdier
Archer Archer Crossbowman Arbalester
Skirmisher Elite Skirmisher
Hand Cannoneer
Cavalry Archer Heavy Cavalry Archer
Cavalry Scout Cavalry Light Cavalry Hussar
Knight Cavalier Paladin
Siege weapon Battering Ram Capped Ram Siege Ram
Mangonel Onager Siege Onager
Scorpion Heavy Scorpion
Bombard Cannon
Trebuchet
Siege Tower
War ship Galley War Galley Galleon
Fire Galley Fire Ship Fast Fire Ship
Demolition Raft Demolition Ship Heavy Demolition Ship
Cannon Galleon Elite Cannon Galleon
Regional
Infantry Eagle Scout Eagle Warrior Elite Eagle Warrior
Fire Lancer Elite Fire Lancer
Archer Elephant Archer Elite Elephant Archer
Cavalry Camel Rider Heavy Camel Rider
Battle Elephant Elite Battle Elephant
Steppe Lancer Elite Steppe Lancer
Xolotl Warrior
Armored Elephant Siege Elephant
Hei Guang Cavalry Heavy Hei Guang Cavalry
War ship Dromon
Lou Chuan
Siege weapon Rocket Cart Heavy Rocket Cart
Traction Trebuchet
Unique
Monk Missionary · Warrior Priest
Infantry Berserk · Chakram Thrower · Condottiero · Dismounted Konnik · Flemish Militia · Gbeto · Ghulam · Huskarl · Jaguar Warrior · Jian Swordsman · Kamayuk · Karambit Warrior · Legionary · Liao Dao · Obuch · Samurai · Serjeant · Shotel Warrior · Teutonic Knight · Throwing Axeman · Urumi Swordsman · Warrior Priest · White Feather Guard · Woad Raider
Archer Arambai · Camel Archer · Chu Ko Nu · Composite Bowman · Conquistador · Genitour · Genoese Crossbowman · Grenadier · Fire Archer · Imperial Skirmisher · Janissary · Kipchak · Longbowman · Mangudai · Plumed Archer · Ranged Ratha · Rattan Archer · Slinger · Xianbei Raider · War Wagon
Cavalry Ballista Elephant · Boyar · Camel Scout · Cataphract · Centurion · Coustillier · Imperial Camel Rider · Iron Pagoda · Keshik · Konnik · Leitis · Magyar Huszar · Mameluke · Monaspa · Melee Ratha · Mounted Trebuchet · Savar · Shrivamsha Rider · Tarkan · Tiger Cavalry · War Chariot · War Elephant · Winged Hussar
Siege weapon Houfnice · Hussite Wagon · Organ Gun
War ship Caravel · Dragon Ship · Longboat · Thirisadai · Turtle Ship
Hero Cao Cao · Liu Bei · Sun Jian
Miscellaneous Flaming Camel
For different types of units, see Category:Unit types (Age of Empires II).