Understanding Unit Counters in Age of Empires II: Complete Counter System Guide

The Foundation: How Unit Counters Work

Unit counters in Age of Empires II are determined by three primary factors: attack bonuses, armor classes, and movement characteristics. When you see "cavalry takes bonus damage from spearmen," what's actually happening is that spearmen have bonus attack damage against the cavalry armor class.

Armor Classes and Bonus Damage

Every unit in the game has one or more armor classes. A Knight, for example, has both cavalry armor and melee armor. Units that counter cavalry have bonus attack damage specifically against the cavalry armor class, which makes them devastating against knights but less effective against other unit types.

This system means a counter unit can defeat its target with significantly fewer resources invested. A line of Halberdiers, which cost only food and wood, can completely shut down expensive gold-heavy cavalry units. Understanding this principle is fundamental to cost-efficient warfare.

The Three Core Matchup Types

Most competitive Age of Empires II gameplay revolves around three fundamental unit types: cavalry, archers, and infantry. Each type has specific counters and strategies:

• Cavalry: Fast, high health, devastating against archers and siege, countered by spearman-line units
• Archers: Ranged damage, effective against infantry and some cavalry, countered by skirmishers and cavalry
• Infantry: Tanky, good against buildings, countered by archers and cataphracts, strong against eagles

Complete Counter Reference: What Beats What

This section provides the definitive counter guide for every major unit category in Age of Empires II.

Countering Cavalry Units

Cavalry units like Knights, Cavaliers, and Paladins form the backbone of many army compositions. They're expensive but powerful, requiring specific counters to deal with effectively.

Hard Counters to Cavalry:

• Spearman Line (Spearman/Pikeman/Halberdier): The primary cavalry counter, cheap and effective. Halberdiers deal +32 bonus damage against cavalry
• Camel Riders: Available to Middle Eastern civilizations, these units have bonus damage against cavalry and are cavalry themselves, allowing them to chase down retreating knights
• Kamayuks (Incas): Unique infantry with bonus against cavalry and range, making them exceptional cavalry counters
• Genoese Crossbowmen (Italians): Ranged counter to cavalry with bonus attack damage
• Monks: Conversion is devastating against expensive cavalry units, turning their investment against them

Soft Counters and Situational Units:

• Massed archers can trade reasonably against small cavalry groups but need protection
• Boyars (Slavs) have exceptional armor making them resistant to cavalry charges
• Teutonic Knights with their high armor can tank cavalry but are too slow to catch them

Countering Archer Units

Archers, Crossbowmen, and Arbalests are the most common ranged units. They excel at dealing consistent damage from safety but are vulnerable to specific counters.

Hard Counters to Archers:

• Skirmishers: The dedicated archer counter with bonus damage and pierce armor. Elite Skirmishers are incredibly cost-effective against archer masses
• Cavalry (Knights, Hussars): Fast units that can close the distance and kill archers quickly. Knights particularly excel due to their armor and health
• Eagle Warriors: Fast infantry unit that catches archers and has bonus damage against them
• Huskarls (Goths): Unique infantry with massive pierce armor, nearly immune to archer fire
• Mangudai (Mongols): The anti-archer archer, with bonus damage against siege and other archers
• Rams: While not killing archers directly, rams absorb massive amounts of arrow fire, protecting your army

When facing archer civilizations like Britons or Vietnamese, producing Skirmishers should be your first instinct. They're cheap, train quickly, and completely shut down archer play when massed properly.

Countering Infantry Units

Infantry units like Champions, Two-Handed Swordsmen, and unique units such as Teutonic Knights are less common in competitive play but still require proper counters.

Hard Counters to Infantry:

• Archers/Hand Cannoneers: Ranged units generally perform well against infantry that can't close the gap
• Cataphracts (Byzantines): The anti-infantry cavalry with massive bonus damage to infantry
• Jaguar Warriors (Aztecs): Bonus damage against infantry and high armor
• Samurai (Japanese): Devastating bonus damage against unique units
• War Elephants: Trample damage massacres grouped infantry

Infantry becomes particularly dangerous when playing as Goths, who can mass Champions and Huskarls at incredible speeds. In these situations, Cataphracts or massed archers become essential.

Countering Siege Weapons

Siege units like Mangonels, Trebuchets, and Bombard Cannons deal area damage and destroy buildings but are vulnerable when unprotected.

Hard Counters to Siege:

• Cavalry: The fastest way to kill siege weapons. Knights, Light Cavalry, and Hussars excel at raiding unprotected siege
• Mangudai (Mongols): Bonus damage against siege makes them the premier siege counter
• Bombard Cannons: Out-range and destroy other siege weapons
• Rams: Absorb siege fire and eventually destroy enemy siege through attrition

The key to countering siege is never letting it sit safely behind an enemy army. Fast cavalry raids targeting siege weapons can cripple an opponent's ability to push your defenses.

Countering Unique Units

Each civilization has unique units with special characteristics. While each requires specific strategies, some general principles apply:

• War Elephants: Convert with Monks or mass Halberdiers. Avoid long battles due to their incredible tanking
• Conquerors (Spanish): Fast cavalry or Eagles to close the gap before they deal significant damage
• Janissaries (Turks): Cavalry or siege weapons, as they're vulnerable in melee
• Chu Ko Nu (Chinese): Skirmishers or heavily armored cavalry to tank their rapid fire
• Longbowmen (Britons): Skirmishers, Siege Onagers, or Rams to close the distance

Army Composition: Combining Units Effectively

Understanding individual counters is important, but competitive Age of Empires II requires balanced army compositions. Rarely will you face only one unit type - most armies combine multiple units to cover each other's weaknesses.

The Classic Cavalry-Archer Composition

Combining Knights with Crossbowmen creates a versatile army. Knights protect archers from enemy cavalry while archers kill Halberdiers and other infantry that threaten your knights. This composition is the backbone of Franks and Byzantine strategies.

The Trash War Late Game

In Imperial Age after gold runs out, armies transition to "trash units" - Hussars, Elite Skirmishers, and Halberdiers. The key to trash wars is maintaining the counter advantage:

• Hussars beat Skirmishers
• Skirmishers beat Archers
• Halberdiers beat Hussars

Civilizations like Magyars and Vikings excel in trash wars due to their economic and unit bonuses.

Siege-Protected Infantry Pushes

Teutons and Goths often combine infantry with siege rams. Rams absorb arrow fire while Champions and Teutonic Knights destroy enemy melee units. To counter this, use Bombard Cannons to destroy the rams and archers to kite the infantry.

The Monk-Siege Combo

Some civilizations like Aztecs and Spanish use Monks protected by Mangonels. The Mangonels zone out counter units while Monks convert expensive units like Paladins. Counter this with Light Cavalry to raid Monks and siege simultaneously.

Civilization-Specific Counter Considerations

Different civilizations have unique bonuses that affect counter relationships. Knowing these exceptions is crucial for high-level play.

Civilizations with Counter-Resistant Units

• Franks: Their Paladins have bonus HP, requiring more Halberdiers than normal to kill
• Teutons: Extra melee armor on units makes them more resistant to cavalry and infantry
• Byzantines: Cheaper counter units (Camel Riders, Pikemen) allow them to counter cost-effectively
• Goths: Can overwhelm counters through sheer production speed and numbers

Civilizations That Break Standard Counters

• Japanese: Their Samurai counter unique units, which normally don't have dedicated counters
• Saracens: Mamelukes counter cavalry while being cavalry themselves, avoiding the Halberdier weakness
• Mongols: Mangudai counter siege, breaking the normal siege vs. archer relationship

Advanced Counter Tactics: Micro and Positioning

Unit counters aren't absolute - skilled micro-management and positioning can overcome counter disadvantages or maximize counter advantages.

Archer Micro Against Cavalry

While cavalry hard-counters archers, skilled players can kite cavalry with archers, moving back and maintaining distance while dealing damage. This is especially effective with Briton Longbowmen or Vietnamese Rattan Archers due to their range advantage.

Splitting Units to Minimize Splash Damage

Mangonels and Scorpions deal area damage. Spreading your units prevents single shots from killing large groups. This is critical when facing Siege Onagers or when protecting your archers from enemy Mangonels.

Patrol Micro for Melee Units

Using the patrol command instead of attack-move allows melee units to more effectively engage ranged units, reducing kiting effectiveness. This technique is essential when pushing with Knights against archer masses.

Focus Fire on High-Value Targets

Manually targeting Monks, Mangonels, or gold-heavy units maximizes the efficiency of your counters. Killing five Paladins is far more valuable than killing twenty Halberdiers, even if the latter is easier.

Common Counter Mistakes to Avoid

Even experienced players make these counter-related errors. Recognizing and avoiding them will immediately improve your win rate.

1. Over-Committing to a Countered Unit Type

If your opponent masses Halberdiers, continuing to produce Knights is throwing resources away. Always scout your opponent and adapt your production. The market and multiple production buildings exist to enable this flexibility.

2. Forgetting About Monks

Monks are the ultimate counter to expensive units. A few Monks can convert Paladins, War Elephants, or Siege Onagers, turning them against your opponent. Always include Light Cavalry or Hussars in your army to counter enemy Monks.

3. Not Protecting Your Counters

Halberdiers counter cavalry but die easily to archers. Skirmishers counter archers but die to cavalry. Never send your counter units alone - protect them with units that counter their counters.

4. Ignoring Upgrades

A fully upgraded Cavalier beats a non-upgraded Paladin. Counter relationships assume both units are properly upgraded. Always research blacksmith technologies and unit-specific upgrades for your primary army composition.

5. Fighting on Unfavorable Terrain

Hills provide a significant combat bonus. Fighting uphill negates much of your counter advantage. Always try to force battles on favorable terrain or near your castles for additional support.

Scouting: The Key to Effective Countering

You can't counter what you don't see. Effective scouting is the foundation of proper army composition:

• Early Game: Scout with your starting scout cavalry to identify your opponent's build order and likely strategy
• Feudal Age: Continue scouting to see which military buildings your opponent constructs (ranges = archers, stables = cavalry)
• Castle Age: Sacrifice a Spearman or Eagle Warrior to scout your opponent's main army composition
• Imperial Age: Use small groups of Hussars or Eagles for continuous vision of enemy unit production

The investment in scouting always pays for itself by allowing you to produce the correct counter units before engagement.

Practical Application: Counter Drills

To internalize these counter relationships, practice these drills in single-player scenarios:

1. Pure Counter Drill: Set up a scenario with enemy Knights. Practice producing Halberdiers and engaging. Repeat with different unit matchups
2. Mixed Army Drill: Create enemy armies with 2-3 unit types. Practice identifying threats and producing appropriate counters quickly
3. Adaptation Drill: Start producing one unit type, then switch to its counter when your opponent (AI) responds. Practice smooth transitions between unit types
4. Micro Drill: Practice kiting with archers against cavalry, splitting units against Mangonels, and focus-firing priority targets

These drills develop muscle memory for counter production and engagement, making your responses automatic during real games.

Conclusion: Mastering the Counter Game

Understanding unit counters in Age of Empires II transforms you from a passive player into a strategic commander who can dismantle any army composition. The counter system rewards knowledge, adaptation, and careful scouting over brute force production.

Remember these core principles: scout constantly, produce appropriate counters, protect your counter units with complementary forces, and never over-commit to a countered unit type. The player who better understands counters will win battles with fewer resources, maintain map control, and ultimately secure victory.

Continue your Age of Empires II education by exploring our complete unit statistics, technology trees, and civilization guides. Understanding how these systems interconnect will elevate your gameplay from competent to exceptional. Master the counters, and your enemies will fall before you.