

Historically, they were a Central European civilization who dominated much of Europe, such as Southern Germany, Spain, France, and the British Isles. They focus on infantry and siege weapons. The Celts are a Western European civilization in Age of Empires II. This is referenced by the Byzantines being the only civilization with access to all naval upgrades and technologies (along with the Spanish), their Fire Ships attacking faster, and their Castle Age unique technology Greek Fire, which grants Fire Ships +1 range. Their defensive theme is further supported by their Monks healing faster, which is also a reference to the Byzantines retaining and building upon Greco-Roman medical knowledge that was lost and had to be rediscovered elsewhere.įinally, the Byzantines' defensive prowress extended to the waters with their continuation of Roman naval techniques and new inventions of their own like Greek fire, a type of napalm that could ignite even on water. This is shown in their access to all fortifications, their cheaper counter units ( Camel Riders, Spearmen, and Skirmishers), and their access to Town Watch for free. They also deflected near constant invasions from more numerous but less advanced armies from Europe and Asia, and the double walls of Constantinople had a reputation for impregnability for a millennium before they were overran by the Turks. To reflect this, all their buildings become tougher with every Age for free, and don't need to research Masonry and Architecture. The Byzantines inherited advanced construction techniques from the Romans. This is reflected by the Byzantines having access to all economic ( Lumber Camp, Mill, and Mining Camp) upgrades. The capital Constantinople was the center of a trading network extending across nearly all of Eurasia and North Africa, in particular as the primary western terminus of the Silk Road the rest of Europe would not match the Byzantines' economic strength until late in the Middle Ages. As a result, they pay less to advance to the Imperial Age. The Byzantines had a head start over their European neighbors and arguably reached their zenith while the rest of Europe were in the Dark Age. Their Imperial Age unique technology Logistica, referring to the Byzantines' well trained and supplied military at the state's expense, grants their Cataphracts trample damage to attack multiple enemies at once. Though classified as a defensive civilization in-game, they are a very versatile civilization in practice, relying on a wide variety of units of all categories for both offense and defense.Īs the Medieval continuation of the Roman Empire they retain characteristics of their Rise of Rome ancestors, such as their unique unit, the Cataphract, a type of heavy cavalry that was present in the previous game. The Byzantines ( actually called Romans and Greeks in the Middle Ages) are a Southern European civilization in Age of Empires II (Middle Eastern before the Definitive Edition). For a time in England, all sports but archery were banned on Sundays, thus the Britons also have faster Archery Ranges.

Known as skilled shepherds and heavily involved in the wool trade, British shepherds work faster. The Britons were known for their small villages scattered across England, as well as their tactics of encroaching on enemies with strongholds, and thus get cheaper Town Centers. Their Castle Age unique technology Yeomen refers to the fact that the Britons heavily relied on archery, thus giving their foot archers even more range, as well as increasing their tower damage. Longbowmen are archers with higher range than every other archer in the game, even outranging Castles and towers in later stages of the game. The Britons' unique unit is the Longbowman, from their historical use of the English Longbow in their campaigns.

They represent the English and the Anglo-Normans during the High Middle Ages and Late Middle Ages. The Britons are a Western European civilization in Age of Empires II. Listed below are all civilizations and their specialties in Age of Empires II and its expansions. All civilizations have one or two focused military strengths, meaning buildings and units that fall into those categories are usually given most-to-all of the available upgrades in addition to bonuses.

Expanding on Age of Empires, each civilization features one or two unique units and two technologies (as of the Definitive Edition), in addition to a set of special bonuses.
