History Characters / AgeOfEmpiresIIHDEditionCivilizations

* ContinuityNod: Given how ''The Forgotten'' was made an official expansion for ''II'' long after the release of ''III'', the Indians have several nods to the Indians of the latter game. Not only did they used to borrow the voice clips of the latter, but they also have a heavy emphasis on Camels and Elephants at the expense of traditional horse-mounted heavy cavalry just like the latter. On top of that, but with the DecompositeCharacter treatment they received in the ''Dynasties of India'' DLC, the newly renamed Hindustanis now represent the Islamicized states of Northern India including the Mughal Empire that the Indians of ''III'' are heavily based on, complete with their campaign being a BookEnds to the Indian campaign in ''III'' in that the former covers the Mughal Empire's rise and the latter covers its fall.

* DecompositeCharacter: While originally meant to represent all of India, the ''Dynasties of India'' expansion pack makes the Bengalis, Dravidians, and Gurjaras their own civilizations, leaving the original Indian civilization to be renamed the Hindustanis, broadly representing the more Islamicized regions of northern India and Afghanistan like the Ghorid Sultanate, Delhi Sultanate, and Mughal Empire.

* ScissorsCutsRock: Normally, melee infantry are vulnerable to Janissaries, Conquistadors, or Hand Cannoneers. Condottieri completely reverse this with their large attack bonus against gunpowder units, and bonus armor which negates 10 anti-infantry attack from Hand Cannoneers.

* SmashMook: Like the Knight line, they're one of a select few unit lines without any attack bonuses, since they make up for it by having very high attack, HP, armor, and movement speed.

* ConfusionFu: The Malians have a versatile technology tree and are open to different strategies such as Knight rush (due to the extra attack from a unique Imperial Age tech), infantry spam (Malian infantry have increased pierce armor), hit-and-run tactics (Gbetos's fast movement speed and ranged attack), anti-infantry capacity (they have Arbalests and Hand Cannoneers despite the lack of Bracer), sieging (they have Siege Onagers and Bombard Cannons despite the lack of Siege Engineers), and naval warfare (they have a reasonable navy and the wood discount on buildings means more wood saved for ships).

* RateLimitedPerpetualResource: The Feitoria generates a trickle of resources completely by itself. Though it takes up 20 population slots while 20 Villagers can easily gather more resources per minute than a Feitoria, it is valuable in the late game when gold and stone mines run out, especially in 1vs1 games where there are no teammates to trade with.

** When first introduced, the Vietnamese, historically the only Sinicized and Confucian society in Southeast Asia, were depicted as an Indianized civilization, sharing the India-influenced Southeast Asian architecture with the Indianized Khmer, Malays and Burmese, and having one of their unique techs called Chatras (a Sanskrit word). According to WordOfGod, the Vietnamese civilisation is supposed to be an amalgamation of both the medieval Vietnamese kingdom of Đại Việt and the Indianized Champa kingdom located in modern Central Vietnam; all while their units speak Vietnamese, not Cham; their campaign protagonist is the Đại Việt king Lê Lợi; while the Chams are closer to the Khmer or Malays in culture and were only absorbed by Vietnam in 1832, long after the game's timeframe. This was rectified in the ''Definitive Edition'' where their architecture style is corrected to East Asian to reflect on the Sinicization of the region.

* CultureChopSuey: The original iteration of the Vietnamese are actually the amalgamation of Vietnam and Champa. This is rather jarring because Vietnam and Champa were very different culturally. Vietnam was Sinicized and greatly resembled South China, to the point that even the modern Vietnamese language has a lot of loan words from Cantonese. Champa, meanwhile, resembled neighboring SEA countries. The Cham people had to be violently integrated into Vietnamese culture after their defeat. In the ''DE'', they are changed to the East Asian set and can be confidently assumed to represent Vietnam only.

'''Unique Building (DE)''': Caravanserai (Imperial Age economic building that heals and speeds up nearby Trade Carts)\\

The basic strategy of the Hindustanis focuses on the economy, and in a powerful Camel Riders and gunpowder units, supported by their unique unit.

* DecompositeCharacter: While originally meant to represent all of India, the ''Dynasties of India'' expansion pack makes the Bengalis, Dravidians, and Gurjaras their own civilizations, leaving the original Indian civilization to be renamed the Hindustanis, broadly representing the more Islamicised regions of northern India as well as Afghanistan.

* AntiStructure: Ghulam have attack bonus of +2 agains building.

* AchillesHeel: Besides elephants, massed Monks can be a [[DidntSeeThatComing unexpected]] headache for the Vietnamese other speacialty - massed Skirmishers and Rattan Archers. With no Heresy, they will always be converted, then use their high pierce armor to draw arrows from their former colleagues and allow the Monks to convert more. The lack of Blast Furnace also hinders the offensive power of Vietnamese infantry and cavalry.

** When first introduced, the Vietnamese, historically the only Sinicised and Confucian society in Southeast Asia, were depicted as an Indianised civilisation, sharing the India-influenced Southeast Asian architecture with the Indianised Khmer, Malays and Burmese, and having one of their unique techs called Chatras (a Sanskrit word). According to WordOfGod, the Vietnamese civilisation is supposed to be an amalgamation of both the medieval Vietnamese kingdom of Đại Việt and the Indianized Champa kingdom located in modern Central Vietnam; all while their units speak Vietnamese, not Cham; their campaign protagonist is the Đại Việt king Lê Lợi; while the Chams are closer to the Khmer or Malays in culture and were only absorbed by Vietnam in 1832, long after the game's timeframe. This was rectified in the ''Definitive Edition'' where their architecture style is corrected to East Asian to reflect on the Sinicization of the region.

* CultureChopSuey: The original iteration of the Vietnamese are actually the amalgamation of Vietnam and Champa. This is rather jarring because Vietnam and Champa were very different culturally. Vietnam was Sinicised and greatly resembled South China, to the point that even the modern Vietnamese language has a lot of loan words from Cantonese. Champa, meanwhile, resembled neighboring SEA countries. The Cham people had to be violently integrated into Vietnamese culture after their defeat. In the ''DE'', they are changed to the East Asian set and can be confidently assumed to represent Vietnam only.

* MagikarpPower: The Vietnamese are very comparable to the Portuguese in retrospects. Both are team dependent civilizations that don't have any strong economic bonuses early game and many of their civilization bonuses only have a bigger impact in later stages of the game. This means the Vietnamese in 1v1 situations will get destroyed by early game civilizations such as the Malay, Vikings, and Huns. That being said, should the Vietnamese snowball the game, they are a very feared lategame powerhouse with not only tanky archers and Battle Elephants, but also having one of the best trash units with Imperial Skirmishers, meaning they can easily hold off in trash wars.

* ACommanderIsYou: Economist/Specialist/Spammer. They get a free llama at the start of the game and need less stone and houses than other civs. Army-wise, they seemed a bit focused on counter-units, making them the Mesoamerican answer to the Byzantine faction. Finally, Update 81058 gave them a new bonus that lowers the food cost of their military units, allowing them to field a larger army than their opponents especially with their housing bonus, giving them Spammer faction traits.

* MisplacedWildlife: The Incas get a free turkey (a North American species) instead of a llama prior to the HD version.
* ReducedResourceCost: Their buildings cost -15% stone while their military units food cost -15/20/25/30% food in Dark/Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age.

* OnlyInItForTheMoney: Their availability to other civilizations is explained by the fact that they are mercenaries. In real life the Condottieri were renown for their fickleness, sometimes changing allegiances mid battle. Historically, Genoa often lend the famous Crossbowmen as mercenaries to other countries, which explains their appearance during the 100 Years War under French command.

'''Wonder''': Khizi Church.\\

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: They are the only female military unit in the game. This is more or less TruthInTelevision, as many west African societies held women in high regards in society and some women even participated in military combat.

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: They are the only female unique unit in the game. This is more or less TruthInTelevision, as many west African societies held women in high regards in society and some women even participated in military combat.

* ArcherArchetype: Their foot archers fire +15% faster, and that's before they get Thumb Ring, which makes the already fast-firing archers the quickest.

* ArcherArchetype:
** The Vietnamese is a strong archer civilization, having access to every unit and important unit upgrade at the Archery Range, except for the Hand Cannoneer and Parthian Tactics. The most noticeable quirk of the Vietnamese is that they are an archer civilization with strong anti-archer capacity. The Imperial Skirmisher upgrade is a unique unit upgrade for the Elite Skirmisher.
** Their Archery Range units also get more HP, allowing Vietnamese archers to survive more shots from Onagers.

* ArcherArchetype: Archers with high pierce armor and reasonably high attack.

Villagers cost -5% Dark, -10% Feudal, -15% Castle, -20% Imperial Age.\\

Military units food cost -15% in Dark, -20% Feudal, -25% Castle, -30% Imperial Age.\\

* DiscardAndDraw:
** In ''Definitive Edition'' update 42848, the extra pierce armor granted to only Camel Riders now includes Light Cavalry and is extended to +2 in the Imperial Age, but at the cost of losing Plate Barding Armor. This makes their Light Cavalry a strong unit to raid in the Castle Age and to fight off archers backed by their cheaper Villagers and their Camel Riders like always, but in the Imperial Age, the pierce armor of both Hussars and Imperial Camels is the same as other civilizations with Plate Barding Armor, while their melee armor is lower, meaning that both are more prone to units with high melee attack.
** After been reworked into Hindustanis in ''Dynasties of India'', they had discarded entire bonuses (fisherman buffs (that got transferred to Dravidians), additional cavalry pierce armor in lieu of Plate Barding Armor in one DE update) and got other bonuses in their place. Their Elephant Archers became regional units, and in their place are Ghulam infantry.
** ''Return of Rome'' update 87863 took away their access to Guilds in favor of giving Grand Trunk Road additional effect of reduces the trading fee to 10%, essentially giving them a lesser version the removed tech with a cheaper cost.

* DiscardAndDraw:
** In ''The African Kingdoms'', the unique tech Couriers gives their Eagle Warriors and unique units more armor instead of just +10% speed.
** Their team bonus was changed from faster built Farms to increased line of sight for their Spearmen and Skirmishers in ''Dynasties of India'', due to players feeling the old bonus was situational at best and detrimental at worst. In turn, update 81058 saw major changes to the Incas. First, they receive a new civilization bonus where their military units cost less food, similar to the Gurjaras's Kshatriyas, but scaled proportionally to age. Because the civilization bonus also applies to their Militia-line unit, they consequently lose access to Supplies, making their Feudal Age infantry rushes a bit more expensive, but allows the Incas to save food, gold, and research time and train more Men-at-Arms instead, while making their Champions the third cheapest in the Imperial Age. Finally, their civilization bonus of starting with a free Llama was changed to a team bonus, replacing their previous team bonus. While the team bonus change doesn't address some of their weaknesses when starting in the pocket, this allows the Incas to provide more utility in team games, as many civilizations such as the Gurjaras, Tatars, Britons, and Mayans can take full advantage of the free Llama.

* {{Mayincatec}}: Downplayed. The Inca use the Mesoamerican architecture set, but speak Quechua and have units wearing traditional Quechua clothing. Their Wonder is also undeniably Inca, based on the Temple of the Sun at Macchu Picchu.

* DiscardAndDraw: They used to benefit from Couriers' speed movement bonus when they were introduced in ''The Forgotten''. From ''The African Kingdoms'' onwards, the tech now gave them +1/+2 armor[[note]]The tech was later renamed to Fabric Shields in ''Definitive Edition'', but that's besides the point[[/note]].

* DiscardAndDraw:
** They used to benefit from Couriers' speed movement bonus when they were introduced in ''The Forgotten''. From ''The African Kingdoms'' onwards, the tech now gave them +1/+2 armor.
** In ''Dynasties of India'' update 81058, Incan military units cost -25%/-30% food in the Castle/Imperial Age, to offset which Slingers food cost was increased from 30 yo 40.

* DiscardAndDraw:
** ''The African Kingdoms'' make Italians Fishing Ships 33% cheaper instead of having +2 LOS.
** ''Definitive Edition'' switched their -50% cost discount for Dock techs to a -33% discount for Dock and University techs.
** ''Return of Rome'' update 87863 change Pavise 300 food cost to 200 wood.

* DiscardAndDraw:
** As a result of Tracking being made a core gameplay mechanic, they instead get Supplies and Gambesons for free in ''Definitive Edition'' and ''Dynasties of India'', respectively.
** ''Dynasties of India'' traded Orthodoxy with Detinets as their Castle Age unique tech.
** ''Return of Rome'' update 87863 took away their access to Fervor in favor of giving Monks a +20% movement speed bonus, essentially giving them the tech for free and then some.

* DiscardAndDraw: In ''Definitive Edition'' update 36906, Boyars get +1 pierce armor (both standard and elite), making them much better at soaking arrow damage and a strong counter against archers. However, their speed is reduced, so they can still be countered by well micromanaged archers (especially mounted archers) and Monks.

* DiscardAndDraw: Originally non-Elite Genitours have 4 attack and 3 range. With ''The African Kingdoms'' patch 4.8, they instead have 3 attack and 4 range.

* DiscardAndDraw: In ''Dynasties of India'' update 81058, their team bonus went from +3 LOS for Towers and Outposts to +3 LOS and the stone cost removal for Outpost. It's also changed the benefits of Royal Heirs from instant training for Shotel Warriors to a mounted unit damage reduction for Shotel Warriors and Camels.

* DiscardAndDraw:
** In the ''Definitive Edition'' they now have access to Fast Fire Ships, but lose access to Galleons, giving them a more useful warship, since they lack Bracer.
** ''Twice'' for the same bonus: In ''The African Kingdoms'' they were granted free Gold Mining. In ''Dawn of the Dukes'' update 51737 it was changed to Gold mines lasting 30% longer. ''Then'' ''Dynasties of India'' update 81058 gave their Villagers a 15% increase on Gold dropoff.

* DiscardAndDraw: Due to shared line of sight becoming a default feature as of the ''Dynasties of India'' update 73855, the Portuguese team bonus is now a reworked version of their faster researched technology bonus, while their foragers gained the ability to harvest wood alongside food as a new civilization bonus.

* DiscardAndDraw: With ''Rise of the Rajas'' patch 5.7, secondary projectiles of Organ Guns have 2 instead of 1 damage, irrespective of target, but deal 1 damage to mishits.

* DiscardAndDraw: Update 81058 changed Elite Caravel upgrade costs from 750 food/475 gold to 700 food/525 gold.

* DiscardAndDraw:
** In ''Dawn of the Dukes'' update 56005, Manipuri Cavalry now gives Stable units +5 attack against archers, replacing the older effect against buildings. As a result, the Burmese Stable units become a formidable force against archer civilizations.
** ''Return of Rome'' update 87863 moved Manipuri Cavalry to the Castle Age, cost reduced from 400 food/400 gold to 300 food/300 gold but the effect was reduced to +4.

* DiscardAndDraw:
** In ''Lords of the West'' update 44725, the Arambai base attack was reduced, while missing shots now do 100% damage, weakening their power against buildings (especially in closed maps like Arena), but increasing the effectiveness against other units and scaling better with higher numbers instead of being too strong in low numbers.
** ''Dynasties of India'' update 81058 change Elite Arambai upgrade costs from 1100 food/675 gold to 1000 food/750 gold.

* DiscardAndDraw: In the ''Definitive Edition'', their Battle Elephants are also weaker, since their base attack is reduced, but the Khmer were given the Hussar upgrade to improve their trash war potential and late-game cavalry.

* CompositeCharacter: Fitting the focus of the civilization, it's a Scorpion mounted on an Elephant. After ''Dynasties of India'', it became the only archery and elephant based Unique Unit.

* DiscardAndDraw: When ''Definitive Edition'' nerf the effect of Forced Levy, the cost to research said tech was make cheaper, reduced from 1000 food/600 gold to just 850 food/500 gold.

* DiscardAndDraw: ''Dynasties of India'' changed the benefits of Paper Money from giving the player and each team member 500 gold to lumberjacks slowly generating gold in addition to wood.

* StoneWall: The Elephant Archer's attack is [[AnnoyingArrows not as devastating]] as the War Elephant used by the Persians. They can soak up tons of arrows that are fired back at them, though.

* BalanceBuff: With ''Return of Rome'' update 87863, Ghulam attack was increased from 8 (10 for Elite) to 9 (11 for Elite) and HP from 55 (65 for Elite) to 60 (70 for Elite).

* {{Nerf}}: Shipped on ''Dynasties of India'' with 65 HP (75 for the Elite version), after update 66692 this HP was reduced to 55 and 65. This allow infantry civilizations a fighting chance against them, and also make Ghulams lose against fully upgraded Hussars, which gives an opportunity for archer civilizations that have Hussars to use a cost effective answer. Overall, this makes Ghulams more specialized against archers, whose performance isn't affected that much.

** Originally they took 22 (19 for Elite) seconds to be trained, ''Definitive Edition'' update 42848 reduced this training time to 18 (14 for Elite).

* BalanceBuff: In ''Dynasties of India'' update 61321, Slavs lose Orthodoxy, but gain Detinets instead - a technology that allows them to replace 40% of the stone cost with wood whenever they build towers or Castles, and is available in the Castle Age. As stone is more precious (and harder to accumulate) than wood, this technology allows one to build more Castles faster than the opponents, securing precious resources or using them offensively. The (potentially) higher number of Castles indirectly makes Boyars easier to mass.

* BalanceBuff: The Portuguese economy received a boost in ''Definitive Edition'' update 35584, as the production rate of the Feitoria is raised and the gold discount on units increased from 15% to 20%. These changes aim at improving Portuguese superiority in the late game even further, allowing them to keep expensive unit production at a stage when the enemy is forced to use trash units. With update 42848, Portuguese now research all technologies 30% faster (excluding advancing ages), which has both military and economic implications.

* MagikarpPower: The Vietnamese are very comparable to the Portuguese in retrospects. Both are team dependent civilizations that don't have any strong economic bonuses early game and many of their civilization bonuses only have a bigger impact in later stages of the game. This means the Vietnamese in 1v1 situations will get destroyed by early game civilizations such as the Malay, Vikings, and the Huns (not to mention, the Paper Money tech, where each Vietnamese ally get 500 gold, is not only incredibly useless in 1v1 games, but also works once). That being said, should the Vietnamese snowball the game, they are a very feared lategame powerhouse with not only tanky archers and Battle Elephants, but also having one of the best trash units with Imperial Skirmishers, meaning they can easily hold off in trash wars.

* BalanceBuff: Patch 5.8 increased Rattan Archers HP from 35 (40 for Elite) to 40 (45 for Elite).

'''Wonder''': Hassan Tower.

'''Wonder''': Bete Amanuel.

'''Wonder''': Great Mosque of Djenné.

'''Wonder''': Belém Tower.

'''Wonder''': Shwedagon Pagoda.

'''Wonder''': Angkor Wat

'''Wonder''': Sewu Temple

'''Wonder''': Bút Tháp Temple

'''Wonder''': Taj Mahal (non-HD version), Gol Gumbaz (HD version-''The African Kingdoms''), Brihadeeswarar Temple (''Rise of the Rajas''), Maqbara-i Humayun (''Dynasties of India'').

'''Wonder''': Machu Picchu's Temple of the Sun.

'''Wonder''': Basilica of San Lorenzo.

'''Wonder''': Hunyad Castle.

'''Wonder''': Khizi Church.

* BalanceBuff:
** The Indians at the time of the release were considered to be one of the most under-preforming civilizations due to their large amount of weaknesses they have and their economic bonus of cheaper villagers wasn't that significant in the early game. This led to several buffs in ''The African Kingdoms'' where Indians Villager cost bonus is increased from 5%/10%/15%/20% to 10%/15%/20%/25% cheaper in the Dark/Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age and they receive Guilds, making the Indian economy more solid and enabling for them to better perform their boom. Also, they receive Ring Archer Armor, so their archers are more valuable, including the Hand Cannoneer. Because of how OP this bonus was, this led to them losing the Arbalester upgrade later on.
** In ''Definitive Edition'' update 37650, Indians team bonus was improved to properly deal damage against all buildings and no longer being blocked by Masonry or Architecture upgrades, making their camels even more effective against buildings.
** In ''Dynasties of India'', unique Imperial Age tech Shatagni now increased the Hand Cannoneer range bonus from +1 to +2.
** With ''Return of Rome'' update 87863, Grand Trunk Road now also reduces the trading fee to 10% and the cost is reduced from 400 food/400 wood to 250 food/200 wood.

* {{Nerf}}:
** In ''Rise of the Rajas'' patch 5.5, the Arbalester upgrade was removed from the Indians tech tree. This is meant to balance out their Villager discount economic bonus and to discourage players from going for an archer rush (since the Indians don't have access to Knights, an archer rush allowed them to easily transition into the early Imperial Age, where the player can upgrade any archers from the Feudal and Castle Age into Arbalests, and the archer line itself is more cost effective than Hand Cannoneers in most situations). This discourages the Indians from going for an archer rush and instead put more focus on their late-game units, such as Elephant Archers, Imperial Camels, and Hand Cannoneers. In addition, patch 5.8 make Indians Camels no longer have +1 melee armor as civ bonus, though they still retain +1 pierce armor.
** In ''Definitive Edition'' update 36906, Indians got their fishermen work faster bonus reduced from 15% to 10%, and their extra +15 food carried was removed. This was intended to prevent abuse of the new mechanic of Docks as dropsite for fishermen, as well as wanting more diversity of civilizations in maps where shore fish are abundant (Because Indians were always picked in that maps). With update 42848, Camels bonus attack vs. buildings was reduce from 5 to 4.
** ''Dynasties of India'' update 66692 removed Halberdiers from Hindustanis tech tree to encourage the use of the Imperial Camel Rider and to push away the heavy usage of Ghulams and Halberdiers, as Hindustanis aren't designed to be played heavily on infantry units. With update 73855, the Camel Rider attack speed bonus was reduced from 25% to 20%, making Hindustani Camel Riders weaker vs infantry and archers. In update 78174, their Villager discount was reduced by 5% in each age (10% (Dark)/15% (Feudal)/20% (Castle)/25% (Imperial) → 5%/10%/15%/20%), being reverted to what it used to be in ''The Forgotten'' (when they existed as the Indians). Also, they are affected directly by the hit point reduction of the Armored and Siege Elephant (as well with the cost increase of the Siege Elephant upgrade later).

* ViolationOfCommonSense: Despite the Ghulam being armed with long spears and being well armored, they are intended for use against archers, and fare poorly against cavalry.

* ViolationOfCommonSense: Despite the Ghulam being armed with long spears and being well armored, they are intended for use against archers, and fare poorly against cavalry.

* BalanceBuff:
** The Courier's unique tech was reworked in ''The African Kingdoms'' where their unique units and Eagle Warriors gain extra armor and the Incas are given several technologies (such as Keeps, Guilds, Block Printing, and Thumb Ring) to help drastically improve their Castle Age and Imperial Age power.
** In ''Dynasties of India'' update 81058, they receive a new civilization bonus where their military units cost less food, similar to the Gurjaras's Kshatriyas unique tech, but scaled proportionally to age.

* {{Nerf}}:
** In ''Rise of the Rajas'' patch 5.8, Couriers costs was increased from 400 food/200 gold to 600 food/600 gold,
** Incas Tower Rush was drastically affected in ''Lords of the West'' update 47820, as the infantry Blacksmith upgrades now only affect Villagers starting in the Castle Age. This was to adress the huge supremacy that Incan Villagers could get in the Feudal Age when tower rushing, as their Villagers were too strong. However the effect still retains the defensive purpose in the Castle Age.

* BalanceBuff:
** ''The African Kingdoms'' introduced Arson, which they also benefitted from, also gave them bonus attack +4 (+6 for Elite) vs Camels and reduced the cost of Elite upgrade from 1000 food/600 gold to 900 food/500 gold. Patch 4.8 make them move faster and gave them bonus attack vs. Elephants (+20).
** ''Rise of the Rajas'' increased the bonus attack vs. Camels to +6 (+10 for Elite).
** ''Definitive Edition'' turned Tracking (+2 LOS for infantry units) into a core gameplay mechanic.
** ''Dawn of the Dukes'' update 56005 increased non-Elite Kamayuks HP from 60 to 70 and gave them +1 pierce armor, essentially making them better in the Castle Age.

* {{Nerf}}: In ''Dynasties of India'' update 81058, Kamayuk had their food cost adjusted from 60 to 65 to balance the military unit food discount the Incas received.

* BalanceBuff:
** In ''The African Kingdoms'', the Slinger no longer require a Castle making possible for the Incas to perform a Slinger rush once they reach Castle Age.
** In ''Dynasties of India'' update 81058, Andean Sling now grants +1 attack for Slingers, making them a more appealing ranged option (especially against infantry).

* {{Nerf}}:
** The Slinger got their attack reduced from 5 to 4 in''Definitive Edition'', while the perfomance against infantry is untouched, making them considerably weaker against non-infantry units (for instance, against Knights they now need 60 shots to take down one; 20 more than the 40 shots before).
** In ''Dynasties of India'' update 81058, Slinger had their food cost adjusted from 30 to 40 to balance to the military unit food discount the Incas received.

* BalanceBuff: In ''The African Kingdoms'', Italians are improved as their aging up discount bonus is increased to 15% from 10%, which means they can perform a Fast Castle tactic better and go for a Knight rush or a Monk rush. Also, they now have Hussars. Pavise now benefits also their Crossbowmen as well with the cost is also reduced significantly to 300 food/150 gold instead of 550 food/300 gold.

* {{Nerf}}: ''Rise of the Rajas'' patch 5.5 make Italians Fishing Ships 20% cheaper instead of 33%. Patch 5.8 than reduced this bonus further to just 15%.

It is a foot archer unit with an attack bonus against cavalry.

* BalanceBuff:
** In ''The Forgotten'', Genoese Crossbowmen cost 50 wood/50 gold. This was reduced to just 45 wood/45 gold in ''Rise of the Rajas''. ''Lords of the West'' update 44725 then reduced the gold cost to just 40.
** ''The African Kingdoms'' give Elite Genoese Crossbowmen +5 attack against camel units. ''Rise of the Rajas'' patch 5.7 increased this to +6.
** In ''Definitive Edition'', the reload time of Genoese Crossbowmen is also slightly improved to 2 seconds (instead of 3), making them on par with the Crossbowmen.

* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: They carry a shield whose appearance much resembles the Pavise (from which the unique technology's name comes) that gives them extra 10 HP and 1 base melee armor compared to with Crossbowman and Arbalester.

* BalanceBuff:
** In ''The African Kingdoms'', The Condottiero no longer require a Castle to be created and it attack increased from 9 to 10 and are faster, improves the gameplay on a team game since this unit is Italians team bonus.
*** On the release of said expansion pack, Condottieri incorrectly do not benefit from the Malians civilization bonus and do not get any bonus pierce armor due to a bug. With patch 4.8, this was corrected, with Condottieri now benefiting from the civilization bonus and obtaining +3 pierce armor.
** ''Definitive Edition'' gave them +2 LOS as a result of Tracking being made a core gameplay feature. Update 39284 restored the attack of the Condottiero back from it ''Rise of the Rajas'' nerf and let them be affected by the Pavise technology, making them as a good alternative to Champions, since they require less resources to be upgraded, being more viable in the early Imperial Age.

* {{Nerf}}:
** ''Rise of the Rajas'' patch 5.7 reduced Condottiero attack from 10 to 9 and it's base pierce armor from 1 to 0. Condottieri are also given their own armor class that essentially causes the Condottiero to resist bonus damage only from gunpowder units (+10 armor), but not from other anti-infantry attacks.
** Originally they took 11 seconds to be trained, ''The African Kingdoms'' patch 4.8 increassed this training time to 13. ''Rise of the Rajas'' patch 5.7 then increased to 18 second.

* BalanceBuff:
** The Magyars were considered to be one of the weakest civilizations due to the MagikarpPower nature of their civilization. As a result, many of their civilization bonuses and unique techs were given significant buffs in ''Rise of the Rajas'' patch 5.5:
*** Their civilization bonus of Scout Cavalry cheaper was increased from 10% to 15%.
*** Recurve Bow unique tech that boost their HorseArcher gain additional effect of given +1 attack instead of just +1 range to Cavalry Archers.
*** Forging, Iron Casting and Blast Furnace no longer require a Blacksmith.
*** Siege Engineers is added to their technology tree, help boost their lategame power.
** ''Return of Rome'' update 87863 change their team bonus from foot archers +2 Line of Sight to mounted archers trained 25% faster.
* BeastOfBattle: In the first part of their Honfoglalás scenario, the Magyars make use of Hunting Wolves.

* ReducedResourceCost: They get Forging, Iron Casting and Blast Furnace for free, their Scout Cavalry line is 15% cheaper, their unique tech Corvinian Army removes the gold cost for Magyar Huszars, their team bonus are mounted archers are trained 25% faster.

* ReducedResourceCost: Unique tech Corvinian Army removes the gold cost of Magyar Huszars, making it a "trash unit".

* BalanceBuff:
** Their farming bonus gathering rate, which was bugged in ''The Forgotten'', was fixed in ''Rise of the Rajas'' patch 5.7.
** In ''Definitive Edition'', the Tracking technology was replaced by Supplies (the effect of Tracking is still active), but in the particular case of Slavs, Supplies is free, which greatly improves their Feudal Age Infantry Rush (as Supplies makes the Militia line a bit cheaper). Slavs also recieved Faith, so their army is better defended against opponent Monks.
** ''Dynasties of India'' update 81058 reduced the food cost of Druzhina tech from 1200 to 900.
** In ''Dynasties of India'' update 61321, Slavs lose Orthodoxy, but gain Detinets instead - a technology that allows them to replace 40% of the stone cost with wood whenever they build towers or Castles, and is available in the Castle Age. As stone is more precious (and harder to accumulate) than wood, this technology allows one to build more Castles faster than the opponents, securing precious resources or using them offensively. The (potentially) higher number of Castles indirectly makes Boyars easier to mass.

* {{Nerf}}:
** Their Farmers used to work 15% faster. ''Definitive Edition'' reduced this bonus to just 10%.
** The Slavs lost Treadmill Crane in ''Lords of the West'' update 44725, mostly to balance them in Deathmatches.
* ReducedResourceCost: They get the Supplies and Gambesons tech for free, their Siege Workshop units are 15% cheaper, their Unique tech Detinets replaces 40% of Castles' and Towers' stone cost with wood.

* BalanceBuff:
** ''The African Kingdoms'' make Boyars move faster.
** Originally they took 23 (20 for Elite) seconds to be trained, ''Definitive Edition'' reduced this training time to 15 seconds. With update 36906, their pierce armor of 1 (2 for Elite) was increased to 2 (3 for Elite).
** The melee armor of Elite Boyar got improved from 6 to 8 in ''Lords of the West'' update 50292, making them even stronger against melee units.

* BalanceBuff:
** Initially, they cannot research Ring Archer Armor. With patch 4.8, it was added to their technology tree.
** In the ''Definitive Edition'', the Berber speed bonus for ships no longer reduces the gold per trip for their Trade Cogs, which naturally means they can get a better gold boost when playing on a team.

* {{Nerf}}:
** Initially, their Stable units are 20% cheaper starting from the Castle Age. With patch 4.8, Stable units are 15%/20% cheaper in the Castle/Imperial Age.
** Kasbah unique initially increases not only the team Castles' working speed by 25%, but also the Castles of the researching player by another 25% (resulting in a total 56.25% bonus). With patch 4.8, Kasbah only affects the researching player's Castles once.

* {{Nerf}}:
** Initially, Camel Archers have a +1 attack bonus against infantry and a +2 against Rams. ''Rise of the Rajas'' patch 5.3 remove anti-infantry bonus while patch 5.7 remove the anti-Ram bonus.
** At first Camel Archers have 60 (65 for Elite) hit points, +2 camel armor, and +2 cavalry archer armor. ''Rise of the Rajas'' patch 5.7 reduced the hit points to 55 (60 for Elite), and they lose their bonus armor against anti-camel and anti-cavalry archer attacks.
** Originally they took 21 seconds to be trained, ''Rise of the Rajas'' patch 5.8 increased this training time to 25 seconds.

* AscendedExtra: When ''The Conquerors'' was released, Genitours was an incomplete cavalry archer unit found only in the scenario editor, originally planned to be the Spanish unique unit, but was replaced by the Conquistador. With ''The African Kingdoms'', the unit was completed and made a trainable unit.
* BalanceBuff:
** Initially, the Aztecs civilization bonus that gives a creation speed boost to all military units does not apply to Genitours. With patch 4.8, however, this was fixed.
** ''Definitive Edition'' give Genitours +2 attack bonus against Spearmen line, making them better able to hit-and-run them. Update 35584 then increased non-Elite Genitours pierce armor from 3 to 4.
** In ''Dynasties of India'' update 61321, the Genitour is cheaper, as they food cost is reduced from 50 to 40, making them more affordable in the Castle Age. This also makes them appealing for Berbers.

* {{Nerf}}:
** Initially, Skirmishers benefit from Ethiopians civilization bonus and fire faster. With patch 4.8, this was removed. Said patch also removed Arrowslits from Ethiopians technology tree.
** In ''Rise of the Rajas'' patch 5.7, the free Halberdier upgrade was removed from Ethiopians tech tree.
** In ''Definitive Edition'' update 36906, the Scorpion's projectile collision size with Torsion Engines was increased from 0.3 to 0.5 tiles. With update 42848, it was decreased to 0.4 tiles.
* ReducedResourceCost: Their Pikemen line upgrades are free, their team bonus removed the stone cost of Outposts.

* BalanceBuff:
** ''Definitive Edition'' gave them +2 LOS as a result of Tracking being made a core gameplay feature. Update 42848 reduced the gold cost of Shotel Warrior from 35 to 30.
** In ''Dawn of the Dukes'' update 56005, HP of non-Elite Shotel Warriors was increased from 40 to 45 and the Elite Shotel Warrior upgrade costs was reduced from 1200 food/550 gold to 900 food/450 gold.
** In ''Dynasties of India'' update 81058, Royal Heirs effect changed to Shotel Warriors receiving -3 damage from mounted units. This can compensate for the main weakness of Shotel Warriors when fighting against mounted units, increasing their survivability enough to win a pitched battle that might lose without the technology. Elite Shotel Warriors tranning time is also reduced from 8 to 4 seconds.

* {{Nerf}}: Initially, Shotel Warriors have +2 (+3 for Elite) attack against standard buildings. With patch 4.8, that bonus was reduced to +1 for Elite (0 for non-Elite).

* BalanceBuff:
** As with most civilizations in the ''Definitive Edition'', they now have access to the new Barracks technology Supplies, which reduces the cost of the Militia line by 15 food. Since Malians have infantry that resist arrow-fire better, this addition is helpful for making infantry rushes more viable in the early game and making Champions easier to mass in the late game.
** In ''Dynasties of India'' update 81058, their Castle Age unique technology Tigui now allowed Town Centers fire 8 additional arrows instead of just 5.

* {{Nerf}}:
** The Malians' military was nerfed with patch 4.8; they no longer have Halberdiers (though, like the Vikings, their Pikemen still take ranged attacks well), and the Gbeto's attack was slightly reduced. When the gold runs out the Malians will lose out in many trash wars, especially against civilizations with strong trash unit lines such as the Magyars, Vietnamese, Malay, and Spanish. Their economy also received a nerf, as Farms are no longer affected by the 15% wood discount.
** Free Gold Shaft Mining was removed in ''Rise of the Rajas'' patch 5.7, slightly slowing down the Malian Castle and Imperial Age booms.
** ''Return of Rome'' update 87863 nerf Malian Villagers drop off more gold bonus from +15% to just +10%.

* BalanceBuff:
** ''Definitive Edition'' gave them +2 LOS as a result of Tracking being made a core gameplay feature. Since update 42848, the Gbeto fire delay also was reduced, making them easier to micromanage.
** In ''Dawn of the Dukes'', non-Elite Gbeto got an increase to its hit points from 30 to 35. With ''Dynasties of India'' update 81058, Gbeto now have 40 (50 for Elite) hit points.
* EasyLogistics: They have an unlimited supply of knife to throw at enemies.

* {{Nerf}}: On release, Elite Gbetos had 14 attack. With patch 4.8, their attack is reduced to 13.

* {{Nerf}}:
** In ''Rise of the Rajas'', Arquebus now has a smaller effect on gunpowder units with the speed modifier is reduced by 75%. Patch 5.2 removed Arquebus speed modifier for Bombard Cannons and Bombard Towers while patch 5.7 restored it but reduced the number.
** When ''Dynasties of India'' update 73855 make Portuguese faster researched technology bonus into the team bonus, the effects was reduced from 30% to 25% faster.
** Initially, Feitorias have 5,200 hit points. This was reduced to 2700 in ''Dawn of the Dukes'' update 54480, and in ''Dynasties of India'' update 61321, the resource speed for wood and gold was switched, as the Portuguese were overpowered in island maps, while much weaker in land maps. ''Return of Rome'' update 87863 increased Feitoria cost from 250 gold/250 stone to 350 gold/300 stone.

* BalanceBuff:
** Organ Guns initially do not benefit from Turks team bonus. With patch 4.8, that was fixed and Organ Guns are created 20% faster when allied with Turks.
** With ''Dynasties of India'' update 61321, Organ Guns are now resistant to armor-ignoring attacks, similarly to buildings.

* {{Nerf}}: Initially, Organ Guns have no minimum range and +1 attack against infantry. In ''Rise of the Rajas'', a minimum range of 1 was added and the attack bonus was removed.

* BalanceBuff: With ''Dynasties of India'' update 61321, Caravel are now resistant to armor-ignoring attacks, similarly to buildings.

* BalanceBuff:
** With patch 5.3, Manipur Cavalry +6 anti-building bonus damage was adjusted so Architecture does not cancel the effect completely anymore.
** In ''Definitive Edition'' update 37650, Manipuri Cavalry no longer gets partially blocked by the Masonry technology, making Burmese excellent Stable units a much better choice at destroying buildings.
** In ''Dawn of the Dukes'' update 51737, the Howdah technology was improved, as it now gives +1/+2 armor instead of +1/+1 armor (bringing it back to the ''Rise of the Rajas'' release), making ther Battle Elephants a much stronger unit to soak all arrow damage. They now take only 1 damage from Arbalester shots, also being a much more devasting raiding unit.
** In ''Dynasties of India'' update 61321, Burmese Battle Elephants now have +1/+1 armor as a bonus, and Howdah again gives +1/+1 armor, resulting in better melee armor to the previous versions, which means that Burmese Battle Elephants now hold slightly better against melee units. The food cost of Manipur Cavalry was reduced from 650 to 400.

* {{Nerf}}: Initially, Howdah costs 200 food/300 wood and gives Battle Elephants +1/+2 armor. With patch 5.7, Howdah food costs increased to 400 and only gives Battle Elephants +1/+1 armor.

* BalanceBuff:
** ''Definitive Edition'' update 34699 reduced the Arambai wood cost from 80 to 75, which works better with Burmese free Lumber Camp upgrades.
** Originally they took 21 seconds to be trained, ''Dynasties of India'' update 61321 reduced this training time to 18. Update 73855 also have Arambai afffected by Parthian Tactics, giving them more late-game durability against ranged units.

* {{Nerf}}:
** Initially, Arambai have 18 (20 for Elite) attack, +2 armor against anti-cavalry archer attacks, and cost 50 wood/60 gold. With patch 5.7, they have 17 (19 for Elite) attack, lost the bonus armor and moved slower. Patch 5.7 increased the wood cost to 80.
** In ''Definitive Edition'' update 42848, the Arambai firing rate was reduced, but their effectiveness is still solid.
** In ''Lords of the West'' update 44725, the Arambai base attack was reduced to 12 (15 for Elite).
** Manipur Cavalry no longer benefits Arambai since ''Dawn of the Dukes'' update 56005.
** In ''Return of Rome'' update 87863, Elite Arambai attack is reduced from 15 to 14 since Arambai are now properly affected by Chemistry instead of only using a graphic change to the projectile.

* BalanceBuff:
** The Khmer were given the Arbalest upgrade in patch 5.8 to help with their early Imperial Age transition to their lategame units. Their Arbalests are still weaker than normal since the Khmer don't have Thumb Ring, but it allows them to do a "slow push" strategy with Siege Rams, Trebuchets, and Halberdiers.
** In ''Definitive Edition'', the Khmer are given Faith to make their siege weapons and Battle Elephants less vulnerable to conversion. They also received the new general technology Supplies, which helped them to field swordsmen more easily. ''Definitive Edition'' update 34699 removed the need for their farmers to use drop-off points, so farms can be much more freely placed, while at the same time, they save walking time for increased farming rates. This lets the Khmer to place farms around their houses, around towers or castles, which lets them better defend from a raid.

* BalanceBuff: The Khmer were later given the Arbalest upgrade to help with their early Imperial Age transition to their lategame units. Their Arbalests are still weaker than normal since the Khmer don't have Thumb Ring, but it allows them to do a "slow push" strategy with Siege Rams, Trebuchets, and Halberdiers. Also, the ''Definitive Edition'' update 34699 removed the need for their farmers to use drop-off points.

* {{Nerf}}:
** The Khmer is heavy nerf in ''Definitive Edition'':
*** The Khmer's naval power in is weakened drastically with the loss of Shipwright, which is most likely to balance out their ability to build any building or advance to the next age without prerequisites.
*** Since update 36906, they lost access to the Bombard Cannon, and have to rely on Heavy Scorpions, Ballista Elephants and Trebuchets to destroy buildings from afar. The update also reduced the workrate of their farmers by 3%, mainly to compensate for the new bonus of their Farmers.
*** In update 37650, they lost access to Supplies, with the purpose to balance their new farming bonus in the early game.
*** Update 39284 reduced the trample damage of Battle Elephants from 50% to 25%, mainly because they were able to easily defeat massed Halberdiers and Camel Riders, as well other units (especially in the Khmer case, with their increased speed and attack). The reduction allowed their natural counters to work properly better against them in a pitched battle.
*** Update 42848 weakened the Khmer's strengths; the Battle Elephant's attack against buildings was reduced, the collision size for elephant units was increased, the farming bonus was further reduced to 5% slower, the Battle Elephant speed bonus reduced from 15% to 10%, and finally, the Tusk Swords technology cost was increased from 200 wood/300 gold to 300 wood/450 gold.
** In ''Lords of the West'' update 44725, Treadmill Crane removed from Khmer technology tree.

* BalanceBuff:
** ''Definitive Edition'' make Chemistry properly affects Ballista Elephants' secondary bolts and fixed the issue of their attack being inconsistent.
** In ''Dynasties of India'' update 61321, Ballista Elephants attack is increased from 8 (9 for Elite) to 10 (11 for Elite). With update 73855, Ballista Elephants are now resistant to armor-ignoring attacks, similarly to ships, other siege units, and buildings.

* BalanceBuff:
** Initially, Malay Battle Elephants are 20% cheaper, patch 5.3 increased this bonus to 25% and with patch 5.7 is 30%. ''Lords of the West'' update 47820 further increased the bonus to 30% cheaper in the Castle Age and 40% cheaper in the Imperial Age.
** ''Definitive Edition'' increased Harbor bonus attack vs. ships from 9 to 10.
** ''In Dynasties of India'' update 81058, the Malay gain access to Gambesons, which results in an even better Two-Handed Swordsmen spam in the late game. In addition, the Malay receive a new civilization bonus: Infantry Armor upgrades are free, which makes a Men-At Arms opening a better choice and a transition to infantry in the late game much easier than before.

* BalanceBuff: In ''Dynasties of India'', the Malay gain access to Gambesons, which results in an even better Two-Handed Swordsmen spam in the late game. In addition, the Malay receive a new civilization bonus: Infantry Armor upgrades are free.

* {{Nerf}}:
** Initially, Malay advancing to the next Age +100% faster while their Fishing Ships are 33% cheaper. With patch 5.3, it was reduced to +80% while Fishing Ships bonus was removed.
** ''Definitive Edition'' reduced Malay advancing to the next Age bonus to just +66%. In regards to their trash Two-Handed Swordsmen, Forced Levy now replaces gold cost with additional food cost, which is meant to balance their access to the Supplies tech. With both Forced Levy and Supplies researched, the Malay Militia line units cost 65 food, which is 5 more food when compared to the HD version.
** Harbors used to have a Rate of Fire of 2.5 and 2,200 HP. With patch 5.3, it was decreased to 3 and 2,000, respectively. In ''Definitive Edition'', Harbors now gain a minimum range and are affected by Murder Holes. In addition, the Harbor's naval attack is reduced from 6 to 3, making Harbors significantly weaker against land units.
** In ''Lords of the West'' update 47820, Malay Fish Traps are changed to providing 3x food instead of an unlimited amount. As a result, they can no longer infinitely spam Two-Handed Swordsmen.
** Malay lose access to Gambesons in ''Return of Rome'' update 87863, weaken their Two-Handed Swordsmen spam in the late game.

* ReducedResourceCost: Their advancing in Age is +66% faster, their Fish Traps are 33% cheaper, their Battle Elephants are 30%/40% cheaper in the Castle/Imperial Age, infantry armor upgrades are free for them.

* BalanceBuff:
** Patch 5.5 increased non-Elite Karambit Warriors base attack from 5 to 6.
** ''Definitive Edition'' gave them +2 LOS as a result of Tracking being made a core gameplay feature. In update 39284, the cost of the Karambit Warrior was change to 25 food/15 gold, which greatly improves their spamming capabilities.
** In ''Lords of the West'' update 47820, Karambit Warriors (Standard/Elite) attack is increased to 7/8.

* {{Nerf}}:
** Patch 5.3 reduced Elite Karambit Warriors pierce armor from 2 to 1.
** Patch 5.7 reduced Elite Karambit Warriors base attack from 8 to 7.
** Karambit Warriors initially cost 25 food/10 gold. With patch 5.8, the food cost was increased to 30.

* BalanceBuff:
** In patch 5.7, Chatras now gives Vietnamese Battle Elephants +50 HP instead of just +30. In patch 5.8, the Vietnamese gain a buff where their archers have a flat +20% HP rather than HP bonus that scales +10%/+15%/+20% in the Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age. This is meant to address the weaknesses of the Vietnamese in 1v1 matches rather than their team game potential (since the Vietnamese are one of the few civilizations that are bad in 1v1 matches but great in teamgames).
** In order to compensate for the nerf to Elite Battle Elephant's base attack in the ''Definitive Edition'', which significantly weakened Vietnamese Battle Elephants' offensive potential due to the lack of Blast Furnace, their were given Husbandry, which makes their already beefy cavalry archers more viable in the Castle Age and in the Imperial Age. With update 35584, they also got a buff where their economic upgrades cost no wood, meaning they can do decently well in 1v1 matches.
** With ''Dawn of the Dukes'' update 54480, the Chatras technology effect was doubled from +50 HP to +100 HP, effectively taking Vietnamese Elite Battle Elephants from 370 HP to 420 HP, making them the land unit with the second highest amount of HP, only behind the War Elephant. As a result, they can now take one extra hit from Halberdiers, lasting much longer in battle than before.
** ''Return of Rome'' update 87863 make Vietnamese research economy technologies 100% faster
** Originally Paper Money costs 800 food/200 gold, takes 40 seconds to research, and instantly gives every ally 500 gold. ''Definitive Edition'' changed Paper Money to 500 food/300 wood, with the research time increased to 60 seconds, makes the Vietnamese more viable in 1v1 matches, alongside with improving their team-game potential, as the Vietnamese can still get value when researching Paper Money in 1v1 matches. With ''Dynasties of India'' update 81058, Paper Money was readjusted to have it cost 550 food/200 wood, making the technology more affordable in one-on-one matches in situations where the player is low on Gold Mines.

* ReducedResourceCost: Their economic upgrades cost no wood and research 100% faster, they get the Conscription tech for free.

* {{Nerf}}: Patch 5.3 removed Rattan Archers attack bonus of +1 against infantry.

'''Castle Age Unique Tech''': Corvinian Army[[note]]Called Mercenaries in HD[[/note]] (Magyar Huszars cost no gold).\\

Farmers work +10% faster.\\

* PaletteSwap: Due to the Italians originating as a modded civilization with limited resources and manpower to produce original art, the Italians' Castle Age architecture and beyond is largely just recolored and edited sprite work from the Middle Eastern buildings (the Feudal Age architecture is [[NewWorkRecycledGraphics lifted unaltered from the Western European Feudal architecture]]). The Monastery, Castle, and Wonder are completely unique, aside from the Monastery and Wonder taking assets from the Frank and Spanish Wonders (in the rose windows for the Monastery and Wonder and the top of the Wonder's spire, respectively). When they did receive unique Feudal Age graphics in ''The African Kingdoms'' (taken from another popular mod), they were still essentially palette swaps of another architecture, Western European this time. Thankfully, the ''Definitive Edition'' rectified this by completely overhauling the architecture to be entirely unique, along with giving it to the Spanish and the Byzantines.

* AnnoyingArrows: Condottieri trained by Malians have +3 pierce armor, making them able to counter foot archers while also excelling against gunpowder units and raiding.
* AntiStructure: Condottieri trained by Goths have +3 attack against buildings.

* GeoEffects: Condottieri trained by Tatars deal +20% bonus damage from cliffs and elevations.

A mounted Skirmisher, it can be trained at the Archery Range upon reaching the Castle Age. Available to any players allied with an Berbers player.

* GeoEffects: Genitours trained by Tatars deal +20% bonus damage from cliffs and elevations.
* HorseArcher: A mounted javelin thrower. The trope still applies.

It is a quick and frail infantry unit with a very high attack and creation speed.

It is a light and quick infantry unit with a high long-ranged attack.

It is a gunpowder siege weapon that fires a volley of bullets.

It is a warship that fires bolts like a Scorpion that can damage multiple enemies.

It is a Conquistador-type Ranged cavalry unit which throws darts at enemies.

It is a cavalry siege unit that fires bolts like a Scorpion.

It is a very cheap, quick, and frail infantry unit that only takes up half a population spot.

* {{Expy}}: The gameplay concept of Karambit Warriors is very likely inspired by Zerglings, an iconic unit from Franchise/Starcraft. Like Karambit Warriors, Zerglings are very cheap and only take half a population space. Unlike Karambit Warriors however, Zerglings can be created in the very early stages of the game and can be used for extremely early rushes, while Karambit Warriors can only be trained at Castles which are only available in later stages of the game.

It is an archer with very high pierce armor.

* DecompositeCharacter: While originally meant to represent all of India, the ''Dynasties of India'' expansion pack makes the Bengalis, Dravidians, and Gurjaras their own civilizations, leaving the original Indian civilization to be renamed the Hindustanis, broadly representing the more Islamicised regions of northern India, and the campaign also uses them to portray the tribes and cities of Afghanistan.

* AntiInfantry: Strong against Eagle Warriors, not so much against the Militia/Champion line.

* TacticalRockPaperScissors: Strong vs. Foot archers, Villagers, Siege units and Eagle Warriors; weak vs. Champions, Jaguar Warriors, Samurai, Teutonic Knights, Heavy Cavalry and Monks.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Incas have access to Coinage, despite the fact that Incas did not use money for currency.

* EnemyExchangeProgram: They can get the unique Xolotl Warrior from converting an enemy stable.

* TacticalRockPaperScissors: Strong vs. Skirmishers, non-Cataphract Cavalry, Spearmen and Eagle Warriors; weak vs. Plumed Archers, Scorpions, Mangonels, Hand Cannoneers, Janissaries, Slingers, Cataphracts, Teutonic Knights, Jaguar Warriors, Samurai, [[HorseArcher mounted archers]], Mamelukes and Rattan Archers.

* GameplayAndStorySegregation: Historically, Slingers were generic skirmishers fielded by not only Incas but also Aztecs and Mayans, among other various Meso-American civilizations; in contrast, Eagle Warriors were exclusive to Aztecs. Still, developers sometimes favored gameplay considerations over historical accuracy, resulting in the Slingers' in-game uniqueness & the Eagle Warrior's in-game genericity.

* TacticalRockPaperScissors: Strong against infantry, Villagers; weak against Skirmishers, cavalry, Genitours, Rattan Archers, Siege weapons.

* AntiCavalry: They are one, the only foot archer in game to have this property. Even mighty elephant units (such as War Elephants and Battle Elephants) can be slaughtered very easily when faced with large mobs of Genoese Crossbowmen.

* TacticalRockPaperScissors: Strong against cavalry, mounted archers, infantry; weak against Skirmishers, siege weapons, Huskarls, Eagle Warriors, Ghulams.

* ReducedResourceCost:
** Condottieri trained by Aztecs are created 11% faster.
** Researching Blacksmith upgrades for Condottieri trained by Bulgarians cost -50% food. Researching infantry armor and attack upgrades for Condottieri at the Blacksmith are 80% faster for a team containing Bulgarians.
** Faith is 50% cheaper for Condottieri trained by Burmese.
** Technologies that benefit Condottieri trained by Chinese are 5%/10%/15% cheaper in the Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age.
** Researching Squires and Arson for Condottieri trained by Dravidians is 50% cheaper.
** Condottieri trained by Goth are 35% cheaper and created 100% faster with unique tech Perfusion. Researching Squires and Arson and trained Condottieri are 20% faster for a team containing Goths.
** Condottieri trained by Gurjaras cost -25% food with unique tech Kshatriyas.
** Condottieri trained by Incas cost -30% food.
** Researching Heresy and Faith for Condottieri trained by a team containing Lithuanians is 20% faster.
** Forging, Iron Casting, and Blast Furnace upgrade are free for Condottieri trained by Magyars.
** Condottieri trained by Portuguese cost -20% gold. Upgrades that benefit Condottieri trained by a team containing Portuguese are researched 25% faster.
** Blacksmith upgrades that benefit Condottieri trained by Spanish cost no gold.
** Conscription is free for Condottieri trained by Vietnamese.
* ScissorsCutsRock: Normally, melee infantry are vulnerable to Janissaries, Conquistadors, or Hand Cannoneers. They completely reverse this with their large attack bonus against gunpowder units, and bonus armor which negates 10 anti-infantry attack from Hand Cannoneers.
* TacticalRockPaperScissors: Strong against Skirmishers, Hand Cannoneers, Conquistadors, Janissaries, siege weapons, Bombard Towers, Bombard Cannons, Light Cavalry, Camel Riders, Hussite Wagons; weak against Archers, Scorpions, Knights, Boyars, Teutonic Knights, Samurai, Cataphracts, Jaguar Warriors, Slingers, War Elephants, Battle Elephants.

* TacticalRockPaperScissors: Strong against siege weapons, archers, other light cavalry; weak against Boyars, Pikemen, Kamayuks, Berserks, Genoese Crossbowmen, Teutonic Knights, Mamelukes, Camel Riders, Samurai.

* TacticalRockPaperScissors: Strong against Skirmishers, melee units, siege weapons; weak against Pikemen, Kamayuks, Teutonic Knights, Mamelukes, Camel Riders, Monks, War Elephants, Genoese Crossbowmen, Samurai, Leiciai, Obuchs.

* AntiCavalry: Camel Archer have attack bonus of +4 (+6 for Elitte) against Cavalry Archers line.

* TacticalRockPaperScissors: Strong against slow non-ranged units, Cavalry Archers, Conquistadors; weak against Huskarls, Skirmishers, Eagle Warriors, Mangonels, Camel Riders

* ReducedResourceCost:
** Genitours trained by Aztecs are created 11% faster.
** Genitours are created and upgraded 10% faster for a team containing Britons.
** Blacksmith upgrades that benefit Genitours trained by Bulgarians cost -50% food. Researching archer armor and attack upgrades for Genitours at the Blacksmith are 80% faster for a team containing Bulgarians.
** Husbandry is 50% cheaper for Genitours trained by Burgundians.
** Faith is 50% cheaper for Genitours trained by Burmese.
** Genitours trained by Byzantines are 25% cheaper.
** Technologies that benefit Genitours trained by Chinese are 5%/10%/15% cheaper in the Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age.
** Genitours trained by Gurjaras cost -25% food with unique tech Kshatriyas.
** Genitours trained by Huns are 10%/20% cheaper in the Castle/Imperial Age. Researching Bloodlines and Husbandry for Genitours are 20% faster for a team containing Huns.
** Genitours trained by Incas cost -25%/30% food in the Castle/Imperial Age.
** Ballistics and Chemistry are 33% cheaper for Genitours trained by Italians.
** Genitours trained by Koreans costs -50% wood and Archer Armor upgrades are free.
** Researching Heresy and Faith for Genitours is 20% faster for a team containing Lithuanians.
** Genitours trained 25% faster for a team containing Magyars.
** Researching Ballistics and Chemistry for Genitours is 80% faster for a team containing Malians.
** All relevant upgrades for Genitours are researched 25% faster for a team containing Portuguese.
** Blacksmith upgrades that benefit Genitours trained by Spanish cost no gold.
** Thumb Ring is free for Genitours trained by Tartars.
** Chemistry is free for Genitours trained by Turks.
** Conscription is free for Genitours trained by Vietnamese.
* TacticalRockPaperScissors: Strong against archers, Monks, most infantry; weak against Camel Riders, siege units, Huskarls, Eagle Warriors, Woad Raiders, Ghulams

* TacticalRockPaperScissors: Strong against Buildings, Villagers, Skirmishers, Pikemen, Eagle Warriors, Light Cavalry, Monks, rams; weak against Archers, Scorpions, Mangonels, Hand Cannoneers, Janissaries, heavy infantry.

* TacticalRockPaperScissors: Strong against Skirmishers, Pikemen, Cavalry Archers, Battering Rams, infantry, Light Cavalry; weak against Archers, Scorpions, Mangonels, Boyars, Teutonic Knights.

* TacticalRockPaperScissors: Strong against Villagers, infantry, mobs of units; weak against Condottieri, cavalry, Onagers, Bombard Cannons, Huskarls, Mangudai, Eagle Warriors.

* HerdHittingAttack: Caravels deal damage in a straight line with every hit, allowing them to injure and even kill clusters of units on the shoreline, or sink masses of enemy ships in naval combat.
* TacticalRockPaperScissors: Strong against buildings and melee units in the shoreline, Cannon Galleons, units in dense formation, Longboats; weak against Fire Ships, Turtle Ships, Towers, Castles, Mangonels, Bombard Cannons, Thirisadais.

* TacticalRockPaperScissors: Strong against infantry, Villagers, Monks, units in dense formation; weak against Archers (especially Skirmishers), Kamayuks, Huskarls, Mamelukes, Camel Riders, Eagle Warriors.

* MechanicallyUnusualFighter: Unlike most other non-suicide siege weapons, the Ballista Elephant is in the "Cavalry" unit class (instead of the "Ballista" or "Siege Weapon" classes). As consequences of this:

** The Ballista Elephant benefits from Stable technologies and cavalry armor upgrades. It does not benefit from melee attack upgrades because, unlike other cavalry units, it has no melee attack.

* TacticalRockPaperScissors: Strong against Archers, massed units, especially infantry, buildings, short-ranged ships; weak against Kamayuks, Huskarls, Mamelukes, Camel Riders, Eagle Warriors, Halberdiers, Mangonels, Bombard Cannons, Scorpions, Rams, Magyar Huszars, Mangudai, Flaming Camels, Monks.

* WeHaveReserves:
** The Malay unique tech, Forced Levy, gives them one of the best non-gold units in the game as the two-handed swordsman no longer costs gold. In a longer drawn out game where both players have mined all available gold on the map, or games where the Malay player has an economy advantage, an unrelenting stream of two-handed swordsman can be used to simply wear an opponent down until they have no resources while the Malay player can save their gold and spend it on units like the Bombard Cannons and Arbalesters mentioned above.
** In early betas, the Malay had access to the Champion unit, but [[GoneHorriblyRight Forced Levy removing their gold cost made the Malay Trash War extremely strong and resulted in the Malay only having access to the two-handed swordsman.]] ''DE'' further dampened it down by converting the gold cost to extra food.

* WeNeedADistraction: Their role is to serve as cheap cannon fodder to protect the more stronger units such as Arbalesters and Bombard Cannons.

** After been reworked into Hindustanis in ''Dynasties of India'', they had discarded entire bonuses (eg fisherman buffs (that got transferred to Dravidians), additional cavalry pierce armor in lieu of Plate Barding Armor in one DE update) and got other bonuses in their place. Their Elephant Archers became regional units, and in their place are Ghulam infantry UUs.

* HorseArcher: The Hindustanis are the only Indian civilization with Cavalry Archers.

* SlaveMooks: The Ghulam is the third unique unit to represent an elite slave soldier, after the Mameluke and Janissary from the base game.

** The Indians at the time of the release were considered to be one of the most under-preforming civilizations due to their large amount of weaknesses they have and their economic bonus of cheaper villagers wasn't that significant in the early game. This led to several buffs in ''The African Kingdoms'' where Indians Villager cost bonus is increased from 5%/10%/15%/20% to 10%/15%/20%/25% cheaper in the Dark/Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age and they now receive "Guilds", making the Indian economy more solid and enabling for them to better perform their boom. Also, they receive "Ring Archer Armor", so their archers are more valuable, including the Hand Cannoneer. Because of how OP this bonus was, this led to them losing the Arbalester upgrade.
** In ''Definitive Edition'' update 37650, Indians team bonus was improved to properly deal damage against all buildings and no longer being blocked by "Masonry" or "Architecture" upgrades, making their camels even more effective against buildings.
** In ''Dynasties of India'', unique Imperial Age tech "Shatagni" now increased the Hand Cannoneer range bonus from +1 to +2.
** With ''Return of Rome'' update 87863, "Grand Trunk Road" now also reduces the trading fee to 10% and the cost is reduced from 400 food/400 wood to 250 food/200 wood.

** In ''Definitive Edition'' update 42848, the extra pierce armor granted to only Camel Riders now includes Light Cavalry and is extended to +2 in the Imperial Age, but at the cost of losing "Plate Barding Armor". This makes their Light Cavalry a strong unit to raid in the Castle Age and to fight off archers backed by their cheaper Villagers and their Camel Riders like always, but in the Imperial Age, the pierce armor of both Hussars and Imperial Camels is the same as other civilizations with "Plate Barding Armor", while their melee armor is lower, meaning that both are more prone to units with high melee attack.
** After been reworked into Hindustanis in ''Dynasties of India'', they had discarded entire bonuses (eg fisherman buffs (that got transferred to Dravidians), additional cavalry pierce armor in lieu of "Plate Barding Armor" in one DE update) and got other bonuses in their place. Their Elephant Archers became regional units, and in their place are Ghulam infantry UUs.
** ''Return of Rome'' update 87863 took away their access to "Guilds" in favor of giving "Grand Trunk Road" additional effect of reduces the trading fee to 10%, essentially giving them a lesser version the removed tech with a cheaper cost.

* ProudMerchantRace: Their "Grand Trunk Road" unique technology buffs all gold gathering rates including from trade, and their Caravanserai unique building heals and increases the speed of nearby Trade Carts, making their gold income very potent especially in team games.

!! Ghulam line (Ghulam/Elite Ghulam)

* FragileSpeedster: 55 HP for the regular version, but quite fast, and gets the speed benefit of "Squires".

** The ""Courier's"" unique tech was reworked in ''The African Kingdoms'' where their unique units and Eagle Warriors gain extra armor and are given several technologies (such as "Keeps", "Guilds", "Block Printing", and "Thumb Ring") to help drastically improve their Castle Age and Imperial Age power.
** In ''Dynasties of India'' update 81058, they receive a new civilization bonus where their military units cost less food, similar to the Gurjaras's "Kshatriyas" unique tech, but scaled proportionally to age.

** In ''The African Kingdoms'', the unique tech "Couriers" gives their Eagle Warriors and unique units more armor instead of just +10% speed.
** Their team bonus was changed from faster built Farms to increased line of sight for their Spearmen and Skirmishers in ''Dynasties of India'', due to players feeling the old bonus was situational at best and detrimental at worst. In turn, update 81058 saw major changes to the Incas. First, they receive a new civilization bonus where their military units cost less food, similar to the Gurjaras's "Kshatriyas", but scaled proportionally to age. Because the civilization bonus also applies to their Militia-line unit, they consequently lose access to "Supplies", making their Feudal Age infantry rushes a bit more expensive, but allows the Incas to save food, gold, and research time and train more Men-at-Arms instead, while making their Champions the third cheapest in the Imperial Age. Finally, their civilization bonus of starting with a free Llama was changed to a team bonus, replacing their previous team bonus. While the team bonus change doesn't address some of their weaknesses when starting in the pocket, this allows the Incas to provide more utility in team games, as many civilizations such as the Gurjaras, Tatars, Britons, and Mayans can take full advantage of the free Llama.

** In ''Rise of the Rajas'' patch 5.8, "Couriers" costs was increased from 400 food/200 gold to 600 food/600 gold,

!! Kamayuk line (Kamayuk/Elite Kamayuk)

** ''The African Kingdoms'' introduced "Arson", which they also benefitted from, also gave them bonus attack +4 (+6 for Elite) vs Camels and reduced the cost of Elite upgrade from 1000 food/600 gold to 900 food/500 gold. Patch 4.8 make them move faster and gave them bonus attack vs. Elephants (+20).

* DiscardAndDraw: They used to benefit from "Couriers"' speed movement bonus when they were introduced in ''The Forgotten''. From ''The African Kingdoms'' onwards, the tech now gave them +1/+2 armor[[note]]The tech was later renamed to "Fabric Shields" in ''Definitive Edition'', but that's besides the point[[/note]].

An anti-infantry unit, in some way similar to a Hand Cannoneer but weaker, cheaper, faster firing, more accurate, and available from the Castle Age without having to research "Chemistry" first.

** In ''Dynasties of India'' update 81058, "Andean Sling" now grants +1 attack for Slingers, making them a more appealing ranged option (especially against infantry).

** They used to benefit from "Couriers"' speed movement bonus when they were introduced in ''The Forgotten''. From ''The African Kingdoms'' onwards, the tech now gave them +1/+2 armor.

* SufferTheSlings: Their stats and bonus against other infantry makes them the Inca equivalent of the Hand Cannoneer, a soldier armed ''with a firearm''. The "Andean Sling" technology eliminates the need of a minimum range to fire.

* BalanceBuff: In ''The African Kingdoms'', Italians are improved as their aging up discount bonus is increased to 15% from 10%, which means they can perform a Fast Castle tactic better and go for a Knight rush or a Monk rush. Also, they now have Hussars. "Pavise" now benefits also their Crossbowmen as well with the cost is also reduced significantly to 300 food/150 gold instead of 550 food/300 gold.

** ''Return of Rome'' update 87863 change "Pavise" 300 food cost to 200 wood.

* ReducedResourceCost: Their Age advancements and Fishing Ships are 15% cheaper, their gunpowder units cost are 20% cheaper, their Dock and University techs are 33% cheaper, their unique tech "Silk Road" reduces the cost of Trade Carts and Trade Cogs by -50%.

!! Genoese Crossbowman line (Genoese Crossbowman/Elite Genoese Crossbowman)

** ''Definitive Edition'' gave them +2 LOS as a result of "Tracking" being made a core gameplay feature. Update 39284 restored the attack of the Condottiero back from it ''Rise of the Rajas'' nerf and let them be affected by the "Pavise" technology, making them as a good alternative to Champions, since they require less resources to be upgraded, being more viable in the early Imperial Age.

** "Faith" is 50% cheaper for Condottieri trained by Burmese.

** Researching "Squires" and "Arson" for Condottieri trained by Dravidians is 50% cheaper.
** Condottieri trained by Goth are 35% cheaper and created 100% faster with unique tech "Perfusion". Researching "Squires" and "Arson" and trained Condottieri are 20% faster for a team containing Goths.
** Condottieri trained by Gurjaras cost -25% food with unique tech "Kshatriyas".

** Researching "Heresy" and "Faith" for Condottieri trained by a team containing Lithuanians is 20% faster.
** "Forging", "Iron Casting", and "Blast Furnace" upgrade are free for Condottieri trained by Magyars.

'''Castle Age Unique Tech''': Corvinian Army[[note]]Called "Mercenaries" in HD[[/note]] (Magyar Huszars cost no gold).\\

*** "Recurve Bow" unique tech that boost their HorseArcher gain additional effect of given +1 attack instead of just +1 range to Cavalry Archers.
*** "Forging", "Iron Casting" and "Blast Furnace" no longer require a Blacksmith.
*** "Siege Engineers" is added to their technology tree, help boost their lategame power.

* ReducedResourceCost: They get "Forging", "Iron Casting" and "Blast Furnace" for free, their Scout Cavalry line is 15% cheaper, their unique tech "Corvinian Army" removes the gold cost for Magyar Huszars, their team bonus are mounted archers are trained 25% faster.

!! Magyar Huszar line (Magyar Huszar/Elite Magyar Huszar)

* ReducedResourceCost: Unique tech "Corvinian Army" removes the gold cost of Magyar Huszars, making it a "trash unit".

* YouAreTheTranslatedForeignWord: Magyar Huszár means "Hungarian Hussar". ''Magyar'' is the Hungarian people's endonym.

** In ''Definitive Edition'', the "Tracking" technology was replaced by "Supplies" (the effect of "Tracking" is still active), but in the particular case of Slavs, "Supplies" is free, which greatly improves their Feudal Age Infantry Rush (as "Supplies" makes the Militia line a bit cheaper). Slavs also recieved "Faith", so their army is better defended against opponent Monks.
** ''Dynasties of India'' update 81058 reduced the food cost of "Druzhina" tech from 1200 to 900.
** In ''Dynasties of India'' update 61321, Slavs lose "Orthodoxy", but gain "Detinets" instead - a technology that allows them to replace 40% of the stone cost with wood whenever they build towers or Castles, and is available in the Castle Age. As stone is more precious (and harder to accumulate) than wood, this technology allows one to build more Castles faster than the opponents, securing precious resources or using them offensively. The (potentially) higher number of Castles indirectly makes Boyars easier to mass.

** As a result of "Tracking" being made a core gameplay mechanic, they instead get "Supplies" and "Gambesons" for free in ''Definitive Edition''.
** ''Dynasties of India'' traded "Orthodoxy" with "Detinets" as their Castle Age unique tech.
** ''Return of Rome'' update 87863 took away their access to "Fervor" in favor of giving Monks a +20% movement speed bonus, essentially giving them the tech for free and then some.
* HerdHittingAttack: The unique technology "Druzhina" gives trample damage to the Slavic infantry. The only other units that have this are the Persian WarElephants and the Byzantine [[KnightInShiningArmor Cataphract]] (after researching "Logistica").

** The Slavs lost "Treadmill Crane" in ''Lords of the West'' update 44725, mostly to balance them in Deathmatches.
* ReducedResourceCost: They get the "Supplies" and "Gambesons" tech for free, their Siege Workshop units are 15% cheaper, their Unique tech "Detinets" replaces 40% of Castles' and Towers' stone cost with wood.

!! Boyar line (Boyar/Elite Boyar)

** Initially, they cannot research "Ring Archer Armor". With patch 4.8, it was added to their technology tree.

* HealingFactor: Berber camels can regenerate damage after researching the "Maghrabi Camels" UT.

** "Kasbah" unique initially increases not only the team Castles' working speed by 25%, but also the Castles of the researching player by another 25% (resulting in a total 56.25% bonus). With patch 4.8, "Kasbah" only affects the researching player's Castles once.

!! Camel Archer line (Camel Archer/Elite Camel Archer)

** "Husbandry" is 50% cheaper for Genitours trained by Burgundians.
** "Faith" is 50% cheaper for Genitours trained by Burmese.

** Genitours trained by Gurjaras cost -25% food with unique tech "Kshatriyas".
** Genitours trained by Huns are 10%/20% cheaper in the Castle/Imperial Age. Researching "Bloodlines" and "Husbandry" for Genitours are 20% faster for a team containing Huns.

** "Ballistics" and "Chemistry" are 33% cheaper for Genitours trained by Italians.

** Researching "Heresy" and "Faith" for Genitours is 20% faster for a team containing Lithuanians.

** Researching "Ballistics" and "Chemistry" for Genitours is 80% faster for a team containing Malians.

** "Thumb Ring" is free for Genitours trained by Tartars.
** "Chemistry" is free for Genitours trained by Turks.

* AntiCavalry: ''Dynasties of India'' update 81058's change to the "Royal Heirs" allows Shotel Warriors and Camel Riders to defensively counter mounted units.
* ArcherArchetype: Their foot archers fire +15% faster, and that's before they get "Thumb Ring", which makes the already fast-firing archers the quickest.

* DiscardAndDraw: In ''Dynasties of India'' update 81058, their team bonus went from +3 LOS for Towers and Outposts to +3 LOS and the stone cost removal for Outpost. It's also changed the benefits of "Royal Heirs" from instant training for Shotel Warriors to a mounted unit damage reduction for Shotel Warriors and Camels.

** Initially, Skirmishers benefit from Ethiopians civilization bonus and fire faster. With patch 4.8, this was removed. Said patch also removed "Arrowslits" from Ethiopians technology tree.

** In ''Definitive Edition'' update 36906, the Scorpion's projectile collision size with "Torsion Engines" was increased from 0.3 to 0.5 tiles. With update 42848, it was decreased to 0.4 tiles.

!! Shotel Warrior line (Shotel Warrior/Elite Shotel Warrior)

** ''Definitive Edition'' gave them +2 LOS as a result of "Tracking" being made a core gameplay feature. Update 42848 reduced the gold cost of Shotel Warrior from 35 to 30.

** In ''Dynasties of India'' update 81058, "Royal Heirs" effect changed to Shotel Warriors receiving -3 damage from mounted units. This can compensate for the main weakness of Shotel Warriors when fighting against mounted units, increasing their survivability enough to win a pitched battle that might lose without the technology. Elite Shotel Warriors tranning time is also reduced from 8 to 4 seconds.

** As with most civilizations in the ''Definitive Edition'', they now have access to the new Barracks technology "Supplies", which reduces the cost of the Militia line by 15 food. Since Malians have infantry that resist arrow-fire better, this addition is helpful for making infantry rushes more viable in the early game and making Champions easier to mass in the late game.
** In ''Dynasties of India'' update 81058, their Castle Age unique technology "Tigui" now allowed Town Centers fire 8 additional arrows instead of just 5.

** In the ''Definitive Edition'' they now have access to Fast Fire Ships, but lose access to Galleons, giving them a more useful warship, since they lack "Bracer".

** Free "Gold Shaft Mining" was removed in ''Rise of the Rajas'' patch 5.7, slightly slowing down the Malian Castle and Imperial Age booms.

!! Gbeto line (Gbeto/Elite Gbeto)

** ''Definitive Edition'' gave them +2 LOS as a result of "Tracking" being made a core gameplay feature. Since update 42848, the Gbeto fire delay also was reduced, making them easier to micromanage.
** In ''Dawn of the Dukes'', non-Elite Gbeto got an increase to its hit points from 30 to 35. With ''Dynasties of India" update 81058, Gbeto now have 40 (50 for Elite) hit points.

* DefogOfWar: Before ''Dynasties of India'' update 73855, their team bonus was granting "Cartography" in the Dark Age, allowing their team to share line of sight with each other from the start of the game.

* MoreDakka: In addition to the Organ Gun, they have the unique technology "Arquebus", which makes their gunpowder units save for Cannon Galleons affected by Ballistics and therefore being an accurate force to be reckoned with.

** In ''Rise of the Rajas'', "Arquebus" now has a smaller effect on gunpowder units with the speed modifier is reduced by 75%. Patch 5.2 removed "Arquebus" speed modifier for Bombard Cannons and Bombard Towers while patch 5.7 restored it but reduced the number.

!! Organ Gun line (Organ Gun/Elite Organ Gun)

** With patch 5.3, "Manipur Cavalry" +6 anti-building bonus damage was adjusted so "Architecture" does not cancel the effect completely anymore.
** In ''Definitive Edition'' update 37650, "Manipuri Cavalry" no longer gets partially blocked by the "Masonry technology", making Burmese excellent Stable units a much better choice at destroying buildings.
** In ''Dawn of the Dukes'' update 51737, the "Howdah" technology was improved, as it now gives +1/+2 armor instead of +1/+1 armor (bringing it back to the ''Rise of the Rajas'' release), making ther Battle Elephants a much stronger unit to soak all arrow damage. They now take only 1 damage from Arbalester shots, also being a much more devasting raiding unit.
** In ''Dynasties of India'' update 61321, Burmese Battle Elephants now have +1/+1 armor as a bonus, and "Howdah" again gives +1/+1 armor, resulting in better melee armor to the previous versions, which means that Burmese Battle Elephants now hold slightly better against melee units. The food cost of "Manipur Cavalry" was reduced from 650 to 400.

** In ''Dawn of the Dukes'' update 56005, "Manipuri Cavalry" now gives Stable units +5 attack against archers, replacing the older effect against buildings. As a result, the Burmese Stable units become a formidable force against archer civilizations.
** ''Return of Rome'' update 87863 moved "Manipuri Cavalry" to the Castle Age, cost reduced from 400 food/400 gold to 300 food/300 gold but the effect was reduced to +4.

* {{Nerf}}: Initially, "Howdah" costs 200 food/300 wood and gives Battle Elephants +1/+2 armor. With patch 5.7, "Howdah" food costs increased to 400 and only gives Battle Elephants +1/+1 armor.
* ProudPeacock: Before the ''Definitive Editio'', the middle of Burmese navigation bar showed a green peafowl, which is the royal symbol of Burmese kingdoms since the 11th century. This symbol is also used as the civilization icon of the Burmese in the ''Definitive Edition''.

!! Arambai line (Arambai/Elite Arambai)

** Originally they took 21 seconds to be trained, ''Dynasties of India'' update 61321 reduced this training time to 18. Update 73855 also have Arambai afffected by "Parthian Tactics", giving them more late-game durability against ranged units.

** "Manipur Cavalry" no longer benefits Arambai since ''Dawn of the Dukes'' update 56005.
** In ''Return of Rome'' update 87863, Elite Arambai attack is reduced from 15 to 14 since Arambai are now properly affected by "Chemistry" instead of only using a graphic change to the projectile.

** The Khmer were given the Arbalest upgrade in patch 5.8 to help with their early Imperial Age transition to their lategame units. Their Arbalests are still weaker than normal since the Khmer don't have "Thumb Ring", but it allows them to do a "slow push" strategy with Siege Rams, Trebuchets, and Halberdiers.
** In ''Definitive Edition'', the Khmer are given "Faith" to make their siege weapons and Battle Elephants less vulnerable to conversion. They also received the new general technology "Supplies", which helped them to field swordsmen more easily. ''Definitive Edition'' update 34699 removed the need for their farmers to use drop-off points, so farms can be much more freely placed, while at the same time, they save walking time for increased farming rates. This lets the Khmer to place farms around their houses, around towers or castles, which lets them better defend from a raid.

* BalanceBuff: The Khmer were later given the Arbalest upgrade to help with their early Imperial Age transition to their lategame units. Their Arbalests are still weaker than normal since the Khmer don't have "Thumb Ring", but it allows them to do a "slow push" strategy with Siege Rams, Trebuchets, and Halberdiers. Also, the January 2020 ''Definitive Edition'' update removed the need for their farmers to use drop-off points.

*** The Khmer's naval power in is weakened drastically with the loss of "Shipwright", which is most likely to balance out their ability to build any building or advance to the next age without prerequisites.

*** In update 37650, they lost access to "Supplies", with the purpose to balance their new farming bonus in the early game.

*** Update 42848 weakened the Khmer's strengths; the Battle Elephant's attack against buildings was reduced, the collision size for elephant units was increased, the farming bonus was further reduced to 5% slower, the Battle Elephant speed bonus reduced from 15% to 10%, and finally, the "Tusk Swords" technology cost was increased from 200 wood/300 gold to 300 wood/450 gold.
** In ''Lords of the West'' update 44725, "Treadmill Crane" removed from Khmer technology tree.

!! Ballista Elephant line (Ballista Elephant/Elite Ballista Elephant)

** ''Definitive Edition'' make "Chemistry" properly affects Ballista Elephants' secondary bolts and fixed the issue of their attack being inconsistent.

** The Ballista Elephant can be healed by a Monk (instead of having to be repaired by a Villager) or garrisoned in a Castle. It can also be converted without "Redemption".

** ''In Dynasties of India'' update 81058, the Malay gain access to "Gambesons", which results in an even better Two-Handed Swordsmen spam in the late game. In addition, the Malay receive a new civilization bonus: Infantry Armor upgrades are free, which makes a Men-At Arms opening a better choice and a transition to infantry in the late game much easier than before.

* CrutchCharacter: The Malays in land maps are like this in a similar vein like the Vikings, having a strong early game that fall off late game in land maps and being a sold strong civilization in water maps. The Malays puts emphasis on early game dominance thanks to their ability to age up faster and ensuring dominance over the opponent in the Castle Age. However, once other players enter the Castle Age and advance to the Imperial Age, the Malays suffer greatly lategame, having very limited land unit options in the table (even when "Forced Levy" unique tech is put into consideration, the Two-Handed Swordsman unit upgrade itself is not a cost efficient infantry unit since the Malays lack the Champion upgrade). Unlike the Vikings, the Malays have access to Halberdiers and Bombard Cannons, giving them at least some anti-cavalry and long range siege options respectfully.
* DiscardAndDraw: When ''Definitive Edition'' nerf the effect of "Forced Levy", the cost to research said tech was make cheaper, reduced from 1000 food/600 gold to just 850 food/500 gold.

** ''Definitive Edition'' reduced Malay advancing to the next Age bonus to just +66%. In regards to their trash Two-Handed Swordsmen, "Forced Levy" now replaces gold cost with additional food cost, which is meant to balance their access to the "Supplies" tech. With both "Forced Levy" and "Supplies" researched, the Malay Militia line units cost 65 food, which is 5 more food when compared to the HD version.
** Harbors used to have a Rate of Fire of 2.5 and 2,200 HP. With patch 5.3, it was decreased to 3 and 2,000, respectively. In ''Definitive Edition'', Harbors now gain a minimum range and are affected by "Murder Holes". In addition, the Harbor's naval attack is reduced from 6 to 3, making Harbors significantly weaker against land units.

** Malay lose access to "Gambesons" in ''Return of Rome'' update 87863, weaken their Two-Handed Swordsmen spam in the late game.

** The Malay unique tech, "Forced Levy", gives them one of the best non-gold units in the game as the two-handed swordsman no longer costs gold. In a longer drawn out game where both players have mined all available gold on the map, or games where the Malay player has an economy advantage, an unrelenting stream of two-handed swordsman can be used to simply wear an opponent down until they have no resources while the Malay player can save their gold and spend it on units like the Bombard Cannons and Arbalesters mentioned above.
** In early betas, the Malay had access to the Champion unit, but [[GoneHorriblyRight "Forced Levy" removing their gold cost made the Malay Trash War extremely strong and resulted in the Malay only having access to the two-handed swordsman.]] ''DE'' further dampened it down by converting the gold cost to extra food.
* ZergRush: In addition to their Karambit Warriors, one of their unique techs, "Forced Levy", also encourages this playstyle with their Militia-line infantry not costing any gold.

!! Karambit Warrior line (Karambit Warrior/Elite Karambit Warrior)

** ''Definitive Edition'' gave them +2 LOS as a result of "Tracking" being made a core gameplay feature. In update 39284, the cost of the Karambit Warrior was change to 25 food/15 gold, which greatly improves their spamming capabilities.

* AchillesHeel: Besides elephants, massed Monks can be a [[DidntSeeThatComing unexpected]] headache for the Vietnamese other speacialty - massed Skirmishers and Rattan Archers. With no Heresy, they will always be converted, then use their high pierce armor to draw arrows from their former colleagues and allow the Monks to convert more. The lack of "Blast Furnace" also hinders the offensive power of Vietnamese infantry and cavalry.

** In patch 5.7, "Chatras" now gives Vietnamese Battle Elephants +50 HP instead of just +30. In patch 5.8, the Vietnamese gain a buff where their archers have a flat +20% HP rather than HP bonus that scales +10%/+15%/+20% in the Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age. This is meant to address the weaknesses of the Vietnamese in 1v1 matches rather than their team game potential (since the Vietnamese are one of the few civilizations that are bad in 1v1 matches but great in teamgames).
** In order to compensate for the nerf to Elite Battle Elephant's base attack in the ''Definitive Edition'', which significantly weakened Vietnamese Battle Elephants' offensive potential due to the lack of "Blast Furnace", their were given "Husbandry", which makes their already beefy cavalry archers more viable in the Castle Age and in the Imperial Age. With update 35584, they also got a buff where their economic upgrades cost no wood, meaning they can do decently well in 1v1 matches.
** With ''Dawn of the Dukes'' update 54480, the "Chatras" technology effect was doubled from +50 HP to +100 HP, effectively taking Vietnamese Elite Battle Elephants from 370 HP to 420 HP, making them the land unit with the second highest amount of HP, only behind the War Elephant. As a result, they can now take one extra hit from Halberdiers, lasting much longer in battle than before.

** Originally "Paper Money" costs 800 food/200 gold, takes 40 seconds to research, and instantly gives every ally 500 gold. ''Definitive Edition'' changed "Paper Money" to 500 food/300 wood, with the research time increased to 60 seconds, makes the Vietnamese more viable in 1v1 matches, alongside with improving their team-game potential, as the Vietnamese can still get value when researching "Paper Money" in 1v1 matches. With ''Dynasties of India'' update 81058, "Paper Money" was readjusted to have it cost 550 food/200 wood, making the technology more affordable in one-on-one matches in situations where the player is low on Gold Mines.

* DiscardAndDraw: ''Dynasties of India'' changed the benefits of "Paper Money" from giving the player and each team member 500 gold to lumberjacks slowly generating gold in addition to wood.

* ReducedResourceCost: Their economic upgrades cost no wood and research 100% faster, they get the "Conscription" tech for free.

!! Rattan Archer line (Rattan Archer/Elite Rattan Archer)

* DiscardAndDraw: When ''Definitive Edition'' nerf the effect of ''Forced Levy'', the cost to research said tech was make cheaper, reduced from 1000 food/600 gold to just 850 food/500 gold.

** Initially, Malay advancing to the next Age +100% faster while their Fishing Ships are 33% cheaper. With patch 5.3, it was reduced to +80% while Fishing Ships bonus was removed. ''Definitive Edition'' than make advancing to the next Age bonus to just +66%.

Fishermen work 15% faster and can carry +15 (HD only).\\
Gunpowder units +1/+1P armor (DE only).\\
'''Team Bonus (Indians, HD)''': Camels +5 attack vs. buildings.\\

* ArtEvolution: The Indians used to share the Middle Eastern architecture with the Byzantines, Turks, Persians, Saracens and Berbers before the release of ''Rise of the Rajas'', which changed their architecture to the newly-introduced Indian one. With ''Dynasties of India'' they get a unique castle as well as an unique building.

** The Indians at the time of the release were considered to be one of the most under-preforming civilizations due to their large amount of weaknesses they have and their economic bonus of cheaper villagers wasn't that significant in the early game. This led to several buffs where the Indians' civilization bonus of cheaper villagers became stronger as well as giving them Guilds and Ring Archer Armor to help improve their lategame. Because of how OP this bonus was, this led to them losing the Arbalester upgrade.
** Their Shatagni Imperial Age tech increased the Hand Cannoneer bonus from +1 to +2.

* DiscardAndDraw: ''Dynasties of India'' had discarded entire bonuses (eg fisherman buffs (that got transferred to Dravidians), additional cavalry pierce armor in lieu of Plate Barding in one DE update) and got other bonuses in their place. Their Elephant Archers became regional units, and in their place are Ghulam infantry [=UUs=].

* {{Nerf}}: Their Villager cost reduction bonus used to be -10% Dark, -15% Feudal, -20% Castle and -25% Imperial Age prior to Update 78174.

* WeHaveReserves: Villagers get cheaper with each age, making an Indian player far less likely to protect theirs than others.

* {{Nerf}}: Shipped on ''Dynasties of India'' with 65 HP (75 for the Elite version), after update 66692 this HP was reduced to 55 and 65.

* BalanceBuff: The Courier's unique tech was reworked where their unique units and Eagle Warriors gain extra armor and are given several technologies (such as Keeps, Guilds, Block Printing, and Thumb Ring) to help drastically improve their Castle Age and Imperial Age power.

** In ''The African Kingdoms'' the Unique Tech Couriers gives their Eagle Warriors and unique units more armor instead of higher speed.
** Their team bonus was changed from faster built Farms to increased line of sight for their Spearmen and Skirmishers in ''Dynasties of India'', due to players feeling the old bonus was situational at best and detrimental at worst.
** In turn, Update 81058 replaced their old team bonus with their civilization bonus of getting a free Llama at the start of the game, in turn receiving lower Food cost military units as a new civ bonus.

** ''The African Kingdoms'' introduced "Arson", which they also benefitted from, and gave them bonus attack vs. Elephants (+20) and Camels (+4(+6)).
** ''Rise of the Rajas'' increased the bonus attack vs. Camels to +6 (+10).

** ''Dawn of the Dukes'' upgrade 56005 increased their HP from 60 to 70 and gave them +1 pierce armor.

* BalanceBuff: "Pavise" used to benefit only regular foot archers. In ''Definitive Edition'' the bonus was extended to the Condottiero.
* DiscardAndDraw: ''Definitive Edition'' switched their -50% cost discount for Dock techs to a -33% discount for Dock and University techs.

* AntiCavalry: They are one, the only foot archer in game to have this property.

* BalanceBuff: The Magyars were considered to be one of the weakest civilizations due to the MagikarpPower nature of their civilization. As a result, many of their civilization bonuses and unique techs were given significant buffs (such as their unique tech that boost their HorseArcher now give them an additional attack and their Light Cavalry is even cheaper) as well as giving them Siege Engineers to help boost their lategame power.

** As a result of Tracking being made a core gameplay mechanic, they instead get Supplies and Gambesons for free in ''Definitive Edition''.
** ''Dynasties of India'' traded Orthodoxy with Detinets as their Castle Age unique tech.
** Update 87863 took away their access to Fervor in favor of giving Monks a +20% movement speed bonus, essentially giving them the tech for free and then some.

* {{Nerf}}: Their Farmers used to work 15% faster. ''Definitive Edition'' reduced this bonus to just 10%.

* {{Nerf}}: Their Villager movement speed bonus was changed from an overall +10% in all ages to +5% in Dark Age and +10% in Feudal Age onwards.

* AntiCavalry: Update 81058's change to the Royal Heirs allows Shotel Warriors and Camel Riders to defensively counter mounted units.

* DiscardAndDraw:
** In ''Definitive Edition'', their Team Bonus went from +3 LOS for Towers and Outposts to +3 LOS and the stone cost removal for Outpost.
** ''Definitive Edition'' also changed the benefits of "Royal Heirs" from instant training for Shotel Warriors to a Mounted Unit damage reduction for Shotel Warriors and Camels.

* DiscardAndDraw: ''Twice'' for the same bonus: In ''The African Kingdoms'' they were granted free Gold Mining. In ''Definitive Edition'' it was changed to Gold mines lasting 30% longer. ''Then'' Update 51737 gave their Villagers a 15% increase on Gold dropoff.

* BalanceBuff: ''Definitive Edition'' increased their units gold discount bonus from 15% to 20%.
* DefogOfWar: Before the December 2022 update, their team bonus was granting Cartography in the Dark Age, allowing their team to share line of sight with each other from the start of the game.
* DiscardAndDraw: Due to shared line of sight becoming a default feature as of the December 2022 patch, the Portuguese team bonus is now a reworked version of their faster researched technology bonus, while their foragers gained the ability to harvest wood alongside food as a new civilization bonus.

* DiscardAndDraw: In ''Dawn of the Dukes'', "Manipur Cavalry" gives Stable units +5 attack against archers, replacing the older effect of +6 against buildings.

'''Imperial Age Unique Tech''': Forced Levy (Militia-line gold cost is replaced by additional food cost.\\

* {{Nerf}}: In ''Definitive Edition'', Forced Levy now replaces gold cost with additional food cost, which is meant to balance their access to the Supplies tech.

* AchillesHeel: Besides elephants, massed Monks can be a [[DidntSeeThatComing unexpected]] headache for the Vietnamese other speacialty - massed Skirmishers and Rattan Archers. With no Heresy, they will always be converted, then use their high pierce armor to draw arrows from their former colleagues and allow the Monks to convert more.

* BalanceBuff: The HP bonus their Archery Range units is now a flat +20% bonus [[note]]previously, the HP bonus scaled on age to reflect their MagikarpPower status[[/note]] and their Rattan Archers are given more HP. This is meant to address the weaknesses of the Vietnamese in 1v1 matches rather than their team game potential (since the Vietnamese are one of the few civilizations that are bad in 1v1 matches but great in teamgames). In the ''Definitive Edition'', they also got a buff where their economic upgrades cost no wood, meaning they can do decently well in 1v1 matches. With Update 81058, their Imperial Age technology, Paper Money, was readjusted to have it cost 550 food, 200 wood, making the technology more affordable in one-on-one matches in situations where the player is low on Gold Mines.