Post IMP Malay Battle Elephants vs Units They Not Weak Against

Age of Empires II: DE II - Discussion
1

We all know that Malay Battle Elephants are awful. (due to only one stable armour upgrade, but cheaper to make) But how do they perform POST IMP against these units. Like; Champions, Paladins, Arbalests, Cavalier, Heavy Camels. As in not clear counter units.

And even; walls, towers, and buildings. Do they still function as semi decent rams? That can fight back in melee.

Or is the early game in the castle age they only time they can shine for the most part with a rush?

2

They are 40% cheaper, if you set up the eco correctly you can simply flood the enemy with elephants (in fact the lesser attack to elite battle elephant was highly influenced by the Malay).
Use trash infantry to deal the units that can kill battle eles (halbs for instance)

Malay on pro hands are really scary (ask Viper)

3

They shred everything a FU battle elephant shreds, except arbalest and UU archers.

They are amazing on arena and bf.
Haven’t tried on arabia tg or 1v1 tho.

4

Malay elephants were busted efficient before the change to reduce their cost, now they’re even more ridiculous. If you aren’t already into massed siege and the Malay go battle elephants, you die.

Battle elephants + Malay FU arbalest is one of the most difficult deathballs to counter cost-efficiently, and without the need to make a UU the trebs are only initially restricted by Conscription. Malay also get up to that stage earlier with the faster uptime. Malay are a serious danger and the Elephants have been criminally underrated for a long time. Now they’re comically broken. They now cost about the same as a Steppe Lancer.

5

I agree that -40% feels completly off.
Yet i was not faced by a sling strategy so far.

Let’s see how it goes, it took a while for people to realize that war wagons are decent on arena, maybe we see elephant fests soon.

edit: in terms of arena… like capped rams and battle elephants knocking on your walls at minute 24, good luck with that 11

6

I didn’t try them enough but yeo 40% discount is OP
Give them time and another nerf will come

7

very good actually

very good actually

not very good at all

very good actually

still pretty decently