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Hello. This is the version 2 of my civ balance changes suggestions. The previous version was a lot more imprecise and vague. I have come up with this hopefully better balanced version, based on comments and further ideas from that last post. Some of the ideas have been influenced or taken from other balance suggestions.
Also, there are a lot of items on this list, if there are any that you disagree with, could correct, or support, please comment on specifics. Thanks.
Please note: I know that the numbers are largely outdated, I’m just including them to prevent anyone complaining that I didn’t look at the winrates.
The winrate statics are from aoe2stats and are only the 1650+ elo for 1v1 games.
Aztecs: (52.80% winrate)
- No change.
Aztecs are a balanced civ currently. -
OR: Have the faster military production bonus change to a staggered 3/6/9/12 over the ages instead of constant.
They rely on a lot of early pressure in order to win however, if their faster production was staggered, rushing would still be strong, but late-game spamming would be better than currently.
Berbers: (51.19% winrate)
- No change.
Berbers are balanced due to the powerful stables and Camel Archers. -
OR: Genitour training time decreased from 25 seconds to 22 seconds, 20 for Elite. Speed increased from 1.35 to 1.4.
This makes Genitours a better raiding unit, or a quick counter, because they are faster to mass and move quicker. -
AND/OR: Genitour base attack from 3 to 4. Goes from 4 to 5 for Elite.
This makes Genitour more viable in other situations, because it becomes a trash unit with decent hit and run.
Bohemians: (No current data)
- Hussite Wagon Speed decreased from 0.85 to 0.77. After Wagenburg Tactics it now has 0.8855 speed, instead of 0.9775. This means it is now slower than Archers after the UT, as opposed to before.
This allows archers to outrun it, while making mangonels a more effective counter due to projectiles being harder to dodge. -
AND/OR: Hussite Wagons blocking effect is halved while it is moving.
This is simply logic; if you are moving the wagon, it isn’t set up as a defense, and therefore shouldn’t function as one. If forces people to choose between attacking and shielding, or moving. -
OR: Hussite Wagon receives negative melee armor.
This makes it more vulnerable both to mangonels, and other melee units, which basically forces the player to put ranged units behind it.
Britons: (51.96% winrate)
- No change.
Britons are well balanced.
Bulgarians: (46.12% winrate)
- No change.
The playstyle can be tricky to pull off, but it can be very effective. -
OR: Rams generate stone while attacking buildings with stone defense.
Kreposts and Castles become easier to afford, further pushing the player towards Konniks. -
AND/OR: Barracks, Blacksmith and Stables all cost -50 wood.
This just plays further into their strengths, and makes it easier to mass produce the other options for main military other than Konniks, without hindering their economy too much.
Burgundians: (53.32% winrate)
- Current Coustillier mechanic removed. When the Coustillier runs 5 or more tiles without stopping, turning more than 45% from the starting line of movement, or detouring around units or natural obstacles (player owned units don’t count), it deals +25 attack (Elite +30) upon attacking the next unit. It also deals an unblockable 3 damage to all enemy units within a 0.3 tile radius of where it ends it’s charge. It receives 10 unblockable damage if it charges on a Spearman line unit, a Flemish Militia, or a Kamayuk. If it doesn’t charge and use the charge attack to deal extra damage, it receives no extra unblockable damage. Speed increases from 1.35 to 1.45 while within 3 tiles of an enemy.
The current Coustillier mechanic is kind of weird, this would add an actual cavalry charge type of mechanic to the game. Just to clarify, I don’t hate the current Coustillier, I would just rather see this instead. -
AND/OR: Change Flemish Revolution. Revolution now goes from 1200F 650G, to 1000F 800G. Possibly, once Revolution is complete, all new Flemish Militia are added to the lowest available control group. Either this is the one instance where more than 60 units can be in a control group, or it spreads them as it runs out of space. Flemish Militia cost goes from 60F 25G to 60F 15G. It goes from 75HP to 65H, and base attack decreases from 12 to 11.
This makes it easier to spam Flemish Militia even after Revolution, but makes them all weaker. -
AND/OR: Revolution only converts Lumberjacks and Idles into Flemish Militia.
This gives the player greater control over the number of Flemish Militia actually created. Wood is the least useful resource for the Burgundians usually, but there will still normally be enough on it for at least 30 Militia. -
AND/OR: Revolution also possibly unlocks a new tech after 30 seconds: Political Stabilization. This new tech takes the same slot that revolution took, but may need a new icon. It costs 800F 1000G, and takes 30 seconds to research. When completed, all current Flemish Militia convert back into villagers, and either return to the task they were doing before Revolution, or just stand there.
This helps with a reboom for the player if Revolution fails, but it still takes time for villagers to be reassigned to their tasks, a lot of them probably will have died, and they become vulnerable while returning.
Burmese: (47.94% winrate)
- Seeing as most of their units need food, a food bonus would be more useful than the current wood bonus. The wood bonus exists due to the heavy presence of rainforest and other jungles, so what if lumberjacks slowly generated food while chopping trees? Maybe 10 food for every hundred wood?
This makes it more viable to either go infantry, scouts, or Elephants. Elite Arambai also becomes easier to research, because it costs food, and your eco tends to be geared more towards wood and gold if you are massing Arambai. -
AND/OR: Battle Elephants could do extra trample damage or knock down trees.
The first of these is to try and push them towards Battle Elephants as the frontline. The second makes them an interesting option in maps like Black Forest, while also kind of making sense. -
AND/OR: Add the second archer armor upgrade, to strengthen Arambai, but reduce Arambai pierce armor by 1.
This makes an Archer rush more viable, as well as Arambai in general.
Byzantines: (47.06% winrate)
- No change.
Byzantines are balanced, and are strong if they can reach the lategame. -
OR: Palisade walls are constructed 30% faster. Stone Walls are constructed 50% faster. Both types of Gate are built 40% faster.
Although walls already build fast, this almost guarantees that they will be built in time to stop early aggression. It also makes sense, because the walls of Constantinople were almost impregnable, at least until gunpower. -
OR: Advancing to Feudal age 10% cheaper, Castle Age 20% cheaper, Imperial 30% cheaper. Italian bonus changes from 15% cheaper to advance ages to 15% cheaper, 15% faster to advance ages possibly.
This makes it easier to reach the lategame, where their strengths are.
Celts: (51.93% winrate)
- No change.
Celts are balanced, despite Hoang.
Chinese: (51.64% winrate)
- Wait and see how recent nerf affects them.
Chinese are OP, but they recently go nerfed. -
OR: Chu Ko Nu gold cost increased from 35G to 40G, wood cost remains at 40W.
Makes it slightly more expensive long term to mass Chu Ko Nu. -
OR: Chu Ko Nu range decreased from 4 to 3. LoS remains the same.
This plays more into the “low range, high damage” type of archer that Chu Ko Nu kind of are. Makes other archer hit and run a more viable counter.
Cumans: (42.38% winrate)
- Remove the cav speed bonus. Add husbandry and heavy camel.
An extra 5% speed isn’t as good as Heavy Camel and Husbandry in my opinion. Cumans currently don’t have a great counter to cav, because Halberdier can’t really keep up with the rest of the army, and having used Camels in Castle Age becomes quite hard to rapidly transition out of. The extra 20HP and 9 bonus attack are better than 5% on the weaker unit and everything else. -
AND/OR: Remove siege workshop in Feudal Age, but Capped Ram is free in Castle Age.
Cumans are very strong at Feudal all-ins, this might help to weaken that, especially as most people just use the 2TC boom and forget that they can even build rams. -
AND: Cuman Mercenaries changed so that it now allows the creation of ten Kipchak Mercenaries. The first 10 of these are free, and then may be replaced via the normal training method at the Castle, as long as there are less than ten. The Kipchak Mercenary is a new unit, unaffected by blacksmith upgrades or any other technologies. Civ bonuses still affect it. It costs 30W 70G, and has a ten second training time (5 seconds for Cumans to make it better in 1v1s). It has 50 HP, 9 attack, fires 4 arrows, the extra arrows work the same as an Elite Kipchak, has +2 attack against Spearmen, 7 range, has 4/6 armor. It the same ROF, firing delay, accuracy, and frame delay as an Elite Kipchak with Thumb Ring, shares the same armor classes (Archer, Cav Archer, Cavalry, Unique Unit), has 1.4 speed, and has a LoS of 7.
Cuman Mercenaries is a bad tech, especially in a 1v1. I think that this would be a good way to make it more viable.
Ethiopians: (47.62% winrate)
- Torsion Engines increases the fire rate of Siege Units by 5%.
Makes their siege slightly better, and also makes sense, because of how a torsion engine would probably throw projectiles/fire faster than a generic one. -
OR: No change.
Ethiopians are balanced.
Franks: (55.29% winrate)
- Cavalry health bonus only applies starting in Castle Age.
Makes a Feudal Age scout rush less viable, while still an option, and if the opponent goes Bloodline scouts as the counter, their Castle time suffers. -
AND/OR: Chivalry increases the research speed of Stables by 40% and the training speed by 20%.
Chivalry just allows for a mindless spam of Paladins in the lategame. This is especially problematic in the lategame, seeing as it stacks with the current Huns team bonus.
Goths: (50.22% winrate)
- Wheelbarrow also researches instantly, like Loom.
Although wheelbarrow itself won’t usually be super effective until the lategame, the 3 extra villagers both helps them reach the lategame where they really shine, and it also suits a Barbarian empire. -
OR: No change.
Goths are almost unstoppable if they can reach Post-Imperial in a good position, so they could be left as they are.
Huns: (52.83% winrate)
- Team Bonus changed to stables work 15% faster.
The current 20% is much too fast, and allows the Huns to rapidly outproduce most players, at least in terms of the Stable. It also stacks with the Franks’ Chivalry tech, creating problems in team games.
Incas: (48.39% winrate)
- Slinger rate of fire reduced to 1.8 seconds and projectile speed increased to 6.
Makes slingers easier to micro, and helps remind people that they exist. -
AND/OR: Slinger attack +1.
Makes slingers slightly better in general, as opposed to just anti-infantry. -
AND: Team Bonus changed so that that A) lets farmers drop off food in Castles, and B) units attacking while standing on or within 1 tile of a completed farm that you own have their elevation level count as one level higher than the level they are actually on.
This would reflect how Incas used a lot of terraced farming, and making it possible to farm around castles and then use those farms to increase attack strength.
Indians: (52.61% winrate)
- Elephant Archer base range increased to 5, LoS increased to 8. (Both increases by 1).
If you are sitting on an elephant, you probably have the range and field of vision to shoot nearby people. Just a comment. -
AND/OR: Becomes able to fire while moving while not on “No Attack” stance. Speed decreased from 0.8 to 0.77.
This also makes logical sense, because you can have more than one person on an elephant at once. It would also allow elephants to be a better hit and run unit, because they do both simultaneously. The speed nerf makes it even easier for Halberdiers and similar units to catch them -
OR: Elephant Archer has it’s elevation automatically count as +1.
Once again, if you are sitting on an Elephant, you have the high ground.
Italians: (48.15% winrate)
- Genoese Crossbow range +1 up to base range of 5.
Makes Genoese Crossbow a good alternative to Arbalester. -
OR: Genoese Crossbow bonus damage decreased by 1, but attack increased by +1, up to 7.
Generalizes the unit’s attack a bit more, to allow it more strength against other units, but Arbalester is still decent as well due to the extra range.
Japanese: (49.27% winrate)
- Samurai gets +1 Pierce Armor.
This makes it a better Anti-Archer unit, and makes it more viable. -
AND/OR: Samurai receive +2 bonus attack while being the only unit attacking the targeted enemy.
This follows the idea of the Samurai code of honor, and makes them win 1v1s.
Khmer: (45.77% winrate)
- Ballista Elephants cut trees in a complete line, rather than the few trees near where the bolt lands.
Just makes them better at cutting trees in maps like Black Forest. -
AND: Scorpions get a 12% discount on gold cost. 66G rather than 75G.
Makes it a lot easier for Khmer scorpions to reach the critical mass they need to be extremely effective. Because they are very much pushed towards Battle Elephant and Scorpion as their army composition, and both are gold intensive, this makes it a lot easier to build the army they need.
Koreans: (49.03% winrate)
- Turtle Ship +0.1 movement speed. Normal goes from 0.9 to 1, Elite goes from 1.035 to 1.135.
Makes hit and run less effective against Turtle ships. -
AND/OR: Gains access to Fortified Tower in Imperial Age. Fortified Tower must be researched at the university. This is not the same as the current fortified tower, it has no regen feature. Fortified tower takes 130 seconds to research, costs 1000 food, 750 wood. It has 3 melee armor, 4 pierce armor and shares the same armor classes as previous towers. It has 9 base pierce attack, with +11 bonus damage against ships and fishing ships, +1 against camels, +2 against speamen, and +5 against stone defence (Extra projectiles only). It has 3000 base health.
I think it would be interesting to have an actual Fortified tower in the game.
Lithuanians: (50.54% winrate)
- No change.
Lithuanians are well balanced. - OR: Faster Skirmishers and Spearmen only takes effect in Castle Age.
- this is to make rushes more effective against Lithuanians, because scouts can’t even get Husbandry until the Castle Age, and it’s kind of unfair if spearmen can come pretty close to keeping up with them before that.*
Magyars: (47.81% winrate)
- Villagers can now harvest 150 food from wild animals they kill. Wild animals count as huntables in terms of carry capacity and harvest rate.
Makes Magyars better on maps with lots of predator animals, and gives them a slight eco bonus. -
AND/OR: Herdables and huntables no longer decay as long as there is at least one villager working on it.
This is just a small eco bonus that lets them have a better early economy, due to better food efficiency.
Malay: (44.04% winrate)
- No change.
Malay are strong on water and closed maps. -
OR: Malay Battle Elephants receive +1/+1 armor in Imperial age.
Helps make up for the lack of armor, and pushes them more towards Elephants in the late-game. -
AND/OR: Team bonus now includes, Tributes are possible without a market, starting in Feudal Age.
This is just a cool bonus to add, and should be more useful than just the docks have 2x LoS.
Malians: (53.98% winrate)
- No change.
Balanced.
Mayans: (56.18% winrate)
- Archer discount decrease to 5% in Feudal, 10% in Castle, 15% in Imp, instead of 10/20/30.
This weakens the archer rush a bit, leaving it viable, but a little less cost effective, which is fair considering how it buys time for Plumed Archers, and the Mayans have longer lasting resources. -
AND: El Dorado cost increased from 750F, 450G to 900F, 550G. Research time increases from 70 to 80.
This makes El Dorado more resource intensive in the late-game, because Mayan Eagles are usually the strongest of the three Mesoamerican civs.
Mongols: (52.03% winrate)
- Mangudai training time increases from 26 seconds to 29 seconds. Elite Mangudai HP increased from 60 to 65, normal remains at 60.
Makes it slower to spam Mangudai. -
AND/OR: Drill is replaced with new UT Nerge. Nerge is another of the one time effect techs that people hate. It instantly spawns 1 deer on each farm the Mongol player currently controls. Each deer is limited to remaining either on, or within 1 tile of the farm it was spawned on. Nerge costs 1400F, 600W. Possibly increase upgrade cost of Elite Mangudai from 1100F, 675G to 1200F, 675G.
Gives the Mongols more of a lategame food spike, and removes the siege that can keep up with the cavalry hordes. -
AND/OR: Nomads instantly unlocks the 200 pop limit, like the Huns have it.
The current Nomad’s tech is almost useless, because in most cases, if you need it, you are already losing the game. Although this kind of copies the Huns, if people rush straight for it, I can definitely see that getting punished.
Persians: (42.60% winrate)
- Parthian tactics available in Castle Age and does one of the following: 50% cheaper/Twice as fast to research/Instant research/Gives +1 range/Gives +1 attack.
This makes sense from a logical standpoint, because the Persian came partly from the Parthians, whom the tech was named after, and, it pushes the Persians towards more cav archers in the midgame, but wood only crossbows with other cav in the lategame.
Poles: (50.04% winrate (I think))
- Add halberdier, but nerf the gold:stone ratio from 1:2 to 1:3.
Weakens their early game tower rush or fast castle into castle potential, in exchange for a better lategame Anti-cav, if people feel Obuch isn’t good enough. -
OR: Do nothing.
Poles are already well balanced.
Portuguese: (45.54% winrate)
- Feitoria has 1000 less base HP. Cost reduced from 250S 250G, down to 200S 200G. Resource production rate increased by 50%. Maximum Feitorias becomes 1/2/3, I’m not sure which.
This makes Feitorias easier to kill, while being cheaper and more effective. The limit hopefully limits their effectiveness on maps like Islands. -
AND/OR: Possibly add squires.
This makes the cheaper infantry more viable in the mid-game. - Normal Organ Gun fires five bullets, each doing full damage and having 5 attack. Elite Organ Gun has bullets doing 6 attack. Other stats remain the same.
This makes the Organ Gun more useful as a unit, currently it consistently underperforms and sees little use. It is also weird for a multi-barrel gun to fire in the current way.
Saracens: (49.47% winrate)
- No change.
Saracens are well balanced, and the Market means that no change is a definite option. -
OR: Towers and castles have +3 bonus attack against Infantry.
This might address how Saracens don’t have a great counter to infantry that they are really being pushed towards, baring archers. It also reflects how the round Saracen towers of the Crusades were more effective than the European ones of the time, because their was nowhere for people to hide.
Sicilians: (42.48% winrate)
- No change.
With the recent buffs, Sicilians will perform better. -
OR: Serjeants garrisoned in Donjons contribute 2.5 DPS to the attack, same as villagers.
This makes it more viable to engage in a tower battle against counter towers.
Slavs: (45.71% winrate)
- Slavs renamed to Rus or Ruthenians.
This is due to the number of Slavic nations now in the game. -
AND: Orthodoxy no longer affects monks having armor, but units being healed receive +3/+3 armor while being healed.
Pushes Slavs more towards monks as a support unit for their infantry and Boyars. The current tech is rarely used. -
AND/OR: The first 3 farms are free.
This gives the farms a better early bonus, allowing the Slavs to start farming sooner. -
OR: No change.
Slavs are fairly balanced as they are.
Spanish: (48.18% winrate)
- Building speed bonus doubled for houses.
This makes it faster for the Spanish to boom up and reach Castle/Imperial age, where their power shines.
Tatars: (47.65% winrate)
- Check out the Steppe Lancer buff at the bottom.
It seems like a decent idea to me. -
AND/OR: Begins with the locations of the closest 8 sheep revealed, including the sheep already found. In nomad games this takes effect after the construction of the TC and reveals the closest X sheep, where X is 8 - the number of sheep already found.
This plays more into the sheep bonuses that already exist, and make it easier to safely start the economy.
Teutons: (50.46% winrate)
- No change.
Teutons are balanced.
Turks: (49.00% winrate)
- No change.
Turks are quite balanced. -
OR: Scout Cavalry line gets +1 pierce armor starting in Castle Age.
This pushes them more towards the Light cav that they both get upgrades for free on, and historically used.
Vietnamese: (43.28% winrate)
- Rattan Archer no longer reveals it’s location to enemies it is attacking, but projectiles are still visable.
This plays more into the Guerilla tactics that the Vietnamese usually employed against invaders, and makes Rattan Archers more than just anti-Archer units. -
AND/OR: Battle Elephants train 16% faster. 20 seconds rather than 24 seconds.
Makes it easier to amass Battle Elephants for the frontlines.
Vikings: (51.88% winrate)
- No change.
Vikings are balanced. -
OR: Berserks lose the current healing mechanic. Berserk HP reduced from 61 (Castle Age), 64 (Imperial) and 75 Elite, to 52 (Castle), 55 (Imperial) and 65 Elite. When Berserks have less than 25 HP, (30 for Elite), they are replaced with a new unit, the Enraged Berserk. The Enraged Berserk has the same name ingame (Berserk/Elite Berserk) but functions very differently. If healed above the threshold, they return to normal Berserks. The Enraged Berserk has no armor, and is affected by no blacksmith armor upgrades. The Elite version has 1 pierce armor. The Enraged Berserk has speed 1.2, as opposed to 1.05. It has 15 base attack (20 for Elite) and is affected by attack upgrades. This is opposed to 9 and 14 base attack. The Enraged Berserk has a new model, with no shield, the cloak in tatters, and an axe in each hand. The rate of fire also goes from 2.0 to 1.9. The Enraged Berserk keeps the same armor classes and bonus attacks as the corresponding normal version.
This would be a much cooler and more interesting effect than the current one, which although useful, is time consuming and boring. -
AND: Berserkergang is changed. Only apply this if adding the Enraged Berserk. Berserkergang now causes Enraged Berserks, when they die, to perform a special death attack. This death attack deals 10 unblockable damage to all enemies in a 0.3 tile radius, and can be improved through blacksmith attack upgrades, or any other attack bonuses. This death attack has a new animation, and cannot be stopped. Only happens if the unit dies, possibly of a melee attack, and doesn’t occur it it is deleted.
If the enraged Berserk was added, this would be needed, because Berserkergang would no longer have a point. -
AND/OR: Berserk is renamed to Berserker.
Why are they even called Berserks? They go berserk. They should be called Berserkers.
Battle Elephants:
- Battle Elephant gold cost reduced from 70G to 60/65G.
Makes it less gold intensive to amass an army, especially as most of the civs need the gold for other units as well. -
AND: Elite Battle Elephant base attack increased from 14 to 15.
Incentivizes Elite Battle Elephant more. -
AND/OR: Elite Battle Elephant trample damage increased from 0.4 to 0.5 tiles.
Makes Elite Battle Elephants better in pitched battles and makes the upgrade more useful.
Cavalry Archers:
- Cavalry Archer frame delay from 35 to 25, and Heavy cav archer from 46 to 36. Possibly decrease speed from 1.4 to 1.35 to counteract this.
It makes little sense for a unit that is meant to be micro intensive to have such a high frame delay.
Last one, Steppe Lancers:
- Steppe Lancers gain a +4 bonus attack against villagers. Elite Steppe Lancers gain +9 bonus attack against villagers. This allows Steppe Lancers to three shot a generic villager when fully upgraded in Castle Age. This allows a fully upgraded Elite Steppe Lancer to two shot a generic or fully upgraded Incan villager. Below fully upgraded will three shot fully upgraded Incan villager. It four shots a Spanish Villager with Supremacy researched. This would possibly require armor class 38 to be created, just for villagers. The bonus attack could also be extended to trade units.
This makes Steppe Lancers more useful as a raiding unit, because currently they don’t really have an assigned role.
Ok, that is my full list of changes, give me your take on how it should be done instead or how badly you think some of these will break either winrates or the game.
