Blacksmith
Economic - FeudalBase values, before building technologies. Masonry and then Architecture each give buildings "+10% HP, +1/+1 Armor": late in a game, the real numbers are higher.
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"Researches attack and armor upgrades for military units. Essential for keeping your army competitive throughout the game."
Strategic Analysis
Strategic Role
The Blacksmith provides essential combat upgrades. An army with full upgrades will easily defeat an equal army without them.
Key Tactics
Attack vs Defense
Attack upgrades are generally more valuable than armor in small battles. Prioritize attack upgrades when raiding.
Archer Upgrades
Fletching (+1 attack, +1 range) is crucial for archer play. Research it immediately when going archers.
Knight Upgrades
Knights benefit massively from both attack and armor. Forging and Scale Barding are essential for Knight play.
Upgrade Timing
Research upgrades during production downtime. A Blacksmith without ongoing research is wasted potential.
Warning
Skipping Blacksmith upgrades puts you at a severe disadvantage. Even one missing upgrade tier can cost you fights.
Stats Analysis
The Blacksmith is one of the most important support buildings. It has 15 technologies covering all military unit types.
Technologies
15 Upgrades
Infantry, cavalry, and archer upgrades. Each unit type has separate attack and armor lines.
Hit Points
1800 HP
Moderately durable. Place your Blacksmith in a safe location to ensure continuous research.
Wood Cost
150 Wood
Affordable cost. Build in Feudal Age for essential combat upgrades.
Placement Tip
Build your Blacksmith in a safe location within your base. You need it to survive the entire game for continuous upgrades.
Timing Tip
Build a Blacksmith when reaching Feudal Age. Start with attack upgrades for your main army composition.
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Other Buildings
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
The Blacksmith, called Forge in French, is a Feudal Age support building costing 150 wood and 40 seconds to build. It has 1800 HP, 0 melee armor, 7 pierce armor, 5 line of sight and no garrison capacity. The official help says it researches technologies that improve unit attack and armor and is required for the Siege Workshop. The building record lists 15 technologies across infantry, cavalry and archer attack and armor lines, so its impact is spread through the army rather than stored in the structure.
History & balance
The Blacksmith is the clearest example of indirect military power. It does not train a soldier or fire a projectile; it changes every later exchange by deciding how much damage a unit deals and how much it survives. That makes the building easy to underestimate in a replay: its 150 wood is visible immediately, while the value of a completed upgrade appears only when the army fights. The support role also explains its broad technology list. A Blacksmith is a commitment to a composition, not a decoration added after the army already exists.
In pro play
Build the Blacksmith when the next army has a clear upgrade path, then keep its research aligned with the line actually in production. The 150-wood cost and 40-second construction time belong in the Feudal plan, while its 1800 HP means it can survive but should still be placed safely. Attack and armor lines are separate decisions: choose the one that changes the next fight, not the one that looks complete on paper. Remember the official prerequisite for the Siege Workshop. A strong habit is to queue research during a production lull, then spend the saved attention on scouting the opponent response.
How to counter it
The Blacksmith has no combat Weak vs. category and produces upgrades, not fighting units. The classic mistake is attacking it as if its destruction deletes the army, or ignoring the upgrades that win the next exchange. Neutralize its output indirectly: pressure the economy that pays for research, force the builder or researcher idle, deny safe access to the next resource, then fight the army while its upgrade plan is late. With 1800 HP and 7 pierce armor, a casual raid can waste more time than it saves. If upgrade timing keeps deciding your games and you do not know what to produce or when, AoE Coach reads your match-up and gives you the composition and timing.