Harbor
Military - CastleBase 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.
Description
"Malay unique building. A Dock replacement that automatically attacks enemies within range, on top of every Dock function."
Strategic Analysis
Strategic Role
The Harbor replaces the Dock for the Malay. It builds and upgrades ships, takes food from Fishing Ships and supports sea trade, and it attacks enemies within range on its own.
Key Tactics
Sustained Naval Combat
Keep your ships near Harbors during battles. The covering fire changes the outcome of an even exchange.
Defensive Naval
Build Harbors at chokepoints. Ships fighting near your Harbors have a significant advantage.
Hit and Run
Pull damaged ships back to a Harbor, then re-engage under its fire. This extends your fleet's lifespan.
Warning
The Harbor fires on its own, but one building is not a fleet. Do not count on it to save ships under heavy fire.
Stats Analysis
The Harbor is a unique Dock that attacks enemies within range on its own.
Automatic Attack
3 attack, 7 range
Fires at enemies that come within range, with no order needed.
Same Cost
150 Wood
Same cost as a regular Dock, with the ability to fire on top.
Standard Functions
Full Dock
Produces all standard naval units and researches.
Placement Tip
Build Harbors at naval chokepoints. Their fire is worth most where the fighting happens.
Timing Tip
Build Harbors from Dark Age like regular Docks on water maps.
Prepare your next matchup
Choose both civilizations for a game plan, key threats and an army composition.
Other Buildings
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
Harbor is the Malay replacement for the Dock, unlocked through the official Malay naval path. The structured building data lists 150 wood, 35 seconds to build, 2,000 HP, 3 melee armor, 10 pierce armor, 6 line of sight and space to garrison 10 units. The official help calls it a unique Malay building that automatically attacks enemies within range, produces and upgrades ships, accepts food from Fishing Ships and supports sea trade. Its job is therefore both naval production and coastal control, not passive decoration beside the shoreline.
History & balance
A harbor is the point where a maritime economy becomes a defended settlement. Ships arrive to unload food, merchants connect distant shores, and the dockyard turns wood into transport, fishing and war vessels. The Malay Harbor pushes that historical idea toward a fortified port: the same place that sustains the fleet also threatens enemies who approach it. In game terms, the building creates a boundary between safe water and contested water. It rewards a player who makes the shoreline a system of production, vision and retreat, rather than scattering Docks so far apart that no fleet can protect the next one.
In pro play
Place the Harbor where its automatic fire protects the ships you produce: a fishing corner, crossing, trade lane or narrow landing. Its 150 wood cost and 35-second build time make early placement affordable, but ten garrison slots do not replace ships or coastal vision. Use it to anchor a fleet, cycle damaged units behind it and keep production running while land pressure arrives. The official help includes ship upgrades, fishing drop-off and sea trade, so plan it as an economy-and-army hub. Do not build isolated Harbors before you can defend the water between them; one connected position is worth more than scattered Docks.
How to counter it
The classic mistake is chasing Malay ships while allowing them to retreat under a Harbor that keeps producing and firing. The official help gives the functions: naval production, fishing and sea trade, plus automatic attacks at range; it names no precise combat Weak vs unit. The mechanical answer is simple: Cannon Galleons have +35 attack versus Buildings and can pressure the Harbor from range. Force the fleet away, focus the building, then raid fishing or trade while its queue is idle. If you keep losing to Harbors without knowing what to produce or when, AoE Coach reads your match-up and gives you the counter composition and timing.