Bengalis
Elephant & NavalTeam Bonus
Trade Units generate +10% food in addition to gold
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"The Bengalis are an elephant and naval civilization with powerful elephant units that resist bonus damage and conversion, regenerating ships, and monks with extra armor."
Civilization Bonuses
- 1
Town Centers spawn 2 Villagers when the next Age is reached
- 2
Cavalry +2 attack vs. Skirmishers
- 3
Elephant Units receive -25% bonus damage and are more resistant to conversion
- 4
Monks +3 melee/+3 pierce armor
- 5
Ships regenerate 15 HP per minute
Unique Units
Unique Technologies
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AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
Bengalis are an elephant and naval civilization in Age of Empires II. Their economy snowballs because each Town Center spawns 2 free Villagers when the next Age is reached. Their military identity is built on elephants: Elephant units take 25% less bonus damage and are harder to convert, making their Battle Elephants and unique Ratha chariot extremely durable. Their cavalry gains +2 attack versus Skirmishers, and their Monks gain +3 melee and +3 pierce armor, supporting a strong faith game. Ships regenerate 15 HP per minute, reinforcing their naval edge. The Ratha is a ranged-or-melee swappable chariot. The team bonus gives trade units +10% food alongside gold. They thrive on closed and water maps where their tanky elephants and booming economy can come online.
History & balance
Bengalis were introduced to Age of Empires II as part of the Dynasties of India content, representing the rich elephant-warfare tradition of the Bengal region. Their design embraces the fantasy of slow, hard-hitting, conversion-resistant elephants supported by a powerful free-Villager economy and a resilient navy. Across patches they have been regarded as a strong booming and team-game civilization, particularly on closed and water maps where their tanky elephant compositions can be assembled safely. Their reliance on expensive elephants and limited mobility has kept them honest on open land, but the free Villagers per Age make them one of the more economically explosive civilizations in the Definitive Edition, beloved by players who enjoy late-game critical mass.
In pro play
Pros leverage the Bengali free-Villager bonus to fuel an aggressive Fast Castle or boom, banking on the snowballing economy from each Age-up. On closed maps like Arena, strong players go for a Castle-Age power spike into Ratha or Battle Elephants, using the elephants' bonus-damage reduction and conversion resistance to grind through opponents. The +3 armor Monks let them pair Monk support with elephants to resist enemy Monks and protect their gold units. On water maps, the 15-HP-per-minute ship regeneration encourages drawn-out naval engagements where they out-sustain opponents. Team-game specialists love Bengalis as a pocket civilization, where the trade-food team bonus and protected elephant deathball come online; the playstyle suits patient, economy-first players rather than early aggressors.
How to counter it
Against Bengalis, avoid feeding their conversion-resistant, bonus-damage-resistant elephants by relying on Halberdiers, whose raw anti-cavalry damage still cuts through even reduced bonus damage, backed by Monks and siege. Pikemen and Halberdiers in mass, combined with Onagers or Bombard Cannons, dismantle slow elephant balls before they reach critical mass. Because their elephants are expensive and slow, keep the map open and raid their economy hard early to deny the free-Villager snowball; pressure them off the Fast Castle timing. Their cavalry gets a bonus only versus Skirmishers, so do not over-commit to Skirmishers against their mounted units. On water, do not commit to prolonged slugfests where ship regeneration favors them; instead win decisive engagements or out-position with fire ships and demolition vessels.