Franks
CavalryTeam Bonus
Knight-line +2 line of sight
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Try it freeOverview
"The Franks are a cavalry civilization with fast foragers, free mill technologies, and powerful mounted units with extra HP."
Civilization Bonuses
- 1
Foragers work +15% faster
- 2
Mill technologies free
- 3
Mounted Units +20% HP starting in Feudal Age
- 4
Castles cost -15/25% in Castle/Imperial Age
Unique Units
Unique Technologies
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Other Civilizations
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
Franks are the most direct cavalry civilization in the game. Mounted units gain +20% HP from the Feudal Age onward — the civilization has no Bloodlines, and this bonus stands in its place — while free Mill technologies and foragers working 15% faster remove the economic detour needed to reach them. Castles cost 15% less in the Castle Age and 25% less in the Imperial Age, which makes an early Castle a plan rather than a gamble, and the Throwing Axeman gives the composition a ranged infantry option. The price is breadth: no Hussar, no Camel Rider, no Arbalester, no Siege Onager.
History & balance
The Frank design solves the same problem twice: how to reach cavalry quickly, and how to make that cavalry survive. Foragers working 15% faster and free Mill technologies remove the economic detour, while +20% HP on mounted units from the Feudal Age replaces Bloodlines, which the civilisation does not have at all. Castles at 15% off in Castle Age and 25% off in Imperial extend the idea onto the map: the cheaper the Castle, the earlier aggression can be anchored somewhere. What the package deliberately omits is any answer to the counters of its own army, and that omission is what keeps a civilisation this direct from being oppressive.
In pro play
The Frank plan is cavalry as early as the game allows: mounted units carry +20% HP starting in the Feudal Age, before a single upgrade is paid for — and the civilization has no Bloodlines, so that bonus is the replacement, not a supplement. Free Mill technologies and foragers working 15% faster bring the food for that cavalry without a detour, which is what lets the build order commit early. Castles cost 15% less in Castle Age and 25% less in Imperial, so a forward Castle is a real option rather than a gamble. What the civilization does not hand you is an answer to its own weakness: keep a spear screen, and expect Camel Riders and Monks.
How to counter it
Camel civilizations (Saracens, Berbers, Hindustanis, Malians) hard counter Franks via Camel mass — +18 vs cavalry shuts down the Knight game plan. Lithuanians win the Knight mirror because their Castle Age relics give attack bonuses. Persians match Franks in Imperial Cavalier wars. The macro counter: deny stone for Frank Castles (Frank Castle bonus is wasted if they can't mine stone safely), and force them into Pike-Skirm matchups where Frank archers (mediocre) are exposed. Frank weakness: no Camel, no Bombard Cannon, no Plate Barding Armor for Hussars. Exploit those holes in Imperial Age.