Tatars
Cavalry ArchersTeam Bonus
Mounted Archers +2 line of sight
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Try it freeOverview
"The Tatars are a cavalry archer civilization with longer-lasting herdables, elevation damage bonus, free sheep from new Town Centers, and free archery upgrades."
Civilization Bonuses
- 1
Livestock animals last +50% longer
- 2
Units deal +25% damage when fighting from higher elevation
- 3
New Town Centers spawn 2 Sheep starting in Castle Age
- 4
Thumb Ring, Parthian Tactics free
Unique Units
Unique Technologies
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Other Civilizations
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
The Tatars are a Cavalry Archer civilization built around mobility and elevation. Their units deal +25% damage when fighting from higher ground, rewarding smart positioning on hills and ramps. Their livestock animals last 50% longer, boosting their early food economy, and new Town Centers spawn two Sheep starting in Castle Age. They receive Thumb Ring and Parthian Tactics for free, supercharging their archer and Cavalry Archer lines. Their unique units are the Keshik, a cavalry unit that generates gold while fighting, and the Flaming Camel, an anti-cavalry suicide unit. With unique technologies like Silk Armor and Timurid Siegecraft, the Tatars excel at mobile mounted-archer play and elevation-based engagements.
History & balance
The Tatars draw on a steppe-nomad identity centered on horse archery and mobility, with elevation damage rewarding terrain mastery in a way unique among civilizations. Free Thumb Ring and Parthian Tactics make their Cavalry Archers fully upgraded and dangerous, defining their core army. The livestock longevity and Sheep-spawning Town Centers reflect a pastoral economy that fuels their mounted play. The Keshik's gold generation while fighting enables sustained army production without economic strain, and the Flaming Camel offers a niche but flavorful anti-cavalry tool. Across balance eras, the Tatars have been framed as a mobility-and-positioning civilization, less about brute force and more about hit-and-run harassment, terrain advantage, and the self-sustaining economy of their gold-generating Keshiks.
In pro play
Tatar players exploit the longer-lasting livestock and Sheep-spawning Town Centers for a smooth food economy that supports an early Scout or archer opening. Their signature transition is into fully-upgraded Cavalry Archers, free Thumb Ring and Parthian Tactics letting them mass mounted archers faster than most. Skilled players use the +25% elevation damage to fight from hills and ramps, turning terrain into a decisive edge in skirmishes. The Keshik enables aggressive Castle Age play that funds itself through combat gold generation. Tatars favor open maps like Arabia where their mobility and hit-and-run harassment shine. Pros value them for their map-wide pressure, terrain-based engagements, and the economic self-sufficiency that lets their mounted archers stay on the field indefinitely.
How to counter it
Tatar Cavalry Archers are fast and fully upgraded, so counter them with Skirmishers, which are cheap and resist their pierce damage, and pair them with your own faster mobile units to prevent endless kiting. Deny them high ground; never engage uphill into their +25% elevation bonus, and instead force fights on flat or favorable terrain. Heavy cavalry like Knights and Camels can run down their mounted archers if you close the distance, especially with your own faster units or chokepoints. Raid their pastoral economy and pressure their Sheep-fed early game to disrupt the food advantage. On closed maps their mobility matters less, so steer toward defensible terrain. Pin their hit-and-run harassment with Skirmishers and chase-units, and avoid feeding their elevation and kiting strengths.