Murder Holes
University - CastleEvolution
Murder Holes
Castle
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Try it freeTechnology Effect
"Removes minimum range for towers and Castles"
Coach's Tip
Murder Holes removes the minimum range of towers and Castles, allowing them to attack units directly underneath. Essential against rams.
Strategic Analysis
Strategic Identity
Murder Holes removes the minimum range of towers and Castles, allowing them to attack units directly underneath. Essential against rams.
When to Research
High Priority
Research Murder Holes as soon as you have the resources and are using university units.
Combat Impact
Removes minimum range for towers and Castles
Civilization Access
* 53 civilizations have access to this technology.
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Other Technologies to Explore
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
Murder Holes is the Castle Age University technology that removes the minimum range of Fortifications, so the official help says they can attack enemies at their base. The data lists a 200 food/100 stone cost and 35 seconds of research. This is a firing-rule upgrade, not a general attack upgrade: it does not promise extra damage, extra hit points, or a new unit. Its value appears when enemies can stand close to a fortification and normally sit inside its minimum range. Research it to make a defended position function at the distance the structure was built to control, not because the name sounds like a permanent damage bonus.
History & balance
Murder Holes belongs to the Castle Age defensive branch and is researched at the University. Its official effect is narrow but consequential: Fortifications no longer have a minimum range for their attacks. That changes the interaction between a wall-side fight and the structure behind it, while leaving the rest of the fortification package intact. The 200 food, 100 stone, and 35-second research window make it a commitment competing with army, town, and other defensive technologies. In a replay, judge it by the position it protects and the close-range threat it removes—not by whether the player simply owned a University.
In pro play
Research Murder Holes when a fortification is already part of the defense plan and the opponent can exploit its base. A tower or castle that cannot fire at a unit hugging its foundation leaves a real hole in the position; removing that minimum range closes the gap at the exact place the enemy wants to stand. Do not queue it automatically on every University: the 200 food, 100 stone, and 35 seconds must be paid before the defensive contact arrives. Pair the research with vision and a protected economy, then make the opponent walk into a fortification that can actually answer at close range.
How to counter it
Murder Holes has no combat counter; it is a defensive timing question. The classic mistake is buying it as a generic power-up or diving into a fortified base before checking that research is complete. The official help gives the exact effect: it removes the minimum range of Fortifications so they can attack enemies at their base. If the opponent invests early, pressure the University, the food and stone that paid for it, or another map area; if it is active, stop donating units under the fortification. If you mistime this investment and do not know when to pressure or disengage, AoE Coach reads your match-up and gives you the composition and timing.