Ballista Elephant
CavalryBase values, before Blacksmith upgrades. The Blacksmith raises attack and armour for infantry, cavalry and archers — Blast Furnace, for instance, gives "+2 Attack for infantry & cavalry". Late in a game, the real numbers are higher.
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Ballista Elephant
Castle
Elite Ballista Elephant
ImperialThe coach's briefing
You're an elephant with a scorpion on top. 250 HP and 9 attack with projectiles that pass through enemies. At 5 range and 0.8 speed, you're slow but very tanky. You cost 100F/80G - expensive but powerful. Your bolt piercing means you can hit multiple enemies in a line.
STRONG AGAINST
You win these trades cost-effectively.
WEAK AGAINST
Avoid these fights or bring support.
Just lost against this unit?
Your coach names the counters during the match — not once the game is over.
Strategic Analysis
Tactical Identity
The Ballista Elephant is a **mobile siege elephant**. Pass-through bolts devastate clumped formations.
Tactical Playbook
Piercing Bolts
Projectiles pass through enemies. Devastating vs lines.
Elephant Tank
250 HP. Survives almost anything.
Anti-Building
Good damage vs structures. Mobile siege option.
Critical Point
**Very slow and vulnerable to monks**. Conversions and Halberdiers are deadly.
Understanding The Stats
The Ballista Elephant offers unique pass-through siege with massive elephant HP.
Massive HP
Elephant-level tankiness.
Piercing Attack
Bolts pass through enemies.
Decent Range
Outranges most melee threats.
Very Slow
Elephant speed. Easy to kite.
Coach's Tip
Pass-through bolts mean a line of 5 enemies all take 9 damage each. Position to maximize line-ups.
Mechanics & Bonuses
Attack Bonuses
| Target | Bonus Dmg |
|---|---|
| Building | +2 |
Armor Classes
Cavalry
Takes heavy bonus damage from Pikemen/Halberdiers and Camels.
Elephant
Vulnerable to units with bonus damage vs this class.
Siege
Vulnerable to units with bonus damage vs this class.
Unique Unit
Vulnerable to units with bonus damage vs this class.
Key Upgrades
Feudal Age
Civilizations
* 1 civilizations have access to this unit.
Other Units
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
The Ballista Elephant is the Khmer unique Siege Cavalry: 100 food and 80 gold, 25 seconds to train, 250 HP, 9 attack, 0 melee/3 pierce armor, range 5, speed 0.8, and line of sight 7. Its ranged attack passes through targets, and the official help says it is strong against Infantry and Ranged Soldiers, but weak against Cavalry and Siege Weapons. The unit is therefore a slow moving firing platform, not a normal elephant that simply wants to reach melee. Its huge health pool protects the investment, while the 0.8 speed and 25-second production time make positioning and a screen essential.
History & balance
The Ballista Elephant sits at the meeting point of the Khmer elephant and siege identities. Khmer can advance without building prerequisites, their Farmers do not need Mills or Town Centers to drop off food, Villagers can garrison in Houses, and Battle Elephants move 10% faster. The unique unit adds a different kind of pressure: a Castle-age investment that turns massed targets into a liability because one pass-through shot can touch several bodies. The Double Crossbow technology later makes Ballista Elephants and Scorpions fire an additional projectile, so the Khmer story is one of compounding siege volume, not a one-unit shortcut to victory.
In pro play
The correct Ballista Elephant formation is a protected wedge: keep the 250-HP units behind a melee screen, line up the five-range shots, and let the pass-through attack punish the enemy for stacking Infantry or Ranged Soldiers. Do not send a lone elephant around a corner; at 0.8 speed it cannot disengage from Cavalry or enemy Siege Weapons. The 100 food and 80 gold price also means that a Khmer player should stabilize food production before adding multiple stables. Use trees and terrain as anchors, escort the column with units that can absorb the first charge, and move the Ballistas only after the target is forced into a lane.
How to counter it
The classic mistake is feeding Infantry into a Ballista Elephant ball and letting one pass-through volley damage the whole front. The official help gives the categories: Cavalry and Siege Weapons. Halberdiers carry +28 against War Elephants and +32 against Cavalry, Pikemen +25 and +22, while Heavy Scorpions add +10 against Elephants. Spread the anti-elephant units, then close from more than one angle. If you keep losing to Ballista Elephants without knowing what to produce or when, AoE Coach reads your match-up and gives you the counter composition and timing.