Cataphract
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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Cataphract
Castle
Elite Cataphract
ImperialThe coach's briefing
The Cataphract is cavalry that doesn't fear spears. With +12 armor vs anti-cavalry attacks thanks to your special armor class, Halberdiers deal only +10 damage to you instead of +32. Combined with +9 bonus damage vs Infantry, you delete the units meant to counter you. You're the ultimate generalist cavalry - good against infantry, decent against other cavalry, and resistant to pikes.
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 Cataphract is **pike-resistant cavalry**. While other cavalry fear Halberdiers, you hunt them. This unique advantage makes you incredibly flexible in army compositions.
Tactical Playbook
Anti-Pike Cavalry
Your +12 vs anti-cavalry armor means Halberdiers deal 20 damage instead of 33. You win fights that other cavalry lose.
Infantry Slayer
+9 vs Infantry makes you devastating against Champions, Halberdiers, and Eagles alike. You're a melee infantry's nightmare.
Trample Damage
Cataphracts deal small splash damage in melee. Against clumped infantry, this adds up significantly.
Critical Point
**Archers remain dangerous**. With only 1 pierce armor, massed Crossbowmen or Cavalry Archers will tear through you. Bring Skirmishers or siege support.
Understanding The Stats
The Cataphract is a heavy cavalry with unique defensive properties against anti-cavalry units, trading some raw stats for versatility.
Anti-Pike Armor
Special armor class negates most of Halberdier's +32 bonus. Revolutionary for cavalry.
Infantry Killer
Combined with 9 base attack, you deal 18 damage to infantry per hit.
Good HP Pool
Solid health pool for a Castle Age unique unit. Comparable to Knights.
Fast Speed
Same speed as Knights. Mobile enough for raids and engagements.
Coach's Tip
110 HP and 2 melee armor make you durable. But 1 pierce armor is low - avoid standing under archer fire. Close the gap quickly.
Mechanics & Bonuses
Attack Bonuses
| Target | Bonus Dmg |
|---|---|
| Infantry | +9 |
Armor Classes
Cavalry
Takes heavy bonus damage from Pikemen/Halberdiers and Camels.
Unique Unit
Vulnerable to units with bonus damage vs this class.
Key Upgrades
Feudal Age
Castle Age
Civilizations
* 1 civilizations have access to this unit.
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
The Cataphract is the Byzantine unique unit, a heavy cavalry unit built specifically to crush infantry. It carries a large bonus versus infantry and deals trample (area) damage, letting it plow through massed Spearmen, Champions and Eagle Warriors that would normally counter cavalry. Critically, the Cataphract takes greatly reduced bonus damage from anti-cavalry units — Halberdiers and Camels hurt it far less than they hurt a normal Knight. Its Imperial unique tech Logistica adds trample damage and an anti-infantry bonus, turning a mass of Cataphracts into an infantry-deleting machine that few compositions can stand against.
History & balance
The Cataphract has long been considered one of the strongest unique units when fully teched, precisely because it counters the units that are supposed to counter cavalry. The Definitive Edition tuned its bonus-damage resistance and Logistica's effect to keep it powerful but gold-gated. Because Byzantines have no economic bonus, the Cataphract is a deliberate lategame power spike rather than an early threat. Its trample damage interaction with massed infantry has been a consistent design highlight, making the Cataphract the definitive anti-infantry cavalry unit in the game.
In pro play
Cataphracts are a lategame Byzantine win condition, especially against infantry-heavy and Eagle-Warrior civilizations. Pros invest in Logistica and full upgrades, then use the trample damage to delete enemy infantry masses that would beat ordinary Knights. The Cataphract's resistance to anti-cavalry bonus damage means opponents cannot rely on the usual Halberdier answer — they must find archers or Monks instead. Because Byzantines reach Imperial Age cheaply (-33%), they hit the Cataphract power spike efficiently. On closed maps especially, a Cataphract + siege composition is a strong, hard-to-counter endgame.
How to counter it
Do not counter Cataphracts with infantry or even standard anti-cavalry — their infantry bonus and bonus-damage resistance make Halberdiers and Camels far less effective than usual. The real answers are archers (Cataphracts still have cavalry-level pierce armor, so massed Arbalests and Hand Cannoneers work), Monks (conversion ignores all their resistances), and your own heavy cavalry in a straight HP trade. Siege and Mangonels help against masses. Above all, deny their gold: Cataphracts are gold-heavy, so raiding the Byzantine economy starves the unit before it reaches critical mass.