Cavalier
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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The coach's briefing
The Cavalier is your Imperial Age workhorse. With 120 HP and 12 Attack, Cavaliers hit harder and survive longer than Knights. They're the stepping stone to Paladins, or the final form for civs without Paladin access. Still weak to Halberdiers and Heavy Camels, but dominant against archers and siege. Classes: Cavalry.
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 Cavalier is the **Imperial Age cavalry standard**. It provides a meaningful power spike over the Knight while being more accessible than the Paladin. For many civilizations, this is the final upgrade in the Knight line.
Tactical Playbook
Power Spike
The Cavalier upgrade costs 300F/300G and gives +20 HP and +2 Attack. This is one of the most cost-effective military upgrades in the game.
Archer Counter
With 120 HP and 2 pierce armor, Cavaliers can tank more arrow fire while closing distance. Dive archer masses with confidence.
Late Game Backbone
Pair Cavaliers with Halberdiers or Siege. They provide the punch while your Halbs protect against enemy cavalry.
Critical Point
**Halberdiers** deal 38 damage per hit to you now. Heavy Camels are also very dangerous. You need support units to deal with these counters.
Understanding The Stats
The Cavalier is a straight upgrade to the Knight. Every stat improvement matters in the large-scale battles of Imperial Age.
Improved HP
+20 HP over Knight. With Bloodlines, you reach 140 HP - enough to survive multiple Halberdier hits.
Stronger Attack
+2 damage over Knight. Against most units, this means faster kills and better trades.
Same Armor
Armor stays the same, but Blacksmith upgrades stack. With full upgrades, you reach 6/6 armor.
Upgrade Cost
One of the best upgrade values in the game. Get this immediately upon reaching Imperial Age.
Coach's Tip
Your 120 HP is a significant jump. With full upgrades and Bloodlines, you have 140 HP and 6/6 armor. You're now a true heavy cavalry unit that can take substantial punishment.
Mechanics & Bonuses
Attack Bonuses
| Target | Bonus Dmg |
|---|---|
| No damage bonus: this unit deals the same damage to every target. | |
Armor Classes
Cavalry
Takes heavy bonus damage from Pikemen/Halberdiers and Camels.
Key Upgrades
Feudal Age
Castle Age
Civilizations
* 37 civilizations have access to this unit.
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
Cavalier is the Castle Age heavy Cavalry upgrade built for direct pressure and decisive contact. It costs 60 food and 75 gold, has 120 HP, 12 attack, 2 melee/2 pierce armor, 1.35 speed and 4 line of sight, with a 30-second train time. The official help calls it powerful and all-purpose, strong against Infantry and Foot Archers, but weak against the Spearman-line, Camel Riders and Monks. It carries no attack bonus, so its identity is the combination of speed, durability and raw melee damage rather than a specialist class interaction.
History & balance
Cavalier is the Castle Age continuation of the Knight line, and the official help points forward to Paladin or Savar at the Stable. Blacksmith attack and armor, Stable speed and HP, creation speed and Monk resistance all belong to the same mounted progression. The design keeps heavy Cavalry simple: it converts food and gold into a fast, durable body that can choose fights, punish Foot Archers and reach siege. Its counter list is equally deliberate, preserving the Spearman-line, Camel and Monk answers instead of making the upgrade a universal key.
In pro play
Produce Cavaliers when the map gives their 1.35 speed room to choose the fight. Use 120 HP and 2/2 armor to reach Foot Archers, circle an exposed economy or threaten a siege route, then disengage before Halberdiers or Camels close the trap. The 60 food/75 gold price rewards a clear target: do not split a small group into several raids that cannot survive. Keep vision ahead of the Stable, add support against the listed counters, and transition toward the next Stable upgrade only when the opponent is forced to respect the current pressure.
How to counter it
The classic mistake is to send Cavaliers into a spear wall because their armor looks high, or to ignore Monks while the army is converting the expensive units. In practice, the counters are Halberdiers, Heavy Camels and Monks. Halberdiers have +32 against Cavalry and Heavy Camel Riders +18, so the first two punish the Cavalier through class bonus; Monks attack the decision by converting the 75-gold body. Keep the route open, deny conversion and never trade head-on into the named counters. If you keep losing to Cavaliers without knowing what to build or when, that is exactly what AoE Coach does: it reads your match-up and gives you the counter composition and timing.