Demolition Ship
ShipBase 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.
Evolution
Demolition Raft
Feudal Age Demolition Ship
Castle Age
Heavy Demolition Ship
Imperial AgeThe coach's briefing
The Demolition Ship deals 110 explosion damage - enough to one-shot Fire Ships and severely damage War Galleys. 50 HP makes it harder to stop. Use them to break enemy naval formations or dive Fire Ship masses. The faster train time means you can sustain Demo Ship pressure.
STRONG AGAINST
You win these trades cost-effectively.
WEAK AGAINST
Avoid these fights or bring support.
Prepare your next matchup
Choose both civilizations for a game plan, key threats and an army composition.
Strategic Analysis
Tactical Identity
The Demolition Ship is your **Castle Age naval ace**. It punishes grouped enemy ships.
Tactical Playbook
One-Shot Fire Ships
110 damage kills Fire Ships (120 HP). Dive Fire Ship groups for massive value.
Force Spreads
Enemies must spread out to avoid Demo Ships. This weakens their focus fire and control.
Dock Snipes
+220 vs Buildings means Demo Ships can destroy enemy Docks. End water control permanently.
Critical Point
**Still fragile vs focus fire**. 50 HP dies to 8 War Galley shots. Send multiple Demo Ships to ensure at least one connects.
Understanding The Stats
The Demolition Ship delivers devastating explosion damage with improved survivability over the Raft.
Massive Explosion
+20 over Raft. One-shots Fire Ships and cripples War Galleys.
Better HP
+15 HP helps survive the approach. Still send with escort.
Fast Speed
Even faster than the Raft. Hard to kite.
Faster Train
Much faster production. Sustain Demo Ship pressure.
Coach's Tip
1.52 speed is very fast - faster than all Galley-line ships (1.36). Use this to chase down retreating enemies or escape bad engagements.
Mechanics & Bonuses
Attack Bonuses
| Target | Bonus Dmg |
|---|---|
| Building | +220 |
Armor Classes
Ship
Takes bonus from Heated Shot, Fire Ships, and Demolition Ships.
Demolition Ship
Vulnerable to units with bonus damage vs this class.
Key Upgrades
Castle Age
Imperial Age
Civilizations
* 46 civilizations have access to this unit.
Other Units
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
The Demolition Ship is the upgraded explosive charge for naval fights: 50 HP, 95 attack, 1 melee armor, 0 pierce armor, range 0, 1.52 speed and 6 line of sight. It costs 45 wood and 80 gold and trains in 31 seconds. Its official help gives one clear category: strong versus units at close range, because the ship self-destructs when used. The upgrade raises the blast threat without turning the unit into a normal warship. Treat every Demolition Ship as a moving area-of-effect threat whose real statistic is not its survival, but the amount of fleet it can reach before dying.
History & balance
The Demolition Ship is a lesson in naval geometry. The unit does not win by sustained damage, armor or range; it wins by making the opponent pay for occupying the same space. Compared with the Demolition Raft, its 31-second training time makes the threat arrive sooner, so it can be mixed into a normal fleet without announcing a long preparation. That changes the defender's decisions: a compact force fights efficiently against ordinary ships but becomes a perfect target for explosives. The Demolition Ship therefore belongs to the strategic history of a match as much as the combat log. It is valuable because it forces movement, spacing and respect for the approach.
In pro play
The professional pattern is to hide Demolition Ships inside a fleet that already controls the route. At 1.52 speed they can close faster than a Raft, but 50 HP and no pierce armor still make a naked charge easy to stop. Use ordinary ships to draw focus, then send the explosive hull through the moment the enemy turns or bunches up. The 45-wood, 80-gold cost is manageable, while 31 seconds lets a Dock replace a used charge during an active water fight. Do not detonate on the first available target if it is a lone ship. Wait for a cluster, a blocked retreat or a transport escort that cannot spread in time.
How to counter it
The classic mistake against a Demolition Ship is fighting in a tight ball and assuming more ships will solve the problem. The official help gives the category: strong versus units at close range. In practice, keep distance and kill before impact. Galleys and War Galleys fire while the zero-range ship closes; a split formation makes the explosion hit one hull instead of the fleet. If it enters the line, turn away and sacrifice a peripheral target if that prevents a chain reaction. If Demolition Ships keep destroying naval armies and you do not know what to build or when, AoE Coach reads your match-up and gives you the counter composition and timing.