Elite Tarkan
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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Tarkan
Castle Elite Tarkan
ImperialThe coach's briefing
You now have 150 HP, 11 attack, and 4 pierce armor. That's absurd tankiness vs archers - Arbalesters deal only 2 damage per hit. With 19 damage to buildings (11+8 bonus), you can delete bases rapidly. The upgrade costs 1000F/500G. You're still not a frontline fighter, but you're an unstoppable raiding force.
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 Elite Tarkan becomes a **near-immune raiding machine** vs archers with devastating building destruction.
Tactical Playbook
4 Pierce Armor
Arbalesters deal 2 damage. TC arrows deal minimal damage. Raid anywhere freely.
150 HP Tank
Massive HP pool. Survives extended raids without healing.
19 Building Damage
Houses die in 3 hits. Production buildings die quickly.
Critical Point
**Still loses to proper cavalry counters**. Halbs, Camels and heavy cavalry still beat you in combat.
Understanding The Stats
The Elite upgrade dramatically improves survivability and building destruction capability.
Massive HP
+50 HP over base. Incredibly tanky.
Better Attack
+3 over base. Better building destruction.
More Pierce Armor
+1 pierce armor. Near-immune to archers.
Same Speed
Still very fast. Great raiding mobility.
Coach's Tip
150 HP with Bloodlines is 170 HP. Combined with 4 pierce armor, you're the best archer-resistant raider in the game.
Mechanics & Bonuses
Attack Bonuses
| Target | Bonus Dmg |
|---|---|
| Building | +10 |
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 Elite Tarkan is the Hunnic unique Heavy Cavalry, with 150 HP, 11 attack, 1/4 armor, 1.4 speed, line of sight 7, and an expensive 60 food/60 gold cost for 14 seconds of training. The official help calls it exceptionally strong vs. buildings; its weak categories are Spearman-line and Camel Riders. Huns do not need Houses, while their cheaper Cavalry Archers and accurate Trebuchets support the Elite Tarkan as a mobile building breaker inside a nomadic pressure plan. Elite status makes this building breaker more durable without changing its mobile role.
History & balance
The Elite Tarkan gives the Huns a way to convert mobility into structural damage. Its 14-second train time and 1.4 speed make it hard to pin down, while 1/4 armor and 150 HP let it reach a wall, Town Center, or production site if the route is prepared. The 60 food/60 gold price prevents careless massing; the unit is strongest when it attacks a building that cannot be repaired safely. Hunnic identity changes the economy around it: no Houses are required, Cavalry Archers cost less gold, and Trebuchets are more accurate. The design is a raid that changes the map, not a generic cavalry brawl.
In pro play
Use Elite Tarkans to open a path and force defensive decisions, not to stand under every Town Center. Fourteen seconds of training and 1.4 speed allow a quick switch between walls, Houses, production buildings, and exposed eco, while its official strength against buildings makes the first structural target matter. Scout the repair route, hit from two angles, and leave before the opponent can surround the group. Huns can spend the wood saved by not building Houses on more production or support, but the 60 food/60 gold cost still rewards a clear target list. Once a building falls, rotate immediately and make the defender rebuild under pressure.
How to counter it
The classic mistake is to defend buildings with villagers alone and let Elite Tarkans choose a repair or production target. The official help gives the weak categories: Spearman-line and Camel Riders. Halberdiers have +32 against Cavalry and Pikemen +22; Camel Riders have +9 against Cavalry, so both punish the Elite Tarkan class directly. Keep spears behind the building and close the escape route. Do not chase through open ground while another Elite Tarkan group attacks your economy. If you keep losing to Elite Tarkans without knowing what to produce or when, AoE Coach reads your match-up and gives you the counter composition and timing.