Heavy Camel Rider
CamelBase 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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Camel Rider
Castle Heavy Camel Rider
Imperial
Imperial Camel Rider
ImperialThe coach's briefing
The Heavy Camel Rider is the bane of all cavalry. With +18 bonus damage against Cavalry, Heavy Camels shred Cavaliers and Paladins alike. They also deal +9 bonus damage to other Camels, making them effective in camel mirror matches. Still vulnerable to infantry and archers, but their cavalry-killing power is unmatched. Classes: Camel.
STRONG AGAINST
You win these trades cost-effectively.
WEAK AGAINST
Avoid these fights or bring support.
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Your coach names the counters during the match — not once the game is over.
Strategic Analysis
Tactical Identity
The Heavy Camel Rider is the **ultimate cavalry counter**. In Imperial Age, when Paladins roam the battlefield, Heavy Camels are your answer. They trade efficiently against any cavalry composition.
Tactical Playbook
Paladin Killer
Your +18 bonus means you deal 24 damage to Paladins per hit. Even with their 160 HP, 7 hits kills a Paladin. You cost 55F/60G, Knights cost 60F/75G. Math wins.
Cavalry Screen
Position Heavy Camels in front of your archers or siege. Enemy cavalry charges into your Camels first, getting shredded before reaching your damage dealers.
Mirror Counter
Your +9 vs Camel makes you effective even against other Camel civilizations. In camel wars, the player who masses more wins.
Critical Point
**Halberdiers** still deal massive damage to you, and **Arbalesters** will melt your 0 Pierce armor. Always have archer support or siege to deal with these threats.
Understanding The Stats
The Heavy Camel doubles down on the Camel Rider philosophy: devastating anti-cavalry power at the cost of general tankiness. The bonus damage jump from +9 to +18 is transformative.
Doubled Bonus
Twice the cavalry bonus of the base Camel. Against a Paladin (5 armor), you deal (7-5)+18 = 20 damage per hit. Devastating.
Improved HP
+20 HP over the Camel Rider. With Bloodlines, you reach 140 HP - comparable to a Cavalier.
Anti-Camel Bonus
Effective in camel mirror matches. You deal 16 damage to enemy Camels per hit, winning trades decisively.
Still Fragile
No armor upgrades. Archers still deal full damage, and Halberdiers still hurt. You're a specialist, not a generalist.
Coach's Tip
Your 120 HP with Bloodlines (140) approaches Cavalier territory. But your 0 armor means you take full damage from everything. Position carefully - you're a counter unit, not a front-line fighter.
Mechanics & Bonuses
Attack Bonuses
| Target | Bonus Dmg |
|---|---|
| Cavalry | +18 |
| Camel | +9 |
| Ship | +9 |
| Mameluke | +7 |
Armor Classes
Camel
Takes specific bonus damage from Pikemen.
Key Upgrades
Feudal Age
Castle Age
Civilizations
* 12 civilizations have access to this unit.
Other Units
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
Heavy Camel Rider is the Imperial anti-cavalry Cavalry unit. It costs 55 food and 60 gold, has 120 HP, 7 attack, 0/0 armor, 1.45 speed and 5 line of sight, with a 22-second train time. The official help says it is strong against Mounted Units and weak against Infantry, Monks and Foot Archers. Its attack bonuses are the identity: +18 against Cavalry, +9 against Camels, +9 against Ships and +7 against Mamelukes. It is a fast specialist that trades its lack of armor for class damage, so it wants mounted targets and a clear path to them.
History & balance
Heavy Camel Rider is the late step of the Camel line, with the official Stable path pointing to Imperial Camel Rider. Blacksmith attack and armor, Stable speed and HP, creation speed and Monk resistance support a unit designed to answer increasingly heavy mounted armies. Its 1.45 speed makes the answer mobile, while the +18 Cavalry and +9 Camel bonuses make the role legible in the data rather than implied by a nickname. The trade-off remains deliberate: 0/0 armor and the official weaknesses to Infantry, Monks and Foot Archers keep it from becoming a universal frontline.
In pro play
Queue Heavy Camel Riders when the opponent has committed to mounted value, not as a generic replacement for every Cavalry unit. The 1.45 speed lets the group intercept, while +18 against Cavalry and +9 against Camels turn a good connection into a favorable trade. Keep Foot Archers or Infantry away from the camels, because 0/0 armor makes unsupported dives expensive. Their 55 food/60 gold cost is efficient only when the class bonuses are active; scout the target, mass enough to cover the route and use the mobility to meet Knights or Cavaliers before they reach your economy.
How to counter it
The classic mistake is to answer Heavy Camel Riders with more Cavalry, giving their +18 class bonus exactly the fight it wants. In practice, the counters are Arbalesters, Halberdiers, Monks and Champions. Halberdiers carry +26 against the Camel class, while Arbalesters attack from range and Monks threaten conversion; Champions supply the close-range Infantry the help names. Do not let the camels choose an open mounted trade: pin them with Infantry, shoot them or convert them. If you keep losing to Heavy Camel Riders 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.