Hulk
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.
The coach's briefing
Commander, the Hulk is a close-range warship with 85 HP, 3 melee armor and 1 pierce armor after the update. Its 4 attack and +1 against Fire Ships remain modest. Protect it from ranged Galleys and use narrow waterways to force close engagements.
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 Hulk is the **anti-Fire Ship specialist** and melee naval brawler. It fills a unique niche as the only dedicated melee ship counter to Fire Ships in Castle Age.
Tactical Playbook
Fire Ship Counter
+1 vs Fire Ships is the only bonus the Hulk has: 5 damage a hit, before their own melee armor. Its value is defensive, not offensive.
Narrow Waterways
On maps with rivers or narrow passages, Hulks dominate. Enemies cannot kite in tight spaces, forcing the close-range engagements where Hulks excel.
Fleet Tanking
With 85 HP and 3 melee armor, Hulks can screen your ranged ships, but they are less durable than before.
Ship Bonus
There is no general bonus against ships: against anything other than a Fire Ship, the Hulk hits for its bare 4 attack.
Critical Point
Being melee means **Galleys and War Galleys** can kite you endlessly on open water. Never send Hulks alone — they need ranged ship support to close distance.
Understanding The Stats
The Hulk is a tanky melee ship with exceptional melee armor and strong anti-Fire Ship bonuses, but its lack of range makes it dependent on positioning and fleet support.
Melee Armor Tank
3 melee armor helps against ships that deal melee damage, including Fire Ships.
Fire Ship Killer
+1 against Fire Ships, and nothing else: 5 damage a hit, before their own melee armor.
Solid Hull
85 HP is below a War Galley's 125. Combined with 3 melee armor it holds against some melee damage, but its 1 pierce armor leaves it vulnerable to arrows.
Melee Limitation
No ranged attack means you must close distance. On open water, ranged ships will kite you. Choose your engagements wisely.
Coach's Tip
Your 3 melee armor helps screen Fire Ships, but the lower 85 HP makes focus fire more dangerous. Protect your ranged fleet without overcommitting.
Mechanics & Bonuses
Attack Bonuses
| Target | Bonus Dmg |
|---|---|
| Fire Ship | +1 |
Armor Classes
Ship
Takes bonus from Heated Shot, Fire Ships, and Demolition Ships.
Melee Ship
Vulnerable to units with bonus damage vs this class.
Key Upgrades
Castle Age
Imperial Age
Civilizations
* 53 civilizations have access to this unit.
Other Units
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
Hulk is a close-range melee warship built for direct contact on the water. It has 85 HP, 4 attack, 3 melee armor and 1 pierce armor, with 1 range, 1.42 speed, and 5 line of sight. Its price is 75 wood and 35 gold, and it trains in 42 seconds. The hull is not a ranged control piece: it must reach the enemy before its attack matters. That makes its value positional. It can absorb some pressure and punish vulnerable fire ships, but it needs a route to contact and should not be sent into a ranged line without support.
History & balance
The Hulk evokes the compact fighting ship that relies on a sturdy hull and a crew ready for close action. The game turns that identity into a readable counter relationship: a ship that wants to touch the opponent is naturally favored against vessels whose strength is a short fire attack, yet it struggles against disciplined ranged galleys. This makes the unit useful for teaching an old naval principle. A stronger boarding posture is valuable only when the fleet can choose where contact happens. Its role stays sharply defined.
In pro play
Use Hulks where the map lets you force contact: around docks, narrow shorelines, and protected fish. Move in a group, approach from an angle, and avoid revealing the whole fleet to a ranged line before the distance is short. The 1.42 speed helps the ship close, but the 42-second train time makes careless losses expensive. Queue them continuously when you commit, keep damaged hulls behind fresh ones, and let the fleet fight near a dock that can replace losses. Your first job is to create contact, not to chase everything.
How to counter it
The classic mistake is letting Hulks reach your ranged ships because the fleet stands still or fights beside a blocking shoreline. The official help gives the categories: Fire Ships as the strong matchup for Hulks, and Galleys as their weakness. In practice, Galleys and War Galleys answer them by applying ranged damage before the melee hull can connect; keep the line spaced, focus one Hulk, and retreat while firing. If you choose Fire Ships, make the close-range fight deliberate rather than accidental. Struggling against Hulks without knowing what to produce or when? AoE Coach reads your matchup and gives you the composition + timing.